Michael had accelerated time by a thousand times, which meant that the entire world, including Elizabeth, was now moving a thousand times slower.
He had no choice but to do so in order to win this challenge.
Michael's expression was calm, with no hesitation or moral qualms. He fixed his gaze on her collar, through the black lace he could faintly see her pale skin and the soft curve of her neck, a faint sweet scent reaching him, as if it were carried through the air.
He took a deep breath, "It was you who left it there."
As he spoke, his hand broke the stillness and reached toward her collar. The soft sensation of her skin immediately sent a jolt to his fingertips.
Michael's breath quickened slightly, but his face remained impassive. His fingers, like an exploration team entering a narrow opening, began to search within the confined space. In just a second, Michael's hand emerged, a piece of paper held between his two fingers.
"Got it." he muttered as he unfolded the note. Elizabeth's handwriting was artistic, fluid, and beautiful.
He quickly read through all the answers and memorized them in a matter of seconds.
"That's it…" A flicker of triumph flashed in his eyes. He was about to sit back down when he suddenly froze. "Wait, I need to put the note back."
He carefully folded the paper back to its original shape and, once again, in full view of the café's patrons, reached his hand into her collar. After a brief fumble, he placed it back under her lingerie.
Michael pulled his hand back, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. "Done."
He quickly returned to his seat and deactivated Time Acceleration. The thousandfold acceleration meant that every second cost him a thousand seconds of his life. So Michael had to move quickly.
He completed everything within half a minute, but that was eight hours of his life gone in the blink of an eye.
As Michael settled into his seat, resuming the posture he had before activating the acceleration, the frozen world around him was instantly shattered. Sitting across from him, Elizabeth suddenly felt a faint flush spread across her face. She silently gasped, an inexplicable sensation stirring in her chest.
She looked down, her eyes cautious and uneasy. She glanced up at Michael, who remained motionless in front of his computer, his head never lifting. Only his hands continued to tap away at the keys.
Strange... Elizabeth thought to herself, then turned her gaze to her phone, watching the final ten-minute countdown slowly ticking away.
When the timer reached zero, she turned to Michael with a slightly mocking tone: "It's over. Time's up. Where's your answer, Mr. Hacker?"
Upon hearing this, Michael paused his fingers. His gaze shifted away from the computer screen, his expression calm and unyielding, as he spoke in a composed tone, "Is that so? Time really flies, doesn't it?"
There was no emotion in his tone.
Elizabeth said, "Stop playing tricks. Hurry up, have you found the answers?"
"Please pass me the notebook. I've already found all the answers on my computer. In fact, I know all about you now. So, the ten questions you asked, I've already figured them out." Michael said, his voice steady and full of confidence.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, a flicker of uncertainty passing through her. "I hope you understand that if you're just being stubborn, that kind of behavior will only make your best-case scenario seem pathetic." She picked up the notebook and pen, handing them to him.
Michael took the pen confidently, then began to write his answers in the notebook. Elizabeth's eyes followed his movements. The more he wrote, the stronger the sense of unease grew inside her.
It all seemed so unreal, almost disturbingly realistic, making it hard to tell what was real and what wasn't.
As Elizabeth's mind raced, Michael put the pen down, having completed all ten answers. He rotated the notebook 180 degrees and pushed it toward her. "Take a look."
Elizabeth's mind kept insisting that there was no way he could have found the answers—absolutely no way.
However, as she took the notebook and saw the information on the pages, her expression froze. Her pupils contracted, and her breath became shallow and rapid.
"So, how about it? Want to take a look at the answers? Let's make it public." Michael said calmly, his voice brimming with undeniable confidence.
Elizabeth's hands remained still as she slowly lifted her head. Her gaze almost vacant as she stared at Michael. Her fingers trembled slightly, and her face was filled with disbelief.
"Oh? Looks like that's unnecessary now." Michael's expression remained neutral as he observed her reaction, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Did I win?"
Elizabeth's voice trembled. "H-how did you do it?"
"I told you, I'm stronger than you. The results speak for themselves." Michael met her gaze, his eyes deep and unwavering. "You wanted a superior employer, didn't you?"
Elizabeth's body tensed. She suddenly felt a chill, a sense of fear creeping in from the look in his eyes.
His presence seemed to have shifted. He had been a meek, ordinary person just moments ago. But now, he seemed like an enigmatic figure. Someone much greater than he had appeared.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. The silence stretched on After a long pause, she finally parted her lips. Her voice low and almost inaudible: "What do you want me to do?"
"What is our relationship now?" Michael countered, his gaze still fixed on her.
A brief flash of struggle crossed Elizabeth's face, but she quickly raised her head, took a deep breath, and said firmly, "You're my employer now, sir. Please, tell me what you want me to do."
At this, Michael finally smiled in satisfaction. All his efforts and sacrifices had led to this moment, and he had succeeded.
"My name is Michael. Here's my number." He smiled again and handed her a piece of paper with his contact details. "Give me your contact information. There's no task at the moment, but I'll be in touch. Also, I need your address, so I can reach you whenever I need to. Remember, you're my personal hacker now."
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. "Understood."
Michael extended his hand, and Elizabeth, almost instinctively, reached out to shake it. But just as her hand was about to meet his, he lifted his hand and patted her on the head.
"See you later, Nightshade."
With that, Michael grabbed his computer and walked out.
Elizabeth could only stand there, staring at his broad back as he disappeared through the café door.
Her expression was a mixture of emotions, and inside, her thoughts churned violently, her mind still unsettled long after.
After leaving the café, Michael drove on his way back to Anya's house.
It had been a highly rewarding day. Not only had he gained five years of life from Dale, but he had also convinced a truly legendary private hacker to work for him!
Now, he was in a position to accomplish even more. It was time to move on to the next phase of his plan. In Michael's mind, a clear blueprint was taking shape.
First, he needed to strengthen his power. The first step was to fully understand his own capabilities. He needed to gain a thorough understanding of the underground world of Lobauerguang City.
Once back at his home, he locked the door to his room. The first thing Michael did was send Elizabeth a message: "I need all the information about the underworld in Lobauerguang City."
Elizabeth replied almost instantly: "Understood."
Michael then poured himself a cup of coffee and waited patiently for Elizabeth's intel.
About half an hour later, Elizabeth sent over a detailed report, which she had compiled herself.
Michael looked over it with a satisfied smile. "As expected from a top-tier hacker. Her professionalism is impeccable. With her on my side, things are so much easier."
He then began reading through the report. Thanks to it, he now had a comprehensive understanding of the history and current status of the major crime families in the city.
His expression grew serious. "So, the two biggest families are the Cahill Family and the Valenti Family. The others are just small fry. They've divided the city into north and south, standing in opposition to each other. Although there had always been some friction between them, they maintained a facade of peace, existing in a state where each side kept to its own territory."
"Because of this, the balance of power in Lobauerguang City has been maintained for many years. But recently, Valenti has taken the initiative. It seems likely that the turmoil within the Cahill Family has stirred up their greed..." Michael interlaced his fingers and fell into deep thought.
He didn't care about Cahill's fate emotionally. They were just one of his tools.
"Originally, I thought having Cahill under control would be enough for Lobauerguang City. But now it seems that, with the two major families sharing power, if I only had Cahill's support, I wouldn't be able to do whatever I wanted." Michael muttered to himself, his gaze firming. "It looks like I'll need to make contact with the Valenti Family as well."