<h4>Chapter 28: World Hacker Alliance</h4>


    Eleanor went to the kitchen to instruct the staff about dinner. She specifically asked them to cook some of Ethan’s favorite dishes. Her voice was calm, her expressionposed... but there was a hint of weariness in her gaze.


    After giving the instructions, she walked upstairs to her study and called the guard captain. Within minutes, he entered the room and stood at attention.


    "Miss," he said respectfully, "we’ve already cleared the damages. By tomorrow morning, the broken pir will be fully repaired. Themand center informed us that all the assants have been taken care of. There’s no remaining threat. As for what themand center did, we weren’t told."


    Eleanor nodded. "Okay. I’ll speak with themand center myself. You may go now."


    The guard captain hesitated. "I’m sorry, Miss. Please pardon our ipetence."


    Eleanor shook her head. "It’s not your fault. We never expected a sniper to open fire in a residential area. Our AI system is designed to detect unauthorized ess by living beings within the vi perimeter. But now that we’ve seen what desperate people are willing to do, we’ll expand the system’s range. The perimeter detection and notification protocols will be updated immediately."


    She paused before adding gently, "Don’t me yourself or your men. No one was hurt. This attack, if anything, exposed the blind spots in our defenses. Go and tell everyone... they didn’t fail. They protected me under heavy firepower, and I’m grateful."


    The captain bowed his head and left the room.


    Once alone, Eleanor picked up her phone and called themand center. A voice on the other end quickly responded.


    "Ma’am. Here’s the current situation. After the boss gave the order, our hackers began attempting to breach the dar site, but so far, they’ve failed. The firewall is strong and multiyered. We’re trying various strategies to break through. The assant leader told us that if he fails toplete the mission within one week, the assignment will be opened to other hit squads. Also, if he doesn’t personally confirm his failure, his ount will be temporarily suspended. So, we have a one-week window to act. We’ll keep you informed of any updates."


    "Understood," Eleanor said. "Send me the link and login information."


    Secondster, her phone buzzed with a secure message. Eleanor opened her desk drawer and pulled out a second phone... a sleek, matte-ck Bittium Tough Mobile, untouched for over a year.


    She powered it on and began typing. Her fingers flew across the screen in rapid motion, almost a blur. The interface loaded a secure shell. She bypassed the preliminary encryption easily, but the deeper she went, the more she frowned.


    After five minutes, she leaned back in her chair.


    "If I force ess, they’ll track my location," she murmured. "No doubt about it."


    She stared at the code, her brow furrowed. "And this signature... there’s no mistaking it. ZeroWarden. One of the top ten hackers in the world. This site is under his protection, I presume. If I go further without initiating contact, it’ll escte into a digital standoff."


    She exhaled slowly, then exited the shell and opened a forum instead... a private domain known only to the elite of the hacking world. She posted a single message:


    ckCat: @ZeroWarden, contact me ASAP or your device will be blown.


    The forum, dormant seconds earlier, exploded with activity.


    RedNull: Ahhhh... the goddess is back.(scream)


    ByteWitch: @ckCat, where have you been for two years?!


    DrkSyntax: @ckCat, I love you.


    K3yMast3r: @ZeroWarden, don’t keep our goddess waiting!


    BitJunkie: Did @ZeroWarden offend you? Say the word, we’ll handle it.


    HexShade: @ckCat, we missed you so much.


    NovaBreak: @AzureDragon, if @ZeroWarden disrespected her, vote to expel him!


    NetStalker: Marry me, @ckCat! (love)


    AzureDragon: @Everyone, calm down. Wee back, @ckCat.


    Three years ago, ckCat, one of Eleanor’s aliases, had been the most formidable hacker in the world. So powerful was her presence that the President of the World Hacker Alliance, AzureDragon, once nearly lost his position to her in a popr vote. Though the group was informal, membership in their private forum required rigorous vetting. And among them, ckCat was legend.


    Within minutes, a private message appeared.


    ZeroWarden: Sorry @ckCat, did I offend you somehow?


    ckCat: Not at all. I just tried to ess a dar site and found it was under your protection.


    ZeroWarden: Ah, that would be the Russian job board. Yes, I built their new system. Tell me what you need.


    ckCat: I need ess. That’s all. You know what happens if I force it.


    ZeroWarden: Understood. Sending you the credentials now.


    ckCat: Appreciated.


    A file popped up on her screen: untitled.zip.


    She downloaded and opened the archive, decrypting the contents in seconds. Inside was a set of master credentials... admin-level ess. Without a second thought, she logged into the target dar site.


    Meanwhile, in the forum, ZeroWarden posted publicly:


    ZeroWarden: @Everyone, I just spoke with the goddess. All is well. There’s no problem between us. I would never offend her.


    BitJunkie: Smart man. LoL.


    DriftGhost: Thanks @ZeroWarden. At least you could bring her back, we forgive you.


    Eleanor, now deep within the site’s architecture, ignored the ongoing chatter. Her attention was solely on the server. The structure was impressive. The group was a global mercenarywork based in Russia. Over a thousand members. Organized, disciplined. Contracts filtered by region, specialization, and target ss.


    She located her contract. It had several photos of her, general information, and some background details when she was Eleanor Whitmore. Rage flickered behind her eyes, but she remained calm.


    The issuer’s profile came next. Pseudonym. Faked IP chains. Dummy phone numbers. The data trail was expertly scrubbed.


    Dead end.


    She leaned back and sighed. The only way forward now was through the organization itself. But poking further would alert too many eyes.


    Eleanor encrypted her logs, wiped all traces, and powered off the Bittium phone.


    Then, using her personal phone, she called themand center.


    "What’s the update on the breach attempt?"


    "No progress, Miss. Their defenses are holding strong."


    "Don’t waste any more time," Eleanor said. "I’ve gained ess through another route. I have a lead and I’ll pursue it independently. Inform Uncle Xavier that I asked for the hacking process to be terminated. It’s a dead end."


    "Are you sure, Miss?"


    "I’m sure. Please pass along my message, word for word. Thank you."


    She ended the call, then turned to the window. Night had fully fallen over Manchester, lights flickering in the distance like stars reflected on a dark sea.


    One week. That was all the time she had before another assassin came.


    She whispered, "Let’s see who you really are... and why you want me dead."