2026-07-27 02:51:27After about thirty minutes, Adrian leaned back and popped his cramping fingers, as his fingers were aching from pressing the keys for thirty minutes continuously.
“There it is.” He smiled
A 48-digit BitLocker recovery key appeared on the screen.
“That thing was here the whole time?” Maria leaned closer.
“I'll read the numbers. You type them into your laptop.” He nodded and pointed at her laptop.
“Okay.”
She carefully entered each group of numbers.
The recovery key was accepted, and the Windows sign-in screen appeared.
“Yes! It worked! You're amazing!” Maria's face lit up.
Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around Adrian.
Adrian froze. Her soft warm body pressed against his side. His heartbeat jumped.
Jesus fucking Christ
Before his imagination could run wild, another translucent panel appeared in front of him.
[Hacking successful]
Adrian's eyes widened.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Holy shit… My first successful hack.
“Sorry... I got excited.”
Maria quickly realized what she had done and let go, rubbing the back of her neck with an embarrassed laugh.
“It's... fine.” Adrian cleared his throat.
“I—I should get going, my students… I have a class tonight.” She blushed hard.
“Okay.” He nodded.
She stood up and quickly went out of his room.
Growl!
His stomach growled in hunger as he had to skip his lunch because the schedule didn't meet. Adrian looked at the clock. 6:44 P.M.
He got up from his bed and grabbed his Android phone, which he had been using for over six years. The screen was cracked but usable. Then he wore his worn-out black hoodie and took the laptop in the laptop bag.
The moment he left the apartment building, Chicago's October wind hit him.
“Fuck!”
The cold cut through his hoodie. Adrian pulled his hands into his pockets and started walking toward Giordano's.
…
The smell of cheese, tomato sauce, and freshly baked crust hit him the moment he stepped through the door. His stomach immediately growled again.
Fuck me!
He didn’t realize how hungry he was. He looked around and found an empty table near the edge of the restaurant and sat down.
He placed his laptop on the table and booted it up.
The fan immediately began screaming. A few people looked in his direction, but Adrian completely ignored them.
System, scan the POS terminal.
[Target detected.]
[Target: Giordano's POS terminal]
[Security rating: ★★★★]
[Estimated succes rate: 21%]
Shit! Only twenty-one percent. That's not good enough…
Then he looked toward the restaurant’s wireless network and narrowed his eyes.
What if I hack the restaurant’s wi-fi network first? System, scan the Giordano's Wi-Fi network.
The interface updated.
[Target detected.]
[Target: Giordano's wi-fi network]
[Security rating: ★]
[Estimated succes rate: 81%]
Much better.
A smile slowly appeared on Adrian's face. He leaned toward his laptop and started to press the keys.
“Excuse me, sir. What would you like to order?” A young waitress stood beside his table.
Adrian stopped for a moment and looked up. His eyes widened as she was one of his classmates.
“Adrian?” Her eyebrows lifted as soon as she recognized him at the same time.
Seriously? Of all the people I could run into tonight…
“Kaitlyn! You work here?” Adrian stared at her, then at the restaurant, then back at her.
“Yeah, Adrian. Kind of hard to miss.” Kaitlyn laughed awkwardly and gestured toward her uniform.
“Right.” Adrian looked at the uniform again.
Very hard to miss.
She had her black hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was attractive despite being petite and slim.
His eyes briefly traveled over her before he caught himself.
Focus.
His eyes returned to the laptop.
Shit! Shit!!!... My original plan was to hack the payment terminal. If it worked I would order with my eye closed… And if it didn’t, I would simply leave. Except now Kaitlyn is standing right in front of me.
“Can I get a few more minutes?” Adrian forced a confused expression.
"Okay, just inform me when you're ready.” A small smile appeared on Kaitlyn's face. She pointed toward the kitchen and walked away.
Adrian watched her for a moment. Then he looked back at his laptop.
That should buy me some time.
Adrian cracked his fingers and began to press the keys. Within a few minutes he hacked into the wi-fi network.
[Hacking successful]
Adrian stared at the screen and smiled.
That was easy. Now let's scan again… System, scan!
The interface filled with new results.
[Potential target detected.]
[Target: Giordano's POS terminal]
[Security rating: ★★★★]
[Estimated succes rate: 72%]
— — — — —
[Potential target detected.]
[Target: Hannah's iPhone]
[Security rating: ★★★★]
[Estimated succes rate: 69%]
— — — — —
[Potential target detected.]
[Target: Devid's Android phone]
[Security rating: ★★★]
[Estimated succes rate: 92%]
— — — — —
[Potential target detected]
[Target: David's android phone]
[Security Rating: ★★★]
[Estimated Success Rate: 92%]
— — — — —
[Potential target detected]
[Target: Restaurant administration computer]
[Security Rating: ★★★★]
[Estimated Success Rate: 55%]
— — — — —
[Potential target detected]
[Target: Security camera system]
[Security Rating: ★★★]
[Estimated Success Rate: 89%]
Adrian's eyes widened. More than fifty panels appeared.
His mouth slowly fell open.
What the fuck? The restaurant's Wi-Fi had changed everything. Before, the system could only identify targets I directly interacted with. Now everything connected to the network is potentially visible. Phones, computers, cameras, printers, payment terminals…
Adrian stared at the growing list as his heartbeat accelerated. Then his eyes returned to the POS terminal.
For a moment Adrian hesitated as his finger hovered above the keyboard.
This isn't my money… The restaurant isn't Gunther’s… It hadn't fired me…
Adrian stared at the screen. He hated that his morality was making this complicated. He had no money, was hungry, rent was due, and his mother needed medicine. And here was an opportunity sitting directly in front of him.
Adrian shook his head.
If I have to survive this corrupt world. I have to bend few rules.
He started typing.
Time passed. The POS terminal was much harder than the Wi-Fi. Adrian’s fingers began to ache, his neck hurting, his shoulders stiff.
[Attempt failed.]
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Latest Chapter
Vice President's Office
“Adrian.”A voice suddenly came from beside their table, making both Adrian and Kaitlyn immediately jerk backward.While Adrian turned around to find a male student standing there with a slightly awkward expression, clearly regretting the fact that he had interrupted them at exactly the worst possible moment.“Y—Yeah?” Adrian looked at him.The student shifted his weight and glanced between Adrian and Kaitlyn as though he could feel the tension he stumbled into, then cleared his throat before speaking.“The university's vice president was looking for you. He told me to find you and send you to his office.”“The vice president?”Adrian's eyebrows immediately furrowed, because as far as he knew he had never spoken directly with anyone that important, and he certainly couldn't think of a reason why the university's vice president would suddenly want to see him.“Yeah. He said it's important.” The student said with a nod.“Did he tell you why he wanted to see me?” Adrian's expression beca
Breakfast with Kaitlyn
The cafeteria was already crowded when Adrian and Kaitlyn walked inside, with students filling most of the tables and the entire room buzzing with conversations, laughter, and the occasional loud clatter of trays against the counters.Adrian glanced around the room and immediately noticed that finding an empty table wasn't going to be easy, especially since most of the better spots had already been claimed by groups of students who were either eating breakfast or pretending to study while spending most of their time talking.“Looks like half the university had the same idea we did.” Kaitlyn looked around the crowded cafeteria with a small sigh, clearly disappointed that they might have to squeeze themselves into one of the remaining tables surrounded by noisy groups.“Don't worry. I'll find us a good spot.” Adrian looked around again, refusing to accept that he had come all this way only to end up sitting beside a group of freshmen screaming across the table at each other.They joined
You Reap What You Sow
A grin slowly appeared on his face as he was still wondering what kind of chaos was happening inside Gunther's house when someone suddenly appeared beside his desk.“May I sit here?”Adrian looked up and saw Kaitlyn was standing beside him, pointing toward the empty seat next to his.“Sure, usually it's empty.” Adrian blinked.Kaitlyn smiled and took the seat beside him. As she settled down, Adrian glanced at her for a moment.Well, this is a nice surprise.He quickly looked toward the front of the classroom before his eyes could linger too long. The classroom gradually began filling with students, and the noise level increased as everyone settled into their seats.Then Adrian heard two students whispering a few seats away.“Did you see Gunther's uploads last night?”“Yeah. What the fuck was that?”Adrian immediately lowered his head slightly, pretending to look through his bag. The corner of his mouth slowly lifted.It worked.He had expected the posts to spread quickly, but hearing
Swordplay
[Hacking successful]“Ahh…Finally.” He slowly leaned back and dragged both hands down his face.“Now let's see what you've got.” A tired grin appeared on his face.Adrian began exploring. At first, he didn't find anything particularly interesting. Some university documents, a few games, pictures from parties, and messages.Then he found something that made him stop, a folder. He clicked it open. There were dozens of private photographs.“Well, well… I never thought you liked swordplay.” Adrian made a disgusting face.Then a new panel appeared.[Potential Target Detected][Target: Gunther's Instagram Account][Security Rating: ★][Estimated Success Rate: 98%]Adrian blinked as a slow grin appeared across his face, his eyes moving between the system panel and the private photographs he had discovered on Gunther's computer while a particularly dangerous thought slowly formed in his mind.“Ah… System, don't give me naughty ideas.”The moment he finished speaking, Adrian burst into laughte
Ten Thousand Dollar Tip
She disappeared toward the kitchen. While Adrian looked at his laptop and started pressing some keys.Soon Kaitlyn arrived and placed the bill and payment terminal on the table. With a smile on her face, she sat down in front of Adrian.“So… Maybe I should give you some tips.” She smiled.“Tips?” Adrian was staring at her in confusion.“You were such a gentleman tonight. And I liked your company.” Kaitlyn laughed.“Well, if I'm getting tips…” Adrian leaned forward, and his eyes met hers.“I think I deserve something more valuable.”“Oh?” Kaitlyn's eyebrows rose.“Your precious time.” Adrian smiled.Kaitlyn froze, and her cheeks immediately turned red, while Adrian watched her reaction.Oh. I didn't expect that to work.Adrian glanced at the laptop screen and pressed the enter key. The payment terminal printed a slip.“Here.” Adrian glanced at it and picked it up.“What's that?” Kaitlyn looked confused.“Payment's done. I also left you a little tip.” Adrian smiled.“When did you—” She
Hacking Skill Upgraded
Time passed. The POS terminal was much harder than the Wi-Fi. Adrian’s fingers began to ache, his neck hurting, his shoulders stiff.[Attempt failed.]Come on.Adrian tried a different approach.[Attempt failed.]Adrian clenched his teeth. He stared at the screen and took a few moments to stretch his body. Then he start typing again, and finally—[Hacking successful][Hacking skill upgraded to Intermediate]He slowly leaned back.Sigh!His fingers were cramping, his neck was killing him. But he has done it. He hacked into the restaurant's POS system.Finally.“Adrian. We are closing soon. If you're going to order something, you should probably do it now.” Adrian looked up and saw Kaitlyn stood beside his table. Kaitlyn lowered her voice and said it. Then he looked toward the restaurant and saw the dining room had begun to empty.“Actually… I was thinking about treating you to dinner.” Adrian looked at her and smiled a little wider.“Me?” Kaitlyn blinked.“Yeah. I figured I should wai
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