And he said quietly, "Since this business is growing bigger and stronger... alright. I'll recruit some new people. We're moving to the next phase."
With steady steps, he walked out toward the small meeting room where his team waited with idea boards, laptops, and high enthusiasm.
A new chapter had begun. From keychains to AI smartwatches. And the world was starting to see them as more than just creative. They began to see the future embodied in Alaric, the driving force behind it all.
10:03 PM – Alaric's Small Studio
Alaric leaned back in his half-broken work chair, eyes fixed on the flickering holographic screen in front of him. At first, he thought it was just the usual lag from a slow connection. But then...
[System: Your next mission is—]
The system voice glitched, cutting off abruptly, then began emitting distorted sounds—like a tangled cassette tape played in reverse.
[Target: supply resources, destroy integration... control... euhhh...]
Alaric frowned, body tensing. "Wait, what was that?" He leaned forward.
The screen no longer displayed the usual system interface. Random texts flashed across, racing from side to side. The font kept changing, and disturbing phrases appeared like:
"Infiltration operation... silent distribution... illegal logistics control..."
"What the hell is this?" he muttered under his breath, his tone low, laced with confusion and growing caution.
He tapped a few shortcuts on his holographic keyboard to open the main console. But every refresh attempt was met with delays and strange errors. The missions popping up became increasingly nonsensical.
[Secret Mission: Enter the shadow path – Send coordinates to undercover contact...]
"This... this isn't a business strategy system anymore," Alaric whispered. "These sound like orders from an underground syndicate."
He pressed a button on the edge of his desk, opening access to the backup console. Fingers flying across the keyboard, he logged into the Cyber Threat Detection Protocol, an open global network. He entered the system ID from the recent crash.
The result popped up within seconds:
⚠️ DETECTED: 3 BACKDOOR EXPLOITS – SOURCE UNKNOWN – POSSIBLE SIGNAL HIJACK
"So… my system really was attacked?"
His shoulders stiffened. He might not have been an IT graduate, but he'd studied enough in college. Opening the command prompt, he began tracking the system's last data path before the crash. A string of code unrolled like a digital serpent.
Alaric ran a basic debug formula. The system stabilized—for about 30 seconds—then suddenly…
dhrrkk! — the trade system glitched too. Several customer records vanished, today's transactions corrupted.
[System: Apologies for the error. AI system experienced instability while trying to protect your core. Attack too strong. Unable to self-neutralize.]
Alaric clenched his jaw, eyes locked on the screen. This was more than just a technical issue. "So I need to help the system manually?"
[Mission: Locate virus epicenter. Central breach must be neutralized for system recovery.]
Alaric jumped into search mode. He combed through the latest logs, scanning for suspicious patches. He opened two paths: one from his business reminder system, the other from his main AI core.
First attempt: internal cache analysis. Failed—infected with decoy viruses, making it impossible to filter.
Second attempt: voice assistant program settings. But the virus had hidden inside dummy files, bizarrely timestamped from the future.
"Whoever did this… is a genius," he muttered in frustration.
Moving the cursor left, Alaric pulled up old logs. He remembered a sandbox system he built a year ago to test encryption. Maybe the virus hadn't touched it yet.
He accessed the legacy system.
And there it was.
A suspicious file path had been growing unchecked. Unrequested data requests clogged the memory. A file pusher labeled: /relay.blackcmd/999X12—directly connected to the system's initial command.
"There it is…"
[System: PRIMARY VIRUS FOUND – Initiating Neutralization...]
The screen blinked once. Slowly, the system's voice regained stability.
[Mission Progress 0% ➜ 78%]
[Level Up: SKILL DIGITAL SABOTAGE DEFENSE Unlocked]
[Skill Updated: Level 1 ➜ Level 6]
[Description: You are now able to detect, resist, and block 92% of advanced digital sabotage attempts. Includes fake encryption and multi-node attacks.]
Alaric sat in silence, staring at the screen.
"So this wasn't just a technical failure. It's a whole new kind of threat."
He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. Exhausted. But he had managed to protect the foundation of his business—again. And this time, it was even stronger than before.
12:47 AM – Alaric's Small Office
The night sky beyond his glass window had gone quiet, but Alaric's workspace still glowed with screenlight. The bitter scent of untouched cold coffee lingered in the air. His fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, his face lit by the constant scroll of code.
He had blocked the main virus.
But something still felt unfinished.
The system had been neutralized, yes—but when he rechecked the protective layers, a new system notification made his chest tighten:
[CLUE DETECTED: Familiar IP activity found in attack path]
[Origin Location: MASKED]
"Familiar?" Alaric narrowed his eyes.
"You're saying… someone I've been connected to did this. But who?"
He knew this virus was far too sophisticated for a beginner. Someone with deep experience in system engineering had infiltrated him. Alaric pulled up the registry of web activity from the past six months.
He knew that most modern virus threats now piggyback through cookies, permission popups, or automation scripts on otherwise harmless-looking websites.
He scanned the entries one by one.
Marketplaces, food platforms, supplier sites, digital communities… nothing suspicious. Until he landed on one forum he had briefly browsed weeks ago.
A small underground market forum, where collectors of rare tech and antique components gathered.
He hadn't bought anything—just skimmed through a post about a fake AI device that supposedly could be rooted for deep modding. He was curious from a technical standpoint. But he made a mistake.
He had allowed the site's cookie tracking, thinking it was harmless. He was wrong.
Suddenly, the system rang out again:
[Suspicious notification pattern detected on site:
Alaric swallowed hard. He inspected the site's cookie source code. Sure enough, there was an external access path that traced back to his private AI server.
"This… isn't an ad tracker," he said darkly.
He opened his IP tracker. He scanned every incoming and outgoing activity from the past 72 hours. Marking all unknown connections, he began matching them to login records from his personal devices.
Then the system flagged something.
[Suspicious IP connected via proxy reroute – 8-node loop. Currently masked.]
"Whoever this is… they don't want to be found."
But Alaric wasn't just some amateur. He had dealt with multilayer detection systems before. He activated the loop unwinder protocol—a tool designed to trace IPs even after multiple reroutes.
It took nearly an hour.
The first three nodes were fake. The fourth led to Kazakhstan—also fake. The fifth and sixth pointed to different countries again.
But the eighth node…
[Final IP origin detected]
The location popped up: Old Harbor District, Southern Coast City. A black market tech kiosk.
"Black market?" Alaric scoffed.
The system added:
[IP source matches entity: DREGS TECH TRADER]
[Suspected dealer of illegal components, fake AI devices, and manipulative software]
Alaric's heart beat a little faster. He recognized that name. He'd seen it mentioned in a discussion forum before. A notorious dealer known for stealing prototype data and reselling it at high prices.
"So they were targeting me?" he whispered.
He leaned back, thinking. Maybe it was because his brand had recently broken into the international market with innovative products like AI-powered smartwatches. And they wanted to strike early. Or… resell his core engine on the black market.
The exact motive remained unclear.
The AI system then updated:
[Attacker's motive: UNKNOWN. Strong suspicion of economic interest and tech harvesting. High risk of repeat attacks if left unresolved.]
Alaric stared at the screen, a cold anger rising up his neck. But he didn't explode. That wasn't his style.
"I need to make sure this system is untouchable… and I'll send them a message. Don't ever mess with me again."
He began drafting a list of strategies: cyber reinforcement, anti-payload shields, auto-trigger backdoor traps—all designed to activate on any future breach.
Meanwhile…
In a place lit only by a flickering neon light, Dregs Tech Trader pulses like the dark heart of the tech underworld. It's tucked just behind the stalls of the harbor market.
Stolen goods, fake AIs, and government-sealed chips are traded like toys. The air is thick with the stench of burnt wires and rusted metal.
An old man in a worn-out cap scowls at the screen of a bulky laptop.
"How the hell did he detect me?" he grumbled.
On his screen:
[Connection terminated by hostile source]
He clenched his jaw. "This kid… is not an easy target."
Back to Alaric – 3:30 AM
Gazing out at the dark sky through the small office window, Alaric whispered to himself,
"Now I know who you are. But I still don't know… why."
He typed one final command into the system.
"Hopefully this problem will be resolved quickly," he said while pressing a button.
[New Task: Further Investigation – Uncover motives and next steps.]