Adrian was reviewing Evelyn's documents one more time when his eyes suddenly stopped on a particular section.He leaned closer to the screen.There, buried inside one of the documents she had sent him, was a credential that appeared to be associated with the restricted financial account.“Umm… The password is actually here?” Adrian blinked.He leaned back against the headboard and stared at the screen for several seconds.He had specifically told Evelyn not to send him passwords, authentication codes, or other private credentials until he understood the situation, yet she had apparently decided to give him everything anyway.“Maybe she started to trust me.” Adrian's expression became thoughtful.Or perhaps she was simply desperate. Either way, handing over something this sensitive told him that Evelyn was putting a considerable amount of faith in him. She wanted answers badly enough to trust a stranger she had met through HackersDen with access to something her father had deliberately

Adrian put the MacBook Pro aside and reached for the paper bag Rebecca had brought earlier. He had completely forgotten about dinner while working on Evelyn's contract, and now that the pressure of the investigation was gone, his hunger hit him all at once.“Damn, I am starving.”He pulled out a few pieces of fruit and started eating, looking at his laptop every now and then, waiting for Evelyn to respond.He had almost convinced himself that she had gone to sleep when a notification finally appeared.Evelyn: Can we meet?Adrian frowned.Ronin: No. I do not meet clients face-to-face. I prefer to remain anonymous, and I intend to keep it that way.A reply came after a short pause.Evelyn: I know... but I found something in the archive that may lead to one of my father's old flash drives.I connected the drive to my laptop, but it is encrypted too. I do not know how to open it, and I need your help again.I know you are not like the other hackers. You accepted the contract and completed

A young woman sitting alone at a small table near the window, exactly where Evelyn had said she would be.She had positioned herself so she could see the café entrance clearly, and every time the door opened, her eyes instinctively flicked toward it before returning to the table.There was a quiet restlessness in those movements, the kind that came from someone who had been waiting for something important and had spent the last several minutes wondering whether the person she was waiting for would actually show up.She looked to be in her early twenties, with the professional appearance Adrian had expected after reading her HackersDen profile.Adrian slowed slightly as he approached. He looked at her properly, and his thoughts stopped for a moment.Damn… she is beautiful!Until this moment, Evelyn had been nothing more than a username on a screen and a voice that existed only through written messages.He had spent hours reading her words, analyzing the information she gave him, and try

“Is Table Six's order ready yet?”Adrian, dressed in the restaurant's black waiter uniform, leaned through the kitchen window.“Yeah.” The cook slid the plate onto the counter without looking up.Adrian picked up the tray and stepped into the dining room.Yesterday I got only $75 tips. Today is even worse. If it continues like this, how am I supposed to send money to mom? Forget buying a phone. I'll be lucky if I can pay next month's rent.“Isn't that Adrian? The broke loser?”A voice stopped Adrian for half a second. He turned his head just enough to see who it was.It was his classmate from college, Gunther. He sat comfortably at one of the tables.His arm wrapped around one of two stunning girls sitting beside him. They laughed at whatever stupid thing he just said.Adrian looked away and carried the tray to table six.“Here you go. Enjoy your meal.” He set the tray on table six and gave the customer a professional smile.The elderly couple smiled and thanked him.As he was approac

[Ding!!!][System activated!]Suddenly, a sound rang in Adrian’s head, and a translucent black screen appeared in front of him, floating in the air. Fonts and edges glowing with faint golden light.Hearing a sound so close, he stumbled backward on instinct. His shoulder slammed into someone walking behind him.“Watch where you're going, asshole!” The man shouted.“S-Sorry.” Adrian apologized and stepped aside immediately. His eyes never leaving the floating panel.“Deepshit” The man muttered and walked away.Adrian's breathing had become heavy. His heartbeat beating faster.A—am I… hallucinating?[Hacking System][Host: Adrian Miles][System level: 1]— — — — —[Skills:][Hacking level: Beginner]The interface suddenly shifted from landscape to portrait, and lines of text were scrolling downward.“How the hell does this thing know my name?” Adrian stared in disbelief.He raised his hand to touch the panel. But before he could touch it, the black panel expanded and a series of golden l