Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1460

Chapter 1460: I want no part of it
The day went by without incident, and as always, time stopped for no one.

Back at the hotel, the teams had returned to their rooms. Some had chosen to rest, while others took the opportunity to practice, determined to increase their chances of winning.

In Team D’s practice room, the group of five had just finished working on a coding challenge they found online.

“This is too easy,” one of them muttered as he pressed Enter, his lips curving downward. “I don’t think this is going to help.”

The person next to him nodded. “The finals won’t be this simple, that’s for sure. We need to find more complex security systems to crack.”

“Should I start looking on the black market?” another suggested, glancing up from his monitor at the others. “Why don’t we take on a request and see what we can do?”

“Do you want to get disqualified?” the fourth member frowned. “If Prime Group finds out we’re engaging in illegal activities during the competition, they won’t just disqualify us—they’ll call the police. I came here to win, not to end up in jail.”

“What if we don’t accept payment?” the previous guy argued. “It’s not illegal if we don’t profit from it.”

“Do you think making money is the only thing that makes hacking illegal?” the first person scoffed. “Unauthorized access, cyberattacks—there are plenty of charges that could be filed against us. I’m not taking that risk, even if it sounds tempting.”

The four of them debated back and forth, struggling to find a solution. After making it through the preliminaries and semi-finals, they knew their current practice challenges were too basic. Many teams—perhaps even theirs—had barely scraped by through sheer luck.

But as they argued, they suddenly realized their fifth member had been silent the entire time. Turning their heads, they all focused on Nathaniel.

“Hey,” the fourth member called. “Don’t you have anything to add? We’ve been racking our brains here.”

Nathaniel, who had been staring blankly at his screen, snapped out of his trance.

“Ah…” He opened his mouth, then closed it, forcing a hesitant smile. “If breaking into these security systems is too easy, why not create one? Or find a system vulnerability and try to fix it within a certain time limit?”

With that, Nathaniel rose from his seat and quietly walked away. “I’ll just take a walk.”

The others watched him go before exchanging looks.

“Bro, that guy’s a weirdo,” one of them muttered, shaking his head.

The guy next to him nodded. “If he hadn’t destroyed everyone in the competition in his solo round, I wouldn’t have wanted to team up with him.”

These teams had been formed just before the semi-finals, as that round required group participation. That was the only reason they were working together now.

“There’s something off about him,” the third member added. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t like it.”

“He’s right, though,” the last person spoke up, looking at the others. “If breaking security is too easy, why not focus on fixing vulnerabilities? We could work on a website or something. It’s better than wasting time on the same approach.”

“Why are you talking like you’re the team leader?”

“Because someone has to remind you all that this is a competition. Whatever personal feelings you have, suck it up until the finals are over.” His tone was firm as he met their gazes. “Do you want to win?”

Of course, they did.

With that, the argument ended, and the group refocused on sharpening their skills.

—

Meanwhile, Nathaniel paced back and forth in the emergency exit stairwell, massaging his temples as his head throbbed with stress.

“I feel like I’m going crazy,” he muttered. “I already quit smoking, but at this rate, I might start again just to ease my nerves.”

Not long ago, he had woken up to find Penny standing over him with her pets. When Nathaniel had begged Zoren to take him in, he had been desperate for a mission, eager to prove his worth. But instead of sending him on assignments, Zoren had made him dig in the garden.

At first, it had been humiliating. But over time, Nathaniel had found unexpected peace in gardening. For the first time in years, he didn’t have to constantly look over his shoulder, wondering if his door would be kicked in by armed men. He didn’t have to worry about food or finding a new place to hide.

And just when he had finally felt safe—Penny had to ruin everything.

Now, here he was, on his first real mission.

No, joining this competition wasn’t part of Penny’s orders. It had been assigned by his new superiors at the Information Center. His task was to infiltrate Prime Group, and the tournament had presented the perfect opportunity to do so.

“Did she see me?” he muttered anxiously. “She must have, right?”

He hadn’t had any contact with Penny since leaving Skyline Plaza. She had told him she would reach out when the time was right, but as far as he was concerned, the time was now.

“Should I try to contact her?” he mumbled, biting his thumb. “No, that’s too risky. The Information Center is bigger than I ever realized. If I make contact with her, they’ll know.”

Since he was still new, he was sure they were monitoring his every move—maybe even his every breath.

“Shit…” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Then how the hell am I supposed to warn her about the Information Center’s plans? And the fact that I have to help them execute it?”

Nathaniel clutched his head, groaning as the pounding in his skull worsened. He had spent days trying to figure out a way to send Penny a message, but his hands were tied. He couldn’t afford to make a wrong move.

Because the moment the Information Center started doubting him… they would get rid of him.

“Also…” He swallowed hard, his pacing slowing. A flicker of concern crossed his face. “She needs to know they’re after that woman from Homeland Security. They’re going to kill her.”

His face twisted in frustration, his eyes stinging with unshed tears.

Just when was Penny going to make her move?

People were going to start dying soon, and he didn’t want to be a part of it.

“God…” Nathaniel leaned against the wall, gripping his head. “People will die, but here she is doing nothing.”