Chapter 1477: Take him on

"Ted, go to Yugi and tell him... send me Citadel."

A moment of confusion silenced the event hall. No one in the crowd knew what Citadel was — but those on the second floor did. How could they not? When they had allotted a lot of budget for the bidding for this in the future?

"Citadel?" a gentleman on the second floor repeated. "She’s going to use it now?"

"Are we finally going to see it in action?"

"A live demo?" another one asked, suddenly feeling a surge of excitement. "She’s really going to bring it out?"

"Sign me up! I’d like to see how this thing is actually better than Fortress."

"But... what did she mean by sending it to her?" someone muttered in confusion. "Does Penny even know how to use it? Never heard of that!"

Everyone looked at one another, a mix of confusion and excitement in their expressions. Their initial fear hadn’t fully disappeared — it was simply overshadowed by the thrill of hearing Citadel’s name.

After all, that very system was the reason many of them were here. They wanted to get their hands on it, and if attending this event would give them the chance, then they’d gladly free their schedule. Citadel was said to be an exclusive software that even government agencies had shown interest in. Rumor had it that if it worked, it would revolutionize the cybersecurity industry.

"I want to see it. Let’s see how Citadel ends this mayhem!"

---

[Main Hall]

"Ted, go to Yugi and tell him... send me Citadel."

Teddy didn’t hesitate. He quickly lowered his head and silently walked away to deliver the message. He didn’t even consider calling Yugi—partly because of the poor reception, but mostly because he feared the call could be compromised.

Better safe than sorry.

[HAHAHA! CITADEL? You’re saying you’ll use that thing—that very thing you’re not even confident enough to release to the market yet?]

"Yeah..." Penny hummed lazily, her eyes on the big screen. "Why? You scared of it?"

[Scared of an incomplete product? Haha! Miss Bennet, you truly are amusing.]

"People say that a lot," Penny replied with a smirk.

[And not only is it incomplete, but you’re letting amateurs handle it?]

The players frowned, casting uncertain looks toward Penny. Some were clearly reluctant—using a new system, especially one they hadn’t trained for, could backfire. But others, driven by instinct and adrenaline, stepped forward.

"I don’t mind," the leader of Team D said. "I’ll do whatever you need me to do."

"We’re not backing down either!" Team A exclaimed. "Just give us a brief explanation of what Citadel is."

[HAHAHA! Oh, Penelope, this is getting interesting. These kids have no idea that what you’re about to hand them is a bomb that could blow up in their faces.]

Nathaniel clenched his jaw, restraining himself. ’Damn it, Penny. What are you doing? You know Citadel shouldn’t be handled by anyone unfamiliar with it.’

He knew about Citadel. Penny had once asked him to try breaching it as a test. He’d done so easily. Prime Group had likely worked on the vulnerabilities since then, but the time since that test hadn’t been long.

"Thank you," Penny said with a shallow smile. "But it’s not necessary anymore."

She paused, locking eyes with Nathaniel. "You. Get up."

"Huh?"

"Didn’t you hear me?"

"Oh." Confused, Nathaniel got up and stepped aside. Penny took his seat and pulled the chair closer to the computer.

Deep lines formed on everyone’s foreheads.

"Miss Penny, what are you doing?" a player asked in disbelief. "Don’t tell me you’re going to—"

"Like he said," Penny cut in, reaching for the mouse, "I’m not dropping a bomb in your hands just to watch it explode."

"But we can do it!" another exclaimed. "Miss Penny, do you even know the basics? The virus has slowed, sure—but that’s because it’s already at the final line of defense. Once that breaks, it’s over!"

"You’re being reckless!"

Penny leaned back, her gaze sharp. "If this fails, I’ll bear the consequences. You, on the other hand, will still walk away with your prize money. So think carefully before you speak again."

That silenced most of them. They hadn’t realized how far they’d been pushing their luck, but Penny had drawn a clear line. Still, some hissed quietly and looked at her with disdain.

"She may be right," someone from Team A muttered, "but it doesn’t feel good being treated like what we do is easy."

*

Meanwhile, in the audience, the eliminated players whispered among themselves.

"She might know the basics, but this needs advanced skills."

"Prime Group is screwed."

"She’s letting her pride cloud her judgment."

"Even if she knows a thing or two, this is X we’re talking about. With ten years of experience, I wouldn’t even give myself a ten percent chance."

They shook their heads, uncertain whether Penny was brave—or just foolish.

---

[Meanwhile...]

"Sir!" Teddy burst through the door, panting.

Inside, Prime Group employees were working tirelessly. Yugi was among them. Teddy scanned the room before spotting him at one of the computers.

"Sir!" Teddy rushed forward, catching glimpses of tabs flashing across the screen and vanishing in seconds. "Miss Penny told me to tell you to send her Citadel."

Yugi stopped typing and turned. "What did you say?"

"I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but Miss Penny suddenly stopped the players from defending. Then she told me to tell you to send her Citadel."

"What the fuck?" Yugi blurted—just as one of his subordinates chimed in.

"Sir, I’m finally getting coverage from the event hall," the staff reported, then turned to Yugi. "It seems the hacker who infiltrated the system is X—a hacker from the underground who disappeared years ago and just resurfaced today."

"Huh?" Yugi frowned.

"And it looks like Miss Penny plans to take him on."

The entire room seemed to freeze. Everyone was listening, waiting for Yugi’s decision.

Yugi went quiet, his expression unreadable. Then he turned to Teddy.

"...Send Citadel to Penny," he said, his voice firm. "And focus on securing Fortress."