Master El Payaso chuckled. His robotic voice sounded particularly grating to the brothers' ears especially at this moment. It was like a fingernail was scratching a blackboard, irritating them to no end, but they couldn't complain because the other party was their respected master.
The leader tightened his hold on the phone. His mouth was smiling but his eyes were flashing with rejection to their master's insinuation that they were inferior to Drakon. He believed that they were only slightly worse than Drakon but they should be able to defeat him after a few more rounds. Their skills were growing fast with every battle against a high quality opponent like Drakon.
"Don't overthink my meaning, children. Drakon and his two disciples might be better than my initial impressions but they should be far below my level."
The others except for the leader relaxed their tense bodies and started nodding their heads in agreement. Indeed, their master was recognized as one of the top hackers in the world and had retained that position for years. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow author on Instagram: @arriacross]
"You are the heirs of a powerful legacy. Not only mine, El Payaso, but also that of our organization. I, your master, am extremely pleased to have such outstanding, talented, skilled and very promising disciples. You are the crème of the crop, the survivors of a harsh selection. You will all certainly have a more brilliant future than Drakon who seems to have nobody of my level backing him besides Jin Corporation. Since Jin Corporation will eventually fall under our control, Drakon will end up becoming a pet without a master. Depending on the situation, Drakon can become our new dog. But if he refuses to wear our leash and submit to us, then he can only become soil fertilizer in the end. Such a pity if that's the case."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMaster El Payaso wielded his words like a magician and instantly united his disciples, making them see a beautiful vision of greatness in the future starring themselves, and of course, their organization.
Except the leader.
He stayed silent, not disturbing the hopeful and motivated atmosphere around him. Although he also believed the vision of greatness that his master and their organization had been preaching to them since they were children, he still found himself rejecting it whenever their master declared that they were the heirs of El Payaso's legacy.
Unlike his brothers, he had no interest in inheriting their master's legacy at all. There was another legacy that he wanted. He dreamed about it. Craved it. Unfortunately, that hacker had disappeared for years and hadn't returned since then.
In the hacker world, many were discussing how Drakon's operating tendencies were the closest to Fantom's legendary techniques. Their styles might be different but the techniques were on point.
For someone like him who worshipped Fantom, hearing that another hacker was similar to his most admired person was extremely irritating.
How dare a mere mortal like Drakon imitate a god like Fantom and pretend to have reached the highest hacking heavens? Sacrilege!
He would prove that his skills were better and that he would make himself the true heir of Fantom's legacy, not Drakon who suddenly popped out of nowhere. He had been training to become the best hacker in the world one day since he was barely out of his toddler years. It was basically almost his entire life. If there was someone deserving to inherit a god's legacy, then it should be him, not an arrogant fella like Drakon.
'I want to meet you. I want to see what kind of person you are, Drakon. You are my chosen rival. I will defeat you, crush you under my foot, and stand at the top of the world as the very best hacker. Just like Fantom.'
After Master El Payaso's encouraging speech, he proceeded to give them their next instructions. The atmosphere turned cold and serious in an instant, just like when a commander was giving orders to his soldiers.
Then he addressed the team's leader. "Each of you have an important assignment to fulfill in that country in addition to our organization's grand mission. But child, you already know that you have the most important assignment among you children."
"Yes, Master," the leader replied, trying to ignore the irritation at all of them, grown men, being called children. "Father has already briefed me about it. Once I paved the way here, he will finally come to this country and join me and my brothers so that our grand mission can proceed to the next stage."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"You have to work harder to pave the way. Your father has already completed what countless others deemed to be an impossible mission but he still accomplished it against all odds. Now our organization reigns supreme in the world and we need to keep it that way. He has named you his heir and you have gigantic shoes to fill. Do all of us proud. You are the future of our organization."
"Yes, Master."
"Destroy that phone. I'll send you a new one soon. I prevented Drakon from breaching it again but we can't take another chance. There are still many variables that we aren't sure of yet in that country, that's why we sent you there to deepen and strengthen our organization's roots. It's better to be safe than sorry so change hotels just in case. Is your new house there not ready yet?"
"Not yet, Master. I was told that it's still under renovation but it should be ready before the year ends."
"Fine. Stay in another hotel, then. You need to be flashy, show off your status as your father's son, and let everyone know who you are. Create connections and become influential among the important elites in that country. And of course, you need to get close to Liam Jin, and if you have the chance, meet with Jianhong Lu."
'I already know my own mission,' the leader thought but still replied, "Understood", in a respectful tone. He was already feeling annoyed at their master for talking so much. Too much.
After a few more words of advice, the phone call ended. Finally.
The leader chugged his beer until he was almost out of breath. After excusing himself from his brothers, he headed to his bedroom and started playing his guitar to free himself from any unnecessary thoughts and emotions.