Max didn't waste time as he headed towards the city center mountain.
In front of the mountain, Max released Lucy.
"alright Lu, just take control over it, find me a cave or something to stay in. And immediately leave your mountain state."
Max didn't want Lucy to stay in her mountain form for long, not in this mountain, it was in the middle of the city, and who knows what kind of powerhouse is walking the streets in flip flops.
Max didn't want to take the risk of Lucy being discovered, so she would only enter her mountain form when they're about to make a move.
'ok' responded Lucy as she started taking control over the mountain.
.....
Not long later Max sat cross legged in a cave located up the mountain, his super phone glowing faintly in the dim light.
With Lucy enjoying her new series on the laptop, while the crows behind her.
The bunch didn't like drama but they had to watch it because Lucy simply refused to play anything else.
Max ignored them and focused on his phone. "AI, start a simple cyber attack on the Atyai family business, and show me possible kidnapping targets from the family, someone they will be willing to ransom."
The cave around him was quiet, the only sound the soft hum of the AI working tirelessly.
The AI delt with the simplest task first, as a list of high profile targets from the Atyai family was in front of Max in no time.
....
[Initiating cyberattack protocols...] the AI's voice chimed, calm and robotic. [Targeting Atyai family businesses... disguising origin as random hackers...]
Max watched as lines of code scrolled across the screen, his expression calm but focused. The AI was infiltrating the Atyai family's financial networks, targeting their businesses, bank accounts, and investments.
"Make it look convincing," Max said, his voice low. "But don't overdo it."
[Understood,] the AI replied. [Simulating hacker activity...]
Max leaned back, a small smile playing on his lips.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
...
The Atyai estate was in chaos.
Servants scurried through the halls, their faces pale with worry. In the grand study, the family head, an old man with sharp eyes and a calculating demeanor, sat at his desk, his expression dark.
"Explain this to me again," he said, his voice cold and commanding.
A young man in a suit, one of the family's financial advisors, stood before him, sweating profusely. "Sir, it appears we've been targeted by hackers. They've infiltrated our systems, freezing several accounts and disrupting our business operations. We're still assessing the damage, but it's... significant."
The family head leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled. "Hackers," he repeated, his tone dripping with skepticism. "Random hackers, you say?"
"Y-yes, sir," the advisor stammered. "Our cybersecurity team is working to trace the source, but so far, they've found nothing conclusive."
The old man's eyes narrowed. "Nothing conclusive," he muttered. "How convenient."
The old man dismissed the financial advisor, as he was left alone in the study deep in thoughts.
The situation gave him a bad feeling, and he was nothing but decisive and Without hésitation he pulled his phone and called a strange number...
The conversation couldn't be heard, even though the family head lips were moving, obviously he was using some concealment skill or item.
One can notice that even with the family head's stoic appearance, his hand holding the phone were shaking a little.
...
Later that evening, the Atyai family gathered in the estate's grand hall. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with unease.
The family head stood at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over the assembled members. "As you all know," he began, his voice calm but firm, "we have been targeted by a cyberattack. Our businesses are under siege, and our finances are at risk."
A murmur of concern rippled through the room. Violet, her face pale and her missing arm a stark reminder of her past encounter with Max, leaned forward. "Do we know who's behind this?"
The old man didn't even glance at her as his lips curled into a thin smile. "Officially, it's random hackers. But I find that hard to believe. "
Violet's mother, a woman with tired eyes and a quiet demeanor, spoke up. "What do you suggest we do?"
The family head's smile widened. "We fight back, of course. But we must also be cautious. This could be just a distraction."
He paused, his gaze settling on the still injured Violet. "In two days, we will visit the mountain temple. It's time we paid our respects and sought guidance. Whatever this threat is, we will face it head on."
The room fell silent, the weight of his words sinking in.
From his perch in the mountain, using his super phone Max watched the Atyai family's reaction dumb founded.
He did have the idea to pressure the family into going to the Temple but it was nothing but an idea, his real plan was kidnapping and the cyper attack was just some divergent, and Max never expected it to work this smoothly.
Max scratched his chin in contemplation.
" interesting, at the first sign of trouble, you rushed towards this temple...."
Something was obviously wrong with that Temple, and Max had the idea to explore the temple before hand, but he gave up on the idea, deciding that alerting them wasn't worth it.
Max simply pushed all the random plans he had to the back of his mind, since it no longer matters, he just had to wait.
In the meantime he could pay attention to Charles's business and give him some directions, after all it was about time to start getting some benefits from all this company thing.