Two consecutive extremely severe weather events, both related to SMMH, at this point even a fool would know... The first time might have been a coincidence, but the second time... it's clearly someone's doing!
A bizarre weather attack!
Even the mighty Seventh Fleet appeared utterly powerless in this attack. With things having developed to this point, who would dare to stand up and challenge them?!
At that moment, all the major factions received an email from SMMH.
Of course, this email wasn't sent to their inboxes by Chen Xu; rather, it was left on the servers after he directly hacked into the representative websites of various factions.
This letter was something most people never even had the chance to glance at. It wasn't until fifty years later that it was published, revealing the events of that time…
The letter was titled: "War Has Nothing to Do with Politics".
In the future world, few people will be able to understand this letter, because people will often burst out laughing as soon as they see the name—war has nothing to do with politics? Ridiculous! Throughout history, every war has been a continuation of politics. The person who wrote this letter is either an idiot, mentally challenged, or has a cerebellum that hasn't fully developed.
But at this time, no one dared to underestimate this letter.
This represents a stance.
First, SMMH has no desire to establish a nation, or to be affiliated with any nation, or to dominate the world.
Secondly, SMMH's enemies are not any national political forces in the world, but rather certain forces that control advanced technology and suppress the development of other emerging organizations. It's obvious to everyone that these "certain" forces refer to Tarot and Organization X. It is said that Dr. Mildred of Organization X cursed loudly on the spot after seeing this letter. Of course, he wasn't cursing SMMH, but rather those brainless individuals in the organization who were only thinking about greater interests and ended up losing more than they gained. Everyone knows that the relationship between Organization X and SMMH was originally relatively harmonious, but after this incident, this righteous and vengeful emerging force will become an enemy of Organization X.
What's the point of all this?!
Third, SMMH's parent organization, Tongchi Island, is a very peace-loving entity that hopes for global development—of course, nobody believes such official slogans, but at this point, no one dares to say anything. Judging from its actions, it's clear that it only used its ultimate weapon after tolerating things to the point of no return; no one can deny this. Everyone senses something fishy is going on, but no one dares to say it aloud—many can't help but wonder if SMMH actually possesses a time tunnel, like in science fiction movies, but the thought immediately makes them shake their heads—if it really had that ability, wouldn't it have unified the world long ago? It's like if someone in this era invented a time tunnel and took a bunch of people back to World War II decades ago, wouldn't they have easily conquered the world then?
The letter conveyed the message that SMMH never initiates wars, but is also not afraid of them… This statement was borrowed from a famous quote by Premier Zhou Enlai. Furthermore, SMMH arrogantly stated that under the current circumstances, unless both sides are determined to use nuclear weapons, they are not afraid of any scale of war—this statement also provided a way out for many powers, indicating that SMMH does have something to fear; otherwise, it might have led to a global coalition of forces. Destroying Tongchi Island at all costs—fearing nuclear weapons is tantamount to exposing their weakness; Tongchi Island is only so small, a single warhead would be enough to destroy it. This somewhat reassured those powers that control ultimate weapons.
The letter also stated that in the future, large-scale wars are becoming increasingly unlikely; otherwise, if everyone's superweapons were to bombard each other, it would be the end of the world. SMMH has never considered any country as an enemy, nor does it wish to see the world devastated. Therefore, in the two previous attacks, it was specifically stated that the targets were not the armies of any particular country, but rather the private armies belonging to Taro and X!
This statement has a deeper meaning!
The situation on Kaidan Island is manageable, but to insist that the Seventh Fleet is the private army of Organization X is unbelievable to anyone… However, Chen Xu believes that these behind-the-scenes figures who control the entire world understand his meaning—Tongchi Island will never exist as a nation; after all, it belongs to the Spratly Islands, theoretically China's territorial waters, and he doesn't want to engage in the division of territory. But this also indicates that Tongchi Island is not entirely part of China's political system; in this respect, it is independent. Therefore, his enemies are the other two equally independent world powers—the Tarot Organization and Organization X.
The statement that war is unrelated to politics has made it clear to military forces worldwide that if war were to break out in the future, it would only be a war between these powerful forces that transcends time and has nothing to do with ordinary civilians.
This is a subtle point, but no one can stand up and refute it.
Everyone knows that the X organization is backed by the United States, while Tarot represents the European Union. Now, SMMH has suddenly risen to prominence, forming a three-way balance of power. If these three organizations were to go to war, it would inevitably affect the entire world.
Chen Xu's meaning was very clear: if we're going to fight, let's have a few of us fight, and not involve our backers. It's like a fight in kindergarten, kids fighting kids. Don't tell me you can't beat me and you're going to call your dad. You have a dad, and so do I!
This letter was epoch-making; the statement "war is unrelated to politics" directly determined the form and structure of war for the next few years, even decades. Those who did not want to see large-scale war breathed a sigh of relief, while warmongers who loved war were indeed disappointed—they wanted to fight, but no one could afford the consequences of a full-scale war.
A letter that combines offense and defense, leveraging the situation to exert its power... This level of skill is beyond Chen Xu's comprehension. The person who gave him this suggestion was Guan Yi.
However, this one sentence also put the X organization and Tarot on the opposite side of SMMH—the other side's words implied that a war between us was inevitable!
But who can be blamed for this?
If they hadn't provoked us before, how could things have turned out like this?!
However, now that they've discovered the other side possesses such a terrifying weapon, everyone has chosen silence—this is the advantage of weather attacks; they're highly destructive, yet manageable despite the chilling effect… In reality, this is a superweapon similar to a nuclear bomb, except that nuclear bombs have far greater aftereffects, while weather control devices don't carry such concerns. Therefore, they didn't even consider retaliating with nuclear weapons—Chen Xu lamented that these people were far too naive. Although they'd changed their approach, it was clear… these guys hadn't played Red Alert 2, especially Red Alert 2 with its superweapons…
Otherwise, why would we be so polite?!
…………
Chapter 377 Hanging Gardens
The massive online war, which had engulfed everything, subsided overnight. When netizens returned with dark circles under their eyes, they found that their internet had suddenly become smooth again, all major websites were back online, and online games were all working again. If it weren't for the news on the homepages of major websites, the occasional complaints from netizens, and the reward activities launched by various online games to make up for the previous network congestion, many people would have thought that the previous online war was just a dream.
After all, the true form of warfare on the internet is too far removed from ordinary netizens, and since the internet was established, there has only been this one global ultimate form of warfare.
Thankfully, it's all over now.
However, ordinary netizens who only focus on chatting on QQ, playing games, or finally being able to go online to steal crops after a long time are unaware that the IT industry is currently facing a sudden storm.
"Everyone knows that the competitive system of modern economic society is incredibly brutal, but no one could have imagined that this brutality would come so suddenly, with several empires collapsing overnight..."
This is a classic comment from a science and technology newspaper at the end of this year.
Yes, after this cyber war, many observant people have noticed that... the world order has changed.
The first thing to change was the landscape of the internet.
There are actually quite a few people who know the cause of this online war. For many ordinary people, knowing the cause and effect is meaningless; it can only be used as fodder for conversation after dinner. But for those who have money, it's a different story.
This time, with the defeat of the X organization and the two poles of the Tarot world, cracks have appeared in the alliance system of both the United States and the European Union.
Although the SMMH has stated that war is unrelated to politics, which of these alliances of interests doesn't have a strong political background? And in politics, the biggest mistake is choosing the wrong side.
The Rockefeller family reached an agreement with SMMH at the last minute, becoming the biggest winner among the Western powers in this battle. Similarly, the butler's status rose after this battle due to his special relationship with Chen Xu.
What followed swept through the entire online world like a storm.
First, S Company announced the launch of a new generation of network security protocol system to replace the current outdated and vulnerability-ridden IPv4 protocol—this was SMMH's first counterattack against its enemies.
Changing the protocol is a huge undertaking. It's tantamount to establishing a completely new standard for the current internet. Once this standard takes effect and becomes widespread, all applications will need to comply with it. In other words, once this new security system is implemented, giants like Microsoft, Intel, and Google will all be subject to Company S.
The concept of top-tier companies setting standards is common knowledge. Currently, European and American companies have a significant advantage in the IP protocol standard. Under the IPv4 protocol, China receives fewer IP addresses than a single American university, and similarly, it remains dependent on others for software development. Furthermore, China's IPv4 network address resources are dwindling. If new address resources are not adopted by 2010, Chinese internet users will be unable to access the internet, and network operators' businesses will stagnate.
Company S launched the new IPX protocol in response to this opportunity, which was specifically designed to counter the IPv6 protocol in Europe and the United States.
In this era where IP protocols must be changed, S company's IPX protocol has had a huge impact on IPv6 in Europe and the United States.
For network operators, switching to a new network address protocol requires the use of new equipment and the complete replacement of old equipment. However, IPv4 is nearing its end. So, whether to switch to IPX or IPv6 depends on which protocol is more advanced, which has lower costs, and which offers better compatibility and security.
Currently, China is running out of IPv4 addresses, but IPv6 addresses are far from being available. Countries around the world are facing the need to upgrade their IP protocols. Apart from the United States, which has a significant advantage by acquiring a large number of IPv6 addresses, other countries are still hesitant.
This gives the IPX protocol a very good opportunity.
The opportunity to compete with IPv6 for market share!
In the past, this idea would have been completely unthinkable... Would powerful internet empires willingly use a Chinese internet standard? Would they hand over their lifeline to someone else? Of course not. Just as companies like Apple and Nokia would never adhere to a standard set by a knock-off mobile phone company.
Moreover, the IPv6 protocol is now quite mature, and most of the problems faced by IPv4 can be solved with IPv6—except for security.
However, this is not important, because no one can guarantee that their protocol is secure and without vulnerabilities. The biggest advantage of IPv6 is the proliferation of IP addresses, eliminating the IP address shortage that IPv4 faced. Similarly, the protocols used in the internal networks of organizations like Tarot and X are more advanced and secure, but there is no need to use them for the time being, as current civilian networks do not require such advanced protocols.
This is the true face of capitalists. They won't release a new generation of products until they've squeezed every last bit of residual value out of a product... When they saw that Company S had released the IPX protocol, several major European and American companies immediately launched an upgraded version of IPv6.1, which they called a "more complete version." This version greatly enhanced the security of the protocol, and its purpose was clearly to address the issues raised by IPX.
The current online landscape is different. SMMH's strong rise and the previous failure of a joint attack by many forces have led many people to side with SMMH. Now, it has seized this opportunity and made a decisive move, which also indicates that SMMH is truly preparing for a major operation!
This battle will determine who will dominate the rules of the internet for the next twenty years!
When it comes to this market competition, established European and American companies aren't too afraid, because changing an agreement isn't easy. It's not just about the technological content of the products, but also the intensity of advertising and acceptance.
Compared to Company S, which has just entered this field, established European and American companies have a much stronger foundation.
However, S Company's next move caught these established companies completely off guard.
Company S held a press conference to announce that it has initially mastered virtual reality technology and is working hard to improve it. It anticipates that within the next two to three years, the Virtual Reality BC platform will be officially connected to the internet—using the IPX protocol that Company S is currently promoting!
This is explosive news.
While all the top powers were fretting over the unattainable virtual reality, Company S unexpectedly offered it up. However, it was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that Company S's move was a feint; ostensibly referring to the virtual reality, it was actually paving the way for their IPX project.
The virtual reality system that Company S presented at the press conference was completely different from the information held by various forces. In fact, it could be said that it was just a prototype of the virtual reality system—it could not connect to the internet, it could only achieve basic human-computer information exchange, and the virtual images were not realistic—it was far inferior to the virtual reality system that SMMH actually possessed!
Even so, it still caused a major earthquake throughout the world.
The virtual reality system that appears in science fiction novels has actually been created?
Although it is only in its initial stage, anyone with a little common sense knows how difficult this initial stage is!
Without cutting-edge technology and incredible luck, taking this step would be harder than climbing to the heavens! But taking that step proves the technology is feasible. It's a success! It's like Neil Armstrong's step on the moon during the 20th-century Apollo program—a small step for him, but a giant leap for mankind!
Moreover, many people already know that SMMH is faking it; he already has very sophisticated technology in his hands.
This makes one realize the sinister intentions of SMMH.
This is like slowly cutting someone with a soft knife!
Everyone knows the value of the Virtual Reality platform. In fact, it can be said that after the launch of the Virtual Reality BC platform, the traditional PC platform even faced the prospect of being eliminated!
Think about it, once everyone can immerse themselves in a truly virtual world, in what way can a regular PC platform compete with a BC platform? Probably only for office work and similar uses. In terms of entertainment, they're not even in the same league.
The new platform requires a new hardware foundation. Therefore, all companies currently manufacturing PC platform components will face a massive disaster… processors, monitors, operating systems… whether software or hardware, they will all lose their voice on this entirely new platform.
That would be a disaster for tech stocks worldwide!
It could even be said that if Company S presents a perfect virtual operation today, the shares of computer hardware, software, and game companies worldwide will plummet the next day!
The resulting chain reaction will directly lead to a terrible global financial crisis!
When contradictions become irreconcilable... as everyone knows, before both World Wars, there were global financial crises... war is always a way to divert attention from contradictions.
This is absolutely not an exaggeration. The first global cyber war was a case in point. When those countries in Europe and America are pushed to the limit, they will tear off their last mask and use their last trump card!
However, S Company's delaying tactic has now given these European and American companies a chance to breathe.
That's human nature. Unless you're truly out of ammunition and food, who would want war?
Immediately, countless companies from around the world flew to S Company's Shanghai headquarters to discuss the manufacturing of software and hardware related to virtual reality. Chen Xu didn't take this opportunity to completely eliminate them, because he knew he couldn't. Therefore, in this regard, he only needed to maintain the initiative and leadership.
In parliaments of Europe and America, some have expressed radical views, believing that Company S will eventually rely on the BC platform to dominate the world, which will cause huge changes in the global landscape. They suggest that strong measures should be used now to nip it in the bud...
Unfortunately, while their viewpoint was correct, they overlooked human nature.
When there's a way out, who would be willing to risk their life and fortune? Besides, they just suffered a crushing defeat against SMMH. Even if they risked their lives... who knows who would win or lose in the end.
Just as everyone was worried about the impending earthquake on the internet, another wave of shocking news followed in reality.
First, the Chinese government announced that Tongchi Island, located at the easternmost point of the Spratly Islands, would become the third Special Administrative Region after Hong Kong and Macau. At the same time, some members of the US Congress have proposed to implement some export restrictions on the mainland and increase technology exchanges.
Tongchi Island, finally known to no one but a few, has emerged as a brand-new special administrative region before the world.
What is the purpose of this special administrative region?
Geographically speaking, the island does have the potential to be designated as a special administrative region. However, what is surprising is that Tongchi Island is not designated as a military special zone, but rather as an economic special zone.
This is puzzling.
Military commentators, initially unaware of the previous clashes in the shadows of the world, unanimously asserted that the official move was aimed at the ownership of the Spratly Islands—designating Tongchi Island as a special zone would naturally mean that all territorial waters west of Tongchi Island, extending to the coastline, belonged to China. Some even began clamoring for a new wave of "China threat" theories, predicting an impending world war.
Surprisingly, neither European and American countries nor Southeast Asian countries have expressed any opinion on this situation.
Because their superiors all knew that there was a perverted guy on that island, a guy who was extremely terrifying and petty... They were terrified of him.
What Chen Xu is facing now is a plan for the future of Tongchi Island, led by Jimmy, the poor wretch who has been hypnotized by the virtual life form Chen Fei.
Under Chen Fei's hypnosis, Jimmy is now completely loyal to Chen Xu. Jimmy had previously made plans for the future of Tongchi Island, but now that the situation is very different, a new plan has been drafted on the basis of the original one.