Tony looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
Ben is right. I would do the same. I just have a more important task at hand right now.
Arriving at that thought, he nodded. “You're right.” Then, he met his brother's gaze. “Take good care of yourself no matter what happens. Don't cause us to worry.”
Ben did not expect him to agree so readily. “You too,” he said, nodding.
“I'm masterminding from the shadows. It's much safer than where you are,” Tony said.
Ben gazed at him. “It's safe, but you bear a greater responsibility.”
The brothers gazed at each other, the anger from their argument dissipating. Instead, they shared a sense of mutual understanding and sympathy.
Dave noticed something when he swept his gaze over them, but did not elaborate. Instead, he turned his attention to Tony . “All right, it's about time. You should get going, Tony .”
Tony turned his gaze to Dave and nodded.
“I'm going, then. Take care, Daddy, Ben . See you tomorrow,” Tony said.
Alpha Kilian nodded at him. “Mmm. See you tomorrow.”
Ben gazed at him. “I'll be waiting for the good news, Tony.”
Tony nodded.
After one last glance at them, Tony shifted his gaze up the stairs.
“Why don't you go upstairs and let Nelly know?” Dave asked bluntly.
Tony shook his head and withdrew his gaze. “That's not necessary. It'll only take a few hours. We'll see each other again soon.”
Dave nodded his assent.
“I'm leaving, then,” said Tony , and he left without another word.
Observing the situation, Mike bid Dave and Alpha Kilian farewell, then promptly followed Tony .
As they watched Tony 's retreating figure, it felt as if he was leading the charge.
Alpha Kilian looked on, his deep black eyes revealing an indescribable complexity.
...
When night fell, everyone else had left.
Thalia's journey could only begin at the very end when the boss entered, which was when she could enter the base.
Thus, she had the most time to kill.
Thalia prepared to get in the car when it was time to leave.
“Hold on.” Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her.
Thalia turned around and found Spencer standing not far away.
Thalia narrowed her eyes when she saw him. “You haven't left yet?”
Under the pitch-black night, Spencer gazed at her. By the next second, he strode up to her and pulled her directly into his embrace.
Thalia was slightly taken aback.
Spencer held her close. His hand cradled the back of her head, as he embraced her tightly.
Though he did not say a word, Thalia could feel his concern and fear for her.
A subtle smile crept up at the corner of her lips.
“What's wrong?” Thalia asked, feigning ignorance.
Spencer held her tightly as he took a deep breath. “Promise me you will come back safely. Take care of yourself. Don't fall prey to any mishaps.”
Thalia gave him a smile and nodded. “Mmm. I won't get hurt, and there won't be any accidents. You, too.”
And so, Spencer held her, refusing to let go.
Though Thalia was happy to savor his concern, she was aware of the current situation.
Glancing at her wristwatch, she reminded him, “I need to go, Spencer. It's about time.”
Spencer reluctantly let her go.
He gazed at her petite face with her strikingly exquisite features. Her eyes were especially spirited and captivating.
Despite all of his worries, Spencer knew that all of them had a job to do that night.
This was what they owed Nelly .
With that thought in mind, Spencer said, “Remember not to be impulsive. Think thrice before you act. If it fails this time, there will always be another shot.”
Thalia could not help laughing as she listened to Spencer's reminders. “Don't you know who I am right now, Spencer?”
“I'm the top member of Darknetz, and I've carried out countless missions far more dangerous than the one tonight. This one is just... average at best. So, you'd better worry about yourself. It's best not to come back hurt, or I'll be very, very angry!” Thalia threatened, glaring at him.
Spencer did not seem to hear a word she said. “No matter who you are in Darknetz, to me, you are you. You are Thalia, the person I will always think of no matter what you do,” he murmured.
Thalia narrowed her eyes at his words. She leaned in, scrutinizing him. “I've suddenly realized something, Spencer.”
“What is it?”
Thalia leaned in close to him, her eyes sparkling brightly. “You only seem to get this anxious when I'm in danger.”
“Do I?”
Thalia nodded. “Yes.”
Spencer gazed at her, a feeling welling up in his heart that he could not put into words.
Seeing him fall silent again, Thalia took a sudden step forward. With both hands, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to her eye level to meet his gaze. “Are you the type of guy who
only dares to express how he truly feels during a crisis, Spencer? I don't know what you're worried about, but let me tell you: I want more. When I come back, I want you to be mine!” At that declaration, she pulled his collar, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss on his lips.
Spencer was slightly taken aback at how the situation had turned out.
After giving him a tender, somewhat awkward kiss on his lips, Thalia let him go.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips when she saw his expression. “Wait for me to come back!” she said. Without waiting for his response, she got into the car, ready to leave.
Just then, a figure approached from the distance.
Upon seeing Thalia, it waved at her.
Just about to get into the car, Thalia froze.
“Magus? How did you get here?” she asked.
At that moment, Magus had arrived beside her. “Thankfully, I caught you just in time.”
Thalia's brows furrowed slightly.
Without another word, he handed her the item in his hands. “This is for you.”
Thalia frowned slightly. “What is this?”
“This is a hyper-realistic mask that Alpha Tony asked me to make for you,” said Magus.
Tony sent him.
When she heard where it was from, Thalia reached out to accept it. “Who is this?” she asked.
“I'm not sure who it is, but Alpha Tony said this could save your life should you need it,” Magus explained.
“Who could be that is so formidable?” Thalia asked.
“I'm not entirely sure, but it should be someone who's no longer with us,” said Magus.
Thalia was even more confused by the response. She could neither make head or tail of it.
Spencer sensed something. “No matter what it is, Tony must have his reasons for doing this. Take it, Thalia. Protect yourself.”
Thalia was a person who was extremely receptive to advice, especially when it came from somebody she liked.
She nodded at his advice. “Mmm. You're right,” she said and promptly accepted the item.
Turning to Magus, she said, “Thank you.”
Magus gazed at them both thoughtfully before saying, “No problem. I'll leave you two alone, then. Please, carry on.” Without another word, he tactfully took his leave.
It was one in the morning.
Tony started by launching an attack on Midnight fang pack 's network with members from the dark web.
Sitting in front of the computer, Tony made the first move, with Cosmos sitting next to him, wearing a serious expression.
This cyberattack was bound to become a landmark event, but the outcome was still uncertain.
It would be fine if they won, but if they ended up losing, the whole thing would become a joke.
What the members of the dark web found even more unacceptable was the fact that they were being led by a child. To them, it was simply inconceivable.
However, they had no choice but to obey their higher-ups' orders.
It wasn't until they saw Tony 's skills that they truly understood looks could indeed be deceiving.
In a matter of minutes, Tony skillfully breached the opponent's network, identifying a vulnerability that could be exploited, thereby paving the way for their potential attack.
Cosmos observed from the sidelines, initially expecting Tony to require more time. However, his eyes widened in astonishment as he beheld the contents displayed on the screen.
“You've found it already?” Cosmos couldn't help asking.
His fingers still flying across the keyboard, Tony stared intently at the screen and said, “Cut the cr*p and hurry! They'll discover us soon!”
Hearing that, Cosmos said to his buddies, “Let's get started!”
At a single command, everyone launched into a fierce attack simultaneously.
However, the opposing party quickly noticed the mass attack, and their defense system began to initiate automatic protection.
Though Cosmos and other members of the dark web were on the offensive, due to Midnight fang pack 's defense system, they still had to exert considerable effort. Cosmos frowned. “I originally thought that Midnight fang pack would be easy to defeat, but I didn't expect their system to be quite capable!”
Tony murmured, “Don't forget that Midnight fang pack was among the first organizations to employ hackers. Even though they've fallen on hard times these years, they surely have their own hacker team. They won't be as easy to defeat as we imagine!”
“Can such a poor organization even afford a hacker team?” he asked.
“Perhaps they are poor because they hired hackers,” Tony retorted.
Cosmos paused for a moment and nodded in agreement. “That makes sense...”
Suddenly, Tony warned, “Watch out!”
Cosmos focused his gaze on the screen and dodged the attack following Tony 's warning.
Frowning, he stared at the screen. “Someone's starting a counterattack!”
Tony 's expression was grave. “Yeah, and they're an expert!”
Cosmos immediately perked up, straightening his posture. “It's been a while since I've had a good fight with someone. Now that the fight's here, let's see who's more formidable!” With that, Cosmos unleashed a powerful and aggressive assault.
Tony continued typing away on the keyboard. His mission wasn't to engage in combat with this mysterious opponent, but to paralyze the entire network of Midnight fang pack and furthermore, to sabotage all their operations.
However, Tony didn't stop the person who was rallying with Cosmos. Having Cosmos distracting the person made it easier for him to carry out his operations.
“Everyone else, follow my lead and keep attacking!” Tony commanded.
Under Tony 's guidance, they joined forces and launched an all-out attack.
Cosmos squared off with the other party for a while before frowning. “This guy is impressive. He's got some skills!”
Sparing a glance in Cosmos' direction, Tony , who was still busy doing his job, said, “Cosmos, you're no match for him. Don't try to take him head-on. Just keep him busy and buy me some time!”
Cosmos seemed somewhat displeased. “How do you know I'm not his match?”
“Isn't it obvious enough?”
“But...”
“Can you please prioritize the bigger picture?” asked Tony , turning to look at him.
Cosmos paused for a moment, taken aback by the boy's earnest and imploring gaze. Why does it feel like I'm not even as mature as a child?
He replied, “I was just asking. Of course, I'll consider the bigger picture.”
“Thank you!” Tony said stiffly before averting his gaze and continuing his attack.
Cosmos wondered why Tony reacted this way, but now was clearly not the time for questions. He looked back at his screen and began keeping the other party busy, stalling time while Tony and the others continued attacking.
As the battle progressed, Cosmos' opponent suddenly disappeared. He was briefly stunned, and his professional intuition told him that something was definitely amiss.
Turning his gaze to Tony , he said, “That guy suddenly disappeared. He must have realized that I was buying time. Be careful. He might be coming for you!”
However, no sooner had his words faded than Tony , who was looking at the screen, said, “He's already here!”
Cosmos directed his gaze toward Tony 's screen, and indeed, that guy had switched his target to Tony .
“Impressive. He knows who's the boss!” said Cosmos, impressed.
“Impressive. He knows who's the boss!” soid Cosmos, impressed.
Tony glanced at Cosmos. “Let's switch roles. You lead the attack, and I'll keep him occupied!”
Cosmos nodded. “Okay!”
With that, the duo swapped their targets and carried on.
Midnight fang pack 's team defended themselves and launched counterattacks simultaneously.
The dark web's system was notoriously impregnable, making their counterattack almost an impossible task. Therefore, they put all their efforts into defense.
Tony , on the other hand, was dealing with the hacker whom Cosmos confronted.
It would arouse suspicion if he did nothing but stall for time, so he continued to launch ferocious attacks. The other party analyzed his location while defending against Tony 's attacks.
The two of them were entangled in an intense battle.
At that moment, the other party suddenly asked: Is it you?
His question confirmed Tony 's suspicion. He typed: So, it's you!
In just a few words, they understood each other.
Tony : Who would've thought we'd meet again? I didn't expect you to be from Midnight fang pack !
The other party replied: I'm not one of them!
Tony asked: If you're not, what are you doing now?
The other party typed: I was paid to carry out this mission.
Tony questioned: How much did they give you?
The other party: What do you mean?
Tony : I'll give you double, no, ten times the amount. I don't need you to do anything but give up on attacking.
The other party snapped: Do you take me for a fool?
Tony : I'm serious. I never joke around.
The other party: But I'm not just after money.
Tony arched his brow and replied: Looks like we can't reach an agreement, huh?
The other party warned: I advise you to back off while you still can, otherwise, don't blame me for not showing you any mercy!
Tony chuckled lightly, then, with a serious expression, typed out a message: You all should be the ones to back off and save your energy. No matter how desperately you struggle today, Vermillion
Base's network must be paralyzed!
Unleashing an attack, the other party replied: I'd like to see you try!
Alas, the dark web's system remained unaffected despite his powerful attack.
The other party was taken aback: You've modified the system?
Tony laughed and typed out: What's the matter? If you can play dirty tricks, we can handle it, too.
The other party: Is it you?