Chapter 83
“Emma?” Liam looked at her in surprise.
“What’s wrong? You don’t trust me?” Emma asked, noting his surprise. She could easily return the favor.
“No way.” Liam’s admiration deepened. He knew her mathematical prowess, her combat skills, and her artistic talent, but her hacking abilities were a revelation.
“Then, please lend me your chair and computer for a while,” Emma requested.
Liam smiled, gesturing elegantly. He stood beside her, watching quietly as she expertly logged into the company’s security system. A rapid flurry of code produced a blue window on the screen; her search was swift.
Liam watched intently. Emma soon discovered several vulnerabilities, marked by red dots in the database. With another series of commands, she swiftly patched the loopholes. The entire process took about three minutes. Emma sighed, shrugging. “Done.”
Meanwhile, in the Information Department, employees watched Emma's work on their own monitors. Many remained baffled even after the maintenance concluded.
“Did you see that?” one exclaimed.
“She opened some software, found all the vulnerabilities, and patched them,” another replied.
“What software is that? We need it!” the first suggested.
“You two idiots,” their department head snapped. “That was improvised! It’s not downloadable software.”
“Wow.” The department was stunned, wondering who could surpass their entire team.
Brad, meanwhile, seethed after his hacking attempt was thwarted. “Liam has unexpected talent under him, but he’s losing this fight.” His face darkened. “Contact the world’s top black market hacker; prepare them.”
Shortly after Emma’s respite, the calm computer screen flashed another alarm. Confidential documents were being exfiltrated undetected.
Emma’s eyes narrowed. She quickly intercepted the data breach, but this opponent proved far stronger. The subsequent hack froze all Halls Group computers, replacing every screen with a clown icon. Panic ensued. Tens of thousands of employees faced frozen screens, the clown a chilling symbol. Recognition dawned on someone familiar with the hacking underworld.
“It’s Clown,” the person shouted.
Clown, the world’s third-ranked black market hacker, was infamous. Legend held that he’d once crippled the entire network of a major Western nation. His calling card: a clown icon on the victim's screen. Even that nation’s president was helpless against him. The Halls Group employees panicked upon learning of Clown’s identity.
Several secretaries and assistants huddled in Liam’s office, watching Emma’s struggle with a mixture of anxiety and awe. Emma was exceptionally skilled, even surpassing their Information Department, but this was Clown – a formidable opponent.
“Mr. Hall, what do we do? It’s Clown! No one in our department can handle him…” they worried.
Liam remained silent, his gaze fixed on Emma. A tense silence filled the room. Everyone watched Emma, a mixture of apprehension and curiosity warring within them.
Only Levi remained calm, having witnessed Emma’s abilities too many times. He instinctively believed she could prevail.
Indeed, Emma, focused on the screen, said, “Liam, send your employees home.” She needed to concentrate and avoid unnecessary attention to her identity.
The secretaries understood immediately; she wanted to avoid a public display. With mutual understanding, they quickly departed.
“Good luck, Mrs. Hall,” one offered.
“Consider it practice,” another added.
“We’ll leave now…” a third murmured.
Alone with Liam, Emma made no attempt to hide her skills. She began inputting code, searching globally. Hundreds of potential locations narrowed down swiftly to the actual mainframe: Laos. A smile played on her lips.
This time, she eschewed search tools, engaging directly. Her speed was even greater; the clash was fierce.
Clown, known for his cunning and ability to infiltrate undetected, was notorious for not just stealing data, but completely crippling systems. Even Eagle (ranked second) and Stox (ranked first) couldn’t repair the damage. A year prior, he’d bankrupted a top-ten corporation overnight using this method.
That tycoon had sought Emma's help then, but she'd failed. Both governments and corporations held Clown in utter dread.
Emma had dedicated a year to researching him. Today, she aimed to break the seemingly unconquerable curse of Clown.
Emma saw through his subterfuge, locating Clown’s main computer. Controlling it was simple. She subtly altered key data and severed the connection, taking everyone by surprise.
Clown’s difficulty stemmed from his elusive mainframe. Find the source, and the problem was solved.
Soon, Clown's attack ceased. Even his icon vanished. The computers gradually restored to normal. Two seconds later, a gothic octagram appeared on the screens, accompanied by falling feathers forming an "S". The same pattern appeared on Clown's Laotian screen, signifying Emma's takeover. The battle, lasting mere minutes, concluded with Emma controlling Clown's computer, leaving him utterly powerless.
Almost simultaneously…