Chapter 464
Aubree’s eyes darkened as she made a snap decision. “Issue an official announcement, reassure the users, offer compensation, and shut down all the servers!”
Getting the servers attacked was a deadly threat. What worried Aubree most was that the attackers might plant a virus to target users and steal their data. If that happened, her company’s reputation would fall. Shutting down the servers would also ease the tech team’s stress and help avoid further problems.
“Got it, I’ll take care of it right away!” Birgitte said. She hurried off to rally the team and put out the fires online, while Aubree stayed in the tech department, keeping a close eye on the situation.
The tech team wasn’t exactly new to this kind of thing. Ever since the company went public, cyberattacks have appeared from time to time. The only real difference was that earlier attacks were mostly minor issues. They always handled them fast, and sometimes the hackers didn’t even get past the firewall.
The PR team soon made an official statement. They offered a hefty compensation package and quickly got things under control online.
To make things even better, the tech team soon reported good news. They’d managed to drive the attackers off, shore up the firewall, and get the servers back up and running. They kept at it all night until sunrise, and only then was everything finally sorted out.
“We couldn’t have done it without Patrick. He’s young, but he’s got some serious skills!” one of the techs praised.
“It’s not just me. Everyone pitched in,” Patrick replied modestly.
Aubree and Birgitte watched the tech team celebrating. “Looks like your new guy is a real asset,” Aubree said. Patrick had barely settled into his new role as supervisor; however, he was able to lead the tech team out of a crisis.
“Yeah, he’s got some mad skills,” Birgitte replied. Her eyes looked satisfied.
“They’ve been working all night without a break. Let’s give them some time off,” Aubree suggested.
“Time off? That’s not enough! These folks are our heroes. Everyone deserves a full month’s bonus,” Birgitte chimed in.
As soon as Aubree made the announcement, the whole team burst into cheers. People didn’t mind working their tails off, as long as the boss wasn’t a total cheapskate who’d work them to death, never give them a break, and was too stingy to hand out bonuses.
“Alright, that’s it. Go get some rest, you deserve it,” Aubree said.
Aubree left first, but this whole incident was a real wake-up call. The tech team was shorthanded. What she needed were some next-level coding wizards.
She couldn’t just find talent like that whenever she wanted. Those people were nearly impossible to poach. ‘Should I ask Bowen?’ Aubree wondered to herself.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, someone she never expected suddenly reached out to her. It was Alvin Turner, someone she hadn’t seen in ages.
“Aubree?” It was Alvin’s voice on the line.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Aubree answered.
“I heard GrabCheap got hit by a cyber attack,” Alvin said, clearly well-connected. Aubree still trusted him, despite everything that had happened lately. She just figured he was checking in out of concern. ‘He always seems to know what’s going on,’ she thought.
“Yeah, but it’s all been handled now,” Aubree replied.
“Still, I bet those people won’t give up that easily. They’ll probably be back for another round,” Alvin warned her.
“If only I had a badass coding wizard on my team,” Aubree grumbled.
Alvin let out a soft chuckle on the other end. “Who says you don’t have one? Aubree, I don’t think I ever told you. Remember that guy who made waves at the last world-class hacking competition? That was me.”
“Huh?” It was a wild surprise. She wondered if Alvin’s uncle knew of this fact. “Really?” Aubree blurted out, still reeling from the shock.
“Why would I lie to you?” Alvin replied. “But I’ve got a few things to handle right now. Once I’m free, I’ll swing by Südlichen Strand and help you out.”
“Thanks, Alvin!” Aubree exclaimed, feeling a wave of relief. She couldn’t help but smile. It was one less thing to worry about.
Meanwhile, over in Rithol City, Alvin narrowed his eyes. According to the intel Carmen had gotten from Elizabeth, the Wilson group was the one orchestrating the attack.
‘By now, their guy should have already infiltrated Bree Technology, right?’ Alvin thought. ‘If that guy manages to take control of GrabCheap, it’ll make things a whole lot easier for me,’ he mused.