Chapter 55: Countermeasures (Seeking recommendations, seeking collections)

"I said that ever since that confrontation, there hasn't been a single word from Liu Ze. I thought he was truly intimidated by Wang Ximing's warning, but it turns out he was just biding his time. It makes sense, though; given Liu Ze's personality, how could he possibly just accept Wang's warning and do nothing?" Zhou Xuan sneered, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"So he was investigating me in secret, bribing my promoters to copy the Universal Internet Cafe Management System, and then covertly promoting it in places like Yangcheng. How insidious. If it weren't for the statistical tracking function in my backend, it would have taken me ages to notice. And even if I had discovered it later, there would have been no way to deal with it. You know how rampant software piracy is in China—even Microsoft has no solution for it."

However, since the software was copied from Zhou Xuan's system, his central server could control every installation, effectively disabling them. But Zhou Xuan didn't intend to pull the plug just yet. He had come up with a plan to ensure Liu Ze suffered a massive loss and was taught a painful lesson.

Zhou Xuan began modifying the management system, adding a feature that required a serial number for activation. He didn't push the update to existing systems immediately. Instead, he called Wei Lian and told him he would be heading to Rongcheng the next day.

Though furious at Liu Ze's actions, Zhou Xuan first had Wei Lian look into the breach. "Wei Lian, the installation files for the management system have been leaked. Investigate how this happened."

"What? How is that possible?" Wei Lian was stunned.

Zhou Xuan sneered, "I can guarantee someone secretly copied the software for someone else to promote and profit from in places like Yangcheng. Let me tell you, every time the software connects to the internet, it sends the IP address and the number of terminals to my server. Normally, I should see a little over two hundred terminals, but now there are over three hundred—and that extra hundred are pointing to Yangcheng."

Wei Lian, shocked, asked, "Zhou Xuan, what should we do? Is there a backdoor in the software to disable that portion?"

Zhou Xuan had considered that, but simply disabling a hundred units wouldn't be enough to teach Liu Ze a real lesson. He wanted to add fuel to the fire.

"It's certainly possible, but I don't want to do it just yet. I've added a serial number registration feature today. From now on, every copy sold must be registered online with a unique serial number, or it won't run. I will provide all the serial numbers, and you and Zhou Changxing will be responsible for distributing them to the promoters. Also, since it's the weekend, tell the promoters to take two days off. I'll be in Rongcheng tomorrow to discuss how we handle this. I am going to make sure whoever has designs on us pays a heavy price," Zhou Xuan said ruthlessly.

Wei Lian was relieved and excited. "Understood. We'll discuss the details when you arrive tomorrow."

After hanging up, Zhou Xuan called Deng Cheng and asked him to meet at Huanyu Software the following day.

Upon receiving the call, Deng Cheng laughed, "Xuan, what's up? Is the design not satisfactory?"

Zhou Xuan chuckled, "There's a problem at Huanyu Software. I'll be in Rongcheng tomorrow to discuss it."

"What kind of problem requires you to come in person?" Sensing the gravity of the situation, Deng Cheng asked urgently.

"Heh, Liu Ze stole our management software and has been promoting it in Yangcheng. He's already installed it in over a hundred places," Zhou Xuan replied.

"What! That bastard!" Deng Cheng cursed upon hearing the news.

Zhou Xuan smiled coldly. "Don't worry, I'm going to make sure he takes a massive hit. I'll give you the details when I arrive tomorrow."

"Got it, I'll be waiting."

Early the next morning, Zhou Xuan took the bus and arrived in Rongcheng by noon. He met Deng Cheng and the others at the station, and they drove to the Qiushui Hotel to discuss the matter over lunch.

Once seated in a private room, Deng Cheng asked impatiently, "Zhou Xuan, Wei Lian said you could disable that batch of software. Why aren't you doing it yet?"

Zhou Xuan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Wei Lian. "How did the investigation go? Who leaked the package?"

"I questioned all twenty-plus promoters, and there were no leads. But on the 15th, a group of three resigned. I suspect it was them. When they left, since they hadn't completed a month, I told them they wouldn't get their commission, only their base salary. They still left. It struck me as odd at the time, but I didn't think much of it. This is my failure," Wei Lian admitted, sounding deeply remorseful.

Zhou Changxing, Zhou Xuan's uncle, added, "I also share the blame for those three leaving. I didn't vet the team members well enough when I assigned them, which allowed them to steal the software."

Seeing their willingness to take responsibility instead of shifting blame, Zhou Xuan was pleased.

He straightened his expression and said seriously, "We are all responsible for this. I failed to secure the software, and you failed to supervise the promotion team. We must be more careful in the future. I've already added the serial number registration. From now on, every copy gets a unique code. Without it, even if they copy the installation files, they won't be able to use it."

"That's fine for the future, but what about the software Liu Ze has already sold? Those don't have the serial number check," Wei Lian noted.

Zhou Xuan looked at them and sneered, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. As long as those systems connect to the internet, my server has control. I will disable all of them at once. Imagine, after some time, when Liu Ze has sold hundreds or thousands of copies, suddenly they all stop working. What do you think will happen?"

Deng Cheng clapped his hands, beaming. "Brilliant strategy! When hundreds of cafe owners swarm Liu Ze for answers, what will he do? Even if his company is full of thugs, can he beat up every single cafe owner and throw them out?"

"It doesn't end there," Zhou Xuan said, his voice dropping. "Brother Deng, you need to send people to Yangcheng. The moment the software goes down, stir up those owners to demand refunds. Create a scene. If Liu Ze's thugs try to use force, capture it all on video and photos. Then, we wait for the exposure and let the scandal explode."

Deng Cheng and the others felt a chill run down their spines. If this plan went through, Liu Ze would surely be finished.