Alessia heard the words and looked at the big screen, where Eagle replied to Tiffany: [Okay, after passing the assessment.]
The tone was not enthusiastic, but it was a genuine agreement.
Alessia had no thoughts on this matter. Everyone has different preferences and different ways of doing things.
She didn't know the relationship between Eagle and Tiffany, so she had no qualifications to comment.
Even if they were very close friends, they still had the freedom to make friends, and there was no need for anyone else to gossip about it.
Alessia quietly peeked at the screen, but M's character was one that couldn't let things go.
M: [Some people, haven't even formally joined the organization yet, and they're already looking for favors in public. No matter how good the relationship is, if you haven't passed the assessment, you still have to leave.]
M had quite a weight in the organization, so when he spoke, almost no one refuted him.
Tiffany sat in front of the computer, her face turning pale. This M was clearly targeting her.
Just after she passed the initial test, M started arguing with her after a few words, and when she mentioned asking for help to find Dr. Athena's whereabouts, he poured cold water on her several times.
Tiffany was resentful, but she also knew her current situation.
She wasn't even considered a newcomer in the hacker organization. If she confronted M now, no one would stand by her side.
She had to endure for now. When she stabilized her position in the hacker organization in the future, she would deal with M. After all, Eagle treated her differently, and she would have a backer in the hacker organization in the future.
With these thoughts in mind, Tiffany sent out a message of weakness: [Senior M, I will do my best in the assessment. I will try to stay and not disappoint you.]
M saw this message and exploded, cursing loudly on the phone.
"Damn it, this b*tch, pretending to be weak with me. When did I ever have hope for her? Disappointed? Disgusting!"
Just from appearance, Tiffany had a neat short hair and exuded an elite vibe. However, through tonight's online chat, Tiffany showed a completely different personality from usual.
It's just that it's unclear which personality is the real Tiffany. But it can be certain that M's loud and aggressive personality is no match for Tiffany.
Alessia opened her mouth with a headache. "Alright, if you want to avoid getting angry, just provoke her less in the future."
With that, she lightly tapped the keyboard and sent out a message, promptly stopping the imminent war.
[The time is up, let's start the assessment!]
With this statement, everyone's writing space has been disabled, and only a few hackers in charge of the assessment are sending messages.
There were a total of five new members in the second round of assessment, and except for Tiffany, who was talkative, the other members were all silent.
Only when the assessment officially started and they were called did everyone send messages.
On the screen, a row appeared, all saying 'ready' in four words.
The assessment was divided into two rounds, with Cobra and Eagle each providing a challenge. The participants would crack computer viruses created by them personally.
The victory or defeat would be decided by the time it took to crack them, and two out of the five people would be selected.
As the assessment officially began, the screens of the five computers appeared on the public screen, each divided into five smaller windows.
All the online members of the organization could see the cracking techniques and speed of the five participating members in real time.
Alessia observed the techniques of the five people and found that Tiffany's technique was quite cumbersome, but her speed was good.
With just one look, it could be seen that Tiffany was not a naturally talented player, but rather someone who achieved results through hard work.
Alessia's discovery was also noticed by Dominic in front of the computer. He tiredly pinched his brow. Tiffany was a IronRose, and she had extraordinary hacking skills when she was only in her teens.
Clearly a natural talent, how did Tiffany become a hardworking type?
The seed of doubt sprouted again, and Dominic narrowed his eyes.
In the end, he picked up the phone next to the computer and made a call.
The phone was answered, and a slightly lazy male voice came through.
"Dom, you finally have time to find me."
Dominic was straightforward. "Stop the nonsense, Jonathan, tell me honestly, who did you tell about our plan to go to Niagara Escarpment with IronRose?"
Jonathan Olsen wasn't at all intimidated by Dominic's tone, responding half-jokingly, "Oh, so it's about Dominic Carter's glorious past, this is indeed a crucial secret. For the sake of your image, I would never tell anyone."
"You better think again," urged Dominic.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, then Jonathan's voice came through.
"I remember now, I think I did tell someone, it was my sister. No, Dom, what's going on? You suddenly made me nervous."
Dominic's gaze darkened, and almost all his suspicions were confirmed at this moment.
However, being friends who had grown up together, it was almost instinctual for people not to believe that their friends were bad.
So he needed further evidence, particularly cautious.
Dominic said, "When did you tell Tiffany about this?"
"It was when you were in the hospital. She was worried about you and kept pestering me about why you went to Niagara Escarpment. I got annoyed by her questions, so I told her. Dom, my sister has always been different towards you since we were kids, haven't you noticed? She's very stubborn, and if she did something extreme..."
On the other end of the phone, Jonathan seemed to have sensed something. He paused slightly before continuing his words. "Tiffany is still my sister. You can't make things difficult for her."
"Hanging up!" Dominic didn't respond to Jonathan and hung up the phone.
He glanced at the computer screen. In this short period, the first round of assessment had already been completed.
The last and second to last had been eliminated, leaving the remaining three participants to move on to the second round of testing.
In the first round, Tiffany's performance was not outstanding, but she wasn't lagging behind either, just managing to secure the third position.
Dominic focused on Tiffany's techniques again. Her approach was still as clumsy and cumbersome as in the first round.
It could be seen that she had achieved her current level of skill through continuous effort.
So Tiffany really liked him, which was why she impersonated IronRose.
More and more doubts gathered in Dominic's mind. Even though he didn't want to believe it, his childhood friend's cunning and scheming nature was becoming undeniable.
He even deduced Tiffany's motives and how she replaced IronRose's identity.
Tiffany learned about his acquaintance with IronRose on the forum, then found out about their offline meeting and IronRose's sudden disappearance.
This prompted her to want to replace IronRose. After all, IronRose held a special place in his heart.
Tiffany first learned about their acquaintance from Jonathan, then hired other hackers to steal their chat logs.
She had been practicing hacking skills for years, until she finally passed the initial test and qualified to enter the hacker organization, using this as an opportunity to reveal her identity to him.
Tiffany had put in years of effort and woven a large net, wanting to capture him.
After Dominic clarified everything, he didn't feel touched, but rather stifled and unable to breathe, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.
He had always thought Tiffany was a sunny and positive person, never imagining that she would covet someone else's identity and meticulously plan to replace it, showing such a terrifying depth of scheming.
It was as if he had never known her.
Fifteen minutes passed, and the second round of assessment ended.
This time, Tiffany once again secured the second position, successfully advancing.
Cobra said: [Congratulations to CyberShade and TiffByte for successfully passing the assessment. From now on, you are members of the hacker organization. Dumb will be responsible for guiding you, and if you have any questions, you can also ask Dumb.]
CyberShade said: [Thank you, Boss Cobra!]
Tiffany said: [Thank you, Boss Cobra!]
[All right, the assessment is over. I'm signing off.] Alessia typed a few words, then went offline amidst cheers and shut down the computer.
She hadn't ended her call with M.
Seeing her go offline, M started complaining again, "I can't believe this Tiffany has such good luck, getting in twice. I'm really not happy!"
"I told you, if you want to avoid getting angry, just ignore her. Alright, I have something else to do, so I'm hanging up."
Alessia thought of Riley still drinking alone, so she stood up.
"Fine, hang up then. Because of this Tiffany, I must have a few drinks tonight." M still harbored deep resentment.
Helpless, Alessia put her phone back in her pocket and headed downstairs.
Tonight, there was no moon in the sky, and occasional strong winds hinted at an impending rain.
In her room, Tiffany saw Cobra go offline and worried that Eagle who had been silent since the assessment started would also leave. She quickly added Eagle as a friend.
Almost instantly, Eagle accepted her friend request.
It seemed that Eagle was indeed different towards her.
Tiffany breathed a sigh of relief, feeling ecstatic. After calming her emotions, she sent a private message to Eagle:
[Senior Eagle, I passed the assessment.]
***