Undercover High School

Chapter 5 – A Double Life at Dawn

Night crept steadily over the city, swallowing the last traces of dusk outside the bedroom window. Inside, lit only by the soft glow of a laptop screen, Alister sat upright, his face serious and focused. The pale blue light reflected in his eyes, sharpening the intensity of his gaze.

His fingers danced swiftly over the keyboard, building and deconstructing lines of code like a maze only he could navigate.

On the screen, a complex security program was under development—his personal project, one that had consumed most of his nights.

Suddenly, a notification sound echoed through the room. Alister glanced at the corner of the screen—a secure video call was incoming. The sender: Mr. Bimo.

Without hesitation, he clicked.

The image of a middle-aged man in an expensive suit appeared on the screen, framed by the elegant interior of a high-rise office.

“Mr. L,” the man said, his tone a mix of urgency and respect. “I need your help. Our company’s system just experienced an attempted breach. We want you to build a stronger, more invisible defense. One only you could create.”

Alister leaned back in his chair, calm and intimidating. “How much data has already leaked?”

“Only a small portion,” Bimo replied. “But if we don’t act fast, it could be catastrophic. We need your system. No one has ever cracked anything created by Mr. L.”

Alister didn’t answer right away. He typed something quickly, bringing up another window filled with live cyber-attack statistics. After a few seconds, he said coolly, “Send me all the logs and blueprints of your old system. I’ll finish it tonight.”

Relief washed over Bimo’s face. “Thank you. As usual, payment will be processed per our agreement.”

The call ended.

Alister exhaled slowly and turned his attention back to the screen. He adjusted his headset, and his fingers returned to the keyboard with relentless precision.

Data began pouring in—log files, architectural schematics, outdated defense scripts. His eyes scanned each one quickly, identifying weaknesses with surgical accuracy.

“Pathetic,” he muttered under his breath. “Firewall’s wide open. Still using legacy encryption layering. No wonder they got in.”

He opened a terminal window and began rewriting the entire system from the ground up.

Command lines flowed like electricity across the screen. Biometric authentication, responsive AI, and a self-repairing infrastructure—all integrated into a sophisticated but efficient defense protocol.

Outside his window, the city had gone still. Night had fallen completely. But Alister’s room remained a hive of activity.

Hours passed.

Eventually, he typed the final line of code and closed the laptop.

“All done,” he whispered.

Stretching his arms, he turned to glance out the window.

“Didn’t realize it’s morning already,” he muttered. “Guess I’m going to be late for school again.”

He rose from his seat and walked into the small kitchen to prepare a drink. Normally, before school, he’d do some light stretching on his apartment balcony.

Alister, a third-year high school student, was known in the underground world as a top-tier hacker. His clientele included not only corporate elites but also mafia figures and criminal syndicates.

He poured water into the kettle and leaned against the counter. The soft hiss of boiling water filled the room as his mind remained deep in thought about the system he had just completed.

Then came a notification from his phone in the bedroom.

He glanced toward it but didn’t move.

“Tea first,” he mumbled.

Once the tea was ready, he stepped out onto the balcony. The crisp morning air greeted him as he took a long breath, letting the dew settle on his skin.

He performed a few stretching routines—his movements fluid, controlled, like someone who lived by discipline. His eyes swept across the waking city below. Silent and observant, he was no ordinary student.

After the brief workout, he stepped back inside and finally checked his phone.

The notification wasn’t from a client—but from a secure, encrypted channel.

[Code Red – Intercept Detected. IP Location: South Jakarta. Target: Mr. L]

His brow furrowed. He drained the rest of his tea and reopened his laptop.

Within seconds, he traced the IP address.

“Too close,” he muttered.

No quickened breath, no panic—just sharper eyes, colder focus.

His world wasn’t just school, exams, and normal teenage worries. It was also the hidden world where he made his living. Where survival meant secrecy.

With one tap, he activated another layer of protection over all his systems.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Alister headed for the bathroom. Minutes later, he emerged freshly showered and dressed in his neatly hung school uniform.

“Living a double life sucks,” he said under his breath. “But it’s the only way to survive.”

And with that, he left for school.

“Damn it,” Alister cursed as he arrived at the school gate—once again, locked shut.

The security guard stood there, just as annoying as ever, arms crossed and uninterested in helping.

But before Alister could raise his voice, the roar of a sport bike filled the air. A familiar figure pulled up beside him.

“Sir, open the gate!” Yoona called out.

She glanced toward Alister, and their eyes met briefly.

“You’re both late,” the security guard said with a scowl. “I’m not opening the gate.”

“We were late because the principal asked us to deliver something for him. If you don’t believe me, go ask him yourself,” Yoona said calmly—but with conviction.

Alister blinked, slightly surprised.

She was helping him?

“Hmph… Fine. Just this once,” the guard grumbled as he unlocked the gate. “But not again. Especially you, Alister!”

Yoona revved her engine and entered first. Alister followed silently behind her, ignoring the guard’s muttered complaints.

***