Chapter 495 It's Not That Easy to Pacify a Child
"It ain't gonna happen. If you just straight-up answer him, he won't catch on. Plus, he already knows who you are."
Aaron took a beat and typed back: [That was ages ago. After pulling off something big, I went back to living a normal life.]
Seeing that, Charles shot back: [What big thing did you do?]
Could it be what his guy just mentioned? Could Aaron really be H?
Aaron replied: [There was this super cocky terrorist group that hacked into a bunch of people's systems and bragged that no one could catch them. They were causing a lot of trouble internationally. I was young and reckless, so I got a crew together and took those terrorists down one by one. But they weren't your average bad guys.]
Curious, Charles quickly asked: [So, who were they then?]
At first, Charles wasn't shocked by Aaron's past. Everyone knew about H's legendary anti-terrorist alliance. Charles had heard the stories a million times, and even his guys had just talked about it. It was all over the internet, not exactly a secret.
But he didn't expect the real identities of those terrorists to be something else entirely.
Aaron explained: [The terrorists weren't broke; they were mostly rich folks. Their families tried to block us, even threatened and bribed us, to stop us from exposing who they really were.]
This really threw Charles for a loop. There were tons of theories online about who those terrorists were, but most people thought they were from poor countries, driven to extremism by their hate for the rich.
But he didn't expect most of them to be from wealthy families.
Charles immediately asked, curious: [What happened next? Why did they do it?]
[They're just crazy. We can't figure out why they do this stuff. Their lives are too boring, so they play criminal online, causing chaos in the virtual world where no one can catch them. They're chasing a thrill.]
Charles was a bit pissed: [But they hurt so many people, just regular folks living their lives. Why should they get messed by those terrorists?]
Charles hated bullies more than anything, and he and his friends often stood up for justice.
That's why he was so into the story of H taking down the terrorists.
Aaron kept typing: [I couldn't stand their arrogance, so I publicly rallied hackers and declared war on those terrorists.]
[But weren't those terrorists powerful and influential? Their families must've put a lot of pressure on you, right?]
Charles knew Aaron was now the richest guy in Lindwell, but back then, Aaron probably didn't have that much clout. Facing threats from all those united families, Aaron must've felt the heat. It's tough for one family to stand up against all the others together.
Aaron replied coolly: [Yeah, we even had moles from their side, which led to our members' identities getting exposed. A lot of us, including me, got secretly threatened.]
[So how did you handle it in the end?]
Charles started to get a bit jittery.
He'd only heard the epic tale but didn't know about all these hidden twists.
Like the terrorists being rich kids.
Like the anti-terrorist alliance leader getting threatened by the terrorists.
But Charles knew the endgame: the terrorist group got smashed and captured. Still, he was dying to know how Aaron pulled it off.
Just as Aaron was about to spill the beans, Sam grabbed him and said, "Alright, you gotta stop this convo."
Aaron looked up, a bit annoyed. "Why? The kid's really into this."
It was rare to find something the kid was into, so why not keep going?
"Aaron, didn't you say your identity shouldn't be exposed? You must've signed a confidentiality agreement back then. Isn't it bad to just blab it out?"
Aaron answered confidently, "Yeah, I did sign one, but that was ages ago. Now, even if I spill, what can they do?"
He wasn't the same guy he used to be.
Those snobby families couldn't even talk back to the Abbott family now.
Sam said, "But that's not the point. The point is, he's hooked on this story, and you've hit a critical part. What should you do, logically?"
Aaron kicked Sam. "Cut the crap, what should I do?"
"It's simple, just ask for his contact info and tell him the rest later."
"Isn't that kinda sketchy?"
"What's sketchy about it? Just get his contact info, and you can chat more later, build a connection. Otherwise, if he logs off after this, how will you find him? Wait for him to hack your computer again? That's nuts. You wanna lose touch with him?"
Aaron thought for a moment and said, "You got a point, but how do I get his contact info? The kid's super cautious. If I ask, he'll probably say no."
"That's easy. Let me handle it."
Sam took the keyboard and started typing: [The rest of the story is long, but I signed a confidentiality agreement and can't disclose it. Plus, typing on this computer isn't safe; it's my work computer.]
The story was at its juiciest part. Charles had just told his team there was more to the Hacker Alliance's battle with the terrorist group. His crew was on the edge of their seats, waiting for the scoop.
At this crucial moment, Aaron stopped talking. How was Charles supposed to explain this to his team?
Charles anxiously typed: [So what do we do then?]
[Why don't you leave a contact method, and I'll tell you the rest after I finish work? But you gotta promise not to spill it.]
Charles hesitated. Should he give his contact info?
Should he?
