"But…" The others were still uneasy. But with Jason taking responsibility, any fallout wouldn't land on them.
Janelle's elegant fingers flew across the keyboard, lines of code streaming across the screen. The young woman's expression remained impassive.
"The self-destruct sequence has stopped!"
"Unbelievable!"
She looked barely twenty. How could she be this skilled?
Non-experts might not grasp it, but these were computing elites. They knew exactly how astonishing her skill was.
"Jason, who is she? Where did you find her? A true master! How is she this good?"
Honestly, people in tech often have a streak of arrogance; they rarely admire others easily. But this young woman? Admiration was unavoidable.
"Stop talking. Watch and learn."
Soon, Janelle had fully restored the system.
The experts were stunned into silence.
Then, Janelle added two more layers of firewall protection.
"Relax. The first firewall alone is sufficient." The second was just an extra precaution.
"Really? Janelle, can I test it?" One young man was eager. A master this skilled – her firewall must be incredible.
"Go ahead."
The young man instantly returned to his workstation. The others watched intently. She was so young. They were desperate to see how robust her firewall truly was.
"You can all try together." Janelle saw their hesitation and reluctance. She spoke directly.
Hearing this, the experts quickly took their seats. They launched a coordinated attack on the firewall, throwing everything they had at it.
Yet, the first firewall didn't budge an inch.
Jason could only give a thumbs-up. "Janelle, truly, no one can crack your firewalls." His respect for her was genuine.
Janelle stood up. The problem was solved; it was time to leave.
"Master, can I add you on WeChat?" The man she'd hauled out of the seat earlier asked, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. The others looked at her with hopeful eyes. They wanted the master's contact too!
"Contact Jason if you need anything. He can find me."
Jason personally escorted Janelle out. "Janelle, you've been working on the security protocols all evening. You haven't eaten. Let's have dinner together?"
Back at the border, Jason had wanted to thank her with a meal. Without her, Hua Guo would have suffered catastrophic losses.
"Mm." She'd eaten a little at noon, but it was past 9 PM now. Her stomach was starting to ache again. While mostly healed, skipping meals still caused discomfort. Seeing her agree, Jason immediately made arrangements.
As they walked out, Jason received a call from the security detail. Normally, they handled things themselves; escalating to him meant trouble.
"What's happening?" Jason was furious. They'd just fixed the program, and now suspicious individuals were at the Bureau?
"Jason, we can't stop him!" They were trying! But they were no match for him.
"What is it?" Seeing Jason's grim expression, Janelle asked. If she was here, she might as well help.
"Nothing. I can handle it."
But in that brief moment, Erik was already standing before them.
"Jason, we…" The security team leader tried to explain, but any explanation sounded pathetic. One man against dozens, and he'd breached their defenses!
"Come here." Erik's command was directed at Janelle.
Janelle hadn't expected Erik to show up here. "What are you doing here?"
"Miss Rovella, we had dinner plans. Did you forget?" The fierce intruder now sounded distinctly aggrieved.
"Oh. I did." Jason's urgency and the lack of downtime had pushed it from her mind.
"..."
Erik's mood plummeted. The dinner he'd been anticipating, forgotten so easily?
Jason's gaze remained fixed on Erik. The security team might not know him, but Jason did. The new heir to Haoting Group. Ruthless, decisive, a leader who rose atop the blood of his enemies.
"Come here." Seeing her still standing beside Jason irritated Erik intensely. Their proximity was grating. And the way Jason looked at her wasn't innocent.
"Janelle, dinner is arranged. Let's go." Jason ignored Erik's hostility. He was having dinner with Janelle.
"Mm. Let's go." Janelle nodded and started walking out.
As she passed Erik, he grabbed her hand. "You're going to dinner with him?" He had asked first! How could she do this?
Janelle frowned. Her stomach was hurting; she didn't want to waste time arguing. "What? Stomach bothering you?" Despite his anger, a single micro-expression told him her discomfort.
"Yes. Eat first." She disliked explanations and felt she owed Erik none.
"Come on. I'll take you to eat." Imperial Capital was his territory. He wouldn't neglect her here.
"Jason, this…" The security detail looked helplessly at their leader. Who was this man? Waltzing in and then just leaving? Treating the Security Bureau like what?
Jason waved a dismissive hand. "You all clearly need more training." Erik was formidable, but just a businessman. Dozens of trained agents couldn't stop one man? Unacceptable.
The security chief touched his nose, embarrassed by their abject failure, and stayed silent.
Seeing Janelle and Erik leaving, Jason wasn't about to miss his chance. He followed.
Noticing Jason trailing them, Erik stopped. "Jason, nothing better to do?"
Jason ignored him. "Janelle, this way. I've arranged everything."
Erik wanted to send Jason flying. But seeing Janelle clutching her stomach, he held back. He stepped forward and scooped Janelle up into his arms.
Janelle, caught completely off guard, instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. Wracked by stomach pain, she felt weak. Her voice came out soft and breathless. "Erik, I'm really hungry. You…"
"Alright, I know. Don't worry." Erik's voice was low, a promise laced with something deeper as he held her close. "I'll make sure you're well satisfied."