From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent (Anthea )

"What's the rush? Man, you look like you've seen a ghost." Sherman seemed to have just woken up, clad in a black silk pajama set, the belt loosely tied at his waist, revealing a hint of sculpted abs and that enviable V-line.

Even Daniel, a guy who thought he'd seen it all, couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

But it wasn't the time for admiring. Daniel blurted out, "Sherman, the CIS project is ready."

At that, even the usually composed Sherman showed a flicker of surprise. "Let me see."

Daniel handed the laptop to Sherman.

Sherman opened it and squinted at the screen. "Who did this?"

"That newbie, Phoenix," Daniel replied. "Honestly, I had no idea Phoenix was such a wizard. "

And a wizard indeed!

The Christensen Group, despite the efforts of their hundreds of staff, failed to crack the code. However, it took Phoenix less than three days to do it.

That was an absolute legend!

Holding the laptop in one hand and controlling the mouse with the other, Sherman commanded, "Notify everyone. Video conference in ten minutes."

"Got it." Daniel, usually the laid-back type, took it seriously for a change and took the laptop from Sherman, heading toward the office.

Sherman strode into his dressing room and slipped into a suit.

Though a modern suit, it carried a touch of old-school elegance with clean, muted colors.

Ten minutes later, the video conference started punctually.

Sherman’s piercing gaze on the other side was enough to send chills down one's spine even through the screen.

Two hours went by.

The video conference finally ended.

Sherman picked up his coffee mug and took a casual sip, his fingers idly playing with a pen, seemingly lost in thought. "Check out this Phoenix for me."

Daniel blinked, momentarily confused. "Phoenix? Who?"

Then it clicked. "Right away, I'll have someone on it."

The Christensen Group, brimming with talent, was home to some of the industry's finest cyber experts.

They even brought the infamous hacker W into their fold three years ago.

Usually, W could dig up dirt on anyone in ten minutes flat.

But today, hours had passed, and there was still no word from W.

Daniel shot him a message.

After a long wait, W replied, "The firewall's a beast. Need more time."

Daniel was stunned and typed, "Is this W?"

As he sent the message, a video call came through. This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

Daniel answered it, and W's face appeared on the screen.

"Holy cow! It's you! I thought someone was pulling my leg!"

It was unheard of for the legendary W to stumble. This Phoenix must be something special!

Looking frustrated, W said, "Man, who did you have me look into? I've burnt through two computers already!" I have never met such a formidable opponent. Not only had he failed to breach their defenses, he'd been counter-hacked twice.

That was wild!

The hacker, W, almost thought it was all a dream. He'd been a top-tier name in the hacking world for years and had never met his match until that moment.

Daniel replied, "A real heavyweight. Give me a shout when you've got something."

"Will do." W ended the call, his interest piqued by this so-called wizard, and got back to his investigation.

As Daniel turned off his phone, a knock came at the door. "Mr. Robinson, Mr. Christensen requests your presence."

"On my way." Daniel answered and went to Sherman's office.

"Any news?" Sherman sat in his executive chair, a fine coffee set in front of him, his hands gracefully moving through the motions of making a cup of coffee, the steam rising and adding a soft haze to his striking features.

Daniel shook his head, a touch of schadenfreude in his voice. "Nothing yet. W has met his match. You should've seen his face. It was priceless and made my day..."

Sherman's brow furrowed slightly. He knew W's capabilities, and when he learned that Phoenix had completed the CIS project, he sensed something extraordinary about him.