Chapter 80: Ning Yuzhe’s Ambition

“How could this happen? Our production line operates on a closed local area network. How could a virus infiltrate the server?” The chief engineer, Tang, denied the possibility immediately.

This was the production line that he had overseen the construction of, and now it was possible that a virus had invaded it; this indicated a major problem.

Ning Shuangshuang came over and said, “Du Qiu, copy the virus sample for us. Our security department needs to file a record.”

“Officer Ning, there’s busy work ahead for your department. This is a malicious program, which could also be considered a latent virus, I suppose. It must have been embedded during the construction of the production line.

The trigger condition is when a piece of equipment reaches a certain level of precision in part processing. It then activates and causes the equipment responsible for processing on the production line to malfunction.”

“Do you mean to say that this virus came with the automatic control software from Huanghai Precision Control?” Zhao Yicheng was taken aback.

“It’s hard to say. It’s also possible someone knew you were purchasing this software and then inserted the malicious program. That’s why I’m saying, Officer Ning and her team will be busy.”

Ning Yuzhe’s face was ashen as he said, “This is utterly scheming. We must find the black sheep!

Chief Engineer Tang, anyone involved in the construction and debugging of this production line and the software must be investigated. Give Ning’s team the list as soon as possible. No one must be missed, or you will be held accountable.”

With cold sweat on his forehead, Chief Engineer Tang nodded and replied, “Yes, I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”

Turning to Du Qiu, Ning Yuzhe asked, “Xiao Du, can you clean up this virus?”

“Of course, no problem. I’ve installed a security system on your production line’s server. It will ensure your production line won’t succumb to virus or malicious software attacks.”

“Good, that’s great! We’ll pay for this security software. But you can’t charge us an exorbitant price.”

“Don’t worry, it will be a friendly price!”

This security software was developed by Du Qiu based on the first-level protective net set up by the Maintenance Personnel at the three white vortexes in his dream.

Du Qiu hasn’t planned on taking it to market yet. He intends to pair it with artificial intelligence in the future, which would then make it the strongest security software.

However, using it now on the local area network production line of Feiyu Technology should be more than sufficient.

Du Qiu acted quickly, cleansing the entire production line’s automatic control system and ensuring the virus was eradicated.

In the process, a new idea occurred to Du Qiu.

“Chairman Ning, you might consider switching to my Heavenly System. Not only can it improve processing precision, but it can also be expanded into a production line control system.

The Heavenly System comes with this security module built-in. You spend money once and get all the features.”

“Heh, you never miss an opportunity to sell your software, huh? Let’s talk about it after we complete the production task for this batch of parts – after all, conversion takes time. Also, the processing precision has to meet standards.”

“We could sign a contract first and start the conversion after you complete the task. As for processing precision, it’s definitely better than the original.” Du Qiu wouldn’t easily let this opportunity slip by.

“What, you’re afraid I’ll stiff you? Come see me tomorrow to sign a contract.” Having the equipment fixed put Ning Yuzhe in a much better mood.

Suddenly, Ye Haibin approached Du Qiu and asked, “Excuse me, are you Du Qiu who developed the Heavenly System?”

Du Qiu nodded and replied, “Yes, that’s me.”

Without delay, Ye Haibin shook hands with Du Qiu, saying, “Ah, I failed to recognize a luminary right before me. Recently, Du Qiu’s name is thunderous in the field of CNC machine tools.

Had you announced your big name upon arrival, I dare not have shown off in front of you.”

Indeed, Du Qiu had not considered that within the domestic field of CNC machine tools, his name and the Heavenly System were already well known.

After all, having single-handedly written top-tier CNC software that rivaled foreign imports was a greater accomplishment than the Central Data System from before.

However, outside the domain of CNC machine tools, Du Qiu was still unheard of.

In the business world of Tang Country at the time, those frequently talked about in the public discourse were either internet magnates or tycoons who had made their way onto the rich list.

In essence, it was an era that idolized wealth.

“Dr. Ye, you’re too kind. You’re very familiar with Hass’s equipment. It’s just that no one expected a lurking virus to impact the Hass system, which seemed to operate independently.”

“Yeah, it’s unexpected now that many unmanned production line control systems and machining center control software don’t necessarily come from the same manufacturer; the possibility of virus attacks truly took us by surprise,” Zhao Yicheng said, still somewhat shaken by the event.

Du Qiu nodded and said, “That’s right. Industrial automation control systems, just like ordinary computer systems, are also vulnerable to virus attacks.

A lot of our country’s infrastructure, such as power plants, hydroelectric plants, power grids, high-speed rail, etc., are commanded by industrial automation systems. This is the ‘industrial brain’.

However, many of these ‘brains’ are foreign-made. If they were truly compromised, it would be as if we had no defenses at all.”

Ning Yuzhe was struck by a thought and said, “Can your Heavenly System truly be expanded into an industrial automation system?”

“No problem, I considered this from the very beginning. It fully complies with international standards. Besides, our country actually set these EPA standards.”

After Du Qiu cleared the virus from the production line, Zhao Yicheng brought in engineers to restart all the machinery, and soon the production line was running normally again.

Ning Yuzhe, delighted, led the group away from the workshop. Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, he immediately invited Du Qiu, Ye Haibin, and the others to join him for the meal.

However, Chief Engineer Tang was busily compiling the list of personnel names, and Ning Shuangshuang naturally followed him. The nail hammered into this national key project by external forces had to be unearthed as soon as possible.

As dinner ended and everyone dispersed, Ning Yuzhe and Zhao Yicheng stayed behind to chat.

“Yicheng, I remember you once proposed an investment plan to establish our own subsidiary company to develop high-end CNC machining centers,” Ning Yuzhe recalled.

Caught off guard, Zhao Yicheng was surprised. He had indeed proposed this three years earlier, but the idea had been rejected by the chairman at the time.

After all, Feiyu Technology was a company in the aerospace field, not primarily in machine tool production. There were numerous state-owned enterprises in that area, and as Feiyu Technology was also a state-owned enterprise, it shouldn’t engage in such activities.

That Zhao Yicheng’s proposal was dismissed was to be expected.

In fact, Zhao Yicheng had come up with this suggestion because the company was significantly investing in imported equipment from the American company, Hass.

As Zhao Yicheng, who had a deep understanding of the domestic machine tool industry, watched precious foreign exchange flow abroad, he felt so pained that he pitched this plan.

“Once you’re back, take out that plan and rework it a bit. The approach could be changed, such as establishing a joint subsidiary with a domestic related company,” Ning Yuzhe suggested.

Zhao Yicheng, who had had quite a bit to drink that evening and was still somewhat foggy-headed, asked, “Chairman, you mean…”

“For instance, we could form a joint venture with Du Qiu’s Dream Technology. They provide the technology, and we supply the funds, personnel, and premises to start a subsidiary that produces high-end CNC machining centers.”

“Got it. I’ll sort out the plan tomorrow and hand it over to…”

Ning Yuzhe cut off Zhao Yicheng, whispering, “No need to give it to me. Directly present it at the management office meeting.”

“Ah, alright.”

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A special thanks to “Still Unfound” for the 100-coin reward!