Chapter 78: Chapter 78- A message

'Emilia definitely wasn't carrying marriage certificates, was she?' Damien pondered as he walked down the corridor after letting Emilia know that her mother was looking for her. However, while he was speaking to her, he had caught sight of a colorful document that Emilia was trying to discreetly tuck inside her bag.

Setting that curiosity aside, he continued on his way to the hospital's reception desk.

Despite being in a rural area, the number of patients was surprisingly low, likely due to the high charges, which most residents couldn't afford as they weren't wealthy. Sёarᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Not that it bothered him; he hadn't paid a single penny himself so far.

Upon reaching the reception, he observed a nurse who had previously spoken to him standing by the desk.

"Oh, Mr. Damien, do you need anything?" she inquired, her eyes betraying a hint of blush as she took in his handsome features. The receptionist, too, seemed momentarily taken aback before quickly averting her gaze, realizing she should compose herself in front of someone from such a prominent family.

"Yes, I would appreciate it if you could arrange a laptop, headphones, and internet access for me," Damien replied. He had noticed that the hospital offered Wi-Fi, but he needed a decent laptop with specifications strong enough to run software like Kali Linux, Aircrack-ng, and Nmap, along with other professional hacking applications.

While it wasn't necessary for the machine to be a supercomputer, it did need to be reliable enough for internet connectivity.

"Oh, could you specify your requirements? We have only a limited selection of computers in the hospital," the nurse asked, eager to keep the conversation going. Even though the computers provided for data entry and other tasks were more powerful than necessary, she seemed keen to assist him further.

"Hmm, anything decent enough to connect to the internet will do," Damien said, tilting his head slightly and offering a small smile to the nurse. She lit up at the gesture, and he could sense her underlying eagerness to engage in conversation, which he appreciated but didn't have time for at the moment. Instead, he pointed at a laptop sitting on the reception desk. "That one would work."

Understanding that sending the nurse away or asking her to retrieve a different machine would likely lead to a longer chat, he decided it was best to keep things simple. He took the laptop in his hands and walked toward an empty room within the hospital.

"Mr. Damien, wait! Do you need help finding a room?" the nurse called after him, but she stopped short as she felt the piercing gaze of a doctor from the nearby office. With a soft sigh, she returned to her duties, recognizing that there were still patients who needed her attention.

---

After searching for an empty room, Damien finally found one and entered. It had two beds inside, and no patients or staff members seemed to be present, as they were all busy with other patients. He took a seat on one of the beds before opening the laptop.

Get more chapters on m v l e mpyr

[Use of (Hacking God) is detected]

With the level 1 restrictions lifted, his mind felt clear, and his knowledge of computers sharper than ever before. He was more than capable of handling the task at hand.

'Let's see,' he thought, fingers dancing over the keyboard. The laptop wasn't a top-tier machine, but with his skill, it would suffice.

He quickly installed essential tools: Kali Linux for its penetration testing framework, Nmap for network mapping, and Aircrack-ng to intercept and crack wireless connections.

These tools allowed him to map out the devices on the hospital's network, including mobile devices and servers.

He navigated to the official website of the companies under the Crimwell family, immediately identifying vulnerabilities in their public-facing site.

Using SQL injections and exploiting unpatched web application vulnerabilities, he bypassed the site's firewall, gaining access to deeper layers of their network.

Most families, including the Crimwells, preferred private servers to shield internal company operations from competitors.

Damien knew that accessing these required careful reconnaissance, and he patiently worked through several login gateways.

His goal: the private server that housed sensitive corporate information.

Using brute-force login and leveraging his knowledge of password-cracking algorithms, he accessed their Wi-Fi network.

From there, he analyzed hundreds of connected mobile devices using Wireshark to monitor traffic.

Filtering these devices by IMEI numbers, he quickly located the target phone—the one belonging to the Crimwell family patriarch.

By deploying man-in-the-middle (MitM) techniques, Damien gained control of the patriarch's phone.

Due to modern devices having integrated batteries that couldn't be removed, they still emitted signals even when turned off. Using this, Damien accessed the phone's microphone, camera, and even location services, allowing him to eavesdrop on the patriarch's surroundings without alerting anyone.

The conversation between the patriarch and Amelia confirmed his suspicions: they had been working to get Edward out on bail the previous night.

'Oh, first evidence,' a smile crept across Damien's face—he could use this knowledge to further trap them in their own schemes.

Damien discarded the connection to the patriarch's phone, knowing that prolonged access could be detected. Switching targets, he hacked into the phone of the patriarch's secretary.

This time, using SSH tunneling to cover his tracks, he intercepted a call between Vandiana Panthera and him.

His earphones picked up the discussion clearly until the line suddenly went dead.

---

"Tch, should've brought better headphones," Damien muttered as he removed the earphones. It was likely the phone had been physically destroyed to cut off any interception, possibly crushed by the man whose voice he had heard.

'Where is she now?' Damien wondered, already working to track down Vandiana's location.

He quickly ran a geolocation trace on the number that had connected to the patriarch, infiltrating through firewalls as he triangulated her position.

Just as he neared success, the attack signatures changed—someone was onto him.

A reverse hack began.

Damien could see the telltale signs: honeypot traps were being laid, subtle breadcrumbs meant to draw him in and expose his location.

"Not bad," Damien thought, impressed. Whoever was tracking him was no amateur.

They possessed the skill and resources to mount a counteroffensive, even tracing him through the hospital's weak internet security.

The hospital's basic laptop didn't have enough power to fend off such an adversary.

He knew this wasn't like a movie, where a hacker could break through high-level security systems with any old computer.

While his expertise far exceeded that of most professionals, equipment still mattered.

A substandard machine was like a sword master facing gun-wielding soldiers—skill would only get him so far before the limitations of his weapon became evident.

Realizing that a professional hacker was targeting him, Damien chose to retreat.

He could fight another day, once he had the proper equipment and resources to fully leverage his capabilities.

For now, the smart move was to disengage and leave no trace.

Before erasing his tracks, he took a moment to leave a specific message for whoever might be on the receiving end, fully aware that it would most likely reach Vandiana Panthera.

"Sigh, how bothersome," he murmured. After clearing his digital footprints, he set his laptop down and glanced out the window, realizing that an hour had already passed—or perhaps just a few minutes.

With a stretch to relieve the tension in his body, he picked up his laptop and earphones, then made his way out of the room.