Ranked 27th

"Xiaoliu, check the company account of Universal Technology."

"Director Qiu, I've checked it, and there's an issue with this company."

"Alright, what's the problem?"

"This company has a registered capital of only 100,000 yuan, but their monthly revenue is close to tens of millions. Could they be involved in money laundering?"

"Money laundering? Don't you see what this company does?"

Tax authorities have the right to audit the accounts of business enterprises. Although Qiu Guoqing was somewhat dazed by the revelations from Universal Technology, once back at his office, he immediately initiated an investigation into the company.

This investigation confirmed that Chen Yu wasn't boasting. Universal Technology indeed had a monthly sales revenue reaching millions. Of course, this number was somewhat inflated. The real figure on the books was about 4 million yuan.

Because the remaining 6 million yuan represented transactions for products that Universal Technology was merely facilitating, these couldn't be counted as the company's sales revenue. Nonetheless, an income of 4 million yuan per month was already a formidable achievement, especially for a small county like Xinfeng.

"I took a look, and their primary business appears to be a website."

"Anything else?"

"Well, Director Qiu, I don't understand this whole internet thing, and I'm not sure what this website does."

"If you don't understand, how can you get by? The internet is developing rapidly. Even though we work for the tax department, we should understand the operational dynamics of the internet. It's about time our unit organizes some internet knowledge seminars to help everyone understand these internet companies better."

Qiu Guoqing reprimanded his subordinate, but afterward, he felt somewhat embarrassed. He could hardly say that he didn't understand it either.

"It seems I should consult with Old Liu."

Qiu Guoqing didn't know, but there were knowledgeable individuals available. He was acquainted with Old Liu from the Telecommunications Bureau.

After reviewing the accounts, Qiu Guoqing made his way to the Telecommunications Bureau.

"Oh, Director Qiu, what brought you here?"

"Well, Director Liu, just paying you a visit."

"Visit? Wherever you go, no company welcomes you. They always think you're here to collect taxes."

"Haha, you're teasing me, Director Liu."

Qiu Guoqing burst into laughter.

"Here, have some tea. We just received a new batch of tea leaves. Your nose is quite sensitive; you arrived even before I could brew it."

"Your new tea is something I wouldn't want to miss."

"How is it?"

"It's excellent, Director Liu. Fragrant!"

"By the way, Director Qiu, why are you coming over during working hours? We've been paying our taxes diligently."

"Director Liu, you're always like this."

Qiu Guoqing, somewhat resigned, said, "You folks at the Telecommunications Bureau are so well off. Am I afraid you won't pay taxes? I'm here this time to consult about something."

"Go ahead, ask."

"Director Liu, do you know of a company called Universal Technology in Xinfeng?"

"Isn't that a matter for your Tax Department? How would I know?"

"Well, do you at least know about a website called 5173.com in Xinfeng?"

"5173.com?"

Old Liu, after some thought, shook his head, saying, "I don't have a clear memory of it."

"Director Liu, really? Such a big website in our Xinfeng, and you have no idea?"

"Is this website substantial? What's its traffic?"

"According to their manager, they have several hundred thousand IP visits daily. What do you think several hundred thousand IP visits mean?"

"Several hundred thousand IP visits... That can't be right."

"What's the problem with this IP traffic? You know, we're not very knowledgeable about the internet, so we've come to consult you, the expert."

"No problem. Mainly, a website with several hundred thousand IP visits is considered a large website. Wait, you said this website is truly in Xinfeng?"

"Yes, right in Xinfeng. Perhaps you could check."

"Alright."

Old Liu, as a professional, opened 5173's record: "This doesn't seem right; this website is not in Xinfeng; it's in Wusheng."

"Wuhan? That's incorrect; this company is definitely in Xinfeng."

"Perhaps their servers are located in Wuhan."

After checking 5173 Network's record, Liu understood: "That's why we had no information here; they've placed their servers in Wuhan. However, Director Qiu, are you sure this company is in Xinfeng?"

"Of course, they are just about to pay taxes here."

"That clarifies it."

Liu nodded, saying, "I never expected it. In such a small county, we have a large-scale website."

"Large-scale website? Why do I see that they only have about a dozen employees?"

"Whether a website is large or not has nothing to do with the number of employees. I checked a moment ago, their IP traffic has reached 670,000, and they are ranked 27th nationwide."

"27th nationwide? My goodness."

Qiu Guoqing was taken aback. When he was at Universal Technology, he already knew this company was remarkable, but he didn't know its exact level of significance. All he knew was that it was quite impressive in Xinfeng.

Impressive as it was in Xinfeng, it couldn't be considered the best of the best. Xinfeng, though a small county, had several powerful factories that dwarfed a small company. Yet hearing about this website's national ranking at 27, its significance had clearly risen to a higher level.

Twenty-seventh in the entire nation.

This was on a national scale.

What did it mean to be ranked 27th nationwide?

Even without a clear concept, one could tell that such a ranking was exceptionally remarkable.

Of course, 5173 Network's ability to rank 27th was partly due to the fact that there weren't many well-known websites in the country at that time. The most significant ones had the highest traffic, mainly the various web portals. Apart from a few major portals, there were others with some fame, such as ChinaRen, 21CN, Alibaba, EachNet, Dangdang, Tianya, MOP, Shuimu Tsinghua, and so on. Following them were smaller websites like RongshuXia and Xici Hutong.

So, 5173 was fortunate to be included among the top 100 websites in the country. However, this level of traffic might not necessarily be very beneficial. The largest portals had massive traffic but didn't make much money. For example, NetEase had enormous traffic but chose to focus on gaming. Why? Because gaming was more profitable than being a portal.

Similarly, QQ struggled for a long time to figure out how to convert traffic into money. This was a concern for industry insiders. For Qiu Guoqing, this ranking was genuinely astonishing.

"Director Liu, if I hadn't come to you, I wouldn't have known how well-known this website is."

"Heh, if you hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that Xinfeng had such a large website."

"So, do you think a company like this can become a high-tech enterprise within the county?"

"What do you mean, within the county? If this company has the right connections, it could become one at the city, provincial, or even national level."

"Thank you, Director Liu. I won't disturb you any longer."

Nodding in agreement, Qiu Guoqing knew what he needed to do.