Reincarnated With the Ultimate Son-in-law System

Chapter 10

"How long has it been encrypted?" Michael asked, examining Rebecca's corrupted research files on the larger screen in his apartment. They'd moved from the hallway to his living room, cups of strong coffee between them as they worked through the night.

"I don't know exactly," Rebecca admitted, rubbing her tired eyes. "I was working on the peripheral nerve regeneration simulations yesterday. Everything was fine. Today I opened the primary neural pathway models and found... this." She gestured at the garbled code filling the screen.

Michael's fingers flew across the keyboard, diving deeper into the encryption pattern. With his enhanced perception, he could see structures that would be invisible to others—telltale signatures of the malware's origin.

"This is NeuraCrypt," he murmured, recognizing the code architecture from a cybersecurity briefing he'd attended in his previous life. "Military-grade encryption with a backdoor master key held only by the deploying party."

Rebecca looked at him with renewed suspicion. "How exactly do you know that? You said you were in real estate development."

"I have diverse interests," Michael replied without looking away from the screen. "Including cybersecurity."

He continued typing, isolating specific components of the malware. In his previous timeline, Maxwell Hughes—CEO of Neuro-Gen and eventually one of Eric's closest allies after Michael's "death"—had been indicted for corporate espionage using this exact software. The case had been settled quietly, the details sealed by court order.

"Your former funders at Neuro-Gen," Michael said, still focused on the screen. "Their CEO is Maxwell Hughes, correct?"

Rebecca nodded. "How did you—"

"The encryption signature," Michael interrupted, pointing to a specific line of code. "It's registered to a shell company called Titan Strategies. On paper, they're a cybersecurity consultant. In reality, they're exclusively contracted by Neuro-Gen for their 'special projects.'"

Rebecca stared at him, coffee cup frozen halfway to her lips. "Who the hell are you, really?"

Michael finally looked up, considering how much to reveal. "Someone who recognizes corporate theft when he sees it. And someone who can help you recover your data."

"How?" she demanded.

Instead of answering, Michael opened another window and began typing complex commands. Lines of code scrolled rapidly as he implemented a decryption algorithm that wouldn't exist publicly for another three years. Minutes passed in tense silence, broken only by the clicking of keys.

"What are you doing?" Rebecca asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Exploiting a vulnerability in the encryption," Michael explained. "Every system has a weakness. This one's happens to be in how it handles quantum seed variables."

"That's... not possible," Rebecca said slowly. "Current quantum encryption doesn't—"

"Trust me," Michael cut her off. "It's possible."

After twenty more minutes of intense work, a progress bar appeared on screen, slowly filling as the decryption process began.

"There," Michael sat back. "It'll take about four hours to fully recover your files, but they'll be restored to their original state."

Rebecca stared at the screen, then at Michael. "You just casually broke military-grade encryption in under an hour."

"Like I said, diverse interests." Michael stood, stretching. "The question is, what will you do once your research is recovered? Neuro-Gen has shown they'll stop at nothing to get what they want."

Rebecca's expression hardened. "I'll find another funding source. One that respects scientific integrity."

"What if I told you I might know of one?" Michael said carefully.

"Let me guess—your family's pharmaceutical division?" Rebecca's tone was acidic. "The same one whose encryption signature is all over the malware that stole my research?"

"Not my family's company," Michael clarified. "Something completely separate. A new venture focused on breakthrough technologies, including medical applications."

Rebecca crossed her arms. "And you're involved with this venture how, exactly?"

"I'm founding it," Michael replied simply. "Along with two brilliant partners who value innovation over corporate politics."

Rebecca's skepticism was palpable. "Why would you, heir to the Crawford fortune, need to start a new company?"

Michael leaned forward, choosing his words carefully. "Because some things are too important to entrust to existing systems. Your neural regeneration therapy could help millions of people—people suffering from traumatic brain injuries, stroke, degenerative diseases. That's worth protecting from corporate exploitation."

Something in his earnestness must have registered, because Rebecca's posture softened slightly. "You're serious about this."

"Completely," Michael confirmed. "No rushed trials, no compromised safety standards. Your research, your protocols, your timeline."

Rebecca studied him for a long moment. "I'd need complete autonomy over the clinical development process."

"Absolutely."

"And full publication rights for the research."

"Of course."

"And I'd need to meet these partners of yours before making any decisions."

Michael smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Rebecca nodded slowly. "Okay. Once my files are decrypted, we can discuss this further." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost 4 AM. I should let you get some sleep."

"The decryption will continue on its own," Michael assured her. "I'll call you when it's complete."

After Rebecca left, Michael sank onto his couch, mind racing with new possibilities. Rebecca's neural regeneration therapy, combined with Megan's interface technology and Olivia's security systems—the synergies were incredible. The confluence of these technologies hadn't occurred in his previous timeline until years later.

"The System's gift keeps giving," he thought, a smile spreading across his face. "Every connection I make changes the future in ways Eric can't possibly anticipate."

He checked his watch—4:17 AM. Too late to return home without raising Katherine's suspicions, but early enough to make some crucial moves before dawn.

Michael opened his secure laptop, initiating a series of carefully planned financial transactions. Using a network of anonymous accounts backed by his cryptocurrency holdings, he established Buzzer Technology LLC, registered in Delaware with ownership concealed behind multiple layers of shell companies.

Next, he transferred $75 million through the shadow accounts to secure manufacturing contracts with specialized facilities in Taiwan. These weren't just any factories—they were the same facilities that would eventually produce components for the world's leading smartphones, but now, years earlier, they would be working exclusively for Phoenix/Buzzer.

By 6 AM, the legal framework was in place. By 6:30, the financial channels were secured. By 7, Michael had drafted preliminary production agreements that would put Olivia's QuantumLock authentication system at the heart of their security architecture.

His phone chimed with a message from Megan:

Just finished integrating neural response calibration with interface pressure mapping. You need to see this. Lab @ 10?

Michael smiled, texting back his confirmation. Sleep could wait—the company that would be his revenge and his salvation was taking shape faster than he'd dared hope.

After a quick shower and change of clothes from the supply he kept at the apartment, Michael headed to Katherine with a plausible story about an early breakfast meeting with his father following last night's revelations.

"You poor thing," she cooed, kissing his cheek as he entered the kitchen. "Working all hours already. How did Eric take the news about you becoming COO?"

"About as well as you'd expect," Michael replied, accepting the coffee she offered. "Lots of forced smiles and thinly veiled threats."

Katherine's eyes glittered with interest. "Threats? That doesn't sound like Eric."

"Not open threats," Michael clarified, watching her reaction carefully. "Just implications that this reorganization is temporary. That Father will 'come to his senses' once the financial review is complete."

"And will he?" Katherine asked, her tone casual but her gaze intense. "Come to his senses, I mean?"

Michael sipped his coffee, buying time to formulate his response. "That depends on what we find in the financial review. If there's nothing concerning, probably. If there's evidence of deliberate mismanagement..."

He let the implication hang in the air, noting how Katherine's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her mug.

"Well," she said after a moment, "I'm sure it will all work out for the best. For everyone."

"I'm sure it will," Michael agreed, his smile not reaching his eyes. "By the way, I'll be late again tonight. Team building dinner with the new department heads."

Katherine nodded. "Of course. Don't worry about me. I might go shopping with the girls."

"The girls" being a group of friends Katherine claimed to meet regularly but, as Michael had discovered in his previous life, was often a cover for her meetings with Eric.

"Have fun," he said lightly. "Don't spend too much of my money."

She laughed, the sound practiced and perfect. "I'll try to restrain myself."

The warehouse lab was buzzing with activity when Michael arrived. Megan had expanded her workspace to include three additional testing stations, each running different aspects of the NeuralTouch interface system.

"There you are!" she called out when she spotted him. "Come see what we've done!"

Michael joined her at the main workstation, where six identical prototype devices were arranged in a semi-circle.