The city outside was calm under the midnight glow, but inside Jackson's apartment, the air hummed with tension.
His screens lit up, each flashing red notifications.
> [System Alert]
"Multiple Advanced Intrusions Detected."
"Origin: Syndicate Black Net Clusters."
"Threat Level: High."
---
The syndicate wasn't sending amateurs this time.
Jackson's eyes remained calm, his fingers moving across the keyboard with practiced precision.
---
The Attack
The syndicate had launched a multi-vector attack:
✅ Zero-day exploits in open-source modules
✅ Sophisticated phishing payloads on associated developer accounts
✅ Simultaneous DDoS pulses to overwhelm nodes
It was an assault designed to flush out MASTEROFWORLD's real IP and force a vulnerability.
But Jackson was prepared.
---
> "You're good."
> "But I'm better."
---
Counter-Hack: Controlled Chaos
Jackson activated mirror sandbox environments to redirect the attacks into isolated clusters.
Lines of code flickered:
✅ He slipped traceback packets into the returning fire, following them through compromised routers.
✅ He deployed malware honeypots, capturing the attackers' payload signatures.
✅ He mirrored part of his traffic through Guardian Clinic test servers set in Africa, using them as decoys.
---
The attackers saw doors opening.
They rushed in.
---
Jackson's calm eyes glinted, "Welcome."
---
In the background, the System mapped the attackers' infrastructure, revealing:
Their control servers in Eastern Europe
Proxy chains in Southeast Asia
Crypto wallet addresses linked to dark pools
---
> [System Notification]
"Critical Node Identified: Syndicate Command Server."
Jackson exhaled, steady and focused.
> "Got you."
---
Campus: The Day After
Morning came, the tension of the night replaced by the calm dawn.
Jackson walked across the campus grounds, his breathing even, posture steady, as if nothing had happened.
Salena spotted him outside the engineering building, jogging lightly to catch up.
"You look… focused today," she remarked, her eyes searching his face.
Jackson gave a faint smile. "Handled something last night."
Salena tilted her head. "And?"
"It's handled," he said simply.
Her eyes narrowed, a hint of curiosity flickering, but she let it drop, matching his pace.
---
Lab Session: Sparks Fly
In Professor Mason's lab, they resumed their Guardian Clinic testing, side-by-side in front of dual screens.
Salena paused, glancing at Jackson. "You're hiding something."
Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"
"You're too calm for a normal person," she murmured.
Jackson's fingers paused on the keyboard before continuing. "Calm is efficient."
---
Their eyes met, holding for a moment longer than necessary, the hum of the lab around them.
A small smile curved Salena's lips. "Strange."
Jackson's lips lifted faintly. "I get that a lot."
---
Guardian Clinic Expansion
Guardian Clinic continued to gain traction:
✅ Small clinics in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria deployed its ransomware protection modules.
✅ Jackson used feedback to refine the system further, focusing on lightweight deployment for low-bandwidth areas.
At night, encrypted messages arrived:
> "You saved us."
"Guardian Clinic stopped a crypto locker attempt yesterday."
"Thank you, whoever you are."
Jackson read each one, his chest tightening with a quiet satisfaction.
---
Sentinel Africa: Progress
Meanwhile, Sentinel Africa advanced rapidly.
Jackson finalized:
✅ A cybersecurity hub in Nairobi for live monitoring of African healthcare networks.
✅ Mercenary security contracts with regional partners for safe convoy transport of medical supplies and tech hardware.
✅ Recruitment of local ex-military and cybersecurity trainees, offering competitive wages to create loyalty and regional goodwill.
---
> [System Notification]
"Sentinel Africa: Activation Timeline – 75 Days Remaining."
Jackson reviewed the reports with a cup of coffee in hand, sunrise reflecting on the glass panels of his apartment.
---
Night Crisis: Syndicate Escalation
Three days later, the syndicate struck again.
This time, they launched a targeted spear-phishing attack on Salena, hoping to find a link to Jackson.
Salena, working late on her tablet in her dorm, clicked an attachment labeled "Lab Results." Her system froze, the screen flickering.
"Damn it…" she whispered.
---
At that moment, Jackson's system pinged.
> [System Alert]
"Associated Device Compromised: Salena Gate."
His eyes sharpened.
He accessed her device remotely using a backdoor he had placed to protect her months ago.
Jackson saw the malware's attempts to link to syndicate servers, pulling data and attempting to install ransomware.
> "Not on my watch."
---
His fingers flew across the keyboard.
He deployed a clean kill script, isolating and wiping the malware while simultaneously inserting a ghost ping back to the syndicate's node.
---
Meanwhile, Salena watched in confusion as her screen flickered, then returned to normal.
A text popped up on her device:
> "Be careful. –J"
She stared at it, realizing who it was, her heart pounding.
---
Confrontation Under the Stars
Later that night, Jackson found her waiting by the lake.
Salena turned as he approached, her eyes wide, mixed with relief and anger.
"You hacked my system," she accused softly.
Jackson stopped, hands in his pockets, the moonlight catching in his calm eyes. "I protected you."
She glared, tears brimming. "You don't get to decide that!"
Jackson stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "I do when you're targeted because of me."
---
Silence.
The lake rippled softly under the moonlight.
---
Salena's anger faded as her shoulders slumped. "Who are you, Jackson?"
Jackson looked at her, a softness in his eyes rarely seen. "Someone who's trying to protect what's important."
Their eyes met, and the world around them seemed to fade.
---
Salena stepped forward, pressing her forehead against his chest, her hands trembling. Jackson hesitated before gently resting a hand on her back.
For a moment, the calm power he always held transferred to her, steadying her storm.
---
The Counterstrike
Back in his apartment, Jackson sat before his screens, Salena's scent still faintly on his shirt, his mind calm and focused.
> "Time to send a message."
He launched a precision attack using the ghost ping from Salena's device.
---
Within hours, syndicate command servers:
✅ Were infiltrated
✅ Cryptocurrency wallets emptied
✅ Control nodes corrupted with data wipes
✅ Surveillance logs erased
Jackson left a single message on their network:
> "MASTEROFWORLD. Do not touch what is mine."
---
Wealth Expansion: Position Gains
While defending, Jackson's 50M short futures positions began to pay off.
The market, shaken by unexpected inflation reports and a sudden tech correction, dropped sharply.
Jackson watched his dashboards calmly:
> +15M gains… +22M… +28M…
By the end of the week, he had earned 35M profit, pushing his total wealth to Level 1 ceiling: 99M.
---
> [System Notification]
"Wealth Level Up Approaching: Prepare for Level 2."
---
Ending Hook: The Syndicate's Threat
As dawn broke, Jackson received a single encrypted message:
> "You have made enemies, MASTEROFWORLD. We will find you."
Jackson sipped his coffee, eyes reflecting the rising sun.
> "Let them try."
---
[End of Chapter 7]