Chapter 14
Chapter 14
From the very beginning, the plan was met with a wall of doubt. Stanley’s team’s misstep had everyone on the forums ready to pounce, their fingers flying over the keyboards to tear them apart.
[Trash champions? They’re just kids.]
[Do they even know their limits? Taking on the Dark King? Please.]
[Dark King has fallen back to the second tier. Who else can handle Mordoria?]
Amidst the digital chaos, a random comment popped up like a neon sign: [Whoa, Mordoria’s official site is down. Go check it out!]
At first, everyone thought it was just another joke. But curiosity got the better of them, and they clicked over to the site- expecting to find more fuel for their mockery. Instead, they were struck dumb.
There it was: the hacker homepage, bathed in that deep red color, covered in blooming roses. It was a silent declaration of victory. No words, just a scene that screamed triumph.
[Whoa, who came up with this? It’s hilarious!]
[Blossoming Rose, wishing you a peaceful life.]
[My mom just happened to pass by. She praised Mordorian’s taste.]
The online thread was alive with laughter and excitement, the mood shifting in an instant. The original poster returned with a cryptic message: [First shot.]
Just two simple words, but they hit like a thunderbolt. The forum fell silent as everyone realized what had just happened— the plan had worked flawlessly, right on schedule. Stanley’s team had pulled it off.
The shock was so intense that there was no time to catch a breath. People quickly regrouped, their adrenaline pumping as they prepared to move on to the next phase, attacking other official sites as planned.
Stanley was lounging on the second floor in the Anderson residence. He tossed off a casual comment, leaned back in his chair, and started whistling a tune. His eyes flicked over to Quinlyn, who was hunched over his phone, intently studying programming from images.
Stanley shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “How did you come up with posting images instead of words?” he muttered, still chuckling. He laughed so hard at Quinlyn’s antics that his stomach felt sore.
Quinlyn tilted her head, eyes wide with confusion. “I don’t understand their language,” she said.
Stanley shifted uncomfortably. ‘For a kid who’s still figuring out her own language, trying to learn another one feels like climbing a mountain,’ he thought to himself.
Quinlyn held up Stanley’s phone and said earnestly, “You said this is a greeting image.” She liked it for that, and for the roses.
Stanley faked a cough, feeling a pang of guilt. He’d sent Quinlyn a meme meant for teasing, thinking she was joking about greeting Mordorians. But Quinlyn was totally serious–and somehow, it fit perfectly.
Without missing a beat, Quinlyn turned her attention to Mordoria’s website. She dove in with surprising skill, retouching images and even blocking their attempts to restore the data. It seemed like second nature to her, but Mordoria’s tech team was clearly stressed out.
Stanley was scrolling through the comments under Brynton’s official Twitter account when something caught his eye–a
handful of comments written in Mordorian.
[Guys, you’ve crossed the line! Lift the restrictions and give us our homepage back!]
[Can’t we just talk this out peacefully? We’ve already given up.J
Stanley snorted, shaking his head. “Talk this out peacefully? Why didn’t they think of that before things got this bad?”
Just as he finished his mockery, a notification popped up on his screen. Mordoria’s National Security Agency had just released a statement through their media channels, announcing they’d focus on tracking down the cyber–attackers.
Stanley glanced at the newly installed app on his screen. Turning to Quinlyn, who sat beside him, he asked, “What do you think? Will this anti–tracking program really work? The code looks perfect, but what if Mordoria has even better tech experts?”
Quinlyn shook her head, her eyes darting away. “I don’t know, so I want to make the picture look better,” she muttered, already tapping away on her keyboard again.
Stanley blinked, thrown off by her non–answer. “How does that even relate to the picture?” he asked, genuinely baffled. She paused, considering her words. “If it looks good, it shows you care. It’s about being respectful when you greet people.” Stanley was stunned by her naivety. He realized how much more complicated the adult world was than a little girl could ever imagine.
He sat up, his composure slipping away, and kept glancing nervously at Mordoria’s tracking system. He was convinced the cops would burst in any second.
Quinlyn noticed his trembling and paused her coding. She turned to him, her face gentling. “You can leave if you want.” She wouldn’t blame him for backing out, and if things went wrong, she’d take the fall herself.
Stanley locked eyes with her, seeing determination in her stare. A wave of shame washed over him. “Kid, if you’re not scared, why am I worried? I’m in this with you, even if it means getting locked up.” His voice steadied, and his courage returned.
Quinlyn studied him, her mind racing. She wanted to tell him they weren’t the same. He had family who would be heartbroken if anything happened to him. But she was an orphan, with no one to miss her. That’s why she’d never feared danger.
Just then, Stanley’s phone vibrated with a private message on a forum. He glanced down–it was from a hacker in another
team.
[Hey, you there? What kind of anti–tracking program are you using? Can you hook me up with one?] the Stanley’s fingers froze as he saw the familiar ID flash on his screen–someone who’d mocked him online.
rson asked.
He slammed the chat shut, but within seconds, another request buzzed through. He ran a hand through his hair, bewildered. ‘Why are they all coming to me? Why not Dark King?
‘Dark King is totally crushing it on the alliance forum. If Quinlyn hadn’t messed up his firewall by accident, he would have been first for sure.‘
Before he could finish the thought, a reply pinged in. [Dark King’s already down. Mordoria’s been playing dirty. They developed a new tracking program and sold it to other countries behind our backs. We got crushed the moment we hacked in. Only you are still standing.]
Stanley’s heart pounded in his chest as he read the message. He whirled around to face Quinlyn, eyes wide with astonishment. All this time, he’d been second–guessing Quinlyn’s reliability, but here she was, pulling them out of the fire.
“Quinlyn, you’re a lifesaver!” Stanley exclaimed, crossing the room in a flash and throwing his arms around her. But Quinlyn was clearly not used to the sudden affection, so he pulled back.
With the danger behind them, Stanley finally had the time to think about everyone else.
He filled Quinlyn in on the situation and told Quinlyn gently but firmly, “Listen, you don’t owe them anything. They looked down on us. You don’t need to feel guilty for ignoring them.” He wasn’t one to be pressured into doing things.
Despite her hesitation, Quinlyn decided to give them the program. “Isn’t that what being a good guy is all about?”
Stanley stared at her, amazed she was still hung up on it. He met her clear, steady eyes and smiled. “You really are a good person,” he said softly. “You make the world a little brighter.”