Chapter 18: Chapter 18: A System Without Vulnerabilities
Since Lucy and Peter only needed a chip, they didn't require any modifications from Victor. So, they decided to wait in Misty's shop while Victor worked on V's prosthetic body.
"Oh? Peter, you two don't need Victor to modify the prosthetic body?" Jack asked, seeing Peter and Lucy walk out of Victor's clinic so quickly.
Peter replied, "Lucy's a hacker, and I just need to replace a better operating system. I don't need a prosthetic body. V chose a subcutaneous armor and a second-order Crossroads prosthetic eye. It should be installed soon."
"I see, suit yourself," Jack said, not pressing further.
"By the way, have you received any new commissions?" Peter asked.
"No, but the priest just posted a big job. Are you interested?" Jack replied, glancing at his message panel. He didn't see any new intermediaries contacting him, but he did notice a job request from the priest.
"Oh? Tell me about it," Peter said, intrigued.
"A man named Sally Will's son was kidnapped by the Maelstrom gang half an hour ago. He's offering a 40,000 Euro reward for rescuing his son," Jack explained.
Peter nodded upon hearing the 40,000 Euro reward. Although they had made 200,000 Euros from their previous scams, that kind of payout was nearly impossible to repeat. After all, no matter how lucky they were, they could never find another two Red Lizards again.
"Alright, we'll take the job. We'll go after V is refitted," Peter decided.
"But Peter, how are we supposed to find this son? He was just kidnapped," Jack scratched his head, confused. After all, the Maelstrom gang likely kidnapped the rich man's son for ransom, so tracking him down wasn't going to be easy.
"Are you really this stupid?" Peter asked, shaking his head. "Let me ask you this: the Maelstrom gang caught a cash cow—shouldn't we protect it?"
Jack nodded in agreement.
"Then, where would you put someone who's well-guarded?" Peter pressed.
Jack shrugged, "I don't know."
Peter sighed. "Their old den, the Whole Foods factory, is likely the most secure place."
Jack's eyes widened as he realized what Peter meant. "Ah, right. That makes sense."
Peter couldn't help but feel a little exasperated. Jack really didn't like using his brain, but at least he was following along. Even in the game, V could disagree with Jack, and Jack would still immediately accept her decision and follow suit. Peter respected that, though it was clear Jack was more of a fighter than a strategist.
"Alright, I get it," Jack muttered, now understanding what Peter meant.
Peter started tinkering with the military parallel cable he had just installed in his chip slot. The operation panel was filled with data flashing at high speeds, which was a little dizzying for Peter, but he could still make sense of it.
Lucy, who was sitting beside him, was also busy replacing her system and hadn't finished adjusting it yet.
In less than two minutes, Peter had fully absorbed the new operating system. He activated scanning mode and observed the streets. To his surprise, it seemed that Victor had sent them an NCPD backdoor system, which allowed them to see certain tasks issued by the NCPD.
Peter's gaze wandered to the vending machine at the entrance of Misty's shop. With a quick look, the data in his eyes shifted, and the vending machine's security was breached. A bottle of carbonated drink popped out of the machine.
"Is it really this convenient to operate?" Peter marveled. With just a little manipulation, he had hacked into the vending machine and selected a lemon-flavored drink without any trouble.
Lucy, meanwhile, had just finished debugging her system.
"Lucy, is your system set up?" Peter asked, handing her a small bottle of Coke.
"Yeah, it took a little time to replace and debug the data, but I'm almost used to it now." Lucy took the Coke from Peter's hand, clearly pleased, as she liked drinking carbonated drinks.
"What about you, Peter? Can you operate the system well?" Lucy asked after taking a sip of her drink.
"Me? I feel like I've adapted to this program without needing much debugging," Peter said with confidence.
Lucy raised an eyebrow, frowning. "You're too reckless. Let me check it for you."
Even someone as experienced as Lucy took about ten minutes to debug her system. How could Peter, who had never installed a hacking system before, have it running so smoothly in such a short time?
Lucy pulled a connecting cable from her palm and plugged it into Peter's neck. Peter didn't resist; he stood still, allowing her to check.
"Huh? It's really all debugged?" Lucy looked at the data in front of her with surprise. She had expected to find some flaws, but to her astonishment, the system was flawless. No bugs, no vulnerabilities. The system was solid.
Lucy frowned, her mind racing. Even the best network monitoring hackers couldn't ensure their systems were completely free from bugs. It was common practice to install traps and backdoors in the data systems to deter other hackers. But Peter's system? It didn't just lack vulnerabilities; it actively prevented her from checking certain aspects.
"How is this possible? Your system doesn't have any flaws?" Lucy asked, utterly puzzled.
Peter stood still, waiting for Lucy to finish her checks. To be honest, he was aware of how strange this was, but he didn't feel the need to hide anything. His system wasn't just good—it was advanced.
Lucy pulled the cable out and stepped back, still in disbelief. "I've never seen anything like it. Even real hacker masters, when debugging systems, always leave some kind of trace or hole to make sure they don't get caught. But yours... there's nothing. I couldn't even find any traces, and your system blocked me from checking further."
Peter shrugged. "I guess I'm just that good."
Lucy shook her head in amazement. "I don't know if I should be impressed or worried. This is the first time I've seen a hacking system with no vulnerabilities."
Peter gave her a sly smile. "Well, maybe I just don't like leaving things to chance."
Lucy stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "You're not the kind of guy who takes chances, are you?"
Peter only chuckled, not responding. It was clear that he had everything under control.
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