Chapter 273 Arrest
Joe finished up and then turned to Patrick. "Patrick, didn't you go on a blind date recently? Didn't work out, huh?"
Patrick laughed. "Yeah, my mom set that up. I just went along with it. For big stuff like that, I gotta be happy with it myself. Can't just settle, you know?"
He glanced over at Aurelia, feeling a weird sense of excitement, like something good was about to happen.
Joe raised an eyebrow, "Good to hear. If you weren't single, I'd feel bad giving you this task. My sister's having some issues at her company in Imperick, and I need someone I trust. You up for it?"
Patrick looked a bit awkward and coughed. He thought Joe was trying to set him up with Aurelia, but apparently not.
"Mr. Semona, do I have to stay there long-term?" he asked.
Joe coughed, "Coral Bay can't run without you, so you'll probably have to go back and forth. That cool? Anyway, you're single, so more travel shouldn't be a big deal."
They were college buddies with a solid friendship. Joe trusted him with tough jobs like this.
Patrick smiled wryly. Even when it was serious, Joe couldn't resist teasing him. "Shouldn't you ask your sister if she's okay with this?"
Aurelia jumped in, "I trust anyone my brother trusts. No worries on my end. I'm just worried you might not want to."
Patrick got the answer he was looking for and agreed almost immediately after Aurelia finished speaking. "Alright, I'll handle it."
Running between two places was fine. Since it was Joe's sister's company, he didn't need to think twice.
Joe nodded and told his assistant to book the earliest flight and get them to the airport.
Patrick smiled bitterly. "Seriously? We're leaving now? At least let me grab some underwear."
They were used to teasing each other, and when no employees were around, they said whatever they wanted, no holds barred.
"Just buy some in Imperick. I didn't see you changing every day in college, so stop pretending to be all clean," Joe said.
Patrick was so annoyed he knocked his forehead. Joe was teasing him right in front of Aurelia. His perfect image was ruined just like that. "Do I need to notify you when I change my underwear? We're not that close!"
Joe shut his laptop and got serious. "Alright, enough about your history. This came up urgently, and I can only rely on you. I have a house in Imperick; you can stay there. There are new underwear you can wear."
Patrick insisted, "I doubt I can fit into your underwear. We're not the same size."
Joe shrugged. "This isn't the time for comparisons. My sister will go with you, and I need you to look after her. Don't let any bad guys get close to her, especially Nathaniel."
Patrick gave an OK gesture, indicating it was no problem.
Patrick thought he might be the bad guy Joe was talking about. He said, "Aurelia, shall we head out now?"
Aurelia looked a bit awkward. Patrick often visited the Semona Family, and she had seen him many times but rarely spoke. Usually, she just nodded and greeted. He was naturally sociable. "Let's roll."
Joe's assistant grabbed the car keys and drove them straight to the airport.
In Imperick, Nathaniel was with a few tech guys, waiting for J to log in.
"J's here, J's here!" A shout of excitement lifted everyone's spirits. They'd been waiting all afternoon, prepping strategies. Finally, just before the end of the workday, J logged in. Today, they were determined to uncover J's true identity.
Nathaniel put down his work and waited for the tech team to catch J.
"This J is too slick. All his info is encrypted, making it nearly impossible to find his real name."
"Don't lose hope. Everyone slips up at some point. I don't believe he has no weak spots."
"Right, we'll hit him from all angles. Each of us will focus on one direction."
Their conversation was full of confidence. They were well-known hackers in the field and didn't believe that even the three of them together couldn't catch J. This time, hacker J had no escape. "He's in our system. Everyone, stay sharp!"
J apparently noticed the people on this side too. Several Mickey Mouse faces popped up simultaneously on three computers, J's usual taunting method, designed to be infuriating.
Nathaniel was now quite fed up with the Mickey Mouse cartoon.
The three tech guys' fingers flew over the keyboards, leaving messages for J through code: [Interested in a head-to-head battle?]
Within seconds, J replied: [Did the Heilbronn family hire you? Why are you working for someone so dumb? If you're being held against your will, say it, and I'll call the cops for you.]
They didn't dare relay J's words to Nathaniel. If he knew J was talking trash again, he'd be furious. They just found J's childishness amusing. [Enough talk. If you're scared, you can refuse.]
J sent a Mickey Mouse making a disdainful gesture. [Whoever is afraid is a coward. The usual rules: each set three challenges, and whoever breaks through in the shortest time wins. The loser barks like a dog.]
The three tech guys exchanged indignant looks, thinking J was really arrogant. [Fine, ten minutes to set the challenges. You go first.]
The three rolled up their sleeves, ready for the challenge. As long as J agreed to the competition, they could have one person stall J while the other two cracked J's information. Finding his IP address would be easy then.
J was quick to respond, sending over a few challenges in less than ten minutes.
The atmosphere in the conference room became tense, the sound of keyboards clattering filled the air.
Nathaniel tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, waiting for a result.
J had provoked him too many times, and it had reached an intolerable level. Once he caught J, he would definitely beat him up.
"Got it!" Everyone's eyes lit up, gathering around the tech guy's computer.
The screen displayed an IP address. "Mr. Heilbronn, we've found J's IP address. We just need to decode it to find his location."
Nathaniel's eyes darkened, "Decode it immediately!"
The tech guy nodded. "Mr. Heilbronn, please wait a moment. The result will be out soon."
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