Under the quiet fluorescent lights, a black DOS interface flickered with endless streams of white text data.

This hacker duel had raged for a full week.

Unlike my opponent, I attended school by day and hacked manually at night. They maintained 24/7 defenses.

The Hive King Hackers Alliance—the nation’s most elusive and elite hacker collective.

Ten years from now, I’d join them for work, gathering critical intel about this city through real-world ops.

Historical events. Celebrity movements.

They held the freshest city intelligence. To investigate Card Brother’s targets, they were my fastest route.

A mysterious group: no domain restrictions, no member obligations, no mandatory tasks. They never recruited publicly. Only when your skills impressed them did they extend an olive branch. Post-joining, you could request help from any member—though they could refuse.

If there’s one thing I won’t regret a decade from now, it’s joining the Hive King Hackers Alliance.

Now, trapped in a 16-year-old girl’s body, I had zero logical overlap with hacking. Even knowing their website, hideouts, and key contacts, gaining entry like this seemed impossible.

What would make hackers acknowledge my equal skill?

Simple: breach their server or machine.

I targeted one of their Shangjing City servers—their self-proclaimed "uncrackable fortress" since inception.

I wielded decade-future attack concepts and knowledge. They had superior processing power. Thus, the seven-day war began.

During those days, Xiaodie’s father faced a lawsuit filed by an "anonymous citizen." Due to massive implicated funds and public outrage, the court scheduled a trial in half a month. For safety, Xiaodie stayed at a suburban house arranged by Ouyang Earth.

Notably, Ouyang Earth suppressed the Huang Qinghao incident, labeling it a "local gang brawl fatality."

Huang Qinghao’s father, reluctantly yielding to military pressure, vowed to hunt down the mastermind at all costs.

*Beep-beep-beep!*

At 8:20 AM, cheerful beeps echoed as I seized full control of the server.

Seven days and nights. My victory.

"We lost."

The first message in our chat window came from the Alliance.

"Whether your attack was malicious or benevolent, we haven’t faced such a respected opponent in years."

Like martial arts, hacking followed survival of the fittest.

This server existed for penetration tests. Its breach caused minimal damage. Accepting defeat, they didn’t scramble to repair data. Instead, they spoke as humble losers.

"We’ve never seen sniffing or packing methods like yours. Even your Trojan’s syntax and structure baffled us after decryption. We concede gracefully. Allow us to call you ‘Master’."

Reading their rapid-fire messages, I typed back: "You flatter me. I’m just a computer enthusiast. No master here."

"Nonsense. Losers bow to victors. You’ve earned the title. State your request."

Hackers cut straight to the point. No one attacked servers for fun.

"I want to join you."

I sent it without hesitation. My screen went silent for a full minute.

Yes. I needed their help.

One person’s strength had limits. Though I could dig up any intel alone, time was short. Xiaodie was the only person whose future I couldn’t see. Who knew if those framing the mayor would target her—or me—next?

"Only that?"

Their reply came after a minute.

"Yes."

"Forgive my bluntness, but Hive King is beneath you. With your skills, you could join elite groups—or even national cybersecurity."

"No need. Hive King is my dream. I fought seven days for this."

*Truth is, I learned your Hive King Algorithm from your own Shangjing lead ten years from now.*

"If you insist, Master, Hive King never turns away talent. Are you free tonight?"

Their excitement was palpable.

"Yes."

"This may be redundant, but... are you local to Shangjing?"

"Yes."

"Good. A member will wait at ‘Onigiri Cafe’ downtown with a pure-black laptop. Password: ‘Are you Little Bee?’ Response: ‘Little Bee was taken home by the Hive King’."

"OK. I’ll arrive in thirty minutes. The vulnerability patch and my attack software will upload to your server in five."

I shut down the computer after seven days of nonstop work, silently exhaling in relief.

Unlike shady groups like the Black Dragon Society’s Jiangnan Club, the Hive King Hackers Alliance was trustworthy.

Members came from all walks of life—each with their own jobs and routines—united by a shared passion.

Most internal operations were transparent: finances, member activities. Like a university club... but freer. No mandatory meetings. No forced donations.

Most reassuring: I knew every Hive King member in Shangjing City.

Remembering my later meeting with Ouyang Earth, I changed into sporty shorts. I strapped Card Brother’s twin knives to my thighs, hidden beneath the fabric. Then I put on the signature baseball cap Azure Excellence had brought me from abroad.

I recalled Hive King’s future hideout—but would it be the same now?

Downtown lay far from home. After an hour-long bus ride, I reached Onigiri Cafe.

Cafes were havens for the comfortably wealthy. Not because prices were outrageous, but because most locals still found it odd to seek coffee in dedicated spaces. Only leisurely professionals with idle time and laptops lingered here.

The cafe wasn’t crowded. One glance spotted the guy with the pure-black laptop.

Wangcai. A mild-mannered young man with light prescription glasses. A gearhead. A Shangjing local working as a mechanic—crawling under trucks and sedans daily. Don’t let his gentle face fool you; a broken engine would trigger his "mad scientist" mode, impossible to pull away.

Every Alliance member had a unique alias. Nicknames were mandatory in formal settings, though close friends might exchange real names privately. In my past life, Wangcai and I got along well. This time, I’d rebuild his trust from scratch.

Adjusting my cap, I slid into the seat opposite him.

"Sorry, little sister. This seat’s taken."

He barely glanced up, voice apologetic.

*You were 30 in ten years. Now you’re 20—still in college—and calling me ‘little sister’? Do I look that young?!*

"Aren’t you going to ask if I’m Little Bee?"

I sighed inwardly, flashing what I hoped was a sweet smile.

He froze for ten full seconds. "You’re..."

"Little Bee was taken home by the Hive King." I kept smiling. "Hello. I’m Little Bee. Nice to meet you."

"No way!"

He shot upright, disbelief flooding his face. "You’re the one who—"

I pressed a finger to my lips.

"Ah! Sorry..."

He scanned the room. Seeing no attention drawn, he sat back down. "Seriously? How old are you?"

"Asking a girl’s age on first meeting is *not* polite." I placed my hands on the table. "I was born January 9th, 2000."

"Just turned sixteen? My god... you—"

He started to leap up again. I cut him off smoothly: "Shouldn’t we find somewhere more private to talk?"