"Did something happen?" Constantine asked.
"Uh, no, nothing," Victoria replied, unsure of what to say. She couldn't possibly admit that she had been chatting with someone who she thought was Constantine in the terminal chat room. If she did, Constantine would probably go mad. It would be a disgrace for Europe's strongest hacker to have their ID stolen without noticing.
But that night, it really had been Constantine. Otherwise, the encrypted terminal chat room would have reacted to any intrusion. Victoria was perplexed. Could a hacker really bypass three layers of defenses without leaving a trace? What kind of power and techniques would that require? Could such a hacker even exist in this world?
A shiver ran down Victoria's spine. The legendary Queen's reappearance seemed to be connected to that person.
Leon Chen suppressed his excitement and opened the web page.
The site contained only a single image of the Queen of Spades playing card and nothing else.
Leon examined the website, focusing on the Queen of Spades. His intuition told him something was off.
He decided to delve into data manipulation.
"Translate the information on this card!"
The screen shifted, the symbols on the Queen of Spades magnified into a flurry of numbers. These numbers danced across the screen before resolving into a single line of data, containing a URL.
Leon immediately understood that this website was a decoy.
The real challenge was hidden within the Queen of Spades card. To accept the Queen's challenge, one had to decode the card. The program embedded in the card was ingeniously designed. Even with data manipulation, it took some time to decipher it. For other hackers, figuring out this secret, let alone cracking it, would be a daunting task.
Anyone who could uncover this hidden information was undoubtedly among the top-tier hackers.
Queen's initial greeting already set her apart from other hackers, clearly displaying her superior skill.
Leon was now certain that this was indeed the legendary Queen.
Upon entering the specified website, a massive DDOS attack bombarded Leon's computer.
"Abermann's minefield webpage??" Leon cursed under his breath.
The Abermann's minefield webpage was initially created by a US cyber security expert named Abermann. Essentially, it packaged junk data into a bomb that would unleash a DDOS attack when triggered, overwhelming the target's server in an instant.
However, creating a minefield web page wasn't simple. Data packaging and program compatibility were significant issues, and the intricate design of each program component was crucial. A single mistake could allow hackers to turn the bomb against its creator. In its early days, the minefield web page trapped countless hackers, even top-tier ones, earning it the nickname "minefield."
Queen's version of the minefield web page was even more formidable than Abermann's original. Not only was the data overwhelming, but it also had the ability to infinitely reproduce and regenerate junk data, transforming a one-time bomb into a reusable weapon. The only limitation was that the web page had to be a blank canvas. She had also addressed many of the original minefield's vulnerabilities.
No wonder she was considered an idol among hackers.
Leon admired her ingenuity.
Unfortunately for Queen, Abermann's minefield webpage had a critical weakness: hardware configuration. Queen's luck was unfortunate as Leon's holographic computer's specs could make even supercomputers feel inferior. After the initial DDOS attack, his computer merely entered a temporary stasis, giving Leon the perfect opportunity.
"Clear this junk data and scan for vulnerabilities."
The computer executed the command flawlessly.
Leon effortlessly cracked the web page's chaotic encryption and moved on to the armored firewall of the server.
He could have commanded the firewall to ignore his presence, but that would have been too conspicuous, especially with Queen likely monitoring his every move.
Queen was no ordinary fifth-generation computer. Leon wasn't confident she wouldn't notice something amiss. Thus, he proceeded cautiously, using traditional hacking methods.
He attacked the firewall using "zombie" computers. Even the most advanced matrix firewalls could be breached this way.
After breaking through the firewall, Leon faced another layer. Unlike the first, which filtered junk data, this one had anti-intrusion capabilities.
Leon smiled and ordered, "Scan this firewall for backdoors!"
No program was flawless, not even one designed by Queen. Upon analyzing the firewall, Leon couldn't help but admire Queen's imaginative design.
The firewall consisted of seven layers, each unique. What was truly terrifying was a cleverly hidden program within these layers.
This program, disguised among the data flow, recorded the entire hacking process, analyzing it quietly. It tracked and logged the hacker's methods and weaknesses.
In essence, the seven-layer firewall was a ruse to understand the enemy. By the time a hacker breached all seven layers, Queen would have gathered all the necessary data on their techniques, style, and flaws.
Once inside the server, the hacker would be swiftly eliminated.
This woman's mind was strong, rivaling even that of the "witch."
Leon chuckled.
However, Queen hadn't anticipated Leon bypassing the firewall through a backdoor. Even she couldn't foresee someone instantly identifying and exploiting the firewall's vulnerabilities. Such a hacker would defy conventional understanding.
Unfortunately for Queen, XO was precisely such a hacker.
When Leon successfully infiltrated the server, the waiting Queen was caught off guard. This unexpected turn of events stunned her for several seconds, allowing Leon to seize the moment and establish top-level access.
"XOKO!!"
All data streams halted instantly. Leon sensed Queen had stopped her attack. He didn't kick her out of the server because it wasn't necessary. To outsiders, this might appear as a confrontation, but to Leon, it felt more like a devious transaction.
As Leon pondered how to converse with the Queen from ten years ago, he noticed the admin account name and froze.
"Princess!"
Not the Queen???
Leon was bewildered.
Before he could react, the other party sent a message.
"XO, I've long admired your name! Incredible, breaching a military-grade firewall so quickly. I must say, I'm in awe."
"Queen, you're my idol," Leon replied. "It's an honor to meet you." He didn't question the name "Princess," suspecting that the secret agreement between Red Country and the White House a decade ago was true. Perhaps that was why this name was used.
Upon reflection, "Queen" was a title given by later generations because of the Queen of Spades. Her real name was unknown.
Wait a minute, Leon thought, staring at the name "Princess."
Princess?
Grace Wang!
No way...