His message was reassuring: “I have no intention of opposing you.”
There had been no further communication between them, and they had ceased to make any ripples in the hacking community. Now, adopting the guise of Bee out of necessity, Marissa had not anticipated Him suddenly emerging and taking the opposing side
After a heartbeat, she inquired of Him, “How much did Aelfric offer to make you break your promise?”
Him responded, “I came for you. It has nothing to do with Aelfric.”
Marissa asked again, “So you weren’t summoned by them?”
Him clarified, “No, I wasn’t.”
The senior executives of the Warren Group were utterly flabbergasted as they scanned the chat log on the computer screen. They had celebrated too soon. Him had not come as their ally but had used their platform to talk to Bee
Ewing awkwardly scratched his head, realizing he had falsely believed he had easily brought in the legendary hacker, Him. The reality was far from his illusion
Aelfric’s embarrassment was beyond measure, reaching its zenith. These two legendary hackers were conversing on the Warren Group’s network, completely disregarding his presence. Yet, he felt utterly helpless. He lacked hacking expertise and was unable to find anyone more skilled than these two to aid him. He could only watch as they held sway on his own turf
On the screen, Bee and Him’s conversation flowed as if they were in their own secluded world. Bee asked, “What do you want to discuss with me?”
Him replied, “I’m intrigued by your connection with Dr. Riss.”
Marissa peered at her phone screen, a look of bewilderment slowly spreading across her face. She was curious about Him’s true identity and why he had linked Riss to her. She pondered why he was interested in their relationship
She couldn’t help but question, “Why does my relationship with Riss concern you?”
Him remarked, “It is of great importance to me.”
Marissa inquired further, “And why should I share that with you?”
Him threatened her, saying, “If you don’t tell me, I’ll hunt you down and extract the answer face-to-face.”
Marissa chuckled. “You’re awfully confident. What makes you think you can catch me?”
Him proposed, “Then let’s settle who truly sits atop the hacker hierarchy. The world has been wondering for the past three years.”
Marissa glanced at the time on her phone, feeling the pressure mounting. She had to leave soon for the Sunrise with Connor, leaving her precious little time. Before her departure, she needed to plant a custom Trojan horse into the Warren Group’s system to divert Aelfric’s attention
Three years ago, Him had been a formidable adversary, and she wasn’t sure of his current capabilities. She pondered how long it would take to contend with him now and if she could ultimately win. “If you’re up for a challenge, let’s schedule it for another time. I’ve got plans today,” she said
Him declined quickly. “No way! I’ve finally cornered you here. I can’t let you slip through my fingers. Where am I supposed to track you down if you disappear from the Warren Group’s network?”
Marissa clenched her teeth in frustration. Arabella, seated next to her, noticed her tense expression and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Why do you look like you’re ready to pounce on someone?”
Marissa quickly brushed off her thoughts and replied to Arabella with a playful tone, “Oh, I’m just engrossed in a game. There’s this adversary I can’t afford to lose sight of. You go ahead and take a break.”
“Okay.” Arabella closed her eyes. “You focus on your game and show that guy who’s boss. I’ll be good.”
After soothing Arabella, Marissa turned her attention back to her phone screen. She texted back, “Alright then! Let’s see who captures whom first!”
Seeing Bee accept the challenge, Connor, who was also in the car, looked intrigued and raised his eyebrows. Although he had promised Bee three years earlier that he wouldn’t challenge him or her, he was now curious to see who was the better hacker. Since Connor had already broken his promise for Marissa’s sake today, he might as well go all out and have a showdown with Bee. If Bee was pursuing Marissa or was the person Marissa was interested in, Connor was determined to find him and prove his own skills
Connor focused and began working on his phone. With quick tapping, his screen was filled with complex code, surprising Marc and Terry, who were sitting next to him. Connor aimed to track Bee’s IP address and turn on his camera to see what the famed Bee looked like
Seeing Him’s aggressive move, Marissa also sprang into action on her phone, her screen lighting up with intricate code. Her goal matched Him’s; she wanted to track his IP address and activate the camera to see the legendary Him. Thus, the two engaged in a virtual duel, blocking each other’s moves while trying to expose one another’s identities. Their clash was fierce, with the Warren Group’s network serving as their battleground, where they attacked and tracked each other
Aelfric and the senior executives of the Warren Group were clueless about the ongoing cyber battle. They saw rapid flashes of complex code on the computer screens, which they couldn’t understand. The computers at the Warren Group behaved erratically, constantly starting up and shutting down, which frightened everyone. The instability extended to the Warren Group’s gaming applications. Players experienced normal logins at times, while at other times, they were abruptly logged out. Numerous players voiced their frustrations on the Warren Group’s official channels
“What’s going on with the network? Is it haunted? It’s so odd.”
“I got kicked out in the middle of a game. It’s really frustrating.”
“Hasn’t the hacker issue been resolved? Can it be fixed? If not, just let us know. Stop making us log in only to be kicked out!”
As more complaints flooded in, the Warren Group’s stock price dropped by 20% quickly. In the office, Aelfric and the senior executives stared at their computer screens. Although they realized Him hadn’t come to help the Warren Group, after several exchanges between Him and Bee, it was clear that if the Warren Group’s network was a fortress, Him was its defender and Bee the aggressor, each testing the other’s strength
For the time being, they could view Him as an ally. Yet, they were uncertain how long this standoff would last. If it continued, the Warren Group’s network would deteriorate further, possibly causing their stock price to hit rock bottom by tomorrow. Just when their anxiety was peaking, the computer screens suddenly stopped flickering
Aelfric looked over at Ewing and asked, “Has the battle ended?”
Ewing shook his head and said, “No. Neither Bee nor Him has managed to outdo the other. They are in a deadlock. This seems to be a temporary pause.”
Aelfric and the senior executives were frustrated. The two hackers were using their network for a personal feud and even pausing for a break, which seemed absurd
At that moment, Bee and Him resumed their conversation. Him sent a message first, saying, “Bee, you’ve really improved your skills in the last three years.”
Bee responded angrily, “Have you lost your senses? My ties with Riss are none of your business. Why are you meddling in my affairs?”
During the cyber showdown between Bee and Him, Aelfric felt helpless. His only option was to watch the company’s stock market performance and monitor the trending topics. The Warren Group’s stock price continued to drop, and the trending topics were swamped with negative comments. Aelfric was consumed with worry as Bee and Him paused to argue
Did they understand that their actions were pushing the Warren Group to the brink of disaster? The Warren Group had suffered seriously because of their disputes. Aelfric was seething with anger at both Bee and Him
Unable to take it any longer, he sat in front of the computer and joined their conversation. “If you have personal issues to settle, please take them elsewhere. Stop involving the Warren Group.”
Aelfric hoped for a reasonable response, but both hackers dismissed him sharply
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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