Chapter 13
Those words resonated deeply with the inhabitants of Celandia. They sparked a significant commotion on the local hacker forums, prompting the individuals involved in take action before the authorities could intervene. They were eager to demonstrate their prowess to the world.
We recently secured first place in a competition, so this time, we’re spearheading the attack, primarily targeting Mordoria’s networks,” admitted Stanley, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. However, we’re all relatively new to this, so there’s a
in degree of uncertainty
This was their maiden voyage into the spotlight, and failure would render them the butt of jokes in the hacker community.
Quinlyn was less concerned with the prize money and more fascinated by how programming code could be weaponized. She inquired. “How soon until we initiate the attack?”
Stanley glanced at the time and responded. “The main attack will commence in six hours“:
Upon hearing this, Quinlyn nodded and delved into the programming book she had purchased the previous day
Not wanting her to grapple with the material alone, Stanley decided to remain in her room, even having breakfast delivered there by the maid,
Tina awoke early for her yoga routine. Upon learning of their plans, she merely shrugged and refrained from further
comment.
In the room, they concluded their breakfast, Quinlyn was still sipping her glass of milk while Stanley had already powered up his laptop to connect with his teammates.
One teammate asked, “Stanley, how are things progressing on your end? Didn’t you mention bringing in a professional! Have they arrived yet?”
“Yeah, I’m really anxious. We’re facing Mordoria, and with just our skills, I’m not very confident,” another admitted.
They were still perplexed about how they had won the championship. Stanley observed the situation and reassured them. “Don’t worry, the professional is here and is currently reviewing the material.”
Upon hearing that the professional had arrived, the others on the call became excited. The legend is here! Where are they? Let us see!
Stanley, eager to impress, quickly activated the virtual camera and adjusted his face to capture both himself and Quinlyn in the frame. “Can you see us now!”
The others scrutinized the screen and suddenly realized something was amiss.
“Huh? Why does the legend look so small? Are they short?”
Stanley glanced at Quinlyn, who barely reached his waist, nodded, and said, “Yeah, the little one is still growing. Can’t see she’s drinking milk?”
The others struggled to maintain a straight face, awkwardly agreeing, “Well, it seems like she’s a young prodigy like you and
putting in the effort, studying so early in the morning
Stanley, multitasking as he was, casually replied, “Yeah, she doesn’t even understand the basics of programming she need to catch up
The others fell into an astonished silence. After a lengthy pause, someone finally spoke up. “Stanley, are you telling us that you’re hiring an expert who’s just a kid and hasn’t even read a programming book?
Stanley realized that Quinlyn had not only recognized all the words in programming books but kept this fact to himself,
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Chapter 13
fearing it would be too much for the team to handle. “Don’t worry, she’s given her approval, so everything’s fine,” I reassured them, patting his chest.
Honestly, until yesterday, if anyone had mentioned Quinlyn hacking into Mordoria’s official website, Stanley would have deemed them insane. However, after witnessing Quinlyn’s calm and efficient actions at the mall, he felt a peculiar sense of confidence whenever she agreed to something.
Yet, while Stanley felt assured, his teammates did not share his sentiment. They believed he had lost his mind
“Are you serious? We’re discussing hacking into Mordoria’s official website. Don’t you realize their tech and cyber security are top–notch globally? If we’re not cautious, failure will be the least of our worries. Getting caught could land us in jail”
“Ha, you’re Stanley, with people backing you up, so you’re fearless. But we can’t afford such risks. Anyone wanting to play this idiotic game can go ahead”
Emotions ran high, and the entire team quit. Initially, Stanley thought they were joking, but as one by one, they logged off, he realized something was amiss. This team had been assembled at the Academy of Sciences, with several doctoral students among its members.
Stanley called his friend, who flatly refused to rejoin. Frustrated, Stanley cursed. “You bunch of cowards, always backing out at the last minute. Who was the one so eager to take on everything initially, and now, scared to continue! If you had told me sooner, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
After hanging up, Stanley angrily tossed his phone aside, his chest heaving with rage, and blocked all his teammates.
He slumped into his chair, glanced at Quinlyn still engrossed in her book, and with a bitter smile, placed his hand on her pages. “No need to read anymore; the plan’s off. We’re not doing it.”
Quinlyn looked up, her eyes clear and innocent, and asked curiously, “So, we’re not going to shine the light of justice anymore?”
Stanley winced at his slang and sighed resignedly, “It’s not easy being the light of justice. If the adults are backing out. how can just the two of us manage?”
Officially, they would likely issue a stern condemnation to uphold their reputation and subtly brush the incident aside. Considering this, he felt that learning programming seemed futile. Fighting for justice as a hacker seemed like a grand
illusion.
Quinlyn couldn’t fully grasp the disappointment and disinterest in his eyes but sensed his misconception. “Doing the right thing shouldn’t depend on age. If it’s like yesterday’s program, I can handle it. Would you still join me?”
Stanley stared at her, stunned, until her unwavering determination inspired him, lifting his earlier gloom. He gradually sat up straight. “Let’s do it! This time, we’ll make a big splash!”
He opened his laptop and posted on the forum: [We will definitely make the first move!]
Initially, it was meant to boost morale, but soon, hackers caught wind of it and began questioning him beneath the post.
II heard your team disbanded. How do you plan to manage this alone?]
[When you won the championship. I knew something was fishy. Now you’re screwing up, right?]
[Come on, aim that gun right at my chest. Show me how great you are. I bet you can’t even find my IP address]
Only the best could register on the alliance forum, and no one admitted defeat easily. Stanley was skilled, but among the elite, he felt out of place.
“Those jerks!” He was so enraged he wanted to confront them head–on. But when he glanced at Quinlyn studying beside him, he instantly calmed down.
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This was not the time for impulsive actions. He needed to collaborate effectively with Quinlyn. Thus, for the next few hours, he began reviewing various strategies for attacking websites and retreat tactics.
At 2 PM, when the forum post was at its peak of mockery, Quinlyn put away her book, sat at the main station, and with all four screens open, officially launched an attack on the website of the world’s leading tech nation.
