Chapter 5

The next day, I went to work at Leaprise as usual.

I ran into Caleb and Elliot in the hallway.

Caleb turned away, pretending I wasn't even there.

I guessed he hated my guts even more after that punch I threw at him last night.

Elliot, however, just nodded at me as if nothing had happened, and I nodded back.

Ian walked out of the break room with his coffee. Spotting Elliot, he snapped, "You can't get Priscilla in my company."

Elliot smiled. "I'm just here for the show."

Caleb straightened up with a stern expression.

"We're not here for special treatment," he said.

He raised his wrist, checking his watch.

"You have ten minutes to get into position," he announced.

"What the hell?" Ian was confused.

Just then, someone came running in. "Killkore has declared war on Leaprise."

Caleb didn't say a word. He shot a provocative, mocking look at Ian, then at me, his eyes full of contempt and challenge.

As he deliberately brushed past me, he leaned in and sneered in a low voice, "So what if you've got Ian on your side?

"See that? Priscilla's attack and defense platform is Joyence—Joyence under the Pierce Group!"

Ian clenched his fists instantly.

I replied nonchalantly, "So what?"

Caleb froze for a second.

Elliot gave a firm smack on Caleb's back. "Watch it quietly or get out."

Caleb had no choice but to shut up.

Ian immediately summoned Xavier and two cybersecurity experts to his office.

Several high-end professional laptops were lined up, with the three of them taking their positions.

Xavier was a prodigy—Ian discovered him at the SKP Hacking Competition when he was just sixteen.

But even he lacked the confidence to defeat Killkore.

"Mr. Ludwig, it's not too late to apologize to Killkore." Xavier deliberately shot a pointed glance my way as he said this.

I knew exactly what they'd been whispering behind my back these past two days—that Ian threw away Killkore for me, someone who couldn't even cut it at the Pierce Group. In their eyes, Ian was down bad for me, beyond redemption.

Ian couldn't be bothered to argue with them. "We're not losing."

Xavier swallowed his protests.

Deliberately fueled by behind-the-scenes hype, news of Priscilla declaring war on Leaprise—using Joyence as her battleground—went viral across the entire Internet in just ten minutes.

I couldn't tell whether Caleb or Jesse was behind this, but undoubtedly, both were using this battle to boost Priscilla's profile upon her return home.

The defenses Xavier and his two top techs had hastily built couldn't withstand even ten minutes of Priscilla's attack.

Leaprise's entire system collapsed—servers were on the verge of crashing.

Caleb sneered, "Looks like I should get some champagne to celebrate Priscilla. Excuse me."

With a mocking flourish, he swaggered out, every step radiating arrogance.

Xavier looked visibly frustrated. "I did my best," he muttered.

With his skills, he shouldn't have thrown in the towel so soon. But he just couldn't accept that Ian had rejected his goddess Killkore for me.

He wanted to teach Ian a lesson.

Ian saw right through everyone's thoughts but remained unfazed. He turned to me.

"Care to show them what you've got?" he asked.

Elliot, who had stayed to observe, froze momentarily, his hand pausing midair with the cup.

I knew Ian wanted to help me establish my authority, so I accepted his kind offer.

"Well then, let me give it a shot," I said.

Under everyone's stunned and skeptical gazes, I calmly took over the laptop from Xavier.

The counterattack struck true.

Within ten minutes, Joyence's defenses crumbled.

I could practically feel Priscilla's frantic attempts to regain control on the other end.

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence.

Everyone—except Ian—was gaping at me in undisguised disbelief.

"Mr. Ludwig, how could she..." Xavier's lips trembled uncontrollably.

He worshipped excellence.

Killkore was so badass that he couldn't help but worship her as his tech goddess.

Xavier joined Leaprise for Lynx—ready to wait forever for a chance to meet the legend.

Otherwise, he would've quit when Killkore got turned away.

But now, he saw me beat Killkore with his own eyes.

Ian let out a cold sneer. "A big reputation doesn't mean real skills. In our industry, it's all about actual capability—not like those influencers who only chase clout with gimmicks."

Priscilla did have genuine skills—it was not fair to say she was just trying to grab attention with flashy gimmicks.

Xavier and the two lead techs instantly flushed with shame.

At Joyence headquarters, someone gasped, "Is Ian himself joining the fight? No wonder—we're no match for a three-time SKP champion. Ms. Kelly, what should we do?"

Priscilla's team threw in the towel.

A fine sheen of sweat broke out across Priscilla's forehead—she was clearly feeling the pressure.

Ian was a former SKP champion—and so was Priscilla.

Truth be told, Ian had to fight tooth and nail for the championship, while for her, it was a breeze.

Priscilla had every reason to be proud. She didn't know what was going on today.

Priscilla's face had gone pale, clearly drained from the intense battle.

Just then, Jesse, who had been silently observing, reached over and took the keyboard from her hands. "Let me handle this," he said.