Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 707 A Stormy Night Strikes
The computer store owner was sweating profusely. He tried entering safe mode again, but it was still ineffective. The virus seemed to have penetrated deep into the system core, even turning the antivirus software into its own.

Time ticked by, and the finance department fell into a deathly silence.

Some people tried to reinstall the system, but found that they could not even read the system installation disk properly.

The moment the USB drive was plugged into the computer, the file icons inside instantly turned into pandas...

“It’s over…” Old Zhou slumped into his chair, his face ashen.

It's not just that this month's salaries can't be paid out; all the company's financial data, customer records, and scanned copies of contracts from the past ten years are all stored on the computer.

If the data cannot be recovered, the company's operations will immediately come to a standstill, and the losses will be incalculable.

He looked at the panda on the screen that seemed to be mocking him and felt a chill run down his spine.

This is hardly a prank.
This is downright criminal! A very serious crime!!!

On the same afternoon, Linqing District Branch of Linzhou Commercial Bank.

Teller Xiao Chen is compiling and filing today's deposits.

She tried several times, but the system kept lagging and the page wouldn't refresh.

"This damn system needs maintenance again," she muttered habitually, intending to take out her phone and have a long phone call with her boyfriend.

She had just taken out her phone when the terminal screen suddenly went black, followed by a system message: [Data read error, please try again.]

"What's going on?" Xiao Chen's expression changed slightly.

When she tried again, countless panda icons holding incense appeared on the computer screen, instantly covering the entire interface.

Xiao Chen was startled, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Xiao Chen hurriedly got up and shouted, "Come quick, come and see what's wrong with my computer? It's terrifying, there are so many pandas!"

"mine too."

"Mine is the same."

The other colleagues also cried out in disbelief.

Seeing this, the manager behaved better than the others; he immediately picked up his phone and called the bank's technicians.

Currently, panda icons are appearing on the screens of all business terminals in the branch, as well as the back-end credit management system and customer information query system. The system response speed has become extremely slow, a large number of transactions have failed, and several terminals have even crashed with a blue screen.

The bank was instantly thrown into chaos.

The technical manager attempted to start the backup system, but discovered that abnormal process records also appeared in the backup server's logs.

Although the core database is temporarily unharmed due to strict physical isolation and multiple backups, all front-end business systems are almost paralyzed.

Unable to deposit or withdraw money, unable to transfer funds, unable to process any business that requires system support.

The customers waiting in the lobby began to stir, and the complaints and questions grew louder and louder.

The bank manager had to personally step in to appease the situation and announce a temporary suspension of operations due to a system malfunction.

Soon, the news reached Microsoft Asia Group.

Initially, the customer service hotline only occasionally received a few inquiries about computer icons turning into pandas. These were classified as malicious plugins by customer service, recorded according to standard procedures, and then transferred to Kaspersky 360 for processing.

But soon, the inquiry hotline turned into a complaint hotline, and the complaint hotline escalated into a call for help.

The number surged from a few per hour to dozens per hour.

The call center's agent indicator lights flashed and rang wildly from the front desk to the back office, like firecrackers being lit.

"My computer is full of pandas! Nothing will open! What? You want me to wait patiently? When? I'm the guild's main tank! Do you even know what a main tank is? Without me, they can't run dungeons..."

"Our service system is experiencing a widespread outage. You must resolve this immediately. Don't give us explanations; we just want results!"

"We are XX Bank. Our systems at over a dozen branches have crashed, and all services are suspended. We request that Microsoft resolve this immediately. What? Temporarily switch to handwritten forms? Are you even speaking human language?"

"Our computers seem to have been hijacked. You... what? You want us to call the police? We are the police station!"

……

The voice on the phone went from anxious to angry, and from angry to desperate.

The callers are no longer individual users, but key departments in various fields and heads of large enterprises.

Their identities and the power they represent make every customer service representative who answers the phone tremble with fear, but there's nothing they can do; they simply can't do it.

The reports were passed up the chain of command, piling up like snowflakes on the desks of the technical department and management.

When the report, marked as urgent and of the highest priority, was finally presented to President Waters, the fire chief, known for his calm and iron-fisted approach, lost his composure for the first time in his office.

"What are you talking about?" Waters slammed the report on the table and roared at the technical executives standing before him with their hands at their sides. "Why was there no warning before? Are our MPS and virus scanning tools just for show? And what is Kaspersky doing?"

The CTO, his face pale, said, "Mr. Waters, this virus has too many variants, it generates too quickly, and our signature updates can't keep up at all. Moreover, it seems to learn, able to precisely bypass our latest defense rules. Even more frightening is that it appears to be able to infect and damage the core processes of some antivirus software, including some security components of our MPS and Kaspersky..."

"Don't give me excuses," Waters interrupted him rudely, angrily saying, "If this damn Panda causes problems with our system, it will be a devastating blow to the Windows brand image. If we lose the Chinese market, you'll all be out of a job!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, but the fire in his eyes still burned. "Immediately! Right now! Call Ivanov over here!"

Less than half an hour after Waters issued the order, Ivanov arrived at the Microsoft Asia Group headquarters.

He remained as composed as ever, in a sharp suit and with impeccably styled blond hair, as if the viral storm sweeping across China had nothing to do with him.

He even had a faint smile on his lips. In the past few days, with Kaspersky's full-scale entry into the fray, and Kaspersky working in conjunction with Kaspersky 360 security software, they had turned the tide in the battle against 2345 and achieved brilliant results, which made him quite happy.

“Mr. Waters, is there some good news to share that you summoned me so urgently?” Ivanov sat down in the chair opposite Waters, his tone very relaxed.

Waters had no time for pleasantries; he pushed a stack of the latest reports in front of Ivanov, which contained alarming virus data and emergency contact records from various agencies.

“Ivan, we’re in big trouble! A virus called Jiangcheng Boy has gone out of control.” Waters’ voice was tinged with anxiety.

Ivanov casually flipped through a few pages, shrugged, and chuckled, "I know about this virus. Its transmissibility is a bit unusual, but our Kaspersky engine has been keeping a close eye on it. Although there are quite a few variants, they don't pose any real threat. Our main focus should still be on cleaning up the 2345 malware and consolidating our position in the security market..."

"Not a threat?" Waters interrupted him, saying in a deep voice, "Ivan, the Chinese government system, banking system, large enterprises... so many key departments have been paralyzed by this virus. This is not an ordinary virus. The battle with 2345 has blinded you. If you don't open your eyes and see, Kaspersky will also lose everything."

He took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound more like a collaboration than a command, and sighed, "Ivan, now is not the time to worry about market share. I demand, no, I beg you, immediately put aside the fight with 2345, temporarily suspend all your market plans, and let everyone unite. It's not just Kaspersky and 360; I want to contact companies like Rising and Jiangmin, which you've suppressed, in the name of Microsoft, and gather all their still-working technical experts to form a joint technical task force to share data and work together to deal with this virus. This is the only way right now."

Waters stared intently into Ivanov's eyes and continued in a heavy tone, "You should understand that if the Windows system completely collapses in China because of this incident, the very soil on which Kaspersky survives will cease to exist. If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach?"

Waters pulled out the few lines of ancient Chinese poetry he had learned.

He was getting so anxious that he started using literary language, but Ivanov still didn't react.

“Mr. Waters, I think you’re being too nervous.” Ivanov said with an almost arrogant confidence, “Joining Rising? Jiangmin? Those defeated opponents, their technology is already outdated. What use are they? Besides causing trouble, I can’t think of any better role they can play.”

He stood up, straightened his tie, and smiled, “Please rest assured, and please also tell the gentlemen at Microsoft headquarters to rest assured, this level of virus, although it has many variants, is nothing more than a minor ailment in the face of Kaspersky’s world-leading heuristic engine and proactive defense system. We do not need the help of those losers. With Kaspersky’s own strength, we are enough to completely eliminate it in a short period of time.”

He walked to the door, glanced back at Waters, whose expression was gloomy, and added, "The virus must be killed, and 2345 must also be killed. Once we have resolved these two hidden dangers, I hope you can keep your promise and ensure that we are the only company in China's security market. Farewell, Mr. Waters."

After saying that, Ivanov confidently opened the door, strode out, leaving Waters alone in the office, frozen in place.

Waters watched Ivanov's disappearing figure, his expression somewhat grim.

His ally, on whom he had placed high hopes, at this most critical moment, chose what he considered a path close to suicide because of a brief victory and inflated ambition.

“Foolish… arrogant idiot,” Waters uttered through gritted teeth.

Just then, his assistant's phone rang.

[One wave has barely subsided before another crashes in; amidst the vast sea of ​​people, a raging storm rages...]

The ringing of a cell phone broke the silence of the office.

This is a Chinese song. I didn't think much of it when I first heard it, but now it's making Waters increasingly annoyed.

The assistant frantically pulled out his phone and hung up, glancing at Waters somewhat timidly.

Waters beckoned to her expressionlessly, and the assistant immediately handed over her phone with trepidation.

Waters fiddled with the Samsung phone for a few seconds, then slammed it to the ground.

With a snap, the new Samsung phone immediately shattered into pieces, startling the assistant so much that he couldn't help but shudder.

"This song is awful. Ban this singer too. I don't want to hear his voice again." Waters slowly sat down in the chair, rubbing his temples with his hands.

Relying on the Kaspersky family is too risky; he can't just sit idly by, because nobody knows how far the virus will eventually spread.

He thought for a moment, then said to his pale-faced assistant, "Pass on the group's order to me."

"First, activate the highest-level global emergency response. Draw all the top antivirus experts from our Redmond headquarters, European and Indian laboratories to form a special task force, and have them take the fastest flight to Yanjing. I want to see them sitting in the laboratory within 24 hours!"

"Second, temporarily... temporarily halt all targeted actions against the Momo system. Dedicate all resources to eradicating this panda. Tell the people below that we now have only one enemy, and that is this damned panda."

"Third, contact those capable antivirus teams that are still operating in China and tell them that Microsoft needs their help and that the terms are negotiable."

"Yes! I'll draft the group order right now," the assistant said in a trembling voice.

"No need to draft it for me, just issue it directly." Waters waved his hand, and his assistant quickly left the office.

Waters's orders were issued swiftly.

Hours later, the expert team at Redmond headquarters was urgently analyzing the transmitted virus samples at an altitude of 10,000 meters, engineers at the Indian laboratory were holding meetings overnight despite the time difference, and the head of the European branch was also actively allocating resources.

The entire Microsoft Asia headquarters building was brightly lit.

The meeting room, which used to be filled with strategic meetings and marketing plans, has now been transformed into a temporary war room.

The huge screen no longer displays market share charts, but rather real-time updated maps tracking virus variants and infection data curves—those wildly rising red curves are alarming.

Waters sat in the center, constantly drinking black coffee, his eyes bloodshot.

His phone kept ringing with inquiries from relevant Chinese departments, accountability measures from global headquarters, and concerns from key partners…

Every phone call was like a whip, urging him to keep running forward.

He now has to race against time. If there were no competitor like Momo, it wouldn't be so bad, since users wouldn't have any other options. But now, if they can't solve the current problem, they might really lose the Chinese market.

(End of this chapter)