Chapter 123: Sweden

'Targeted by a cyberattack.'I stared blankly at the passing cars.

Who would want to attack me like this?

The article was one thing—a public curiosity at best, maybe a calculated move by someone to put me under the spotlight. But this?

Could it be Sam's siblings?

I don't know what Evelyn was planning. She and Emily Heart. If they were acquainted, they could make something happen.

Emily had a reach into the media, and it wouldn't surprise me if her family was behind the article about me.

Although shit... the article doesn't really bring any harm to me in and of itself.

But a cyberattack? That didn't seem like something they would resort to.

Then again, if Evelyn saw me as the biggest obstacle to getting a part of that inheritance, who knows what lengths she might go to?

'But no, this felt more… ruthless. Organized. Maybe some sort of crime organization?' I thought.

People like me—those who rose to wealth quickly—could be seen as easy targets. Vulnerable. Especially if they assumed I hadn't put the necessary security measures in place yet. seaʀᴄh thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

They might think they could bleed me dry before I even realized what was happening.

They could have found out about me through the article and decided I was the perfect mark.

As these thoughts circled in my mind, I looked up at a TV through the window of a small electronics store.

The screen was filled with images of military vehicles, troops, and anxious civilians.

I stopped for a second, focusing on the subtitles running at the bottom of the screen.

"Russia invades Crimea," it read, followed by, "International community reacts; potential sanctions discussed."

The footage showed Russian tanks rolling into Crimea, soldiers taking up positions, and people fleeing their homes.

I stepped inside the store to listen to it .

The news anchor spoke about how NATO was on high alert. The US and its allies, including China, were trying to assess the situation and decide how to respond.

'It's happening more than 10 years earlier than in my past timeline...' I thought.

I had no doubts that Russia was doing this to show their strength in response to the growing alliance between the US and China.

What if the cyberattack has something to do with this development?

I thought back to the fact that The Johnson Family was publicly recognized as the seventh wealthiest conglomerate in the world by 2034, but I knew there were others... not even public, far wealthier and far more powerful.

They were taking charge of the world from the dark.

One such massive wealth was definitely within the grasps of the Russian oligarchs.

It was possible that they were investing their money into the cyberspace.

Getting prepared for a bigger assault, a cyberwar of sorts.

With this attack that I experienced, they might be testing the waters—possibly checking out the security of US banks and other institutions.

Well, clearly, the security isn't great... I won't be surprised to see countries raising their Cyber Alert Levels soon.

I walked back to the hotel, trying to remain stoic.

Maybe I was just paranoid...

Charlotte was already in the suite when I got there.

She looked up from the magazine she was flipping through, threw it to the side and came up to me with a hug.

"Hmm... something happened?" She studied my face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

I reached out and pulled her into a hug, resting my chin on top of her head. "It's fine, really."

As we stood there, Charlotte pulled back slightly and looked up at me. "Jack, what's wrong? I can tell something's off."

"It's really nothing... I just saw some news on the way here... Russia invaded Crimea."

"Crimea? Where is that?"

"It's a part of Ukraine."

"So... does that mean that Russia is at war with Ukraine?"

"I wouldn't call it a war," I said, choosing my words carefully. "But you never know—things might escalate."

She stared at me. "Why would they do this?"

"Well... it might be because the Ukrainian government has been kind of a puppet to the Russian government, and Ukraine has been trying to change that recently. Although I think it has more to do with China and the USA getting closer. Crimea is a strategic position that they don't want to lose; it gives them access to the Mediterranean."

"What? They don't want to lose it? Isn't it already a part of Ukraine? It's not theirs in the first place."

"Ukraine and Russia have joint control over the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Russia is probably worried that this joint control would be lost if Ukraine makes ties with NATO."

"But... How can they just invade another country like that?"

I lay down on the bed to rest a bit. "They will justify it by saying they're protecting the Russian-speaking population in Crimea. That Crimea has historical ties to Russia, going back centuries. It's always like this."

Charlotte sat beside me. "Jack," she began softly, "What about your investments? Are you going to take a hit?"

I looked over at her and couldn't help but chuckle, "People might die, and you're worried about my investments? You think like a true capitalist, Charlotte."

She smiled a little, "I'm just trying to figure out how this affects us."

I propped myself up on one elbow. "You know, you should start investing. Maybe you'll make us some money on this invasion."

"You really think so?" She gave me a wry smile, but it quickly turned into a sad face. "But... now that you say it, it feels so... cold."

"You're right, it is cold. But the world doesn't stop turning just because there's a crisis. If anything, this is the time when the most money is made."

"You know, maybe I'll take you up on that investing idea. But only if you promise to give me some pointers."

I reached for her hand and gently pulled her toward me. "Oh, I can give you some pointers!"

...

We spent the weekend in Lyon, trying to enjoy the city.

On Monday morning, we packed up and headed to the airport for our flight to Stockholm, Sweden.

We boarded the plane, found our seats, and settled in for the short flight.

I was just starting to relax when someone bumped into me as they made their way down the aisle.

"Hey, watch out," I muttered, more out of habit than anything else.

But then I felt it—a light tug at my pocket. My wallet.