The SMMH-1 firewall has now built an impregnable fortress on the military command's systems, greatly enhancing the security of military information. Furthermore, the technology developed from the firewall's code has led the military to develop several more projects. The firewall's value is immeasurable, yet the other party has not received a single penny.
I heard that SMMH made another appearance not long ago, this time helping a group of students make games. This made Hao Aiguo and others both laugh and cry, wondering if this boss had nothing better to do.
SMMH's status has now been raised to S-level. The national leader has personally ordered that if information about him is obtained, his safety must be guaranteed at all costs, and any requests he may have, as long as they are not excessive, must be fulfilled!
Because SMMH's behavior resembles that of a lone wolf, experts analyze that his personality suggests he's someone who dislikes being constrained, has little ambition for money but still wants to contribute to the country. Therefore, using force with this type of person is ineffective, much like Kevin Mitrick in his time. No one dares to pressure someone like that unless they are genuinely committed to working for the government, because if they turn against you at a crucial moment, no one can tolerate it. Allowing him freedom will create more opportunities for cooperation. After all, casually gifting a masterpiece to the country requires more than just boldness and indifference to money; it demonstrates his genuine care for the nation.
Hao Aiguo yawned. It was already quite late. He could go to sleep. But just as he was about to leave, chaos erupted in the studio. Everyone screamed in panic, pointing incredulously at their computer screens.
"What's going on?!" Hao Aiguo quickly circled back and gasped when he saw the screen.
A text document popped up on the screen without my noticing, containing only one sentence: "I am SMMH, and I need to contact someone who has connections at higher levels."
Hao Aiguo was stunned. He immediately pushed aside the programmer next to him who was typing on a document and said, "Are you really SMMH? You left a backdoor in our firewall?!" No alarm went off, and there was no indication of any attack. How could he have sneaked in so silently?
A line quickly appeared on the document: "There's no need for that."
Upon hearing this, the group gasped again. As programmers, and all of them elite programmers, they naturally understood the meaning behind his words, but they all felt that this guy was being a bit too arrogant.
No backdoor needed? That means there's no firewall in the world that can stop him. He can freely access any part of the network if he wants!
However, everyone could only believe these words, because they had taken the firewall to study it. One can never be too careful; if the other party gave them such a valuable tool, their first thought would be whether it contained a backdoor, or if they wanted to use it to install a legitimate Trojan horse. Besides, no matter how skilled the other party is, they have their strengths and weaknesses; they can't be perfect in every aspect, right? We can certainly add something to this firewall, can't we?
However, the more they studied it, the more they felt that SMMH was unfathomable, because all the information and technology they possessed were recorded in the firewall, and they couldn't add anything to it... except for giving the firewall a nicer, more aesthetically pleasing shell.
Hao Aiguo suppressed his excitement and typed, "If you didn't leave a back door, how did you get in? We hope you can give us an explanation. We admire SMMH, but we hope you won't let us down."
The document quickly replied: "Some hardware vulnerabilities cannot be remedied by software, as I think you are well aware. Currently used computer hardware has significant vulnerabilities. Although military equipment is much more secure than civilian equipment, it is not without flaws. I can use at least twenty-seven methods to sneak in unnoticed."
"Twenty-seven types!" Everyone was shocked again. At this moment, SMMH spoke up again: "Now please answer my question. Does anyone here have the authority to speak with the highest-level leaders? If not, please find someone who is qualified."
These words angered many, who wondered if this man was being tactless. However, another voice appeared on screen: "For the sake of China's children, we implore you. Act quickly!"
"For the sake of the children?" A group of people didn't understand what he meant. Hao Aiguo nervously asked, "What do you mean by that?" He wondered if other countries had some special methods against Chinese children. Then he quickly added, "I am Hao Aiguo, the deputy minister of the Ministry of National Defense Information Department, with the rank of colonel. I have the authority to have direct dialogue with those above."
There was a moment of silence on the screen; those two seconds felt like two hours to Hao Aiguo and the others. Then, a table appeared on the screen. The table contained the results of an investigation into the melamine content in those dozen or so milk powder samples.
"Huh? What does this mean?!" The group was dumbfounded. They thought SMMH would send some earth-shattering news, but they didn't expect it to be this... milk powder?
"What is melamine?!" It's like a mountain to those in a different field. Everyone present was an information expert; they weren't complete ignorant about chemicals, but practically no one knew what melamine actually was.
Before they could even urgently summon chemical experts, the whiteboard on the screen displayed the composition of melamine, and most importantly: "This chemical is now widely present in milk powder in China, especially in Sanlu infant formula. Melamine can cause kidney stones and urinary tract stones after entering the human body, and in severe cases, it can lead to kidney failure or even death!"
The group of people looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
To be honest, this is indeed a big deal. But the problem is, isn't it a bit absurd to involve the Ministry of National Defense Information Department in this matter? It's like asking a blacksmith to sew your clothes—you've got the wrong department!
Chen Xu was actually in a bind. Where could he find someone? Besides the military's defense information department, which he had gifted a firewall to, where else could he turn? Who would give him face?
Hao Aiguo wiped his sweat. So this was what it was all about. At first, SMMH made it sound so serious that he thought all the children in China were in danger. What would the higher-ups say if this were reported to them?
Just as the group was struggling with this, another message appeared on the table: "The Premier said that a glass of milk a day makes Chinese people strong. But now, a glass of milk a day causes a generation to develop kidney stones! If the government does not take any action before dawn tomorrow, I will make an exception and use my abilities to expose this matter and call for pressure from the media and public opinion."
Hao Aiguo was startled and quickly replied, "What are you going to do?"
"It's simple. Starting tomorrow, I will attack all the major domestic portal websites and forums, exposing all the information I have on their homepages for a week. I know domestic media censorship is very strict. If that doesn't work, I will attack major foreign websites, even going so far as to expose the information on the White House website. As for the damage to the reputation of the government and businesses, that's not my concern." "I only ask that the perpetrator be severely punished, that laws be upheld, and that this serve as a warning to others!"
Chapter 101 Civilian Food Safety Testing Instruments
What kind of nonsense is this?!
Hao Aiguo now wishes he could grab the Minister of Health and strangle him to death!
You say your Ministry of Health's problems stemmed from lax oversight, creating such a huge mess, yet you expect our Ministry of National Defense Information Department to take the blame? What kind of nonsense is this?!
If the milk powder scandal is truly as SMMH describes, then it is indeed a major issue. Leaving aside other matters, several experts within the Chinese Academy of Sciences have recently had children who are drinking domestically produced milk powder. If anything were to happen to these children, how could we face those who have worked so hard for the country?
Everyone has the same feeling that they can believe whatever SMMH says without even thinking about it.
The reason? It's very simple.
Top-tier experts wouldn't waste their time spreading such a colossal lie; what would be the point for them?
Furthermore, Hao Aiguo was speechless upon seeing SMMH's last two paragraphs. Psychological experts had previously deduced from SMMH's actions that, particularly regarding his release of the entire Snake member list at the final moments of the hacker war, this guy was no pushover. He was principled, but some things, once crossed his line, could easily provoke him!
Now he's said that if the government doesn't take action before dawn tomorrow, Hao Aiguo is 100% certain he will! He'll hack into all domestic portal websites, even major international websites, or even the White House website! He'll expose these things directly! The country will lose face big time then, and even the strictest media censorship won't help!
Moreover, if something like this really happens, what's the point of media regulation? And if we continue to regulate, won't that just alienate the public?
Of course, no one doubts SMMH's capabilities. Hacking all the major portal websites in China and even the world, including the White House website? And for a whole week?!
Anyone else who dared to say that would be laughed out of the room, but because this guy said it, everyone subconsciously assumed he was capable of anything! As for whether he could succeed? Good heavens! Does this even need discussion? Anyone who dared to have even a hint of doubt would be collectively annihilated by all the experts in this lab!
Hao Aiguo was now in a bind. What to do? This kind of thing was absolutely unforgivable, and angering this man was definitely not a wise move. Of course, the Ministry of National Defense Information Department might not be afraid of just one person, but the problem was that the man was acting entirely out of good intentions. Was it worth offending him over this?
Another point is that Hao Aiguo is very envious of what exactly the computer hardware vulnerabilities mentioned by SMMH are...
So Hao Aiguo had someone call the minister to report the matter upwards while simultaneously typing to reassure the official, "Don't worry. We will definitely handle it well. Please trust our sincerity and efficiency."
There was a soft "hmm" from the other end, and then nothing more. Little did they know, Chen Xu was so nervous he was about to wet himself!
Hacking into the Ministry of Defense Information. Threatening state officials—what a serious crime that is!
Chen Xu has already mastered the techniques of intrusion. As for intruding into the computers of the Ministry of National Defense Information Department, well, with his skill level, he'd need at least another hundred or two hundred years of practice. But based on the computer hardware vulnerability provided by Xiao Min, the intrusion would be very simple... A vulnerability is essentially a backdoor, through which one can easily enter the other party's computer via the network.
These vulnerabilities are flaws in existing computer hardware technology. Therefore, almost every computer in the world makes this mistake. Chen Xu only needs to write software in Chinese based on these vulnerabilities to easily exploit them… It's like a novice facing a master like Ximen Chuixue; wielding a kitchen knife is definitely not enough. But what if he's carrying a submachine gun?
Xiaomin's advice regarding these vulnerabilities is to avoid using them if possible.
Because this is pure cheating... Of course, Chen Xu having a computer from the future is cheating in itself... But even if it's cheating, the cheat codes can't be too overpowered, otherwise, aside from anything else, it won't do Chen Xu any good at improving his skills.
The premise is that it doesn't happen until a critical moment.
Chen Xu is now in a difficult position; if he hadn't intervened, a group of children might have been harmed. Given the current chaos in the Chinese infant formula market, one can only imagine the state of other related industries.
Chen Xu just saw a post about poisonous food, and it made him feel nauseous. There's an old Chinese saying, "Food is the first necessity of the people," but there are just too many unscrupulous merchants, to a frightening degree… Does making money mean you can completely abandon your conscience?!
The current social system and atmosphere are too bad. Relying solely on government regulation is not enough. Hey, this is a deep pool. Chen Xu's father runs a pharmaceutical factory and deals with local officials every year. Chen Xu has seen and heard a lot about these things, but he's just too lazy to talk about them.
There is a lack of effective regulation and too many unscrupulous businessmen. Some large companies turn a blind eye to their subordinates, and there are even more layers of protection networks!
Unless things truly escalate to an unmanageable point, they are usually downplayed and ignored, leaving the public completely unaware. Once the storm passes, everything returns to normal, creating a vicious cycle!
Why do these kinds of things keep happening again and again? From the previous Fuyang tainted milk powder scandal involving babies with large heads to this latest incident, how can ordinary people not know that a group of people are selling toxic products?
The reason is simple: the people didn't know that the stuff was poisonous!
Otherwise, who would buy it?
The people trust these companies and the country's food safety supervision! And more importantly, they can't do it themselves! They can't know for sure if these things are poisonous, so they have to test them on themselves like Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs!
How can the rights of the people be protected if things continue like this?
The call to Hao Aiguo had already been connected. Upon hearing the news, Minister Liu of the Ministry of National Defense Information could only smile wryly. He could only obediently report the matter to his superiors and see how they would handle it.
Is it absurd that the Ministry of Information is in charge of the Ministry of Health's affairs?
But there's nothing we can do; after all, they're gods!
The bigwigs at the Ministry of Health were furious when they heard about this. Unlike those computer tech guys who idolized SMMH, they felt that the Ministry of Defense Information was overstepping its bounds and that SMMH was being too arrogant. But since it was an S-level figure personally appointed by higher-ups, they had nowhere to vent their anger. Moreover, if there really was a problem with the milk powder, these politically astute officials could foresee what problems might arise in the future.
When the representative from the Ministry of Health came to the Information Department to discuss how to solve this problem, he saw everyone in the Information Department working busily in front of their computers.
What are you busy with?
The representative curiously leaned over to take a look at the computer and discovered it was a product manual; the product's name was "Civilian Food Safety Detector".
What is this thing?!
But upon seeing the product description, the representative's face immediately turned deathly pale!
The instructions roughly state: This product is inexpensive and small, about the size of a ballpoint pen, with a production cost of approximately 30 RMB. It is easy and simple to use. For food products requiring testing, simply place a small amount of powder into the test tube, and within two minutes, the following results will be obtained: the content of essential trace elements such as calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins; protein content; additive content; whether toxins are present, whether the levels exceed standards, what harm they might cause to the human body, and the product's composition…
The representative from the Ministry of Health forced a smile and said, "This...this is impossible, isn't it? How could such technology exist now?"
Those in this industry naturally know about the underhanded tactics used in the business. If a thorough inspection were conducted, it's likely that more than half of the food products would have various flaws, and if things got serious, it would be a huge problem!
Hao Aiguo's gaze was somewhat blank: "Impossible? Based on the information he provided, we have reason to believe that such a tool is absolutely possible, absolutely real! As for the technology? Hey, you're too narrow-minded. Who is he? SMMH! Look at the times he's made moves, every single one of them is a major undertaking, every single one of them involves something god-level. How can it be impossible?!"
The representative from the Ministry of Health swallowed hard. If this thing were to actually come out, what would be the point of having them? What value would their existence have?
Hao Aiguo remained silent, then moved his mouse to the top of the page, where a passage read: "The current hygiene and food safety systems have significant flaws. The food processing industry is rife with corruption, with officials and businessmen protecting each other. Food inspection agencies have outdated equipment and technology, and local protectionism is extremely common. Unscrupulous businessmen disregard consumer safety for personal gain, and while their slogans are loud, they are largely unrealistic."
It's one thing for the public to be constantly deceived—some things may not be effective, but they won't kill anyone. But the current milk powder scandal is simply intolerable! A single box of premium milk powder costs hundreds of dollars. Many parents scrimp and save for their children, yet some people use this to make exorbitant profits and harm children!
This work was created out of necessity. Public safety must be in our own hands, and the problems in the food industry need a thorough overhaul.
Severe cases require strong medicine. In six months, this product will be officially launched and sold at a price that is affordable for everyone, allowing the public to monitor and test food themselves and take control of this power!
Moreover, they should also have this right.
Chapter 102: They've struck it rich...
What consequences would occur if this "civilian food safety testing instrument" were to be marketed?
If things go as expected, more than half of the common food products on the market may be substandard... The most obvious manifestation of this substandard quality is that the advertised content on food labels, such as protein, vitamins, and other trace elements, does not meet the advertised standards... Because these days, everyone knows what advertising is? Advertising is just boasting!
The effectiveness of a product is often exaggerated. These days, even the best wine needs advertising. What made Brain Gold a household name across China? It was the advertising slogan, "No gifts this Chinese New Year, except Brain Gold!"
Putting aside these health supplements, some food labels list protein content, calcium, iron, and zinc content, making it sound like a magic pill, as if eating these cookies or snacks would make children grow as strong as Popeye after eating spinach.
Then there are so-called pure snake powders, claiming that they are worth 100,000 yuan even if they are not pure at all, but the problem is that ordinary people don't know whether this stuff is pure or not.
Furthermore, the market is flooded with counterfeit and expired products, and due to various reasons, safety inspection agencies are unable to fully fulfill their responsibilities, leaving ordinary people to suffer losses and be deceived.
But what if ordinary people could test these products themselves?
That would undoubtedly suppress rampant false advertising and substandard products. By placing this sword of Damocles in the hands of all the people, and by democratizing and popularizing testing technologies that are currently mysterious and sophisticated to ordinary citizens, allowing everyone to possess discerning eyes, the market will become increasingly regulated, and the space for those merchants who secretly plot to counterfeit and sell inferior goods will shrink.
As a college student, Chen Xu was incredibly excited after discovering that Xiao Min's profile contained all the information about the product's manufacturing location. He believed that once this product was launched, its effects would be immediate and undeniably beneficial!
The problem is that Chen Xu is only a freshman in college. There are many things he has never seen or even heard of, or if he has heard of them, he has not paid attention to them. His views on reality are a bit too optimistic.
The reason Hao Aiguo and the representative from the Ministry of Health were sweating was because they were both seasoned veterans in society and held high positions. They were naturally aware of the shady dealings and inside stories surrounding many products. They knew that while the introduction of this product would regulate the market, it would first and foremost severely impact a large number of domestic manufacturers, including many large enterprises!
I don't even want to think about the consequences!
These days, many products have shady practices, the only difference being the amount. Some things are overlooked, so people just turn a blind eye since it doesn't cause much trouble. For example, some protein supplements claim to be high in plant protein but are actually just soy powder, yet they're sold at high-plant-protein prices, costing hundreds of dollars a bag.
Too many manufacturers profit through such methods. Once this product hits the market, their reputations will be severely damaged, which would be a devastating blow to the state-owned market! A blow to the state-owned market would reduce national tax revenue, and many workers would face the risk of unemployment. Furthermore, foreign products would seize this opportunity to gain market share, all of which would be extremely disadvantageous.