radicalducati Chapter 152
Chapter 152
Alessia shook her head and took several sips of water in a row.
She didn't know how she had returned to her room, but she was clear about her current thoughts: she wouldn't reconcile with Dominic.
Though the delayed feelings still made her heart race, that period had passed, and those feelings were no longer needed.
But there was one thing: Dominic's apology made her feel comfortable. That 'I'm sorry' summarized the three years she had once devoted to him.
She calmed her emotions, sat on the bed, placed the laptop on her knees, skillfully opened the work interface, and saw her phone vibrating on the bedside table.
It was M calling.
She pressed the answer button, and M's anxious voice came through.
"Boss, it's bad. Someone infiltrated the database and searched for the video of your surgery last year. This person's methods are very sophisticated. I couldn't detect him at first, but by chance, I remembered TiffByte was looking for someone to check on you, so I thought to enter the database and delete the video. I didn't expect to run into this hacker."
"I understand," Alessia said, putting down her phone and turning on the speaker. Her hands swiftly operated the keyboard.
"Boss, hang in there! This person's techniques are somewhat similar to Eagle's. Eagle is ranked equally with you as the top hacker. You..."
M was excited and worried for Alessia, and kept rambling on.
"That's enough," Alessia interrupted, already in the interface for tracking and blocking. Irritated by the disturbance, her face was cold: "I'll hang up. I'm busy."
She didn't care if the person on the other end was similar to Eagle or actually Eagle himself. She would go all out whenever she made a move.
She had been navigating the hacker world for years, and had been with the hacker organization for quite some time. She hadn't really faced off against Eagle yet, but this time was an unexpected chance. She could test Eagle's skills.
In the same building, on the same floor, in the study.
Dominic's fingers were busy on the keyboard, his gaze fixed on the screen, his expression focused, exuding an innate confidence.
Based on the opponent's techniques, he quickly determined that the person blocking him was the top-ranking hacker M, and M had hidden Dr. Athena's whereabouts. No wonder Tiffany couldn't find Athena.
Dr. Athena had hidden herself so securely, which made him somewhat interested in this Dr. Athena.
Easily dispatching M, Dominic smoothly entered the database and quickly locked onto a video, clicking to open it.
The screen cut to the operating room, where many doctors in white coats were gathered around the operating table.
The female surgeon, also in a white coat and wearing a mask, had only her eyes visible.
She looked focused and serious, her movements skilled and smooth.
Although he didn't understand medicine, he could tell from her technique and the admiring eyes of the other doctors that her medical skills were extraordinary.
Wearing a dust-free cap and mask, Dr. Athena, although he couldn't see her face clearly for the moment, still felt somewhat familiar.
Dominic frowned and fast-forwarded the progress bar.
As the surgery ended, Dr. Athena finally took off her gloves. She reached for her mask, about to reveal her face.
However, at that moment, his computer screen suddenly flashed and turned blue.
A skilled hacker had suddenly attacked! This Dr. Athena was not simple. He had just dealt with one M, and now another skilled hacker had arrived.
But this only deepened Dominic's interest.
His fingers, with distinct joints, tapped on the keyboard, and the screen quickly returned to normal. The other party was cunning, and had already destroyed the video during this time.
To find Dr. Athena, he had to first find a photo of her. Knowing what Dr. Athena looked like would allow him to further track her whereabouts.
Dominic began to focus, but the opponent's methods were also good. They were engaged in a back-and-forth, with no signs of either side losing.
And the opponent's techniques felt familiar.
It was like returning to his teenage years, facing off against... IronRose.
Dominic felt a strange sensation stirring within him.
In his teenage years, IronRose had already shown absolute talent in hacking. It was impossible for over a decade to pass without him joining a hacker organization.
But if Tiffany wasn't IronRose, then how could she know the contents of his conversation with IronRose?
Dominic's eyes flickered as he saw the opponent's techniques becoming more cunning. He also began to go all out, no longer holding back.
The confrontation continued.
From initial interest to full commitment, and then to a sense of mutual respect, this exhilarating feeling of evenly matched strength fascinated him.
Dominic sensed that the other party had similar thoughts. In this intangible interaction, it was as if they had developed a kind of tacit understanding.
His fingers paused on the keyboard for a moment before he began typing: [How are you doing?]
Alessia stared at the greeting on the screen, pursed her lips, and then tapped her fingers on the keyboard: [I'm not doing well.]
He Smirked: [Why?]
[Because there's no way I'm letting you find Dr. Athena, but it seems like you're determined to do so, Eagle. Can I still be okay?]
Dominic smiled slightly, surprised that she had guessed his identity. After reviewing the opponent's techniques, he confidently typed out a response.
[That's impressive. Then why are you so determined to protect Dr. Athena's whereabouts, Cobra?]
Alessia raised an eyebrow, finding it amusing that the other party had figured out her identity. She tapped her fingers on the keyboard and replied: [Because Dr. Athena likes peace and quiet and doesn't want to be disturbed by anyone. If you help reveal her whereabouts, she will definitely be very unhappy.]
[Unhappy? How do you know?] Dominic pursed his lips, guessing and typing out a line: [Could it be that she's right beside you?]
Alessia thought for a moment. Since Dr. Athena was her, and she was Dr. Athena, it wasn't wrong for Dominic to say that Dr. Athena was beside her. So she typed out the message: [You're right, Dr. Athena is right beside me. Don't try to trace my IP address. Although you're excellent, I'm sure you don't want both of us to get hurt!]
This was a threat!
Dominic's eyes flashed with interest. He didn't mind Cobra's arrogant tone because he knew she had the capital to back it up.
If she wanted to trace his IP address, he was probably the only one who could stop her. But he couldn't keep an eye on Cobra twenty-four hours a day, and she would always find an opportunity to exploit weaknesses.
As the CEO of the Carter Group, if his identity as Eagle were exposed, it would undoubtedly lead to gossip, which was too troublesome.
Moreover, he admired Cobra and didn't want to become her opponent. It would be best if they could turn hostility into friendship.
Thinking of Tiffany's request, he typed out a few words: [Cobra, since Dr. Athena is with you, can you please relay a message to her? I have a friend with quite some talent in medicine, and she has a few academic questions she'd like to discuss with Dr. Athena.]
Academic questions?
Alessia furrowed her brow. In recent times, it had only been Tiffany making a big fuss about finding her.
Tiffany was looking for her for Gordon's sake, so how did it become an academic discussion!
Feeling puzzled, Alessia, considering her conversation with Eagle enjoyable and sensing a bit of mutual understanding, tentatively asked.
[Forgive me for asking, but is your friend TiffByte?]
Dominic picked up the glass of water on his desk, took a sip, and wasn't surprised that Cobra had figured out it was Tiffany.
There was only one circle of hackers, and Tiffany hadn't even joined a hacker organization yet, but she was already openly asking for help to find Dr. Athena's whereabouts. As the top-ranked hacker, Cobra couldn't possibly not hear about it.
He didn't deny it and typed out a message on the screen: [That's correct, it's TiffByte. Please ask Dr. Athena for me.]
Tiffany was lying!
As for why Tiffany would lie, Alessia furrowed her brow for a moment but then lost interest.
She didn't think much of Tiffany, but she knew how troublesome Eagle could be.
To avoid Eagle from tracing her anymore and to completely solve this problem, since Tiffany had lied, she could play along.
After considering it carefully, Alessia sent a message:
[I've asked Dr. Athena. Dr. Athena said it's okay to discuss academic questions, but she doesn't want to interact with strangers. Dr. Athena asks your friend to organize the questions into a document and send them over. After she reads them, she'll write her opinions and I'll pass them on to you.]
[Understood,] Dominic said as he looked at the message Cobra sent over.
Seeing Cobra's slightly teasing tone, he couldn't help but smile.
Chatting with Cobra made him feel comfortable, like meeting an old friend. This feeling once again reminded him of IronRose.
***