Transaction
Zhou Hongwei wasted no time and swiftly arrived at the coffee shop as agreed, around 5 pm that day. Chen Mo, upon receiving the call, promptly gathered his computer and relevant information and headed to the cafe. Given that his rented house was nearby, he arrived within five minutes.
Upon entering the cafe, Chen Mo scanned the place and spotted Zhou Hongwei sitting in the corner with a few others. He walked over with a smile, extending his right hand in greeting.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou. Nice to meet you," Chen Mo said.
"Hello, Mr. Chen," Zhou Hongwei replied, shaking his hand.
After a brief exchange, Zhou Hongwei motioned for Chen Mo to join him at their table.
"Mr. Chen, I'm eager to see the program you mentioned," Zhou Hongwei cut to the chase, unable to contain his excitement.
"Certainly, but I don't have a computer infected with the virus," Chen Mo replied.
"We've come prepared," Zhou Hongwei nodded at his assistant. The assistant retrieved two computers from their backpacks and placed them on the table. Both computers were secured with iron doors.
Chen Mo wasted no time and inserted the USB drive into the computer. Within a couple of minutes, the virus was successfully removed, and the computer returned to its familiar Windows desktop.
Seeing this, Zhou Hongwei couldn't contain his joy. The "Eternal Heart" virus had indeed been cracked, and by the hands of this young and talented individual.
"Mr. Chen, you're so young. Are you still a student? Binhai University, perhaps?" Zhou Hongwei inquired.
"It doesn't matter much, does it?" Chen Mo smiled.
"You're right," Zhou Hongwei chuckled."This program was independently developed by you, Mr. Chen? Your talent and potential at such a young age are remarkable. Would you be interested in joining our company?"
"I have no such plans at the moment," Chen Mo replied without false modesty. "Let's get to the point."
Zhou Hongwei carefully observed Chen Mo. This young man's demeanor and conversation skills surpassed those of any other young individual Zhou Hongwei had encountered. He was undoubtedly an extraordinary talent.
"Indeed, let's get back to the topic. Mr. Chen, are you willing to sell the program? If so, how much are you asking for?" Zhou Hongwei inquired.
"Not much, 80 million," Chen Mo said casually.
The people around couldn't help but gasp upon hearing the price, looking at Chen Mo with surprise.
"Mr. Chen, isn't that price a bit too high?" Zhou Hongwei chuckled.
"If it's too high for you, then let's forget it," Chen Mo shrugged and put the USB drive back into his backpack. "I'll contact Tencent Penguins. Maybe they'll be interested."
Zhou Hongwei couldn't help but admire the young man's confidence. He knew he was dealing with a remarkable individual, and he had to weigh his options carefully.
"Mr. Chen, please wait," Zhou Hongwei quickly intervened, stopping Chen Mo in his tracks. "Your price is indeed quite high. If you contact Tencent Penguins, they won't agree to pay this much."
"Alright, let's negotiate," Zhou Hongwei said. "How about this: 10 million for the technology transfer to our company, and we'll sign the contract right now."
"That's not enough," Chen Mo replied. "Currently, no anti-virus method has been found globally. If your company becomes the first to release software capable of defeating the 'Eternal Heart,' you'll gain immense fame and fortune. My price accounts for that opportunity."
"Thirty million is our bottom line," Zhou Hongwei insisted. "The number of infected computers worldwide is not even 1 million. Our company won't make much profit from this." (Note: Sorry for the confusion in the previous chapter. I stated that almost 1 million computers got ransomware in China alone, but it turned out to be a global issue, not just in China.)
"The key lies in word of mouth and reputation. Mr. Zhou, Surely you're not just looking at immediate profits," Chen Mo retorted. "If you're not interested, then I'll contact other companies. This program could significantly boost Tencent Penguin market value."
Zhou Hongwei hadn't anticipated Chen Mo's slick negotiating skills. However, he understood the immense potential of this antivirus program during the global virus crisis. If they were to lose this opportunity, it would be a huge setback for their company.
"To be honest, we may not make 80 million in profit from your program," Zhou Hongwei admitted.
"70 million, that's my final offer," Chen Mo stated.
"Wait, how about 60 million?" Zhou Hongwei proposed. "We plan to release the program for free, so the profit margin won't be significant."
"The decision to offer it for free is up to you. It doesn't concern me, and you can still charge for additional services," Chen Mo replied, getting up from his seat, ready to leave.
"This is the contract and technical information," Chen Mo said, sitting back down and placing a USB drive and two contracts in front of Zhou Hongwei.
Seeing that Chen Mo had already prepared everything, Zhou Hongwei was taken aback. It seemed that this young man had foreseen their decision from the beginning.
The lawyers present carefully examined the contract, ensuring there were no issues. Then Zhou Hongwei turned his attention to Chen Mo and remarked, "I didn't expect such exceptional talent among the young people in China."
"It was luck that this program came about through accidental discovery," Chen Mo responded.
"Really?" Zhou Hongwei's explanation left Chen Mo speechless. To say that he just got lucky and accidentally solved a global virus problem was hardly believable. However, he decided not to dwell on it.
"If everything is in order, let's sign the contract," Chen Mo said.
"Alright," Zhou Hongwei agreed.
After signing the contract, Zhou Hongwei promptly transferred the money to Chen Mo on the spot. Upon seeing the successful transaction, Chen Mo smiled. This was his first significant earnings, achieved through his own efforts. Even after deducting personal income tax, he still had over 56 million yuan. Chen Mo began to think about how he would use this newfound wealth.
"It has been a pleasure working with you," Chen Mo said, shaking hands with Zhou Hongwei.
"I have deleted the program information from here. Your data is secure. Remember to back it up. I'll take my leave now."
"Aren't you going to have a meal?" Zhou Hongwei asked.
"No, I have to go. I'll contact you later," Chen Mo replied.
After bidding farewell to Zhou Hongwei, Chen Mo left the coffee shop with his belongings.
"Return the program to the technical department, inform them, bind the code of the anti-virus program to the software guards, and prepare to update them,"
After instructing his assistant, Zhou Hongwei sat in contemplation, his gaze fixed on the door through which Chen Mo had left.
At 7:00 that evening, Qihu Company posted a message on Weibo.
"Seven Tigers has successfully developed a software program to eliminate the 'Eternal Heart' ransomware. The final emergency processing is underway, and it will be released as soon as possible, Once completed, it will be released promptly, as always, free of charge."
The news immediately caused a stir in the online world. Qihu's Weibo account received numerous praises and recognition from countless netizens.
"An historic and remarkable achievement! Seven Tigers has found a way to kill the 'Eternal Heart', while other computer security companies are busy promoting gaming."
"Finally a company with a conscience! I'm switching to Seven Tigers' antivirus software right away."
"This time, I fully support Seven Tigers!"
...
The incident quickly became a prominent headline in major media outlets.
The sudden announcement came as a surprise to everyone. The "Eternal Heart" ransomware was a hot topic, and news of Seven Tigers' breakthrough was discovered by the media and spread rapidly across the country.
During live news broadcasts, some TV stations urgently inserted the latest update. The news also reached foreign social networking sites in no time.
The entire online world was buzzing with excitement.
The "Eternal Heart" ransomware incident was one of the biggest cyberattacks in history, affecting nearly a million computers worldwide. It primarily targeted government departments, energy companies, railway companies, banks, hospitals, universities, and trading venues.
The event had been ongoing for almost seven days, and victims faced a tough choice—reinstall the system and lose all data or pay the ransom to the hackers, which many found unacceptable.
The news released by Seven Tigers was like a shot of adrenaline. People who were considering paying the ransom to the hackers now decided to wait for Seven Tigers anti-virus program to be released. The hope of a solution gave them the confidence to hold on a little longer.