"You need to up your game, KeymonSTER. You have the ability but not enough confidence."
These words were forever imprinted in Hou Liang's mind. This was Drakon's first message to him when he hacked and improved the Black Stars' website. Ever since then, Hou Liang thought about these words every single day to the point that it became his mantra.
Indeed, it was true. He didn't really have that much confidence in his abilities. He had big dreams but thought that his skills weren't enough to make them come true.
But Drakon's message planted a seed of hope inside him. Did he really have the ability? Can he really up his game?
All these wonderings were useless without action, so he immersed himself in trying to improve his skills. When Drakon caused worldwide chaos with his hacking exploits, the seed of hope inside Hou Liang turned into determination.
He wanted to be like Drakon: brazen, confident and unapologetic.
If he continued to be hesitant and afraid of risks, then he would remain the same for the rest of his life. That was why he took the chance and went for it with all he got.
Just like Drakon, he caused chaos but this time among the prominent families in the country. He already sensed that Drakon was somehow connected to Iris Long. He figured that if he did something related to Iris Long, Drakon would notice him. Armed with new determination to prove himself, he performed his biggest hacking exploit so far.
The result? He immediately became a wanted man in the country. It was a weird a feeling.
On one hand, he was frightened. He didn't want to be a criminal. What if he got caught? He didn't want to go to prison. Despite being a hacker, he was still just a normal guy.
What was more, he accomplished his main objective. The infamous hacker, Drakon, noticed him.
Drakon sent him a message.
"Let's meet."
Hou Liang was so stunned that he froze. He stood unmoving and unthinking for a few minutes before he regained his senses.
The two hackers briefly chatted with each other. They arranged a meeting for the next day.
The next morning, a car picked Hou Liang up from his apartment. Seeing the expensive car and the tough and stoic man who picked him up, he was impressed once again by Drakon.
Excitement coursed through his entire body as he sat at the backseat. He could barely sit still. He imagined what Drakon would look like. Was he even Chinese? He really didn't know what to expect. Drakon was such a mystery.
They reached an affluent urban area and slowed down in front of a building called Gold Heights Condominium. The car drove into a private underground parking area.
Hou Liang followed the man to an elevator. As the elevator moved up, he became more and more nervous. He started sweating. However, he also couldn't wait to meet Drakon.
The elevator door opened. They stepped out of the elevator into a large, elegant unit. A familiar young man greeted him.
"Hello, Mr. Hou!"
"Hello…" He accepted the handshake. He felt like he had met the guy before, but he just couldn't remember him.
"Welcome! We've been expecting you, Mr. Hou. My name is Dominic Chua, Miss Iris Long's assistant. Boss—I mean Miss Long is waiting for you. Please follow me."
Hou Liang finally remembered. He finally recognized the young man from the launch party. Then he frowned. "Wait…"
"Yes?"
"Uhm…I'm not here to see Iris—I mean Miss Long. I think there's a mistake. I'm here to meet someone else."
"Eh? That's weird. Miss Long informed me that she's expecting you today. How about you meet her first and ask her?"
Hou Liang was still frowning but he reluctantly agreed. He followed the assistant to a large library filled with books in several languages. However, he saw no one inside. The assistant continued walking and then stopped in front of a nondescript door. At first glance, it looked like it was a part of the wall, except that it had a knob and a state of the art password lock.
"Hello, boss? Your guest has arrived. We're outside the door."
Two seconds later, the door opened by itself.
"Please enter."
"By myself?" Hou Liang asked.
"Yes. I'm not allowed to enter this room. Don't worry. Miss Long is waiting for you inside."
'Oh, I see. Maybe Drakon is inside with Iris. That's why this assistant is not allowed to enter,' Hou Liang thought. 'So my theory that Iris knows Drakon is true.'
"Okay. Thanks," he said.
"You're welcome!"
Hou Liang entered the room. The door silently closed behind him. He stopped in his tracks and stared, stupefied, at the sight before him.
There were computers everywhere. He estimated that there were more than fifty. His heart raced inside his chest. He didn't recognize most of them because they were unbranded, but he knew that they were top-notch in just a single glance. For the ones he recognized, he felt himself drooling.
"What the f*ck is this place?"
This was his dream computer room and more! As expected of Drakon! His respect for the hacker increased even more.
Finally, he noticed Iris sitting in front of a multi-computer station. The set-up looked like the cockpit of a spaceship. It was super cool. He hurried towards her.
"Hey, Iris…" He greeted her awkwardly. "Where's Drakon? I don't see him here. Is he coming?"
However, she ignored him. Hou Liang felt even more awkward, but then his attention was drawn to her super-fast fingers on the keyboard. Then he looked at the multiple screens in front of them. It only took him a couple of seconds to recognize what she was doing.
She was hacking!
So Iris was a hacker too. As he continued to observe, however, he finally realized what was going on. Once again, he was completely stunned. He stared at Iris like she was monster.
"F*ck me! You're Drakon?!"