Novel Square
386
After Miguel saw Alpha Kilian walk away, he turned his attention back to his computer and kept chatting.
Miguel: I might stop trying to find you, but do you think you can beat me in a competition again?
Anonymous: It sounds like you think you can track us down if you wanted to.
Miguel: Well, at least I can team up with other hackers against you. I don’t believe that a few of us together can’t beat you.
Anonymous: I’m not trying to brag, but even if you do that, it won’t change anything.
Miguel: You’re really full of yourself, aren’t you?
Anonymous: Am I?
Miguel: Yes, you are!
Anonymous: I’m just warning you out of kindness.
Miguel: Just once. I just want to see how much better you are than me. What if I say no?
Miguel: If you refuse, then I’ll… I’ll get other hackers to harass you. I’ll make your life difficult!
Anonymous: That’s terrible of you!
Miguel: So, just one time! Just one!
Tony thought about Miguel’s request for a moment before continuing to type on the keyboard.
Anonymous: What if you still lose?
Miguel: What do you want?
Anonymous: If you lose, you’ll become my apprentice and call me your master.
Miguel reluctantly answered: Fine.
Anonymous: Are you really agreeing to that?
Miguel: Yes, let’s start.
Tony and Miguel both turned on an application on their computers, and the screens went black.
In the next moment, Miguel’s face turned serious. He typed quickly as different menus appeared and disappeared on his screen. The people around him crowded around to watch, sensing something important.
Meanwhile, Tony lazily stretched his arms and started fighting back a few seconds after Miguel began.Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
At first, Miguel seemed to have control over the situation, but once Anonymous started fighting back, Miguel started struggling and eventually lost.
Miguel stared at his computer screen in disbelief.
The people around him didn’t know what to say to comfort him. Miguel was the best and most skilled among them, but even he couldn’t match the other person, let alone them.
Someone patted Miguel’s shoulder and said, “Sometimes, small differences in skill can lead to big differences in results. Maybe you’re just slightly less skilled than them.”
But Miguel didn’t feel any better. He kept staring at the computer, feeling down.
A moment later, Anonymous messaged, “Are we done?”
Miguel replied: One more time!
Anonymous reluctantly agreed: Fine.
They started another match. Miguel told the people around him to be quiet and put on his earphones to focus.
But the same results repeated. Miguel was losing his patience.
Miguel: How is this possible?
Anonymous: Do you remember what you promised at the beginning?
Miguel answered: I promised to be your apprentice!
Everyone around Miguel looked at him in shock.
“Only twenty-five seconds? What’s going on?”
Miguel smirked and said, “Something has changed.”
The crowd couldn’t believe it. Miguel was getting faster with each round, and his strategies were unpredictable. No one could understand his mind or guess his next move.
“Why are you making things difficult for us?” they asked.
Miguel answered proudly, “That’s exactly what I wanted!”
They were all surprised by Miguel’s sudden improvement in skills.
Later, Tony and Ben talked about the situation.
Ben asked, “Why were you teaching Miguel today?”
Tony explained, “He caught my interest.”
Ben was shocked, “He’s ranked fifth, isn’t he?”
Tony confirmed, “Yes, he is.”
Ben asked, “Why did you get involved with him then?”
Tony revealed, “He’s working for DX Group now.”
Ben was curious, “He got hired?”
Tony explained, “There were rumors that he was headhunted a while ago, but I only confirmed it today. That’s why I chatted with him.”
Ben realized, “So he knew I called Dad?”
Tony speculated, “He probably placed a tracking device on your phone. Maybe Dad was with him, and the location showed up on the screen when you called.”
Ben checked his phone for any messages or calls from their father. There were none.
“If Dad knew our location, he would have called us directly, right?”
Tony shrugged, “Who knows? Dad’s plans are always mysterious. It’s hard to guess what he’s up to.”
Ben looked at Tony and asked, “Were you trying to sabotage Miguel when you spoke with him earlier?”
Tony admitted, “It’s difficult to bring him down. They may seem disorganized, but they have principles. So, I couldn’t do that.”
Ben questioned Tony’s motives, “So, you won’t waste your time unless there’s a benefit for you. I don’t believe you did all this just because you found him interesting.”
Tony replied, “Well, even if I can’t defeat him now, there’s no harm in getting his phone number.”
Ben realized, “I knew it! You never do things without a reason.”
He observed his brother and said, “Thalia was right about one thing.”
Tony asked, “What?”
“You’re just like Dad – cunning and clever,” Ben said.
Tony looked at Ben and asked, “And what about you?”
Ben proudly stated, “I’m different. I take after Nelly – honest and kind.”
Tony warned him, “Don’t twist those words to suit your own purpose.”
Ben glared at Tony coldly, “You’re just jealous.”
Tony admitted, “Yeah, you’re right. I am jealous of how good you are at playing dumb.”
Ben responded, “Are you talking about yourself?”
Tony smirked, “Don’t deny it. You purposely called Dad to reveal our location. I wasn’t oblivious to your little trick.”
Ben hesitated but decided not to admit it, “I didn’t do that.”