Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 605 The Skinning Operation
Technical department of Momo Technology Building, Jingzhou City.

Lin Qingyin rubbed her slightly sore eyes and stared at the scrolling code on the screen.

The Dark Lance team she led, along with some skilled individuals coordinated by Huang Ganping, had been working tirelessly for several days and nights.

Their target wasn't MSN's servers, but rather those public intellectuals who were paid to do things and were frantically stirring up public opinion.

"Director Lin, we've caught the mouse by the tail!" a young team member with messy hair and thick glasses shouted happily.

His name is A-Jie, and he specializes in tracking encrypted transactions and hidden files.

He excitedly pointed to the screen and said, "Look at this. Independent commentator Xu Jin received a remittance from a shell company in the British Virgin Islands last week in his anonymous overseas account. I have been tracking this company in depth. It also has frequent transactions with Huaxia Shangding Company. The amount is exactly 50,000 Chinese yuan. The remittance note is for consulting fees. And the day before he received the payment, his brilliant article on his blog was just published."

On the screen, a complex flow of funds was clearly visible, ultimately pointing to an offshore account associated with Huaxia Shangding Technology.

"That's not all." On the other side, Lilith, who was in charge of hacking into the users' computers, sneered and pulled up a portion of the chat logs, saying, "We hacked into their computers and found quite a bit, especially a public intellectual named Gao Songbai. He was negotiating prices with a marketing manager from Huaxia Shangding. They had a clear price list: 20,000 yuan for forwarding one post and 50,000 yuan for an original post. The requirement was that they had to criticize QQ and praise MSN, and write with a sense of profound knowledge and concern for the country and its people. In addition, their chat logs were also very explosive."

Lin Qingyin frowned slightly as she looked at the irrefutable evidence.

She compiled these materials into a clear report, attached key evidence screenshots and decrypted original data, and sent it to Cheng Yi.

She knew that Cheng Yi and many people at Momo Group were waiting for their report.

After submitting the report, she called Cheng Yi again to remind him.

Cheng Yi quickly opened the email, carefully read through it, and a relieved smile immediately appeared on his face.

Finally got it done.

He took out his phone and dialed Cao Zhengze's number, saying, "Come over here, get ready to move out."

The first person he chose was Xu Jin, a commentator known for his clear-headedness, independence, and concern for the country and its people.

The other is Gao Songbai, a liberal public intellectual known for his sharp words, extreme worship of the West, and denigration of everything in China.

Cao Zhengze had been waiting for these reports for almost a week.

Seeing the fierce online battle raging, this head of the online trolls was going crazy with anxiety.

It's not a big deal if we can't get the main attackers, the key thing is that we haven't even gotten an assist yet.

He quickly went to Cheng Yi's office, carefully looked through the documents, and grinned, "Very detailed, very good, good, I'll go back and get it done now."

“Go ahead, this is to make an example of someone, don’t hold back,” Cheng Yi said. “It must have a deterrent effect.”

"Okay!" Cao Zheng responded and immediately returned to his office, which resembled a wartime command post.

Dozens of screens lit up simultaneously, and the team leaders under their command had already quickly assembled.

"The targets this time are renowned scholars Xu Jin and Gao Songbai. Operation codename: Exposing." Cao Zhengze's voice was filled with suppressed excitement as he said, "First, release these things bit by bit through netizens' revelations! Set the pace well, let the whole internet see what kind of people these elites who teach us how to be good people every day really are."

The first wave of attacks was launched silently in the dead of night.

A post suddenly appeared in the gossip and martial arts section of Tianya Community:
Let's take a closer look at Teacher Xu, who is the only one who is sober in a world of drunks, and his exorbitant consulting fees.

The post didn't immediately present evidence. Instead, it used a gossipy tone to question why Xu Jin had been so enthusiastically promoting MSN lately. The writing style suddenly changed and became full of commercial flavor.

"Is it possible that our Teacher Xu is just waking up in a different way?" This ambiguous hint immediately attracted a large number of night owl netizens.

Following this, similar discussion threads appeared on forums such as Mop and Xici Hutong.

Just as the buzz was starting to build, the next morning, an anonymous user named "An Insider Couldn't Stand It Anymore" dropped the first bombshell in the original post on Tianya: a blurry but recognizable screenshot of a remittance record. The recipient's name was blurred, but the remitter, the amount, and the time were all marked in red.

"I heard this is proof of a recent side income for a certain Professor Xu? It's from a company that's heavily promoting MSN. So independent opinions are worth that much?"

One stone caused a thousand waves!

"Holy crap? Really? Fifty thousand yuan for a single advertorial?"

"No wonder the screen is full of MSN being great and QQ being trash lately, it turns out it's all about money."

"Unfollowed, unfollowed. Disgusting. I thought it was insightful, but it turns out to be just business."

Xu Jin's blog comment section was instantly flooded with comments.

The rational voices that had initially supported him were immediately drowned out by a torrent of doubts and ridicule.

This turmoil started too quickly and too rapidly.

Cao Zhengze's 100,000-strong online army was far superior to the hastily assembled online army squads of MSN.

After several years of fighting, this 100,000-strong naval force has formed an extremely tight organization. They have an independent communication software and a very strict hierarchy and profit-sharing system.

These online trolls were selected from hundreds of thousands of employees of Momo Group. The vast majority were web administrators, and some were office clerks from subsidiaries. After unified training, they quickly formed a fighting force.

Xu Jin himself was leisurely enjoying tea at home when he saw these posts.

At first, he didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a baseless attack by online mobs.

But when he saw the screenshot of the remittance, his hand trembled violently, and the teacup fell to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces.

"How...how did they get their hands on this?" Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

He forced himself to remain calm and immediately published a stern and indignant statement on his blog:

Recently, some malicious individuals have been spreading rumors and slandering me online. The claim that I received payment for writing commentaries is utter nonsense! I, Xu Jin, act with integrity and uprightness; all my articles stem from the independent thinking and social responsibility of an intellectual! I have entrusted a lawyer to collect evidence and reserve the right to pursue legal action! The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty! I urge certain forces not to attempt to smear those who dare to speak the truth using such despicable means!

The statement was as impassioned as ever, as if the speaker had suffered a tremendous injustice.

However, his statement immediately reignited the hype, and just as the hype reached its peak with major media outlets starting to report on it, Cao Zhengze launched his second attack.

This time, they went straight for the real deal. The anonymous insider reappeared, posting a higher-resolution screenshot of the remittance record, revealing all the key information: the last few digits of the recipient's account number, the prominent Virgin Islands company name of the remitter, the exact amount, and the date.

Also posted were screenshots of the publication time of Xu Jin's blog post "Say Goodbye to Childishness: Why I Chose MSN" and a small portion of MSN chat logs. The content recorded was extensive, and even just a small part was enough to shock many people.

These pieces of solid evidence caused an uproar among netizens.

"Teacher Xu, stop being so stubborn. Look at the timeline: the money arrived the day before, and the article was published the next day. Isn't that a bit too short a reaction time for independent thinking? Besides, your seemingly aboveboard payment account is quite discreet, isn't it?"

"What did they say in the chat log? They said they wanted to help you get a green card? What's a green card? I've never heard of it."

"I've never heard of it either, it's so profound."

"Haha, does your face hurt, Teacher Xu?"

"Still hiring a lawyer? Go ahead and sue! Let's see if the judge will believe your independent thinking or this irrefutable evidence!"

"Fifty thousand yuan can buy the backbone of an intellectual, that's really cheap."

"I used to actually believe what he said, but now I think it's disgusting."

Xu Jin sat in front of the computer, his face ashen, his fingers trembling as he looked at the harsh mockery on the screen, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He tried to issue another statement to defend himself, but the words he typed out seemed weak and powerless.

At this point, the phone started ringing incessantly. There were media outlets requesting interviews, friends who seemed concerned but were actually just looking on to see the situation fall apart, and even some brand partners and event organizers subtly suggesting that they terminate their cooperation...

He only answered a few phone calls before his mental state completely collapsed.

He ripped the phone cord off and slumped onto the sofa, looking utterly dejected, his mind blank.

How did his computer data and chat logs end up being posted online?
There are even personal hobby documents for the couple in there...

On the other side, Gao Songbai was participating in a forum program on a TV station. He was fanning himself and boasting about Western culture with great enthusiasm. After he finished boasting, he started talking about MSN.

"Hey, let me tell you, back in the MSN era, it truly represented the direction of advanced productivity and advanced civilization. What is Microsoft? It's a great company that changed the fate of mankind! And look at QQ... well, it was just a little thing created by a small team that had never even left the Fifth Ring Road. Who were the people they used? Either low-level youths eating instant noodles in internet cafes, or little kids who hadn't finished their homework!"

The audience immediately burst into laughter.

Gao Songbai shook his fan again and laughed, "Back then, when those executives from Microsoft China in their suits came to me to discuss cooperation, I slammed my fist on the table and told them that if we wanted to improve the quality of the people, we had to first change the bad habits of QQ. Look at this, the promotion of MSN is not a commercial activity at all. It is a social enlightenment movement. It is making money while standing tall and promoting civilization and progress."

"You know, back then, MSN users were all elites who drank coffee and talked about Debussy. Who was like you guys, constantly trying to reach the highest level? I think this history should be included in the textbooks for internet enlightenment."

Gao Songbai's remarks immediately drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.

He waved his fan with a smug grin, a sweet smile on his face.

He was unaware that his segment was soon edited out by someone with ulterior motives.

This video, along with his chat logs showing him receiving funds from Huaxia Shangding, as well as equally clear evidence of remittances and private chat logs, was turned into various funny memes and short video clips, and spread virally on the internet.

"Haha, promoting social progress? You're probably promoting your wallet's progress."

"You keep talking about the 'lower class,' but when you use that 'lower class' money, does your hand tremble?"

"So the price of freedom is 20,000 reposts, huh? I've learned something new."

"Isn't this guy always touting Western integrity? Is this all he has?"

Gao Songbai had offended many people in the past, and now that he was in dire straits, everyone was pushing him down.

His various dark histories and contradictory statements have all been dug up and repeatedly vilified.

He tried to argue that the video was edited and the chat logs were fake, but nobody believed him.

The more hysterically he defended himself, the more happily netizens mocked him.

Cao Zhengze's online army skillfully guided public opinion, firmly attaching labels such as pseudo-intellectual, paid to speak, and MSN-trained cheerleaders to Xu Jin and Gao Songbai.

Momo's portal website timely launched an in-depth analysis with a sensational title: "A Public Opinion Siege Against National Software".

In this special section, a lot of evidence has been made public and featured at the top of the homepage.

This internet trial came fiercely and violently. Xu Jin and Gao Songbai were completely disgraced overnight. They didn't even have a chance to speak up for themselves before becoming rats that everyone wanted to kill.

Their carefully cultivated persona of independence, clarity, and elitism collapsed, turning them into spokespeople for greed and hypocrisy.

This battle can be described as a blitzkrieg in the world of public opinion, coming and going quickly. It also silenced those big V's and commentators who had been paid or wanted to be paid to praise MSN and belittle QQ.

Many people deleted their posts and went silent, fearing they would become the next targets to be exposed.

It was only at this moment that they realized that QQ was backed by Momo Group.

This isn't a case of Microsoft Asia Group crushing Tencent; it's a war between Microsoft and Momo Group.

In a war of this magnitude, for ordinary people to stick their feet in is like a tiny ant sticking its foot out at an elephant and saying, "Shh, watch me trip him up."

Xu Jin and Gao Songbai, two influential figures with millions of followers, have already demonstrated the consequences of their own disgrace to the platform.

The carefully cultivated public opinion atmosphere created by Microsoft and Huaxia Shangding, which portrayed MSN as professional and high-end while QQ as youthful and backward, was torn open by this precise and ruthless exposé, and a sense of aversion and suspicion began to spread online.

People began to reflect on how much of the praise and denigration they had heard was based on genuine experience, and how much was a lie driven by money.

They weren't angry that MSN was targeting QQ, as if it were some kind of nationalistic sentiment. They didn't have that awareness yet, after all, both sides were capitalists.

What angered them was that these bastards had treated them like fools and had completely outmaneuvered them.

This is truly something that even an uncle can tolerate, but an aunt cannot.

(End of this chapter)