Chapter 541 Underhanded
On the day of the competition, Daphne and Kevin were up and ready early.
Benjamin, Efren, Royce, and the rest of the crew, including Evan and the network security team, were right behind them.
Kevin felt the eyes on them and leaned over to Daphne, "Daphne, you nervous?"
"Not at all," she said, cool as a cucumber.
Kevin bit his lip.
His heart was racing, and his palms were sweaty.
"Chill out, they might be good, but they're no match for us," Daphne said, giving him a boost, "Just stick to what I showed you."
"Got it," Kevin said, taking a few deep breaths.
At exactly nine, the attack kicked off.
There were two rounds: one where Daphne and Kevin attacked while the other side defended, and one where the roles were reversed.
Each round was an hour long; if it went over an hour, Daphne's team would lose.
In the first round, Daphne's team was on the offensive. Daphne took the lead and guided Kevin. Luckily, Kevin was solid; he might've been a bundle of nerves before, but he was laser-focused once they got going.
Meanwhile, Daphne's competitors were twiddling their thumbs, waiting for something to happen.
"Stephen, didn't you say Benjamin's new guy was supposed to be a big deal? They seem worse than the last bunch."
"Yeah, there's no action at all."
Two tech guys chatted while setting up their defense.
This was shaping up to be the easiest competition they'd ever had.
"Don't get cocky. Anyone Benjamin backs isn't a nobody," Stephen said seriously. He didn't think Benjamin would go into a fight he couldn't win. "Stay sharp."
"Got it," they said in unison.
Even though the other side seemed weak, they stayed on high alert. The stakes were too high to mess up.
Time was ticking, and over twenty minutes had passed.
Royce watched with a worried look. He couldn't make heads or tails of what Daphne and Kevin were doing and was anxious about the outcome.
"Any progress?" he asked the security team.
"Not yet, they haven't even cracked the first layer of defense," one of the network security guys said, deep in thought. "But..."
They'd spent over twenty minutes and still hadn't broken through the first layer?
Royce whispered urgently, "But what?"
"I think they're setting up for a big move. When they strike, it'll be decisive," the team leader guessed.
But pulling off something like that needed top-tier skills.
At least among the people he knew, including those in the organization, no one could do it.
Royce realized something. "You don't get it, do you?"
The team leader replied, "I get it, but not completely."
Royce felt exasperated. "That's as good as saying nothing."
"Daphne, should we go for it?" Kevin's eyes were lit up with excitement.
Working with Daphne was always a rush.
Daphne kept typing away, her mind racing. "Hold on a bit longer. They're still setting up their defense. Let's finish this in one shot."
"Okay," Kevin said, keeping at it.
Daphne kept analyzing.
The opponent's defense was rock solid, no wonder the network security team had lost to them before.
But no matter how perfect the defense, as long as it was online, Daphne could find a crack.
"Now!" Daphne suddenly said.
Kevin jumped into action.
Both of them typed furiously, and finally, they hit a combination of keys. Watching the code-generated attack surround the opponent, they both felt a wave of relief.
"Done," Daphne said, taking her hands off the keyboard and reporting to Benjamin.
Benjamin smiled, "Well done."
Royce looked puzzled.
His eyes were filled with confusion as he watched the still-running code. "Is it really done?"
"Their defense can't handle this attack. In less than thirty seconds, their screens will show 'KO'," Daphne explained, glancing at the time and counting down, "Five, four, three, two, one."
"KO," Daphne said calmly.
The other side was stunned. One moment they were defending, the next their screens displayed a big "KO". They looked at each other, baffled.
"What just happened?"
"Weren't they just starting to attack? How did it end so fast?"
The two were completely confused, their thoughts in a jumble.
It was like two armies at war; the defense side was still building fortifications, the attack side sent scouts, and suddenly the attack side launched a small force. The defense side immediately defended, but before they could deal with the small force, the attack side's main army had already taken their base.
Logically, it was impossible.
"Don't get disheartened, let's start the second round," Stephen said, trying to keep his frustration in check. He couldn't let his team fall apart. "This time it's your home ground."
The two took a deep breath and started the second round.
This time, it was Daphne and Kevin's turn to defend while the other side attacked.
Like before, Daphne and Kevin had to hold them off for an hour, which was tough for the defenders.
"The other team won't exploit a loophole, right?" Efren wondered. "If they don't attack, we can't take them down."
Royce and Benjamin realized this too.
They quickly called the other side to feel them out. The other side didn't catch on and just bragged about how they were going to win.
After the call ended, Stephen was worried.
Losing would be a huge blow.
"Actually, there's a surefire way to win," the two tech guys said, knowing how important this competition was. "But it's a bit underhanded."
"What way?" Stephen asked.
"This time they're defending, and we're attacking," they explained, "As long as we don't attack, they can't take us down."
Stephen instinctively looked at his two old friends. "I think it's doable. Winning is what matters now."
"It's a bit underhanded, though."
"Underhanded? When Benjamin tricked us, did they think it was underhanded?"
"Let's do it. It's within the rules. Benjamin has tricked us plenty of times; it's our turn now."
"Alright!"
They discussed and quickly decided.
The two members of the network security team awkwardly scratched their heads and could only avoid the battle.
Soon, the second round officially began.
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