Chapter 64: The Fish Has Taken the Bait

Before the official live broadcast began, many internet users even doubted whether Team X would dare to launch an intrusion at all.

However, looking at the terrifying cyber intrusion images displayed on the large screen in the official live-streaming room right now, all the netizens were deeply shocked.

A horrifying torrent of data showed attacks numbering in the billions per second, and the frequency continued to rise steadily as time went on!

Yet, despite such terrifying cyber attacks, they were firmly blocked outside the internet by the experts at the Security Data Center, allowing every netizen to remain unaffected and browse their phones and watch the live stream with peace of mind.

Witnessing this war without the smoke of gunfire, many netizens suddenly felt their eyes grow slightly moist.

Although it is the internet age and everyone is inseparable from smartphones and computers, a genuine cyber intrusion still feels too distant for ordinary people.

Many could not even imagine what a real-world cyber intrusion actually looked like.

At this moment, however, everyone experienced the true terror of a cyber warfare!

With attacks reaching tens of billions per second and data streams madly refreshing the screen, it was even more sci-fi than anything shown in blockbuster science fiction movies!

Yet, this terrifying cyber attack, more sci-fi than any sci-fi film, was completely held outside the digital borders. This sense of security and pride touched the heart of every single netizen.

"It turns out that it's not that we are living in quiet and peaceful times, but rather that someone is carrying the heavy burden forward for us!"

"Sob, sob, sob. I feel like crying again. Clearly, we are all part of the digital world and could easily be turned into cannon fodder under such terrifying cyber attacks, yet we are protected so well. Who can understand this feeling?!"

"Such a horrifying data stream attack is making me tremble a bit. A high-frequency cyber intrusion of this scale should be more than enough to easily destroy the network security of a small nation and completely paralyze the cyber world of ordinary countries!"

"The person above is right. I majored in computer science and currently work at a major tech company. We occasionally encounter some inexplicable cyber attacks, but compared to what's right in front of us, those are simply child's play!"

"This can practically be described as a data flood crushing everything in its path. If you are even slightly careless, the digital defense line will instantly and completely collapse. I dare not imagine how much of an impact we would suffer if they really failed to hold the line!"

"They are too amazing! The experts at the data center are simply too incredible to be able to defend against this!"

"Damn it, watching this data flood rolling in makes my blood boil. I wish I could transform into a top-tier hacker from a sci-fi movie and go inside to teach these guys from Team X a lesson!"

"We are practically witnessing history here. This kind of cyber attack will definitely go down in the history books!"

The netizens were boiling with excitement and enthusiasm!

Meanwhile, the fellows on the foreign internet were not feeling quite so good.

Almost everyone knew that this cyber intrusion war launched by the X hacker team against Shangxia was not merely a matter concerning Team X alone.

Yet now, even with the combined might of the entire West, they still hadn't managed to conquer Shangxia's internet. This left many people feeling deeply aggrieved and frustrated!

"Don't worry, those Shangxia folks won't be able to hold out for long. Our data flood is only just beginning to crush them!"

"What happened just now was merely an appetizer. When the attacks stably exceed tens of billions per second, that will be the moment we truly unleash our power!"

Some western fellows seemed to have received some kind of internal information and posted some comforting remarks.

These words instantly made everyone in the Western camp feel considerably better.

***

Inside the Grand Academy of Sciences.

The data stream scrolling across the large screen in the security center was indeed growing increasingly ferocious.

Rising from the initial hundreds of millions of attacks per second to several billion, it rapidly approached the ten-billion mark!

The gazes of Ye Guhong, Zhao Zizhen, and the others had grown solemn to the extreme.

Liao Hongtao, however, remained calm and steady, stating evenly, "Once the data stabilizes at the ten-billion mark, those fellows in the West will definitely deploy every available data flood to crush us. That will be the moment they are most confident, but it will also be the exact moment we close the net!"

Ye Guhong and Zhao Zizhen both nodded slightly without speaking.

Since they had chosen to entrust everything to Liao Hongtao, they naturally would not interfere.

Soon, the data flood reached the ten-billion-per-second milestone.

"Follow my command! Fight to the death to defend this wave! No matter what, do not let them break through our defense line on the first wave!"

Liao Hongtao's resounding voice echoed inside the data center!

Immediately following that was the rapid, crackling sound of frantic typing on keyboards!

In the live-streaming room, prompted by popular science explanations from various professionals, the netizens also realized the critical nature of this moment.

Even the live chat comments began to dwindle significantly as everyone watched with bated breath.

This was a war without the smoke of gunfire, and a silent confrontation!

Everyone felt an intense wave of nervousness!

Finally, the data flood stabilized at ten billion per second!

The data scrolling across the large screen had reached a degree of intensity that would make anyone dizzy and nauseous just by looking at it!

"Hold the line first, and then find an opportunity to leak a vulnerability!" Liao Hongtao maintained his calm expression, commanding methodically.

Time ticked away, second by second!

No matter how Team X increased the crushing force of their data stream, the security data center's defense remained as airtight as a fortress!

"Damn it! How on earth are those Shangxia folks blocking it?!"

In a secluded location abroad, inside a massive computer data center, a blonde foreign guy couldn't help roaring in anger.

Yes, that's right—this was the base camp of Team X!

At this very moment, even though they had doubled down on their data flood assault, they still hadn't managed to breach Shangxia's internet defense line.

This finally drove them to the verge of fury!

"Boss, the calculations are out. Thirty minutes. Those Shangxia folks can only hold us off for a maximum of thirty minutes. After half an hour, we guarantee that not a single blade of grass will be left standing across the entire Shangxia internet!"

Another foreigner reported a flurry of data.

"Half an hour? Good, very good! Keep pushing! After half an hour, I will trample the Shangxia internet into dust!"

A fierce glint flashed in the blonde man's eyes!

Back home, inside the live-streaming room.

As time gradually slipped away, the netizens also began to sense that something was amiss.

Because it was clearly noticeable that the defense on the security data center's side was beginning to look somewhat strained.

This instantly filled the netizens with worry.

The atmosphere began to grow heavy.

Five minutes, ten minutes...

Finally, the half-hour mark quietly elapsed.

The data flood on the big screen had grown so terrifying that it was entirely impossible to look at directly with the naked eye.

Moreover, the defense on the security center's side showed signs of being on the verge of collapse, as if it could be smashed through at any second.

This caused the corners of the blonde man's mouth in the Team X base to curl into a cruel smile: "Those damn Shangxia folks can't hold out anymore. Increase the traffic volume and smash through their defenses in one fell swoop!"

However, as Team X increased their traffic volume, Shangxia's internet defense line—which seemingly looked ready to be shattered the next second—managed to hold firm at the very last moment every single time.

This directly provoked the blonde man in the X base into cursing his own subordinates in a fit of rage: "Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

Just as the blonde man finished cursing, a voice suddenly echoed through the base: "Boss, those Shangxia folks can't hold out anymore! A vulnerability has appeared in their defense line!"

"Huh? They finally couldn't hold it? Good, very good! Charge straight through this vulnerability and crush them!"

The blonde man instantly regained his swagger.

In an instant, the overwhelming data stream concentrated entirely within the vulnerability, rushing toward the internet defense center!

Watching the data flood successfully pour into the vulnerability, the blonde man held his glass of red wine and smiled cruelly: "Shangxia folks, the king of the internet world has arrived!"

However, what the blonde man did not know was that at the exact moment they concentrated all their data streams into the vulnerability to charge into the internet defense center, a smile likewise bloomed across Liao Hongtao's face:

"The fish has taken the bait."