Bab 63: Chapter 63: The Journey to the West is Difficult and Difficult
"How is it?" Seeing Wei Qing was silent for a long time, Dai Shiya's heart rose to her throat, and an ominous premonition gradually enveloped her heart.
"Those IP addresses... are all fake." Wei Qing's tone was filled with helplessness and bitterness. "Either they are fictitious, or they have gone through multiple layers of proxies, and it is impossible to trace the real source."
Dai Shiya felt a black screen in front of her eyes, as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. She bit her lips tightly, trying to control the surging emotions in her heart and not let herself cry out in despair.
"Is... there really no way out?" Dai Shiya's voice trembled with a barely perceptible hint of despair.
Wei Qing didn't say anything, but held her hand tightly, her eyes firm and warm. She knew that any words of comfort she said now would be pale and powerless, and only actions could bring hope.
"Don't worry, we'll think of other ways." Wei Qing comforted and began searching for other feasible solutions.
However, the development of the matter was far more complicated than they imagined. As if they had sensed their intentions, the attack methods of the online trolls also changed.
The originally unscrupulous abuse and attacks gradually decreased, replaced by more covert smearing and guidance. They no longer use a unified caliber and obvious labels, but lurk on various platforms, using seemingly objective comments and analysis to cleverly guide public opinion and point the finger at Dai Shiya.
"Look at these comments," Wei Qing pointed at some seemingly neutral comments on the screen, frowning, "They seem to be objective analyses, but the words between the lines all imply that you are using any means necessary to fight for the inheritance, and your intentions are sinister."
Dai Shiya looked at the comments carefully and her face turned ugly. These comments did not seem to be directly offensive, but they were more insidious than the previous insults, and it was more difficult for people to detect the malice behind them.
"Boss Wu wants to drive me into the abyss completely and I will never be able to get out of it!" Dai Shiya clenched her fists, her knuckles turned white, and her heart was filled with anger and powerlessness.
"The current situation is not favorable to us," Wei Qing analyzed calmly, "We must find a response plan as soon as possible, otherwise once public opinion completely turns to Mr. Wu's side, we will really have no chance of turning things around."
Dai Shiya took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She knew that now was not the time to panic, she had to cheer herself up and find a breakthrough to break the current predicament.
"Qing'er, do you still remember the network security expert we met before?" Dai Shiya seemed to have suddenly thought of something, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, "Maybe he can help us."
Wei Qing's eyes lit up, but soon, her expression dimmed again. She remembered something, looked at Dai Shiya with hesitation, and finally just shook her head gently... "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the expert?" Seeing Wei Qing hesitated, Dai Shiya couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Wei Qing hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell Dai Shiya the truth. "I heard that... the expert received a warning from Mr. Wu some time ago, asking him not to interfere in this matter."
Dai Shiya's heart suddenly sank, and a deep feeling of powerlessness surged into her heart. Mr. Wu's power was far greater than she had imagined, and even a network security expert could be easily threatened by him.
"Are we really at the end of our rope?" Dai Shiya murmured to herself, her tone filled with despair.
"Don't be discouraged," Wei Qing held her hand and gave her strength, "Let's think of other ways. There must be other experts who can help."
They began to contact some cybersecurity experts they knew before, but the results were disappointing. Some rejected their requests on the grounds that they were busy with work, while others became evasive after hearing Mr. Wu's name and eventually declined to cooperate.
The successive setbacks made Dai Shiya and Wei Qing realize that Mr. Wu had already made preparations in advance and blocked all the channels through which they could seek help.
"It seems that we can only rely on ourselves." Dai Shiya took a deep breath, and her eyes gradually became firm.
They began to try to post some clarifying posts and videos on the Internet, hoping to restore some public opinion. However, their efforts were soon drowned out by the overwhelming attacks and smears from the Internet troll army.
What makes them even more desperate is that some online platforms seem to be secretly cooperating with the troll army to limit and delete their posts and videos. The clarification videos they worked hard to make were removed by the platform for "content violations" before they could be spread, while the attacking and smearing remarks are still spread unscrupulously.
"These platforms... are going too far!" Wei Qing slammed the table angrily, but apart from being angry, they could do nothing.
Dai Shiya looked at the comments that kept refreshing on the computer screen, and her eyes gradually became cold. She knew that Mr. Wu was determined to push her into a dead end.
"Since they want to play, I will play with them to the end!" Dai Shiya gritted her teeth, a fierce look flashed in her eyes, "I just don't believe that evil can really defeat justice!"
"What do you want to do?" Wei Qing noticed the change in Dai Shiya's tone and felt a little uneasy.
"Didn't you say that those navy soldiers were paid to do their jobs?" Dai Shiya turned to look at Wei Qing, a sneer on her lips, "If that's the case, then we will disintegrate them from within!"
"Disintegrate them from within?" Wei Qing frowned. "How easy is that? These navy troops are well organized. We can't contact them at all."
Dai Shiya understood Wei Qing's concerns, but she was unwilling to give up easily. "There will always be a way," she said with a firm look, "It's impossible for them to be completely flawless."
They began to collect information about the water army from the Internet, hoping to find some clues. However, these water army organizations are very hidden, there is very little information about them on the Internet, and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false.
"Look at this," Wei Qing pointed at a message on the computer screen, "Someone revealed that these online scammers received orders through a platform called 'Undercurrent.'"
"Undercurrent?" Dai Shiya repeated the name, a glimmer of hope in her heart, "If I can find this platform, maybe I can find a way to contact the Internet water army."
They began to search for information about the "Dark Current" platform, but found that the platform was extremely secretive, without any public website or contact information. Even on some dark web forums, there were only a few scattered rumors about "Dark Current", but they were all vague and could not be verified.
Just when they were at their wits' end, Chief Editor Zhang published another article in the media suggesting that Dai Shiya had problems. Although the article did not explicitly accuse Dai Shiya, it used a cliché style and some specious evidence to lead readers to have a negative impression of her.
This article quickly went viral online, triggering a new round of public opinion storm. More and more netizens began to believe that Dai Shiya really had problems, and began to abuse and attack her.
"Editor-in-Chief Zhang is really haunting us!" Wei Qing gnashed her teeth in anger, "He's clearly targeting you on purpose!"
Dai Shiya's face was gloomy. She knew that there must be someone behind Editor-in-Chief Zhang, and this person was probably Mr. Wu. Mr. Wu wanted to use the power of public opinion to completely defeat her.
"We must find evidence to prove that all this is a conspiracy by President Wu and Editor-in-Chief Zhang!" Dai Shiya clenched her fists, with flames of anger flashing in her eyes.
However, where is the evidence? The water army is well organized and they can't contact them at all; and the article by editor Zhang seems objective and fair, but in fact it is full of hints and guidance. It is difficult to find conclusive evidence to prove that he is deliberately smearing.
They tried to contact some media again, hoping that they could report the truth of the matter. However, most media ignored their requests, and the few media that were willing to listen to their explanations also chose to remain silent after hearing Mr. Wu's name.
"It seems that Mr. Wu's influence has infiltrated the media industry," Dai Shiya said in a cold tone, "He wants to ban us completely!"
As time went by, the pressure from public opinion grew, and Dai Shiya's situation became increasingly difficult. Many originally agreed business collaborations fell through due to the influence of public opinion, and the company's business was severely impacted.
Dai Shiya felt unprecedented helplessness. She knew that without evidence, she could not fight back, and now, she didn't even have a way to contact the key person - the water army. She rubbed her temples and leaned back in her chair tiredly. Wei Qing looked at her, her eyes full of worry, and patted her shoulder gently. Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door. Wei Qing got up and opened the door. A courier stood outside the door, "Excuse me, is this Ms. Dai Shiya? Here is your express delivery." Dai Shiya was confused. She didn't buy anything online recently. Who could have sent it? She took the express, unpacked it, and there was a USB flash drive inside... Wei Qing leaned over, "What is this?" Dai Shiya rubbed her temples tiredly again and leaned back in her chair weakly. The office was filled with low pressure, and even the air seemed to solidify. The huge pressure made her breathless. She felt like a prey trapped in a spider web. The more she struggled, the more powerless she became.
"Could it be that some kind-hearted person provided the clue?" Wei Qing broke the silence with a hint of hope in her tone.
Dai Shiya shook her head, not expecting much. "Who would risk offending Mr. Wu to help us at this critical moment?" She took the USB drive, stroking the cold metal shell with her fingers, and was full of doubts.
"Whatever happens, let's wait and see." Wei Qing walked to the computer and inserted the USB drive into the interface.
A folder popped up on the computer screen, with only one video file in it. Dai Shiya and Wei Qing looked at each other, and saw doubt and a hint of expectation in each other's eyes. They clicked play, and the video began to play.
In the video, a blurry figure appeared in the dim room, whispering something to the camera. Due to the dim light, his face could not be seen clearly, but one could hear the pride and boasting in his tone. "…The task was completed well this time, and Mr. Wu was very satisfied. I will transfer the remaining balance to your account as soon as possible…"
As the video progressed, the picture gradually became clearer, and the blurry figure gradually revealed its true appearance. Dai Shiya and Wei Qing both held their breath and stared at the screen.
"Sun Shuijun!" Wei Qing exclaimed. The person in the video was the leader of the online troll army they had been looking for - Sun Shuijun.
In the video, Sun Shuijun described in detail how he was instructed by Mr. Wu to discredit Dai Shiya online and guide public opinion, and how he contacted the Shuijun through the "Undercurrent" platform to carry out organized and planned cyber attacks. He even proudly showed the transfer records of Mr. Wu's payment to him.
"Great! With this video, we can prove that all this is Mr. Wu's conspiracy!" Wei Qing clenched her fists excitedly, with excitement flashing in her eyes.
Dai Shiya also felt relieved, but she still felt uneasy. This USB flash drive appeared too timely, like... a timely help, but also like... a deliberate arrangement. "Who sent it?" She muttered to herself, looking through the express package, hoping to find some clues.
The sender column on the express delivery slip was blank, with no information. Dai Shiya's heart sank again. Who was secretly helping them? What was this person's purpose?
"No matter who it is, this evidence is extremely important to us." Wei Qing interrupted Dai Shiya's thoughts, "We should contact the media immediately and make this video public!"
Dai Shiya nodded and picked up her phone to contact the media that had rejected them before. At this moment, the office door was knocked again. Wei Qing walked over and opened the door. A man in a suit and tie stood outside the door with a professional smile on his face.
"Hello, Miss Dai Shiya. I am the agent of Xingyao Entertainment. My last name is Li. Our company is very interested in you and would like to invite you to become a signed artist of our company..."
Status Power Mingguan
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