2026-09-20 02:33:41
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Hotel
Evelyn led Adrian out of the café, but the moment they stepped onto the sidewalk, she slowed slightly and looked around. The streets were busy enough that nobody paid particular attention to them, yet she still kept one hand close to the small bag containing the flash drive, almost instinctively protecting it now that she knew just how important the device might be.Adrian noticed the gesture.“You really are worried about that thing.”Evelyn glanced at him.“It is the last thing my father left me that might explain everything.”Her voice was quieter than before.“I know.”Adrian adjusted the strap of his laptop bag and looked toward the street.“You said you were going to get a hotel.”“Yes.”“Then let us find somewhere close. The sooner we get somewhere private, the sooner we can find out what is on that drive.”Evelyn nodded.A few minutes later, they reached a nearby hotel, and Evelyn stepped inside first. The lobby was spacious and brightly lit, with polished floors, a large rece
D
“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
The Compromised Café
He reached down beside his chair and pulled his laptop bag closer.He unzipped it carefully and removed his MacBook Pro, placing it on the small table between them. The polished aluminum caught the warm light coming through the café window, and Evelyn's eyes immediately settled on the expensive machine.“Y—you use a MacBook Pro for work like that?” Evelyn asked, looking from the laptop to Adrian with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.Adrian simply nodded.“And I thought people used Linux for that kind of work.”“Yet I proved this machine can handle my work yesterday when I decrypted your father's archive.” He rested one hand on the edge of the laptop.“Totally.” Evelyn gave a small laugh.Adrian smiled at her reaction and reached toward the MacBook's lid. But just before he opened it, something instinctive made him stop. It was not a thought. It was the same quiet awareness that had kept him alive through several dangerous situations.Adrian slowly lifted his gaze and scanned the c
$₿
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
Face To Face
Adrian was still thinking about those questions when his phone vibrated inside his pocket.He ignored it at first, but a few seconds later, it vibrated again.Adrian frowned.Who the hell is calling me twice during a lecture?He discreetly pulled the phone from his pocket beneath the desk and looked at the screen.Unknown NumberHis expression immediately became more serious. There was only one person he could think of who might be calling from an unknown number.The phone vibrated again.Adrian looked at the screen. This time, a message appeared.Evelyn: Ronin, please call me as soon as you can. I am in Chicago.Adrian's eyes narrowed.She actually came very quickly.He looked toward Rebecca, then toward Kaitlyn, before looking back at the professor.Leaving in the middle of class would attract attention, but ignoring Evelyn was not an option either.She had traveled all the way from New York because of the flash drive, and Adrian had a feeling that whatever she had discovered was imp
Flash Drive
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
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