Shadows of Destiny: A Tale of Liberation

Chapter 35

young

A man dressed in black clothing was there, his legs set on a desk as if he were some kind of

delinquent. He was turning around in the revolving chair he was sitting in nonchalantly, clearly not

showing any respect to the others in the room. 1

He was wearing a cap that covered half of his face, only revealing his sharp nose and thin lips.

He was, in fact, the one and only idol to many within the IT field, the four-year consecutive champion of

the Global Hackers Union competition, one of the two legendary figures amongst all hackers – Haze.

“Please wait just a little bit longer, Mr. Haze! Mr. Hunt will be right with you any time now!”

“You must be tired from all this waiting! Here, let me give you a massage!”

Having been given the honor to meet their idol, many employees from the technical department were

gushing over Haze, with some even asking for photographs and signatures. It was quite the desperate

sight.

“Don’t you all have work to do?!” Elijah was the first to witness this, and felt like he was about to

explode. from rage.

The moment the employees sensed the strong aura radiating from Stefan, all of them bolted back to

their

seats.

“Sorry for making you wait, Mr. Haze. Mr. Hunt is here now. Mr. Hunt, this is the renowned hacker, Mr.

Haze.” Elijah stood in the middle of the two, introducing them to each other carefully as he didn’t dare

to

offend either of them.

Haze, however, was still leaning back against the chair casually. He didn’t seem like he intended to

greet, Stefan at all, let alone shake his hand out of courtesy.

He cocked his head, smirking lightly as he looked Stefan up and down.

The CEO was sizing the other man up as well, all while looming over the arrogant hacker.

Haze chuckled to himself and sneered, “So you’re Stefan Hunt. Aren’t you the guy that’s being cussed

out all over the internet? You know… as the jerk who got his mistress pregnant and ditched his wife?”

Everyone gasped the moment he said those words.

Standing next to Stefan, Renee couldn’t help but think, ‘This Haze guy’s personality is just like his

code. Does he enjoy attacking others or something?’

“Hahaha, good joke, Mr. Haze!” Elijah laughed nervously to ease the tension in the atmosphere, all

while glancing at Stefan worriedly.

Stefan, however, ignored the remark and asked him bluntly, “Can you really find out who Phoenix is?”

“Are you doubting my capabilities?” Haze seemed angry, jumping up from the chair to meet Stefan’s

eye. I wouldn’t have come to you if I wasn’t confident I could do it.”

After that, he quickly typed out a string of code on the computer behind him.

“This is a tracking software that took me three whole days to make. It can track down the virus that

hacked into your system, and reveal the personal information of the person who created it.”

Still typing on his keyboard, Haze seemed extremely excited, as if he were playing a game. “As soon

as I activate it, all of Phoenix’s information will be on display within fifteen minutes!”

For the past few years, there were only two legends within the hacking field. One was Haze, who

specialized in offense, while the other was Phoenix, who specialized in defense. The two had always

been rivals, especially since they always tied in every competition they entered.

However, four years ago, Phoenix managed to win against Haze by a slight margin, but after that, they

completely disappeared. From then on, everyone viewed Phoenix as the top hacker in the field.

Eventually, the rumors spread further, describing the two as the ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ of hackers.

With that, Haze started to develop an interest in Phoenix, and swore to track her down, no matter what

it

took.

Stefan, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as knowledgeable when it came to softwares. Hence, he stared

at the computer screen, and spoke in his usual cold tone, “Do it.”

However, Haze didn’t do as told, his expression rather haughty. “Why should I follow your orders?”

“Elijah, transfer one hundred and fifty million dollars to him.”

“Pfft, don’t make me laugh! What kind of hacker out there lacks that kind of money?”

“What do you want then?” Stefan looked upset, his patience wearing thin.

This Haze guy might be a pain, but if he can find out who Phoenix is, he’d really live up to his title.’ He

thought.

“It’s simple,” Haze replied. “If I really am able to track them down, you should use your power and

status, as a Hunt, to make them announce to the whole world that they admit defeat to me. Oh, and

make them call me Daddy Haze while they’re at it. I want it broadcast on every single television out

there too!”

‘I’m excited just thinking about it.’ The hacker thought to himself smugly.

Renee, who was still standing next to them, couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ‘How childish! I heard Haze

was quite handsome, with a tall and muscular figure… He was basically a mysterious dark prince from

what people described. I mean, sure, he’s tall, handsome, and probably muscular… but what

happened to being a mysterious dark prince?’

“Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom,” Renee said as she slipped out of the office quietly.

‘So you want me to call you Daddy, huh? Just wait till I show you who Mommy is!’