Zark woke up with a dull ache pounding in his head, remnants of the hangover from the celebration the previous night. He rubbed his temples, slowly getting out of bed and making his way to the shop. The morning sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting a soft glow over the cluttered space.
As Zark stepped into the main area, he found Jerry sitting at the small table, nursing a cup of coffee, while Rommel was perched on a chair near the door, gazing out at the street with a cigarette in hand.
"Morning," Zark mumbled, still shaking off the last traces of sleep.
Jerry glanced up and took a sip of his coffee before asking, "Are you ready?"
Zark met Jerry's gaze, understanding the question immediately.
"Yeah," he answered quickly, a determined tone in his voice.
Hearing Zark's response, Rommel stubbed out his cigarette and got up from his seat. He moved to the back of the shop, gathering various equipment and tools.
"Let's get started then," he said, setting the gear on the table.
The shop remained closed for the day. Jerry and Rommel were about to teach Zark the basics of hardware hacking. With the door locked and the sign flipped to "Closed," they began.
"Alright, Zark," Jerry said, clapping his hands together.
"Hardware hacking is more than just code and scripts. It's about understanding the physical components and exploiting them. Today, we'll try different techniques so you can get a feel for it."
Zark listened attentively as Rommel laid out several devices, including old routers, network switches, and even a few discarded laptops.
"The goal here is to manipulate the hardware to gain access," Rommel explained.
"We'll start with something simple—router hacking."
For the next few hours, Jerry and Rommel demonstrated various ways to bypass hardware-level security measures. They showed Zark how to use a JTAG interface to connect to a device's internal components and how to extract firmware from a router to uncover hidden vulnerabilities. They also explored using serial ports to gain administrative access to locked-down systems.
As the day wore on, they moved on to more challenging tasks, such as injecting malicious code into compromised hardware. Rommel taught Zark how to solder tiny connections on a circuit board, while Jerry explained the significance of each step.
"You see," Jerry said as he pointed at the circuit board, "hardware hacking isn't just about breaking in. It's about understanding how these machines work at the most basic level and finding creative ways to make them do what you want."
Zark tried to keep up, his hands shaky as he attempted to solder a wire onto a small chip. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he struggled with the delicate task. His concentration was broken by Rommel's voice.
"Take it easy," Rommel said with a reassuring grin.
"You'll get used to it. Nobody gets it right the first time."
The process continued well into the afternoon. Zark found himself exhausted by the end, his muscles sore from the unfamiliar physical work. It was nothing like the keyboard-bound world of coding he was used to.
"This is tougher than I expected," Zark admitted, wiping his brow as he put down the soldering iron.
Jerry chuckled softly.
"You'll get used to it," he said.
"Just like anything else, it takes time and practice. You're doing well for someone who spends most of their time behind a screen."
The entire day was spent focused on Zark's training, with the shop staying closed to avoid any distractions. By the time evening rolled around, the three of them gathered in the kitchen for dinner. As they ate together, Zark found himself feeling a sense of gratitude for the hands-on experience. It was different from his usual work, but it was knowledge he realized could come in handy for future missions.
After dinner, they retired to their respective rooms. But Zark wasn't quite ready to sleep yet. As he sat at his desk, his thoughts drifted back to his true expertise—exploit development. Determined to hone his skills further, he dove back into his work, reviewing new vulnerabilities and crafting more sophisticated scripts. He knew that with each passing day, he was getting better, but there was still so much to learn.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months as Zark continued his routine. He spent his mornings training with Jerry and Rommel, learning the intricacies of hardware manipulation, and his nights working on exploit development, deepening his understanding of software vulnerabilities. Sometimes, the shop would open for business, but there were days when they kept it closed, focusing solely on Zark's training.
Nine months passed in this manner, and Zark had grown accustomed to the demanding schedule. His skills in hardware hacking had improved significantly, and his exploit development abilities had reached new levels of sophistication.
One morning, as the shop was closed and they were preparing for another day of training, there was a knock at the door. Standing outside was a man dressed in a Meralco uniform, holding a small envelope.
"Delivery," the man said, handing the envelope to Jerry.
Jerry's brows furrowed as he glanced at the envelope. It was addressed to Zark, not a bill as he had expected. Intrigued, he knocked on Zark's door, waking him from a deep sleep.
"Zark, there's something here for you," Jerry said, holding out the envelope.
Zark sat up, still groggy from sleep.
"What is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"It's a letter," Jerry replied, handing it over.
"And it's addressed to you. But I have to say, it's strange… The only one who knows you're here is Jojo."
Zark took the envelope, his curiosity piqued. As he tore it open, he found himself wondering what new challenge or twist was awaiting him. The months of training had made him stronger, but he had a feeling this letter would be the beginning of something that would truly put his skills to the test.