Are You Safe Episode 19 Recap
> Are You Safe Recap
As Zhou You was preparing to finish work, he noticed a familiar face at the door. Startled, he instinctively nudged Qin Huai, who looked up to see Chen Mo. Chen Mo had come to deliver nourishing tea from his mother for Qin Huai, explaining that he had also been upgrading their old "Guardian" system and renamed it "Moat." Qin Huai simply smiled, offering his congratulations.
Chen Mo asserted that he had never forgotten their friendship or their shared dreams and was now there to help. He then mentioned having left a note previously detailing critical vulnerabilities in the Shepherd system, including susceptibility to DDOS, DNS hijack, ICMP flood, and slow POST reflection amplification attacks, and wondered why no patch had been made. Zhou You, recalling his own dismissive reaction to that note, feigned ignorance, claiming he had never seen it.
Qin Huai, sensing the tension, intervened, telling Chen Mo to leave the past behind as everything was better with him back. He then invited Chen Mo and Zhou You to join him in addressing the system issues. Chen Mo quickly assessed that simply patching the Shepherd system wouldn't suffice. Instead, he proposed integrating the "Moat" system directly into the internet traffic. This new system, he explained, could not only monitor business data but also effectively counteract various amplification attacks.
Qin Huai agreed with the strategy. After an intense day and night of work, the three successfully patched the Shepherd system. Chen Mo demonstrated the "Moat" system's effectiveness by simulating a DDOS attack, which it effortlessly detected and diverted, stabilizing user access. Zhou You was deeply impressed, praising Chen Mo for developing such a robust "Moat" system in just one weekend, which instantly neutralized the ongoing attacks.
Chen Mo stated that defending themselves was merely the first step; their next objective was to launch a counterattack to paralyze their adversaries' computers. Qin Huai suggested that while disabling the opponents was important, it would be even better to use entrapment to lure the masterminds out of hiding. Zhou You enthusiastically agreed, proposing they use Trojan viruses to track down the manipulators, mirroring their opponents' methods with an "eye for an eye."
Meanwhile, Ma Pingchuan's operative, Mo Yizhong, reported by phone that their opponents were now blocking all attacks and had successfully combined the Moat and Shepherd systems, with Chen Mo having joined them. Ma Pingchuan, recognizing Chen Mo, instructed his operative to disengage from active attacks and merely observe.
Later, after Qin Huai's team launched their counterattack, the operative reported that the opponents, realizing the change in strategy, had boldly deleted millions of data from their server to prevent being traced, indicating a highly skilled and audacious adversary. Ma Pingchuan declared, "This isn't over yet."
He revealed he had already uploaded specific codes with timestamps and instructed his team to cease all current operations, waiting for Qin Huai and Chen Mo to drop their guard before making their next move. Qin Huai subsequently met with President Zhou of Fizzy Frenzy Beverage Factory to apologize and explain the situation.
He informed President Zhou that they had repaired the server, recovered the prize winner data, identified the true winners, and reported the fraudsters to the police, offering full compensation for any losses and requesting the lawsuit be dropped. President Zhou not only agreed to drop the lawsuit but thanked Qin Huai.
He pointed out that the entire incident, despite the initial trouble, had unexpectedly put their company on trending topics six times, generating significant positive public sentiment and sympathy, far surpassing their usual multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. Although he considered it a "blessing in disguise" for publicity, he still expected compensation for their losses, distinguishing it from marketing benefits.
When Qin Huai suggested installment payments due to the substantial amount, President Zhou refused any money, calling Qin Huai his "lucky star" and expressing his strong desire for continued cooperation. Back at the office, Qin Huai announced a celebration for the team's victory and the renewed collaborations with beverage factories, promising a hotpot party and a ¥10,000 lucky draw.
Later, Qin Huai confided in Chen Mo, admitting his profound happiness stemmed not just from the win, but from fighting side-by-side with him again. When Chen Mo suggested his departure, Qin Huai stopped him, revealing that his involvement in the Fizzy Frenzy case, the development of the Shepherd system, and battling the underground syndicate were all part of a larger, long-standing plan to find "Advisor," the mastermind behind Chen Mo's mother's past scam.
Qin Huai then led Chen Mo into a secret room within the company, a space filled with their shared history, evident from the old server and extensive case diagrams plastered on the walls. Chen Mo was deeply moved, realizing the depth of Qin Huai's solitary investigation. He assured Qin Huai that with their combined efforts, they could achieve "twice the result with half the effort."
Chen Mo explained that when he deployed the "Vengeance virus" against the syndicate years ago, he used highly specialized encryption methods, impersonating IP addresses, routing information, and encrypting log files to remain untraceable. To find the virus's originator, they would need to decrypt these complex, randomly changing ciphers. He revealed that he had managed to track some true IP addresses to Taimanda but found no further leads until he heard a series of familiar numbers, his old nickname.
He also recounted trying to call Qin Huai during that time, and when he couldn't reach him, he turned over his findings to the police. Now, he handed Qin Huai all the information he had collected from Taimanda, hoping it would lead to a breakthrough. At that moment, Zhou You, who had followed them and overheard much of their conversation, stumbled upon the secret room.
Initially denying he heard anything, he eventually admitted to knowing everything, seeing the extensive files on the screen—terabytes of victim's computer logs, gigabytes of decrypted logs, attack records, and the Vengeance Virus's evolution, with a daunting 8,842 days estimated remaining for decryption—grasping the immense scale of their mission. Qin Huai then pulled Zhou You out of the room to have a private conversation. Separately, the wounded "General" instructed his subordinate to spread rumors of his death online.
This tactic was designed to incite his rivals to fight among themselves for territory, exposing them while he recuperated. He confirmed that all who knew the truth of his survival had been silenced. The subordinate mentioned a widespread rumor that finding the "key to Legion" would unlock its secrets and crown the next "General," a notion the General dismissed. He told his subordinate that he could not appear publicly and planned to recover in Northern Myanmar.
He then gave a new, urgent directive: find Mu Tong by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Mu Tong woke from a terrifying nightmare, crying out. Chen Mo's mother, hearing her, rushed to comfort her and urged her to rest, noting her recent unwellness, before leaving for work. Mu Tong's flashback revealed her past humiliation: working as a casino dealer to earn money for her ailing grandmother's medical bills.
One day, while being physically assaulted by an "uncle" demanding her money, the "General" intervened, beating the uncle. He then claimed Mu Tong as his own, telling her that hurting her injured his pride. Despite her defiance and refusal to accept his money for her grandmother, he subjected her to torment and assault, asserting his desire to conquer her unyielding spirit.
