Chapter 346

Cedric wasted no time in seeking out his hacker friend.

Data lines looped endlessly on the computer screen but Daniela's information was still scarce.

"I can't quite crack it," Killian Reynolds muttered through a mouthful of sandwich, clearly irked. "Cedric,where did you find this girlfriend? She's incredible."

Cedric sighed."Are you sure this profile is fake?"

Killian nodded confidently. "It's fake. A casual user wouldn't notice anything, but for hackers like me, the layers of security scream custom protective programming."

Cedric squinted thoughtfully.="Aren't you supposed to be the best hacker in the country? Giving up already?"

Killian chuckled. "I'm the best in the country, sure, but what can I do when the other side is the best in the world? Cedric, are you certain Ryan's the one who built these hidden codes?"

"No one else around Daniela is close to her level of computer skills," Cedric replied firmly.

Killian took another bite of his sandwich, shaking his head. "Then it's nothim."

"Why not?" Cedric asked.

"Ryan's good, no doubt but I know his style. His codes are complex but not impossible to crack. This one,though, is deceptive. It looks simple on the surface, but so hard to figure out to decode."

Cedric arched a brow. "Maybe Ryan's leveled up while you've been slacking off. He is one of the top experts in the world, after all."

Killian scratched his head, a sheepish grin forming. "Really? So much progress in such a short time? Let me give it another shot." Determined not to concede defeat, Killian's fingers danced across the keyboard with relentless precision.

Meanwhile, across town, an alert popped up on Ryan's screen. "Daniela, someone's trying to breach the program you wrote. They're after your profile."

Daniela strolled over, her gaze flicking to the monitor.

The intruder wasn't half bad.

Ryan quickly began typing a counterattack, his movements swvift and precise. Beside him, Daniela casually placed a takeout order.

When the delivery arrived, Ryan gestured for Daniela to step in and take his place for a moment.

Daniela glanced at the screen and with a few seemingly random keystrokes, she effortlessly resolved the issue.

"That's it?" Ryan asked, utterly dumbfounded.

Daniela nodded, already unpacking their meal. "Yeah. Now eat before it gets cold."

Ryan stared at the screen, typing a few more lines to double-check before leaving.

Back at Cedric's place, he stood behind Killian, watching the battle unfold onscreen. At first, it seemed like an even match. But then, without warning, Killian's system crumbled.

Not only had his hacking attempt failed, but his computer was now riddled with a dummy program so absurd it seemed like a taunt.

Killian's pride took a nosedive.

Cedric had never seen anyone humiliate Killian so thoroughly in the cyber world.

As Cedric looked down at Killian, he noticed Killian's expression had darkened significantly.

Killian shut his eyes in frustration, then turned his head sharply. "Cedric, whoever's on the other end, I swear on my life, it's not Ryan!" Just as Killian finished speaking, the rebooted computer flashed a mocking text in bold. "Get lost, idiot!"

Killian took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was still burning with fury. "I swear, I'm going to kill whoever's on the other side! Did you see that, Cedric? They're mocking me! Toying with me!"

For the next week, Killian launched counterattack after counterattack, calling in favors from every contact in his hacker network.

The outcome?

All he saw were rows of computers being counter-hacked, along with those bold, mocking words. "Get lost,idiot!"

Cedric watched Killian slump in his chair, utterly defeated. Even his elite allies had been outmaneuvered.Cedric leaned back, lost in thought. Was Ryan really this good?