Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 409 - 405: The Hacker War, the last to make a move is...

Chapter 409: Chapter 405: The Hacker War, the last to make a move is...

Thursday evening, Lin Mansion.

After a grueling court session during the day, Zhang Wei and the others were hardly in high spirits come evening.

It was then that a call came from the courthouse.

"Oh, it’s Judge Li’s clerk, eh? The trial continues tomorrow, right?"

"I understand, we’ll definitely be there tomorrow. Say hello to Old Li for me!"

"By the way, I wanted to ask, has the prosecution’s public evidence been updated?"

"Hmm, what do you say..."

Just as Zhang Wei was making an extra inquiry to the court clerk, he heard a "zzt zzt" noise of electric current through the phone.

The screens of the notebook in front of him also flickered and displayed glitches.

"What’s going on?"

Though not understanding the technicalities, Zhang felt instinctively that something was amiss.

"Hello, hello, Lawyer Zhang, are you still there..."

The clerk’s voice gradually became clear on the other end of the line.

"Clerk, it’s fine, I got it!"

He quickly replied and immediately hung up the phone.

"There’s a problem!"

Zhang Wei instinctively sensed something was wrong and rushed out of the room, heading to the second floor.

Thump thump thump!

This time, he made no effort to quiet his footsteps; he instinctively felt that this was a serious matter.

"Second girl, do you know what’s happening? I feel..."

Before Zhang Wei could even raise his hand to knock, the door of the room creaked open.

With a solemn expression, Zhao Xiaoxiao glanced left and right before hurriedly ushering Zhang Wei into the room.

Inside, as ever, it was a mess.

But Zhang Wei’s attention was not on the tidiness of the room but on the several computers within.

On those screens that formed a wall, a green glow was pulsating with lines of green code flashing.

"What’s this situation?"

Zhang Wei pointed at the screens, looking bewildered.

"Someone’s trying to hack me!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao was calm, immediately sitting down and her fingers rapidly danced across the keyboard.

"Hack you?"

Zhang Wei was shocked; weren’t you known as Ghost, elusive without a trace, who would dare to hack you?

"Yes, hack me!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao pouted and explained, "Ordinary people may not trace me, but my equipment is here, that’s inevitable!"

Zhang Wei understood.

Tracing the Second Girl on the net was practically impossible.

But if her address was known, that was a different story.

You need to use the internet to go online, you need to use signal towers. Where Lin Mansion’s network interface is, what port the residents in this area use, which fiber optic cable they use for internet—these are all fixed.

Because of this, as long as Zhao Xiaoxiao’s location was known, hacking her wasn’t impossible to trace.

It’s like if Ghost were active in a maze-like mansion, it would be almost impossible to catch Ghost inside.

But if you made the entire mansion your target, taking it all at once, wouldn’t that be akin to catching Ghost?

That is what the people outside were thinking.

Zhang Wei, who knew virtually nothing about computers, naturally couldn’t be of help.

"Second girl, what’s the situation now?"

"Many people are attacking from the other side using different IPs, trying to get into my computer for the data!"

"Can’t you shut it down?"

"No way, if I shut down, the entire street’s network and the underground cables will be full of the other side’s virus. Unless I never boot up again, if I so much as move the mouse, it would alert the other side. So, I have to hold the fort here, can’t let their virus breach our defenses!"

"If there’s a lot of people on the other side and you can’t hold them off alone, should we ask the neighbor for help?"

"Go, yes!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes.

You really lack situational awareness; it’s very tough for me to defend all by myself, I can’t even move.

If you don’t call for help, are you expecting me to hold out against this pressure all alone?

"Fine, I’ll call for help!"

"Don’t bother calling, just run over there. The phone and internet might have been cut off already!"

Zhang Wei, feeling helpless, put down his phone and rushed downstairs, sprinting towards the neighboring Zhang’s Martial Arts Gym Dormitory.

...

Meanwhile.

On Sifang Gate Street, down a certain alley.

Inside the first floor of a block of rental apartments, a group of people dressed in special uniforms were operating computers, with chunks of code fluttering across the screens.

Upstairs on the second floor, Zhang Lang sat leisurely, even sipping tea.

In front of him, Liu Xiaotao was also working on a laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard with speed.

A subordinate approached and reported, "Mr. Zhang, our people are ready to go, just waiting for the first wave of attacks to end."

"Hmm, let them keep waiting," Zhang Lang waved his hand and dismissed the subordinate.

"Has the news about Ghost reached them yet?"

"Mr. Zhang, it’s all sent out. I’ve left messages on every hacker website, both domestic and international. Now the entire hacking community on Blue Star is on the move, and several hacker groups from different countries have already assembled large forces, ready to break through Ghost’s firewall!"

"Good, let them keep attacking. After all, we have the whole night, so no rush!"

Zhang Lang was quite satisfied with his strategy, his face brimming with confident command.

Today, after the trial had ended, he had Liu Xiaotao, under the alias Venom, publish Ghost’s location on every hacking forum and chatroom worldwide.

Suddenly, the entire hacker community was in an uproar.

Who is Ghost?

That’s the most mysterious figure in the whole hacking world, a person who comes and goes without a trace. No one expected that their address would be exposed like this.

Although Zhang Lang didn’t reveal Ghost’s true identity, as long as these hackers know the address, they’ll find clues in your device information, your every trail and trace, and finding out your true identity is definitely not a problem for a top-tier hacker.

So, throughout the evening, the hacker community was abuzz with activity, with several foreign hacker forces joining forces, ready to go after Ghost.

This led to intermittent network lag for the residents within Sifang Gate Street since the beginning; even their fuses were switching on and off occasionally, and household appliances, smart home systems, and other electronics started experiencing program errors and issues.

At first, the residents tried calling customer service of related authorities or lodged complaints with the manufacturers, but all they got was unclear explanations.

Later, their outgoing calls were all cut off, and even their phones lost signal.

They had no idea that an unprecedented, non-violent battle was unfolding right beside them.

And those erroneous programs were the ripples caused by the battle.

...

At Lin Mansion, second floor.

"Those two guys have finally made it!"

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s fingers were tapping rapidly on the keyboard, creating a sharp clicking sound, muttering under her breath.

"I’m connecting you guys now!"

As she spoke, her ten fingers fluttered over the keyboard in a dizzying array of commands.

On ten different computer screens, the faces of Liu Dashun and Zhu Erdan appeared on two of them.

"Hey hey hey, can you hear me, is Ghost there?"

"Lawyer Zhang, didn’t expect you to be here too?"

Both men had connected with Zhao Xiaoxiao, and upon seeing Zhang Wei standing nearby, they greeted him.

Zhang Wei just waved his hand and urgently asked, "Never mind me, focus on what you’re doing. What’s the situation now?"

"It’s not looking good, so many people have come, we can barely defend!"

"Which damn traitor leaked our IP address? I bet 50 bucks it was that bastard Venom. Damn it, I regret not punching him after the trial today, the traitor!"

Possibly due to the grim situation, Zhu Erdan cursed outright, his words filled with loathing for Liu Xiaotao.

"Ghost, how many waves of people have you fended off?"

"I don’t know, but I saw the defenses I built withstand 12 million attacks in the last five minutes, these people mean to crash my computer!"

"Damn, they’re copying your methods. But you use the world’s idle computers as your tools; they seem to be coming at us for real!"

"How many main source areas can you see?"

"About 200 areas!"

"So that means, there are a total of 200 groups attacking us over the network?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao next to Zhang Wei, as well as Zhu Erdan and Liu Dashun on the screens, all grew more solemn.

people versus 200 groups, this was an unequal battle.

"Never mind, we must hold the line even if it kills us, or we’re all done for!"

"Yes, we must hold on, or we’ll lose everything down to our underwear!"

Liu Dashun and Zhu Erdan displayed a spirit of recklessness, ready to go all out.

Zhao Xiaoxiao, although she said little, clenched her silver teeth, revealing a seriousness she had never shown before.

The three of them concentrated their energy intensely, setting aside all complexities and immersing themselves wholeheartedly in the virtual world.

The network time became a battlefield.

Zhao Xiaoxiao and her two companions transformed into three generals defending the city, commanding their scarce soldiers to build defense constructions.

Outside the city walls, there were hordes of troops from two different regions and armies.

Among them were elite knights, barbarians wielding blunt weapons, mages casting spells, assassins with blades, and even dragon knights who held long spears and rode dragons.

"Charge!"

With that command, the peculiar and disorganized rabble of a mixed army rushed towards the city walls.

The three generals defending the city, seeing this scenario, were somewhat fearful but still commanded their soldiers to construct the defenses in an orderly manner.

First were the outermost caltrops, which under the trampling of the large force, were almost entirely flattened.

Hidden within the caltrops were the pitfall traps filled with wooden spikes, which claimed a small front portion of the enemy’s troops.

Still, the cavalry’s charge continued, with the rest of the troops following up endlessly.

Next were the anti-cavalry stakes, rows of sharp wooden spikes laid out in front of the city walls, blocking the cavalry’s charge.

The horses wailed, the knights’ bodies were torn asunder, and another wave of the attack was halted.

At last, the cavalry charge weakened, and countless warhorses fell into the subsequent pitfall traps.

However, their corpses served as stepping stones for the rest of the troops, aiding the force behind to break through the obstacles.

The city walls were now within reach.

The only thing stopping them was the moat, but with a limited distance, many jumped into the river, ready to land.

In the sky, the dragon knights and on the ground, the mages, launched attacks on the soldiers atop the city walls.

Meanwhile, the barbarians and the soldiers brought out siege ladders and began ascending the walls.

Upon the city walls, the three generals, seeing this moment, prepared their subsequent moves.

Boiling oil, scalding water, molten metal, rolling stones, hurling logs, they all poured down like they cost nothing, blocking all the enemies attempting to scale the walls.

But the enemy forces attacking this time were too many, and the generals had limited soldiers under their command.

After fending off wave after wave of attacks, the enemy forces finally made it atop the city walls.

Seeing the dire situation, the three generals quickly led their soldiers to retreat to the inner walls while setting spike traps, blade carts, and multiple defensive constructions along the way.

While the enemy continued to slaughter the remaining defenders along the path, they also vigorously pursued the three generals.

The city’s defensive structures could only hold for a moment, buying the three generals a bit of time.

"We can’t hold them off anymore!"

One of the corpulent generals simply collapsed to the ground, adopting the attitude of lying flat and waiting for death.

His bloated armor was already battered, and his exhausted body seemed as though moving an inch might cost him his life.

"Fatty, don’t be like this, we have to hold them off even if we can’t!" another general quickly tried to pull the fatty up, but alas, he was too tired himself and couldn’t manage it.

"Get lost, get up now, every second we delay counts!"

The only female general kicked the fatty, finally forcing him to his feet.

Unfortunately, all three were utterly exhausted and clearly had no strength left to continue the fight.

And pursuing them was an overwhelming army; who knew what torments they would suffer if they were caught.

"Cackle cackle cackle..."

Just then, a ghastly howling suddenly erupted from the sky.

The smoky sky darkened abruptly.

Then a flock of black demons descended from the heavens, entering the army’s ranks with crushing momentum and began to slaughter the jumbled troops.

This group of demons all wore elite armor and wielded sharp magical weapons; they were clearly the elite among the elite.

Not only that, but although the army was numerous, they were tired after the prolonged siege assault.

These demons, however, were fully rested and their sudden attack caught the large army completely by surprise.

"What’s going on, we came here to deal with Ghost, why are you attacking us?"

"Cackle cackle, who told you all to be from foreign lands, haven’t you heard of the story where the sandpiper and the clam war with each other, the fisherman reaps the benefits?"

The leading demon, standing atop a mass of black clouds, sneered at the army below.

The demons charged into the midst of the fray, beginning their slaughter.

Once again, the scene became one-sided.

In just a few moments, the large force was killed off, leaving countless corpses on the battlefield.

Another fifteen minutes later, the army was finally eradicated by the demons, turned into resentful corpses that would forever remain on this battlefield.

Having slaughtered the large force, the leading demon then carried the might of overwhelming aura to right above the city.

"Ghost, you have been defeated, surrender yourselves!"

"Don’t even think about it!"

Facing a formidable enemy, the sole female general didn’t show any signs of fear, she confronted the monsters head-on, her face embodying the resolve of one ready to face death.

"If you don’t surrender, this will be your fate!"

The leading monster sneered and gestured towards the portly general.

"Huh?" The latter was taken aback; I haven’t offended anyone, why are you...

Before he could finish his complaint, he had already been pierced through the heart by a thousand arrows and fell to the ground, dead, after letting out a scream.

"Will you surrender or not?"

"Don’t even think about it!"

"Continue!"

With a wave of his hand, the leading monster ordered another general to be slain by a thousand arrows, who fell to the ground with an expression mingled with unwillingness and confusion, breathless.

"Ghost, now it’s only you left. If you don’t surrender, death is the only outcome!"

"Get lost, I’d rather die standing than live as a traitor!"

The monster leader, running out of patience with the unwilling female general, was about to wave his hand to order his minions to execute her.

"Stop it..."

But just at that moment, a majestic power swept through the air, and a celestial chant echoed through the skies.

"Who!" The monster leader looked up to the sky to see a golden figure, colossal as a mountain, standing in this world, its head bowed as it looked down at him.

The city walls in front of it barely reached the tips of its toes, a mere toy, and the monsters inside the city were as insignificant as ants.

"Who are you!"

"You should not have disturbed the innocent civilians, and you should not have provoked me!"

The golden figure didn’t waste words. The golden hammer in its hand was slowly lifted, and then smashed down onto the city walls with tremendous force.

Boom!

The world seemed to have been struck by a meteor from beyond the heavens, the ground shuddered mightily, and the earth and sky both crumbled.

The shockwaves swept over everything, whether it was the monster leader or the female general, whether it was the city or the corpses, all turned into dust, dispersed into nothingness.

This battle ended thus, due to the intervention of the mysterious figure.

...

Real world.

Inside a rental building.

"Impossible, impossible, who was that last person, who managed to wipe us all out in an instant!"

Zhang Lang couldn’t believe what he was seeing on the screen, but his computer had already completely crashed, the screen was a mess, no matter how he tried to operate it, there was no response.

Not just him, all his subordinates downstairs, and even Venom, sitting in front of him, were utterly bewildered.

Just now, it felt like they had been intercepted by some mysterious person.

Originally, according to their plan, they would let foreign hackers attack Ghost and then take advantage of the turmoil—not only would they be able to wipe out the incoming hackers, but they could also force Ghost into a corner.

Everything had been going according to plan until that final step—to wipe out the defending Ghost.

But unexpectedly, a remarkably powerful figure appeared at the last moment, annihilating them all in a flash.

Of course, they were wiped out within the virtual world, the real world remained unaffected.

But their operation had now failed, and even their equipment was completely ruined.

Zhang Lang’s face was extremely ugly, and he harbored a deep grudge against that last person who had acted.

"Who on earth is this guy, to be able to annihilate so many of us in an instant!"

His subordinates, naturally, had no answer; who would know who that person was? But that person was certainly a master among masters, even a supreme master!

"Wait, that person left a network signature!" Just then, Liu Xiaotao’s previously dead computer, displayed a line of code.

"What signature, who is he!" Zhang Lang’s countenance grew fierce as he hurriedly asked.

"The signature is ’Blacksmith’!"

"Blacksmith?"

Zhang Lang muttered to himself, then his pupils contracted violently.

"It’s actually him, the legendary Blacksmith, that guy who’s been missing for so many years?"

Liu Xiaotao stared fixedly at the code on the computer screen, but as the screen flickered, the code began to fade, until eventually disappearing completely.

The only trace left by that individual was erased.

"So that was the Blacksmith, huh... That’s just too powerful..."

Whether it was Liu Xiaotao or Zhang Lang’s subordinates, after witnessing this scene, all of them were filled with a sense of dread.

This is what it means to be a true master!