Miscalculation

"Boss, our computer's CPU overloaded and burned out." A staff member from the astroturfing company carried the computer tower onto the table, opened the case, and said.

"The graphics card burned out too. The graphics card and CPU are still hot to the touch. I don't know how hot they got, but look—the glue here has melted from the heat!" the technician cried as he took the computer apart.

"We're screwed! The money from this job won't even cover the cost of our computers. We've taken a huge loss!" The boss slammed his fist down in frustration.

"Quick, check whether the hard drives are still working!" The boss suddenly remembered that the drives contained a large number of their account passwords and other information, and hurriedly ordered them to check.

The staff removed the hard drives and connected them to a laptop they'd just brought over. A few minutes later, everyone shook their heads in despair.

"Boss, the hard drives have literally burned themselves out. We should've bitten the bullet and bought solid-state drives!" The staff looked ready to cry. They had a lot of movies saved on those drives!

"Damn it!" The boss punched the computer monitor in front of him, sending it crashing to the floor. This time, he'd lost everything. He'd sunk years of income into all those devices and accounts.

But he didn't know that things were about to get even worse. In their final few dozen seconds, the Splitters used those hijacked computers to break into several major websites and companies' servers across the country.

Not only that, they deliberately left clues behind at the very end, exposing their IDs.

A few minutes later, after receiving simultaneous reports from several major internet companies, the police immediately sent technicians to trace the IDs' location.

They then contacted the police department in Shangdu City across state and city lines. Two minutes later, patrol officers near the two office buildings received orders and began heading to the target locations.

Given the efficiency of the media these days, Tang Shizhe saw something that pleased him on the evening news.

"Our reporters at the scene report that the police have uncovered a major cyberattack today. All thirty-six suspects have been arrested."

"In this case, a network company called ** launched attacks on several major platforms and numerous servers in our country, while also spreading rumors about these companies online! The attacks caused the companies serious financial losses."

"The police have now obtained preliminary information about the people suspected of hiring the company. According to the network company's owner, they attacked so many companies purely to cover up their attack on Titan Environmental!"

"Police from several states have now joined forces and are preparing to make covert arrests of the suspects who hired the company to carry out the cyberattacks!" the smiling news anchor reported on the major news of the day.

Tang Shizhe finally understood what it meant to have useless teammates. To lessen his own sentence, the network company's owner had pushed the blame onto the people who hired him.

Tang Shizhe could guess why. The tools they'd used to commit the crime had all been destroyed. Even if they tried to deny it, they had no way to prove they hadn't carried out the attacks. Employees from the company had already confessed to its crimes in their separate interrogations.

Seeing that there was no way to undo the damage, the owner had simply admitted everything and shifted all the blame to the air-purifier company executives who'd hired them.

That night, by the time those companies' executives saw the news, the police were already waiting outside their homes.

The cyberattack was called the largest, most brazen, and most idiotic in history.

Titan Environmental had not only emerged unscathed, but also gained huge exposure from the news. Orders for the Purification Tree had surged.

Seeing that everything had ended perfectly, Tang Shizhe returned to his mansion in high spirits.

The nearly two hundred million yuan he'd spent hadn't gone to waste. The supercomputer, which had just been set up, had already proved immensely useful. It had not only dealt with the possibility of rumors spreading online in the future, but also exposed all the enemies hiding in the shadows and sent them to prison.

The damage this incident had dealt those "well-known companies" was undoubtedly immense. They'd lose everything and spend several years in prison. By the time they got out, unfortunately for them, Titan Group might have grown into a colossal force whose peak they couldn't even glimpse.

"This time, someone dared to attack us in secret. That shows our influence still isn't enough."

"We need to diversify our group as quickly as possible and establish a strong presence in every industry!" In the mansion's dining room, Tang Yi through Tang Shi sat along both sides of a long tempered-glass dining table, while Tang Shizhe sat at the head.

As the ten Splitters who'd been with him the longest, they were treated very differently from the newly created Splitters. Tang Shizhe intended to entrust them with important responsibilities!

"Bring out the food!" Tang Shizhe clapped his hands. Ten Splitters dressed as butlers immediately wheeled serving carts out of the kitchen. They deftly lifted the lids and placed the prepared dinners in front of everyone, one by one.

"The group has completed the first stage, 'Making Our Mark.' Next comes the second stage: 'Building Our Reputation'!"

"I hope you can help Titan Group grow even faster. Come on, let's finish this drink together." Tang Shizhe raised his glass toward everyone.

Tang Yi through Tang Shi raised their glasses in turn. A nearby Splitter quickly took out a camera and captured the moment.

The photo of Tang Shizhe and his first ten Splitters smiling as they raised their glasses together was preserved forever.

After taking the picture, the Splitter printed it out and placed it in an elegant frame.

The frame would be kept in the vault at the bottom of the building, never to see the light of day.

Thousands of years later, when people discovered the photo, they gave it a fitting title: The Great Titan and His Ten Disciples.

As for why all ten disciples' faces were so blurry, no one but Tang Shizhe knew the reason.

After everyone drained their glasses of red wine, Tang Shizhe also downed the cola in his glass.

"From now on, Titan Environmental's growth will stabilize. We won't need to worry about it too much anymore!"

"Starting today, your focus will shift to Titan Biotechnology. I want to make sure it causes a sensation next month!" Tang Shizhe cleared his throat, rested his chin on his hand, and gave his orders to the Tang Yi through Tang Shi sitting before him.

"As you command, boss!" Tang Yi through Tang Shi replied in unison.

"Next, we'll redistribute our resources. Tang Ten through Tang Twenty will continue to handle Titan Environmental. Tang Twenty-One through Tang Thirty will be responsible for our online operations, while Tang Thirty-One through Tang Fifty will manage our offshore shell companies."

"Tang Fifty-One through Tang Seventy will handle Titan Biotechnology. Tang Seventy-One through Tang Eighty will serve as our muscle and protect you and the company." Tang Yi nodded, took out his tablet, and reported the new structure to Tang Shizhe.