He landed at his own doorstep, transformed back into human form from the wind, and immediately took out his phone, looking down to examine it carefully.
Sure enough, although everything looked normal, his phone had actually been hacked—within half an hour.
Hayden's classic hiding magic can turn him into a chameleon, but it can't hide his cell phone signal.
Of course, he would switch his phone to silent mode when working, but that doesn't mean a skilled hacker couldn't detect him in that situation. After all, Hayden himself was only a third-rate hacker.
He also didn't forget that Alastor was a student in the Department of StarNet Communications Engineering, but not everyone who studies these majors is a skilled hacker—in fact, most of them aren't.
Who could have predicted this?
Professor Albion's assignment for him this time was truly challenging. His opponent turned out to be a top-tier hacker capable of hijacking and controlling police drones, and had even gathered a large group of young student followers.
Feeling a bit irritated, Hayden shook off the dust and pushed open the door to go inside.
"Welcome home!"
Angela was sitting in the living room reading one of Hayden's old books, the kind of paper books that are now rarely seen. As soon as Hayden opened the door, she turned around happily, a blissful smile on her face.
"Please take off your shoes, Master. You can have dinner after you wash your hands."
She moved like the wind, took off Hayden's grey wizard's cloak, and hung it on the wall. Several freshly washed clothes hung nearby.
"I made pot-au-feu today, with toasted bread in olive oil. Have you encountered any difficulties at work? I can sense that although you are in good health, you are not in a good mood."
Angela moved around the house like a gust of wind, and in the blink of an eye, Hayden was already seated at the dining table. And as always, her reactions were sharp; without Hayden saying a word, Angela could tell that he had encountered an obstacle.
"Indeed."
However, Hayden didn't really have anything he couldn't tell her.
"Actually, the problem isn't that serious. The professor gave me a difficult task, but all I needed to do was investigate as much as I could and then submit a report to the professor."
Anyway, he had no grudge against Alastor, so there was no need to dwell on this matter too much.
Hayden picked up a large ladle, scooped a piece of stewed beef from the casserole, and was about to take a delicious bite when his phone rang.
Fueled by even greater anger, he picked up his phone and saw the contact was a guy named Bent. This was the young cop who had sold Hayden the emergency code. Hayden and Bent were actually on decent terms, but not close friends. Why would Bent contact him at a time like this?
Is there any trouble?
Bent's first words confirmed Hayden's intuition: "Dude, have you messed with someone?"
Hayden absentmindedly scooped up a spoonful of soup and said, "Maybe. What's wrong?"
Bent's second sentence immediately made him spit out the soup in his mouth.
"Someone is spamming the internet with a 2D video file titled 'The Private Investigator and the Pretty Widow: The Ex-Husband's Crime.' Because it has a very negative impact on teenagers, we are trying to delete and track it down, but we can't find the source at all."
The young policeman's tone was full of confusion.
"And as I watched it, I kept feeling like the male protagonist in the video looked like you, which is obviously impossible."
At this point, Bent even sent over the video file. For the next full minute, no one uttered a sound; everyone just... watched, until Hayden made a disgusted "Ugh!" sound and turned off the R18G video.
"So I think this must have been synthesized. Because you don't have the skill to do this kind of thing."
Bent continued, "It's a real shame that Hayden's friends all know he's a virgin."
"But it's not easy to create such a video, spread it everywhere, and not get caught by the cyber police. Have you recently offended some expert? This could be some kind of warning or trap."
"Thanks, Bent. I owe you one. Don't hesitate to ask me for help next time."
Hayden answered with a gloomy face.
"I'm pretty sure I've messed with some expert who hasn't even grown his first hair yet."
028: The Demon King and His Hounds
What did Hayden say two minutes ago?
Anyway, he has no grudge against Alastor, so there's no need to dwell on this too much.
He swallowed those words back.
Now that things have come to this, since Alastor is going to make fun of him, Hayden will not hold back.
"I don't quite understand what you mean."
Angela tilted her head and said in confusion,
Has this video caused you any harm?
Hayden replied irritably, "You really lack a concept of privacy. Besides, it's fake, and it will affect my business."
This is certainly not a fatal attack, nor could it possibly be fatal. But if the husband sees the video and mistakenly believes that Hayden, while working as a private investigator, is having an affair with his wife, wouldn't Hayden's business be affected?
Don't forget, whether or not he commits murder, Hayden's work is essentially no different from that of a regular private investigator. Nearly half of his daily income comes from legitimate detective work, and a bad reputation is definitely not a good thing.
Besides, this video is from a graveyard, and the Day of the Dead is just around the corner, with major companies already hyping up the holiday atmosphere. Imagine the consequences of posting a video of him dancing on a dead person's grave online at a time like this?
Hayden may not be afraid of what people will do to him in real life, but he's sure to be bothered online.
Why did Alastor do all this for Hayden?
A warning? Or is he trying to show off how great he is?
Or is it to distract or restrain Hayden?
In any case, Alastor clearly didn't believe Hayden was capable of retaliating. Even if he could single-handedly defeat a student army, it didn't mean Hayden had the information technology to solve the problem. In fact, Hayden didn't.
What can Hayden do? Wait at the school to ambush Alastor? That guy might not even be going to school anytime soon.
The other party was a top-notch hacker, but Hayden was just a third-rate script kiddie. His magic alone wouldn't be enough to solve this problem, or at least it would be very difficult.
His magic alone won't do.
So Hayden quickly finished his dinner and sat down at the computer. Angela immediately washed the dishes and eagerly went to watch the excitement from behind.
Unfortunately, there's not much excitement to be had about this now.
As he gently tapped the keyboard, a window began to project onto the 3D screen, unfolding a communication screen that had been concealed, revealing a blurry outline.
Hey, Hayden, what tricks have you been up to lately?
Immediately afterwards, a rough sound came from the window.
[When did you become a gigolo private investigator who plays around with widows? Hahahaha!]
The other person's tone was full of teasing, clearly indicating that they already knew about "The Private Investigator and the Pretty Widow: The Ex-Husband's Crime".
So Hayden forced out a reply through gritted teeth: "Don't talk nonsense, Dulin. You can't possibly not see that the image is a composite."
Do you remember how Hayden, a third-rate hacker, managed to find the information about the personality chip in the Wenle Club's network host three months ago and escaped alive?
One reason was, of course, that Angela came to his rescue. But the main reason was the integrated tool program he bought from a top-notch hacker he knew. Without that tool program, Hayden probably wouldn't have even had a chance to escape.
No urban mercenary is omnipotent. Hayden's combat skills are top-notch, his alchemy skills are second-rate, and his hacking skills are only third-rate. He is well aware of this.
Even a lone wolf must learn to rely on personal connections to survive in this line of work.
Dulin was a friend Hayden had made two years prior, a formidable hacker. He was always enigmatic, encrypting communications and never revealing his expression, only appearing on the screen as a silhouette resembling a post-apocalyptic wasteland thug. But on the other hand, his hacking skills were truly top-notch; Hayden had never even seen a more skilled cyber mercenary.
Even a third-rate script kiddie like Hayden, using the tools Dulin sold him, could easily crack the firewall of the "Wenle Club." This demonstrates just how sophisticated Dulin's skills were in the online world.
[Hahaha! Of course I know!]
Dulin indeed burst into laughter on the other side of the screen.
【How could you possibly have the nerve to sleep with a married woman? Hahahaha! With your 30-year-old innocent virginity?】
噫
Hayden was furious!
"I'm only twenty-nine! Damn it!"
[Are you going to use your unused toothpick to fuck my mom? Oh my god, I'm so scared! Hehehehehehehehe!]
Dulin responded with even more unrestrained laughter.
Despite their tone of voice, Hayden and the mysterious hacker actually have a fairly good relationship, mainly because both of them are crippled. Hayden's hacking skills are lacking, but his combat prowess in the material world is top-notch among urban mercenaries; Dulin may be a world-class cyber mercenary, but no one has ever seen what he's done in the material world. Moreover, neither of them has a team; they're both lone wolves.
Within mercenary circles, there are even rumors that Dulin doesn't actually have a physical body; he's an undead whose consciousness was uploaded online, working as a hacker to earn server rental fees for himself. This has earned him the nickname "Shadow Man" in the streets. This also praises his exceptional hacking skills, his elusive and unpredictable nature, and the claim that any security measures are practically useless against him.
After several collaborations, Hayden and Dulin actually developed a high level of trust in each other.
"Okay, let's get serious. I need some technical support. Do you have a way to find out exactly where those videos came from?"
So after a couple of opening remarks, Hayden quickly got into serious mode.
"Also, although the 'Dainslev's Magic Sword' toolkit you sold me last time was very useful, I'm afraid I'll need something more refined this time..."
However, before he could finish speaking, Dulin interrupted Hayden: "No, you've really messed with a powerful opponent this time."
……ah?
The group that's giving you trouble this time is a notorious hacker group. Although they only became active a little over a year ago, they've already accomplished quite a few impressive feats.
Dulin answered very simply.
They call themselves "Mars".
Mara?
This self-proclaimed claim should have made Hayden laugh, but it didn't.
He had read about this name in a book; it was one of the great demons of ancient times. Hayden hadn't studied all the ancient demons, nor could he possibly have, but he vaguely remembered that this name seemed to be related to the history of the Mithra Group. Names have power. He could feel a cold power burning within this name.
"So, they're even more powerful than you, the infamous 'Shadow Man' Dulin?"
So Hayden asked, half-jokingly.
Even a tiger wouldn't randomly attack a pack of wolves, would it?
Dulin's encrypted video didn't show his face, but he clearly shrugged when he got to this point.
With your rudimentary skills, even the best tools I could sell you wouldn't be of any use. If you try to fight them in a hacking war, you'll likely end up getting your brain burned.
Hayden was speechless and rubbed his temples.
He trusted Dulin's expertise in hacking as much as he trusted his own knowledge of ancient magic. Since Dulin said so, it's highly likely that Hayden is incompetent in this area.
"If I were to call it for you, it might not be impossible. But honestly, I've been a bit busy lately and don't have time for something as small as this—yes, don't be upset. It's just a small thing; it won't kill you."
Dulin said lazily,
[Keep your tail between your legs and stay home for a few days; everyone will forget about it eventually. If "Mojin" is still bothering you after two weeks, then I'll come back to help you when I have time.]
Every urban mercenary has their own life and work. For Dulin to say something like that to Hayden already shows he's a very good friend.
Or are you planning to pay me a commission of tens of thousands of yuan to come and save the day for you?
Upon hearing this, Hayden turned around and looked at the amount of money in his bank account displayed on his phone, and could only shake his head.
The 500,000 yuan he earned three months ago was long gone. He's currently struggling to make ends meet. Where would he get tens of thousands of yuan in commission to pay Du Lin?
"By the way, speaking of money..."
Hayden suddenly remembered something as he got to this point.
"I have a box of completely untouched South American obsidian cores. Why don't you take a few? Thanks for the information today."
【……What!?】
Although his expression wasn't visible, these words clearly startled Dulin.
Where did you get this stuff? Do you have connections at Smoke Mirror Life Construction Company?
"How could that be? I got it from the black market. I've recently made some new connections in the New Jersey black market. I was planning to take advantage of the situation and have a blast."
Hayden curled his lip.
"I only realized I didn't need it after I bought it and brought it home."
This is a lie.
Obsidian Cores are a specialty product developed by the Smoke Mirror Life Construction Company in South America. Certain highly skilled necromancers can use these cores to extract the magical power of mist that falls from sunlight into shadow, enhancing their necromancy. Due to their exceptional effects and the company's limited production, they are extremely rare and always in high demand. The Smoke Mirror Company occasionally distributes them to their outstanding employees as a reward.
Over the past three months, Hayden had finally managed to buy a box of obsidian cores on the black market thanks to new connections. Just as he was about to start tinkering with them, Angela caught him. Angela claimed that using this material was bad for his health.
With Angela ruthlessly forbidding him from even drinking cola, how could Hayden possibly use any magical materials that might harm his health? In the end, he could only leave this box of treasures gathering dust in the basement.
Dulin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and nodded for two pills, instructing Hayden to deliver them to the designated location. In return, he also sent Hayden all the intelligence he had about the hacker group "Bo Xun".
As Dulin said, this hacker team called "Bo Xun" has indeed done many impressive things.