Chapter 387

The study filled with the frantic clatter of keyboards as Shanley and Juniper typed furiously.
At one point, Juniper glanced up at Shanley. He was fast, she had to give him that. He had the makings of a top-tier hacker for Binary Oracle.
Shanley, in turn, stole a look at her. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, a blur of motion. She was a natural. With a little training, she could easily take the top spot at Cybernetic Shadows.
Ten minutes later, both their systems crashed, heavily infiltrated by the other. It was a draw.
“That psycho”, Shanley thought, stopping his work.
“That old relic”, Juniper fumed, closing her game.
They stood up at the same time.
“Finished with work?” Juniper asked.
“Done with your game?” Shanley countered.
“Yeah.”
“Mm-hmm.”
They looked at each other, neither suspecting a thing, and walked downstairs together, shoulder to shoulder. All that fighting had made them hungry.
Soon after, news came from Binary Oracle confirming that Juniper’s second brother was indeed in Australis and still alive. Jimmie called again.
“I know,” Shanley said into the phone, his expression grim. “Right. Offer Binary Oracle more money to put in extra effort. I tried getting into their system myself and failed.”
That psycho’s skills had improved dramatically; even he couldn’t breach her defenses now, which meant his own team members stood no chance. Without getting past Australis’s firewall, they couldn’t access the detailed records they needed.
“I seem to recall the annual Hacker Competition is coming up soon,” Jimmie said, failing to suppress a laugh. “You know what they say, man shouldn’t trip over the same stone… four times, right? If you lose again, it won’t just be Cybernetic Shadows’ reputation on the line. You might lose your girl too.”
“I’m competing myself this year,” Shanley declared, his face a mask of cold resolve.
He gritted his teeth, his voice a low growl.
For the past three competitions, he’d been preoccupied with fighting that old relic from Binary Oracle over overseas markets and financial
dominance, leaving the tourname
to his subordinates But this year to win Juniper over, he would enter the ring himself. He still couldn’t figure out what her problem was with Cybernetic Shadows. Why did she hate them so much? The uncertainty hung over his head like a sword.
“The leader of Binary Oracle is a tough nut to crack. I look forward to hearing good news,” Jimmie said with a grin. “By the way, I heard Juniper is teaching the vice
president of the Orient Country Medical Association?”
His sister, a high school student,
teaching a medical vice president? It sounded absurd. But then he remembered she was a top student, a race car driver, a jewelry designer, a dance prodigy… being skilled in medicine didn’t seem so far fetched. As siblings, why was there such huge difference in their abilities? It was like the girl was powered by magic.
“Yes,” Shanley replied, his face darkening at the mention of the man. “And his intentions are not pure. He’s trying to make a move on Juniper.”
“I thought the association’s president was an old friend of your grandfather’s. The person he recommended shouldn’t be like that Jimmie frowned, his interest in Harold piqued.
“He knows Juniper likes cilantro and mangoes, and claims he likes them too,” Shanley said, his voice low and tight, each word forced out. “Besides Juniper, I’ve never met anyone who eats cilantro like it’s a main course.”