Chapter 1481: Enjoy the commercial

[HAHAHA!]

All the laughter in the hall quickly faded as the same eerie laugh echoed once again through the venue. The smiles on their faces vanished, replaced by expressions of shock and fear.

"What’s going on?" The gentlemen looked at each other. "I thought it was already neutralized?"

Hayley, Patricia, Teddy, and Shawn also wore confused expressions—brows furrowed, lips drawn tight. The rest of the crowd mirrored the same stunned reaction.

"I thought he was kicked out?"

"What’s happening?"

"Don’t tell me it didn’t work..."

"Oh no!"

The people on the stage turned toward the screen in horror, their mouths agape.

"I knew it," one of them muttered. "There’s no way X would go down that easily."

"Does this mean Citadel didn’t work?"

"Shit... this is bad."

As the terrifying possibility resurfaced in their minds, their eyes turned to Penny. Much to their surprise, she simply stared at the screen with a faint smirk.

[HAHAHA! Penelope Bennet, that was a good show to watch. However, with that kind of skill, do you think you can actually threaten me?]

"That kind of skill?" someone gasped from the eliminated players’ section.

"He talks like it’s nothing?"

"Even I couldn’t do what she just did, and he just—"

"That’s X," another muttered, face grim. "Even if we all admit Miss Penny’s skills are top-tier, X is just on a completely different level."

The others nodded in reluctant agreement. "X hasn’t been active, but he’s still a beast. Only someone like him could go head-to-head with her."

As they accepted just how skilled X truly was, a sense of bitter helplessness crept into their hearts. Watching Penny was like watching an adult try to solve a child’s puzzle—but with X, it was like facing a god. Her skills were far beyond theirs, but even she seemed no match for him.

[Good try, Miss Bennet. I enjoyed it while it lasted. But now, you have to pay the price.]

"Miss Bennet!" one of the gentlemen called out anxiously. "What’s happening? Didn’t you say it was neutralized?"

"We all saw Citadel launch—but this man’s still here!"

"Please, do something!"

"Did Citadel fail?!"

Penny turned toward the side of the stage, brow slightly raised. "Did Citadel fail?" she echoed, almost laughing. "You all saw it launch, yet you’re asking if it failed?"

The gentlemen paused, their breath catching.

"Then how come X is still here?!" someone from the crowd shouted. "If it didn’t fail, then why is he still here?!"

[HAHAHA! Oh, Penelope. Still lying to them? Citadel didn’t fail—Citadel is simply not enough. Just like Fortress wasn’t enough to stop me!]

At that moment, the gentlemen felt their knees buckle. One of them grabbed onto Shawn to keep from falling. His complexion had turned pale.

"It’s over," he whispered, looking into Shawn’s eyes. "It’s over. We’re all doomed."

Shawn pressed his lips into a firm line and looked at Penny. Seeing that she hadn’t backed down, he offered the gentleman a small, reassuring smile.

"It’s not over yet, sir," he said softly. "My boss hasn’t given up. So neither should we."

The man stared at him for a moment before nodding, allowing Shawn to help him stand. All around the room, everyone felt the same crushing fear. If X was still inside their systems, then nothing could stop him now.

They were just waiting for judgment.

"Settle down, everyone." Penny raised a hand, scanning the room. "Please, don’t listen to this coward."

But her words felt hollow because another line of text appeared on the screen behind her:

[HAHAHA! How funny. Penelope, I’m already within Fortress and Citadel—and you’re telling them to calm down? Why lie to them?]

Penny’s jaw tightened as she studied the crowd. From the stage, she could see their fear, their disappointment—a tangled mess of emotion. She exhaled slowly and turned back toward the screen.

"X..." she murmured. "I warned you, didn’t I?"

Her eyes sharpened. She turned and marched to the computer she had used earlier.

"Run. That’s what I told you." Her fingers danced across the keyboard. "But you didn’t listen."

She paused, raising her gaze to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know you’re afraid. Cyber threats are just as dangerous as physical ones—they can destroy your life’s work, reputation, even your future. That’s why Prime Group has always promised top-tier security to protect people from individuals like X."

She smiled, her hand poised over the keyboard. "Now, I ask for your patience as I invite you to watch a little show." A grin tugged at her lips as she hit a key.

"Please enjoy the commercial I’ve prepared for you."

---

[Ladies and gentlemen, I know you are afraid. Cyber threats are just as dangerous as real-life threats. They can do just as much damage to one’s life’s work, reputation, and future. That is why Prime Group has always promised to deliver top-tier security—to protect you from someone like X.]

Far away, in a dark room filled with screens, a man smirked wickedly as he listened to Penny’s speech.

"Does she really think she can get away with this?" he hissed. "She gave me a hard time, but who does she think she is?"

His fingers flew across the keyboard. "Penelope Bennet, you’re only humiliating yourself. Just watch—as I break through Fortress and Citadel."

He chuckled—a jagged, eerie sound—as he made his final move to breach Fortress.

But then, Penny’s voice echoed through his speakers:

[Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the little commercial I’ve prepared for all of you.]

"A commercial?" he muttered, confused.

At that exact moment, the door behind him burst open. He jumped in surprise, spinning around—only to see multiple armed agents storm into the room.

"Stand down!"

"What—" He didn’t get another word out. In seconds, he was tackled and pinned to the floor.

He cursed, squirmed, resisted—but it was no use.

"You’ve got the wrong—" he started, but then he caught a glimpse of his screen. His words died in his throat.

His eyes widened in horror.

Before the agents stormed in, he had just breached Fortress. The data should have been his.

But on the screen, instead of the data, all he saw was a giant, flashing middle finger—complete with a blinking ring.

It was a trap.