Chapter 568: Good Luck (Supplementary Update)

Seemingly unable to believe it, Li Zhengwu was stunned for a long time.

"Lin Sicheng knows the password, and he also knows the Core Module?"

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have made it here!" Liu Anhua gave a bitter laugh. "I don't know how much he understands, but at the very least, he knows: what is running on a pile of refurbished machines assembled from junk is the most advanced instrument Core Module in the world right now..."

"He knows even better how to intercept and decrypt at the most opportune moment, and is able to extract the lowest-level Level Three Password Lock, as well as the most core coding programs and Operating Logic, from millions of lines of code..."

"And these are things that the Maintenance Engineers at the China company don't even know."

Li Zhenghao really wanted to ask: How is that possible?

The reason Liu Anhua understands this, and was able to reach this point, is because he was a top student majoring in Quantum Sensing, Spectrum, and Biological Instrument Systems at MIT.

Before joining Saishi, he had already interned for two years at the MIT cutting-edge instrument laboratory (government-funded, run by the university, the best in the world). In terms of professionalism, he was stronger than all those technical Supervisors and Group Leaders at Saishi Technology.

And what about Lin Sicheng?

He hadn't even graduated yet, and the things he studied didn't even touch the edge of the word "instrument."

"Mike, I thought the same thing before, but what was the result?" Liu Anhua sighed. "There is no point in dwelling on this now!" Li Zhengwu widened his eyes: "So, a long time ago, he already had the company's leverage in his hands?"

"Yes, at least since half a month ago, when he first met me here!"

"At that time, he let me make a choice!"

"Choose what?"

"One, if I chose to remain silent, he would expose all the dirt; by that time, you would certainly try every possible means to get me released on bail."

"Second, if I cooperated actively and confessed voluntarily, he would still expose the dirt, but he would do so selectively and with reservations..." Li Zhengwu frowned: "What is the difference?"

Liu Anhua wore a bitter smile. "Mike, you know: if I am released on bail, after I walk out of here, what my fate will be." There was a high probability that he would never see the sun the next day...

No, not a probability, but a certainty...

But Li Zhengwu could not understand why Lin Sicheng had to choose a path of mutual destruction.

Holding such significant leverage, he could have completely used the most gentle method to secure the greatest benefit.

When they met in Shanghai, if he had told him that he knew these things, let alone fifteen million, even if he had asked for one hundred million, Li Zhengwu wouldn't have even frowned.

Compared to the current result, fifteen million US dollars is so small it can be ignored...

Liu Anhua thought for a moment: "It's not that he didn't consider solving it in the most peaceful way, and he even fought for it: the first time, he tried to negotiate with Smith, but you know the result..."

"The second time, he tried to have a dialogue with you, but you didn't give him the chance..."

Li Zhengwu gritted his teeth: Smith didn't even know Lin Sicheng had looked for him, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have met him.

And that Assistant General Manager Sun, who only knew how to climb into Smith's bed, chose to receive Lin Sicheng in the most humiliating way.

So, it was that stupid woman who buried the seeds of disaster for the falling out between the two sides.

The second time, he had indeed given enough respect, but he had over-emphasized it: the Consulate, the Mixed Economic Committee, the Arbitration Commission, the Ministry of Commerce... In front of these behemoths, Lin Sicheng was like a small fish washed up on the beach; these people could control his fate casually and easily. Putting himself in his shoes, if he were Li Zhengwu, he would also choose to say nothing.

If he had spoken, he might not have even been able to walk out of that Reception Room, unless he signed a settlement plan that satisfied all parties. Subconsciously, Li Zhengwu thought of the bodyguards by Lin Sicheng's side. In an instant, he regretted it so much his guts turned blue.

He dared to swear to God: that time, Lin Sicheng really wanted to talk. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so cautious...

Li Zhengwu was so angry he wanted to vomit blood, yet he didn't know who to blame.

"Then why couldn't we talk a third time?"

If Lin Sicheng was worried that he would be detrimental to him, after returning to Beijing, he could have completely called him. If he was afraid of leaving any leverage, he could have sent an email, even anonymously.

He was not Smith, who was a scientific idiot; if the Core Code were placed in front of him, he wouldn't even know what it was.

Therefore, as long as Lin Sicheng sent any piece of code, he would know what he held in his hands.

Let alone fifteen million, even one hundred million in cash, he would be willing to give.

No negotiation needed, no agreement to sign, and no need for authorization from headquarters; it would be a gift entirely from him personally.

He could have completely managed it without letting Lin Sicheng bear any risk.

So, why?

Why would Lin Sicheng choose a path that was most disadvantageous to him, one that could cost him his life at any moment, and where danger would accompany him for the rest of his life? "Mike, you are good at everything, but you are too idealistic and imagine everyone to be too kind!"

Liu Anhua shook his head. "Lin Sicheng said that if we continued to talk, that would be the most dangerous thing!"

Li Zhengwu paused, and he thought again of the bodyguards by Lin Sicheng's side.

If he chose to talk a third time, what would the result be?

His own personality was not that extreme, and he would only use the most gentle and least impactful way to solve it. But the company was not his; there were many, many shareholders.

What would these people do?

Since they were willing to spend one hundred million to make those who knew about this matter shut up for a while, why couldn't they use that one hundred million to make him shut up forever? Only dead people are the most reliable...

"He said that the current method is the optimal solution, and I deeply agree: because everything is still under control for the time being!" Liu Anhua looked up. "It can protect him, and it can also protect me!"

Li Zhenghao was silent.

When a secret is no longer a secret, the person holding the secret can leave the center of the storm.

But he only made half of the secret public, so of course he could still control it:

At least those big clients, those top research institutions, still didn't know that the instruments and equipment they used every day could be hacked at any time. Their research data, unpublished academic achievements, could be tampered with, hijacked, or even stolen at any time.

At least the shareholders still didn't know what these companies had done, and even less did they know what role Saishi played in it.

At least the scandal hadn't broken out yet, and there was still time to remedy it...

Now, it was Li Zhenghao's turn to give a bitter laugh: So, this was the purpose of the so-called Lawyer's Letter?

Lin Sicheng was telling them: there are actually many people who know.

For example, Liu Anhua's Partners, the hackers he had hired, the brokers who had pulled strings for him, and those Senior Engineers from the original manufacturers whom he had bribed with high prices.

Liu Anhua was only one person with one pair of hands, but how many refurbished devices did he sell every year?

Hundreds, thousands.

He couldn't personally implant modules into the system of every device, and he couldn't reserve a Backdoor for every machine; these things required hiring people. All Liu Anhua could do was ensure that the people who implanted the modules didn't know the password, and that the people who set the Backdoor didn't know the core programming and code. However, this was an industrial chain; chasing profit is human nature, and it is also the essence of capital.

When he, the key figure who could contact all nodes and integrate all resources, disappeared, the various interested parties would naturally push a second person to fill the void.

If one isn't enough, use two, or three. It won't be long before those who know the password will also know the core programming, and those who know the programming will also know the password.

By then, it won't be just one person replacing Liu Anhua, but a whole group.

And it doesn't stop there: after today's meeting, even more people know.

The Consulate, the Embassy, China Customs, the Public Security Bureau. And that includes the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Court, who, even if they didn't come today, will know sooner or later, not to mention those hundreds of damaged institutions and enterprises.

Therefore, Lin Sicheng is reminding Li Zhengwu: it is useless for you to silence me, and even more useless to silence Liu Anhua.

It would only push matters onto an unpredictable track.

Look, isn't it much better this way:

Only a month has passed, and the various nodes in the gray industry chain still don't know that Liu Anhua has run into trouble. But I have sent Lawyer's Letters to the major companies; they already know their cutting-edge equipment has a massive vulnerability, one big enough to bankrupt them on the spot.

There is no other path: upgrade what needs upgrading, replace what needs replacing, and do it as fast as possible.

It won't take long, a month at most, for all manufacturers to finish updating the backup systems for the relevant equipment. By the time Liu Anhua's accomplices learn the news of his trouble, it will be too late to do anything.

They will instead be afraid to act, worried that Liu Anhua will expose them all.

With this as a premise, Saishi can only swallow this bitter pill: spend money to resolve the disaster.

Because the so-called Disclaimer Clause and the so-called Isolation Act are only useful against clients; try using them against the original manufacturers and see what happens?

This is not just fraud, but blatant intellectual property infringement: cracking the Bottom-layer Password, tampering with the Core Code, implanting a substitute system, and being able to steal Artifact Research data at any time.

These damaged enterprises can fully apply for arbitration based on this: not to claim compensation from Saishi, but to claim compensation from the various manufacturers.

By then, all client trust will drop to zero, the stocks of these manufacturers will tumble head over heels, falling until the investors doubt their own lives. The consequences for Saishi will be even more severe: falling until delisting, straight to bankruptcy.

So what to do?

Just one word: pay!

It's nothing more than choosing between active or passive, paying more or paying less: those who took kickbacks pay a symbolic amount, those kept in the dark get paid every cent. Li Zhengwu narrowed his eyes: "How many are there like Lin Sicheng?"

Liu Anhua answered without hesitation: "Not many, just twenty or thirty, less than one hundred million. Of course, in US dollars..."

His business has been able to run for so long without any problems for five words: judge the person, set the price!

Pure laymen, with no real background, who ordered cutting-edge equipment not yet fully popularized, and the amount is neither too much nor too little... There really aren't many who meet all these conditions.

Twenty or thirty million each, thirty of them would be five or six hundred million.

As for the rest, although they are also Refurbished Machines, at least they aren't assembled from trash; they might be a bit slow, but they are perfectly adequate.

Moreover, they knowingly bought fakes, so the primary responsibility doesn't lie with Saishi.

Secondly, Artifact Research cannot just stop; it has to be used. Fearing that Saishi might quit if they pay too much, it's estimated that only symbolic compensation is needed. For example, free maintenance, free system upgrades, free training...

Li Zhengwu breathed a sigh of relief: it seems things are indeed still under control?

At least in the short term, these companies are still unaware and won't resort to a class-action lawsuit.

Those bribed Engineers are very clear about the severity of the matter; who has a death wish and would dare to blabber it out?

The original manufacturers go without saying; even if they possessed actual evidence, they wouldn't dare to make a scene. They would only be the first to send people to urge Saishi to cooperate and replace the systems together with them.

Therefore, there is still time for a remedy.

As long as Saishi acts fast enough, the compensation is in place, and a settlement is reached with these damaged Chinese institutions, it is equivalent to pulling the fuse off the bomb. If the attitude is a bit better and they ask the Consulate and the Embassy to mediate, they should be able to reach an agreement with the relevant departments.

It is equivalent to being able to temporarily bury this bomb in the ground.

By that time, all backup systems will have been fully updated, and even if a scandal breaks, Saishi and the various manufacturers can completely counter-sue the other party for slander. Because no loss was incurred: no data was stolen, and certainly no system was hijacked.

And since the data has been updated, it is equivalent to all traces having been cleaned; even if an institution wants to verify it, there is nowhere to start...

"Hunter, I only want to know one thing now: who all knows!" He stared at Liu Anhua, "I'm talking about the Password Lock and the Core Module!"

"Sorry Mike, I can't say, I still have family! I can only say: many..." Liu Anhua shook his head very firmly, "And even if you knew, it wouldn't do you any good!"

Li Zhengwu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after thinking about it, he closed it again.

If he found out, he would definitely investigate. Once he investigates, he will alert these people.

It's better not to know.

Furthermore, as long as these people aren't exposed, it's equivalent to their lifeline still being held in Liu Anhua's hands. They have no second path and can only treat Liu Anhua's family well.

They might even find ways to make Liu Anhua's time in prison a bit better.

Thinking of this, Li Zhengwu's heart stirred: "Hunter, have you ever thought: they can make your life better, they can also make it worse. They might even cause you to have an accident?"

"Mike, first of all, this is China, not the United States; such things won't be allowed to happen. Secondly..."

Pausing, Liu Anhua looked at the two Consulate officials and smiled, "The two gentlemen can guarantee it for me!"

Guarantee what?

Of course, guarantee that Liu Anhua won't have any accidents.

Even if they don't want to guarantee it, and even wish for Liu Anhua to have an accident.

But first, they represent the Consulate, the Embassy, and even the United States.

Therefore, the Chinese government departments will absolutely not allow any accidents to happen...

The two officials were dumbfounded: they clearly hadn't said anything, so why did they become Liu Anhua's guarantors?

Li Zhengwu was even more confused: no wonder the Foreign Affairs Department emphasized repeatedly when passing the message that Liu Anhua requested the presence of Consulate and Embassy officials before he would agree to the meeting?

So, this is what he was waiting for here?

The Consulate and Embassy officials didn't even need to open their mouths; the fact that they could come today and sit here represented their stance:

Even if he is in prison, the Chinese law enforcement departments and regulatory agencies must ensure Liu Anhua's personal safety in China...

"So, this is also what Lin Sicheng taught you?"

Liu Anhua shrugged, which counted as an admission.

Li Zhenghao was so angry he wanted to laugh.

To borrow a Chinese saying: Lin Sicheng, screw your grandfather...

He gritted his teeth once again: "How many times has Lin Sicheng met with you?"

"Twice!"

"But he is a person involved in the case, and you have not yet been sentenced. His behavior is a serious violation of China law!"

Liu Anhua explained patiently: "Mike, the reason Lin Sicheng was able to see me is simply because he is still a Consultant for the public security department. It is just like how United States courts, during plea bargains, specifically hire lawyers to negotiate with criminals and demand that they plead guilty..."

Li Zhengwu was stunned for a moment: He truly did not know that Lin Sicheng had this layer of identity.

"So, you just readily pleaded guilty?" He sneered: "But he induced a confession, and incited a criminal suspect to infringe upon the interests of United States enterprises!" "Mike, stop joking!" Liu Anhua pointed at the two officials, then pointed at the surveillance camera overhead, "Do you think he wouldn't have thought of that?" "You might not believe it if I told you!" Liu Anhua paused, an expression of admiration appearing on his face, "For every part involving violations, illegal acts, or anything that might let you get a handle on him, he and I only communicated through eye contact and gestures!"

Of course, it was not entirely just eye contact; it required coordination with verbal tactics. But what surprised Liu Anhua was: Lin Sicheng would only say a very ordinary sentence, plus a slightly meaningful look, yet he could make him understand a subtext that was completely opposite to the conversation, or entirely unrelated.

What was even more surprising was: no matter how he answered, whether it was through cryptic verbal expression, tiny body movements, or even facial expressions, Lin Sicheng could completely understand his intent.

Li Zhengwu widened his eyes: "Communicating with eye contact... Hunter, what kind of joke are you telling?"

Liu Anhua pointed at the surveillance camera overhead again: "If you suspect that I am being persecuted or threatened, the Consulate has the right to review the interrogation process..." Li Zhengwu froze: That's right, there is surveillance?

If necessary, the consul has the right to request to view all surveillance footage from the period of Liu Anhua's detention; not a single second can be missing.

As long as Lin Sicheng has a bit of brains, it is impossible for him to induce a confession.

"Mike, I know you are very angry, but right now, dwelling on whether Lin Sicheng broke the law or followed procedure has nothing to do with solving the problem!"

"The most urgent task is to update the equipment systems and block all channels that might leak information to the outside..."

Li Zhengwu was so angry he wanted to laugh: Hunter, aren't these troubles caused by you?

You are turning around to advise me instead?

He was even angrier at Lin Sicheng: How much loss did Lin Sicheng cause for Saishi Company?

But he discovered that he surprisingly had no way to retaliate?

Assassination, silencing him?

Stop joking.

That sentence where he incited Liu Anhua by saying "the two consuls can act as guarantors for him"—was that only referring to Liu Anhua?

It also included him.

No matter what accident happens to him, the complete recording of today's meeting with Liu Anhua could be made public.

There is no need to doubt it: everyone would point their fingers at these six companies, and at that time, the stocks of the six companies as well as Saishi Company would collapse all the same. Although it wouldn't collapse as quickly as when the intellectual property scandal was directly exposed, and it wouldn't go bankrupt, it would at least be counted in the "tens of billions."

The unit is USD.

So, if you want to vent this anger, you must be prepared to lose a lot, a lot of money. The goal of capital is to pursue profit; who is willing to go against money? At the same time, this also means Lin Sicheng has exposed an old handle and grasped a new one.

The only benefit: there is participation from the Consulate, the Embassy, and high-level officials of China government agencies. It won't be made public until the very last step. But when necessary, this is also the biggest disadvantage: for example, when some accident happens to him...

Li Zhenghao was very clear: nothing could be more convincing than having the consul, embassy officials, and himself, an Executive of Saishi Company, appear in the footage: this is their greatest motive for plotting against Lin Sicheng.

Including the embassy, they would also be dragged into the water...

For a moment, Li Zhengwu was so angry his liver ached: Lin Sicheng, he even calculated this step?

He had studied Chinese for many years, and for the first time, he deeply understood the true meaning of "every step a calculated move" and "devising strategies within a command tent."

So, how can a person be this cunning?

"Mike, he has already minimized everyone's losses as much as possible!" Liu Anhua spread his hands, "If he wanted to, he could have completely extorted huge amounts of cash from these companies, maybe several hundred million, or even more than a billion..."

"You know better than I do that he is fully capable of doing it, but he didn't do so..."

"Because he is afraid of death!" Li Zhenghao let out a "Hmph," "Since he can reduce the losses for many people, why can't he reduce the losses for everyone? And now, the only one suffering losses is Saishi!"

Liu Anhua continued to persuade: "But Mike, compared to the worst outcome, this bit of loss is insignificant! There is a saying in China: a single loss is better than everyone losing..."

Li Zhenghao was so angry he was fuming: "Hunter, get this straight, aren't these things all caused by you? And you, not only do you not have a shred of guilt, but you are instead advising me to be rational?"

And even, still so peace-of-mindedly?

But what was even more hateful was Lin Sicheng.

"Hunter, because he incited you and gave you ideas on how to get a heavier sentence, you further infringed upon the company's interests..." Li Zhenghao didn't say the remaining half of the sentence: The more you confess, the greater the loss for Saishi.

Liu Anhua did not refute, because this was the truth.

The honest truth: until now, he didn't hate Lin Sicheng at all, because Lin Sicheng was truly helping him and truly trying to find a way to keep him alive. What is more important than being alive?

Thinking very seriously, Liu Anhua asked a rhetorical question: "Mike, if it were you, how would you choose? Or rather, could you withstand the temptation?"

Li Zhengwu was stunned, speechless.

If one can live, who would want to die?

No matter whose interests are damaged, what does it matter?

As for the temptation... that is several hundred million, or even over a billion USD.

Capital is indeed pervasive, but China is more like an island isolated from the world.

Li Zhenghao is not like Liu Anhua and Smith; even if he wanted to investigate, there was nowhere to start. At the very least, he knew: Lin Sicheng is not just an ordinary young man with a little money at home, as Liu Anhua and Smith believed.

He has many, many official friends, and his teacher comes from one of the most top-tier families in China.

His ability and his research results have long been recognized by the academic world, and Lin Sicheng's social visibility is very, very high. The key is that he is young enough, still has great room for growth, and can continue to create even greater value.

Whether it is his friends or his teacher, they will all do their utmost to protect him.

Even taking a step back ten thousand times: he didn't need to go public at all; he could have gotten this money through agents or anonymous emails. Just as Liu Anhua said: as long as he wanted to, he could get several hundred million, or even over a billion.

But Lin Sicheng did not choose to do so?

Li Zhengwu lowered his head, analyzing every possibility, and suddenly, it was like a divine revelation: Lin Sicheng never thought about extorting anyone? Or rather, his goal, from beginning to end, was never for money.

Change the way of thinking: first extort a sum from Liu Anhua anonymously, then call the police to arrest him.

Liu Anhua wouldn't even dare to have the thought of refusing; whatever Lin Sicheng wanted, he would give.

Afterward, continue using the same method to extort a sum from Saishi, and repeat the process: Bruker, Keyence, Rigaku, Agilent, Elmer—no one would dare to refuse, otherwise they would only face bankruptcy... so, how much money would that be?

But what did Lin Sicheng do?

Negotiate with Smith, negotiate with himself... including tricking himself into coming to Beijing through Liu Anhua, it was still for the sake of negotiation.

Although this time it wasn't negotiating directly with him, but with the China government department, in the end, it was still negotiating with Lin Sicheng.

But what they were discussing was certainly not money. At the very least, it was not just money.

Whatever it was, it no longer had much to do with Lin Sicheng. To put it another way: he received very, very little, which was completely disproportionate to his efforts. Therefore, no matter how one thought about it, this did not seem like the way a normal person should think...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and Li Zhengwu suddenly understood what Lin Sicheng wanted to do.

He raised his head in astonishment, staring at Liu Anhua.

Liu Anhua thought Li Zhenghao was blaming him and lowered his head: "Mike, I'm sorry, I have failed your trust!"

What is the use of saying so much now?

Li Zhengwu had neither the time nor the mood to blame him, because it was not enough.

Liu Anhua had not only caused significant losses to the company but had also stirred up massive trouble.

Because what Lin Sicheng wanted could not be measured by money at all...

He stood up abruptly: "Hunter, goodbye!"

Liu Anhua was stunned for a moment and also stood up: "Mike, I'm sorry!"

Li Zhengwu nodded and turned around: "Gentlemen, you may leave!"

The two officials looked at each other and also stood up.

Having reached the doorway, Li Zhengwu stopped and turned around again:

"Hunter, have you ever thought about why Lin Sicheng chose to expose these scandals? In the end, what could he possibly gain?" Liu Anhua remained silent.

It was not that he had not thought about it, but that he could not figure it out.

Even if only half had been exposed, the number of people who knew so far was not large, and they were all government agencies in China. But sooner or later, the news would spread, and it would lose all its power.

Yet, what Lin Sicheng gained was very little.

If he had chosen a different way, he would have gained a lot.

Therefore, Liu Anhua could not figure it out...

He thought for a good while: "Mike, I don't know!"

"Of course you don't know!"

Because Liu Anhua and Lin Sicheng were two different types of people; the difference between them was greater than the difference between different species.

Li Zhengwu nodded: "Hunter, good luck!"

Having already been sent to prison, what kind of good luck could there be?

Liu Anhua sighed: Li Zhenghao was talking about the future.

But things had already reached this point?

"Mike, thank you..."