Chapter 491 The Second Confrontation
The secretary next to him piped up, "I swear, this hacker feels just like the one who messed with the Abbott group before."
Sam chimed in, "You mean that time someone trashed your company's website? Yeah, I heard about that. But you never caught the guy, right? Now they're back, messing with your computer again. They're definitely gunning for you."
Aaron glanced at the screen and said, "Yeah, I know."
At first, he thought the hacker was just trying to mess with him and make a name for themselves. So, he offered them a job at the Abbott Group, but they turned it down, and he didn't push it.
Since stuff like this had happened before, he'd actually hired a bunch of talented folks through these incidents. So, he didn't sweat the last hack too much.
But this time, while he was in Philly, the hacker hit his computer again, using a clown mask to taunt him. Clearly, they weren't looking for a job.
And they knew he was in Philly.
His whereabouts were always kept on the down-low to avoid trouble with the Jones family. So, how did this hacker find out?
Aaron stared at the screen and muttered, "Let's see who you really are."
He was already in a crappy mood today.
Aaron focused on the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard, lines of code flashing by.
Seeing Aaron's serious face, Sam knew he meant business.
Back in college, Aaron was a computer science whiz. Even though he later took over the family business, the Abbott Group's AI and systems projects were always cutting-edge.
As the brains behind these projects, Aaron hadn't let his skills get rusty.
Soon, the clown avatars on the screen started to go dark one by one.
Aaron smirked and said, "Looks like they brought in some backup this time."
Sam added, "No wonder they're putting up a fight. It's a whole crew against you. Hurry up and catch them."
"Chill, let's take our time."
Aaron suddenly stopped, eyeing the last lit avatar.
Sam glanced at it and asked, "Is it this guy?"
"Yeah, it's gotta be him."
On the other side, Charles saw his team failing and clenched his fists in frustration.
Charles gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it!"
Right now, Charles' group chat was blowing up with chatter.
[We almost got busted by that guy, had to bail.]
[Who is this dude? How's he so good? Never heard of him.]
Charles wasn't ready to give up. He quickly planted another code, gearing up for a counterattack.
Just then, a line of text popped up on his screen: [What, you want my attention that bad?]
Seeing this, Charles got even more pissed and quickly typed back: [Who wants your attention? Narcissist.]
On the other side, Aaron squinted at the reply.
Sam pulled up a chair next to the computer to watch the show. Seeing the reply, he said, "Don't you think this feels a bit off?"
The secretary nodded, "Yeah, this reply is kinda weird. Feels like the hacker's pretty young."
Sam nodded back, "Exactly, you get it too. I thought I was trippin' earlier. This hacker's gotta be a kid; otherwise, why'd they type something so childish? Aaron, they called you a narcissist!"
Aaron looked at the screen and thought the same thing—the hacker seemed young.
Sam quickly said, "We gotta get some info outta this hacker. Something's off. How'd they know about our secret trip to Philly?"
Aaron asked, "How do I get them to spill?"
He wasn't used to dealing with kids.
"Aaron, let me handle this. I know what to do."
Aaron handed over the keyboard, and Sam quickly typed: [I'm not narcissistic. If you didn't want my attention, why keep attacking my system? What's your deal?]
Sam was trying to bait the hacker.
Charles quickly replied: [I'm not trying to get your attention; I'm just warning you.]
Sam paused and asked, "Aaron, this kid says they're warning you. Why would they warn you? Are they your enemy?"
Aaron patted Sam's shoulder, "Stop with the nonsense and ask already."
Meanwhile, Aaron grabbed another computer and started coding.
Sam quickly replied to Charles: [What are you warning me about? Why not be straight with me? Your attacks are annoying, but still kinda weak.]
Charles smirked, feeling good about causing Aaron trouble.
Charles quickly replied: [If you know what's good for you, leave Philly now and never come back. Next time, I won't go easy on you.]
Sam glanced at Aaron, "The kid's threatening you to leave Philly or else."
Aaron looked at the reply and said, "The hacker definitely knows me and is in Philly."
"Yeah, no kidding. The kid knows you and has a grudge. They want you outta Philly and back to Lindwell."
Sam paused, "Wait, why's the kid so desperate to get you outta Philly? Sounds like something the Jones family would pull."
The secretary chimed in, "Could this hacker be sent by the Jones family?"
Sam nodded, "Could be. Maybe Arthur sent this kid to mess with you. Using kids for this? That's just low."
Sam quickly typed: [Why do you want me to leave Philly? Who sent you?]
No reply came from the other side.
Sam turned to Aaron, "You've been busy for a while. What are you up to?"
At that moment, Aaron hit the Enter key and looked at the screen, "I found the kid's IP address."
