I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 294 Chen Xiao reveals the company's dark secrets

Zhao Gang raised his head and looked at Chen Xiao, his eyes full of resentment: "Do you think you have won? This is just the beginning. There are even greater forces behind us."

"No matter how powerful you are, you cannot escape the punishment of the law," Li Wei said coldly. "Your actions have attracted our attention. Today is just the beginning. We will investigate thoroughly."

Back at the police station, Chen Xiao was placed in a quiet room to rest, while Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei remained in the interrogation room, awaiting the interrogation of the kidnappers.

"Who are you?" Li Wei questioned Zhao Gang, "Why did you kidnap Chen Xiao?"

Zhao Gang raised his head and sneered: "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course," Zhang Wanqing said, "We have an obligation to let the public know the truth."

Zhao Gang was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he said, "Okay, I'll tell you. We kidnapped Chen Xiao because he discovered some secrets among the company's top management."

"What secret?" Fu Siyuan asked.

"Our company recently developed a new software, ostensibly to improve the user experience, but in reality, it collects a large amount of private user data and sells it to third parties," Zhao Gang said. "Chen Xiao discovered this problem, refused to participate, and even tried to report it to his superiors. We were afraid he would ruin our plans, so we kidnapped him."

"Are you involved in other criminal activities?" Li Wei continued to ask.

Zhao Gang sneered, "Do you think this is the only thing we have? Our company's top management, for the sake of profit, did not hesitate to sacrifice the interests of employees, and even broke the law. Chen Xiao is just one of the victims."

"Who is the mastermind behind you?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

Zhao Gang raised his head, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes. "Don't even think about getting an answer from me. They're too powerful, you can't defeat them."

"We will find out." Li Wei said.

So, how did Chen Xiao discover the company's secrets? Chen Xiao was an ordinary employee at a technology company, mainly responsible for software testing and data analysis. During his daily work, he stumbled upon some unusual data and code, which eventually led him to uncover a conspiracy among the company's top management.

Chen Xiao sat in his dimly lit office, lines of code flashing across his computer screen. His job was to test a new software the company was about to release. This software, which the company's top management had high hopes for, was claimed to significantly improve the user experience. However, during the testing process, Chen Xiao felt something was amiss.

"Why is this data so strange?" He frowned, staring at the data stream on the screen. He discovered that the software automatically collected a large amount of user information while running, including location, address book, browsing history, and even personal privacy data. Normally, this data collection should have clear user authorization, but this software was doing it silently.

"Could there be a problem with the code?" Chen Xiao decided to investigate further. He began examining the code line by line, trying to find the root cause. After several hours of effort, he discovered a hidden module, designed to be extremely secretive and completely undetectable to ordinary users.

"What's this doing?" Chen Xiao was shocked. He realized that this module wasn't designed for software functionality, but rather to collect user data and transmit it to an external server. He tried to track the server's address, but found it was heavily encrypted, making it impossible to locate directly.

"This isn't right." Alarm bells were ringing in Chen Xiao's heart. He began to suspect that the company's top management might be using this software to illegally trade data. He decided to compile his findings into a report and report it to his superiors.

However, when he handed the report to his direct supervisor, the supervisor just smiled faintly and told him not to meddle in other people's business.

"This is just normal user data collection to improve the user experience," the boss said. "Don't worry too much."

Chen Xiao didn't believe his boss. He decided to investigate further on his own. Using his technical knowledge, he attempted to crack the encrypted server address. After several days of effort, he finally found a breakthrough. He discovered that the server belonged to a third-party company that did business with the company and had a poor business record.

"They are selling user data," Chen Xiao was shocked. He realized that the company's top management was willing to sacrifice user privacy and security for profit.

"I must stop them." Chen Xiao made up his mind. He decided to make the evidence public, but just as he was about to take action, he received that mysterious call.

There was an unfamiliar voice on the other end of the phone, with a cold and threatening tone: "Chen Xiao, you'd better cooperate obediently, otherwise you will regret it."

Chen Xiao was startled, knowing his actions had been discovered. He tried to remain calm: "What do you want to do?"

"We know you're investigating the company's secrets," the voice on the other end of the line said. "If you don't want to get into trouble, just do as we ask."

Chen Xiao refused their request. He knew that if he gave in, he would become their accomplice. However, he did not expect that this phone call would put him in danger.

That night, Chen Xiao left the company as usual, but was kidnapped after receiving a phone call. The kidnappers took him to an abandoned factory area, trying to force him to testify according to their wishes and cover up the company's crimes.

"What do you think you've discovered?" Zhao Gang said in the interrogation room. "You're just a small clerk, yet you want to challenge the company's authority. You're too naive."

"I just want to protect the privacy and security of users," Chen Xiao retorted. "Your actions are illegal and will be exposed sooner or later."

Zhao Gang sneered, "Do you think we're unprepared? We have powerful forces behind us. You're no match for us."

"No matter how powerful you are, you cannot escape the punishment of the law," said Chen Xiao.

A few days later, the police and Zhang Wanqing launched a comprehensive investigation into Chen Xiao's tech company. They discovered that senior management had been implicated in numerous crimes, including data leaks, illegal transactions, and internal corruption. As the investigation deepened, more and more evidence surfaced, gradually revealing the company's top management's crimes.

As the investigation deepened, Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei uncovered more evidence. They discovered that the senior management of Chen Xiao's tech company was not only involved in data leaks and illegal transactions, but also colluded with multiple unscrupulous companies and may have been involved in even more serious crimes.

"Chen Xiao is a brave man," Zhang Wanqing said during the investigation. "He discovered the company's secrets, but was unwilling to succumb to their threats."

"He's a true hero," Fu Siyuan added. "He used his actions to protect the privacy and security of users."

Thanks to the efforts of the police and Zhang Wanqing, the conspiracy of the company's top executives was thoroughly exposed and brought to justice, and Chen Xiao was praised by the public for his bravery and integrity.