Just this week, some strange and disturbing things began circulating on the internet.
Because the content was far too explosive—and because many of the people involved were well-known public figures. Individuals who had appeared in financial media and entertainment media alike were all listed within it.
At first, netizens who saw this shocking material didn't dare believe it. But after clicking in to take a closer look, they discovered that it was all undeniably real.
Soon after, the material spread rapidly across the internet. By the time the people involved became aware of it, even offline media outlets had already begun to focus their coverage on the incident.
"Damn it, can't you control the media and suppress the news?"
"How are we supposed to control it? The information is spreading online."
"So how exactly was this discovered?"
"I heard a hacker broke into our servers and leaked everything."
"I said it long ago—the internet isn't reliable. You insisted on storing all that stuff on servers and even keeping them online. Now look, we're finished!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?"
"What to do? You think I know what to do?"
Some people were arguing red-faced, some sat in painful silence, and others quietly pondered everything that had happened.
"Gentlemen, please calm down and listen to me."
After everyone finally settled down, the man continued, "This started spreading online. Think about it—who is the real tycoon in this field?"
"There's no need to say it. Gilbert." Someone gritted their teeth.
"It has to be him. His internet companies must be harboring countless hackers who broke into our servers."
"That's right. The internet media power in his hands is enormous, and he also controls a massive number of online trolls. If he hadn't hyped this up, it never would have caused such a huge stir."
Having found a scapegoat, everyone hurriedly pushed all responsibility away from themselves. In short, it was all Gilbert's fault.
At this moment, someone raised the key question.
"So what should we do now? Demand that Gilbert withdraw it?"
"Who's going to do that? He's clearly targeting us. This is obviously retaliation."
Everyone fell into silence. Only at this point did they realize that although they thought they had already taken the internet seriously enough, in reality, it still wasn't enough.
But now it was too late to say anything. The top priority was to bring the situation under control.
Everyone quickly began thinking of solutions. For the time being, they would ignore the internet, but television, newspapers, and other media still needed to be controlled. In these traditional media industries, they still had some influence.
"By the way, how are things going with those squids?"
"Not very well. For many years now, Gilbert has been their biggest benefactor. It's precisely because of Gilbert's support that those squids have been able to stand against the other faction."
"Damn it, those fence-sitters, swaying with the wind. Back then, how come the concentration camps didn't—"
"Watch your words. You can't say things like that carelessly."
"Forget the internet for now. Let's control the situation first."
A few days later, when an investment bank director from the Rockefeller family walked out of his mansion, he was immediately surrounded by reporters who had already been arranged in advance.
"Mr. Rockefeller, we hear you're extremely fond of young girls. Is that true?"
"Mr. Rockefeller, did you beat a fourteen-year-old girl to death?"
"Mr. Rockefeller, did you say that the blood of young girls tastes the best?"
It wasn't surprising that the public reaction was so intense. If it were just ordinary parties, people might shrug it off as nothing unusual. The real issue was that the content was far too perverse—it could even be said to have broken the bottom line of humanity.
Although humans and beasts are, in essence, both animals, humans are still a higher form of animal, one that speaks of morality, responsibility, and conscience.
But what was exposed in this list completely shattered the bottom line of humanity, even the bottom line of beasts. It was utterly inhuman.
Moreover, it wasn't only Gilbert who held grudges against them. Many people who had previously been exploited or forced to submit to their power took this opportunity to strike back.
The investment bank director fled in disgrace. Seeing his state, the others whose names were on the list lived in constant fear, no longer daring to show their faces.
Due to the severity of the situation, it wasn't just North American media—media outlets from around the world soon joined in. It could be said that because of this list, global public opinion erupted in an uproar.
Those old European aristocrats clicked their tongues in amazement, never expecting the nouveau riche of the New World to play things so perversely. Of course, they themselves weren't clean either—just that no one had discovered it yet.
At this point, the matter could no longer be suppressed. Very soon, several Hollywood celebrities involved announced their withdrawal from Hollywood, begging God for forgiveness.
Among them were Will Smith and his wife. The two of them were on the list, smiling in a disturbingly twisted way.
Of course, even without this list, the two of them were already almost unable to survive in the industry. Half of Hollywood belonged to Gilbert's faction—after offending Gilbert, did they really think they could still make a living in Hollywood?
As for those exposed on the list, they all ceased their activities. Some resigned, some fled. Perhaps after the situation calmed down, they might be able to show their faces again.
As for legal punishment, there was none. Washington directly pretended to be deaf and blind, not even expressing any intention of having the FBI conduct an investigation.
Instead, the department responsible for cybersecurity announced that it would go all out to hunt down the hacker who had caused such a massive public crisis.
As a result, the official website of the cybersecurity department was immediately overwhelmed by angry netizens, and the relevant personnel were viciously blasted with abuse.
The reason superheroes can become popular is, in essence, because people need heroes. And this time, what the hacker did was regarded by the public as the act of a cyber superhero.
If not for his courageous actions, no one knows how many more years such crimes would have remained hidden before being exposed.
What the public didn't know was that the so-called hacker was merely a smokescreen set up by the mastermind, known only to a small handful of people.
This retaliatory operation planned by Craig Evans dealt a heavy blow to the opposing forces. Affected by this incident, Wall Street experienced significant market turbulence.
All the land, mineral resources, oil, and gas assets that Gilbert had previously been forced to give up in order to protect Watermelon Company and Banana Company were not only fully recovered this time, but he also gained a great deal extra.
The list certainly included far more people than this, but Gilbert had no intention of continuing to release it. After all, he didn't want to push things to mutual destruction. If the other side truly lost their minds and launched a twenty-first-century version of a civil war against him, what then?
Strictly speaking, based on geography, it would actually be an east–west war.
Gilbert made just one thing clear, something he had consistently expressed all along. He only wanted to make money and protect everything he currently had, without caring about anything else.
But if someone insisted on picking a fight with him, he would not sit around waiting for death—he would resist resolutely.
Whosever claws reached toward him, he would chop them off and feed them to the dogs, then slap that person across the face in return.
To be honest, the effectiveness of this proactive strike exceeded even Gilbert's expectations. After this incident, the Rockefeller family and the Morgan family suffered tremendous losses.
More importantly, doubts and accusations against the two families erupted one after another within their own ranks, while the other families they had long suppressed began to stir restlessly, seemingly eager to seize the position of leader.
The two families would naturally never relinquish their leadership status so easily. There would likely be another round of internal strife and that was exactly what Gilbert wanted.
The Wall Street financial conglomerates were severely weakened, while Gilbert and Silicon Valley capital emerged with a decisive victory. The trend of power shifting from old forces to new ones was becoming increasingly clear.
However, Gilbert would not let his guard down. Underestimating the enemy was unacceptable—otherwise, it would be all too easy to capsize the boat.
..
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