Chapter 164 - Introduction to the World
It was autumn when they granted Sei"s request to take Zero out of the lab. Of course, the organization asked Sei to create an advance spying malware in exchange.
After he succeeded, Sei then took him out and to everyone"s surprise, the usual wild and untamed boy just followed Sei like an obedient pet.
The boy Zero hadn"t spoken a word since they left the huge lab surrounded with big walls. However, as soon as he stepped outside the huge gate, Zero"s eyes widened, and his mouth hung agape. He was obviously surprised by the vast open blue skies and the various architectural buildings extending out to the horizon as far has he could see. Sei wasn"t surprised with his reaction at all, it was because he knew that the boy stayed inside the lab for nine years and never been exposed to the outside world.
The two young boys were walking quietly on the roadside as the changing of red and orange maple leaves were falling around them when suddenly, Sei stopped. The boy behind him matched his pace and immediately halted as well, as though he was a robot following Sei"s every move.
Looking up, Sei raised his hand and caught a bright red leaf in his hand. He quietly stared at it for a long while before he turned towards the boy behind him.
Combining the beginning of his codename "Z" and the j.a.panese word "aki" which means Autumn, Sei created a name for him.
"From now on, your name is Zaki," he said, and the boy just blinked twice before he obediently nodded at him.
Since then, Zaki stuck beside Sei everywhere he went including back to the house where Fei was staying. When Sei first brought Zaki to his mother Fei, she treated Zaki as if he were her son and nurtured him with love and care. As time went by, Zaki continued learning everything to become a normal human being. However, Sei on the other hand continued to be pressured by the organization to perform high level cyber-crimes under the name of Blackleaf, promising him that one day, they will release his mother. Sei of course knew that their promises were mere lies.
They also never let Sei touch any computer or cellphone because while the organization found Sei"s abilities to be their trump card, they feared he would also be their undoing by a single keystroke. Thus, his every action was monitored under extreme surveillance.
For a couple of years, it went on like this and Sei never once disobeyed the organization"s orders. He did everything to gain their trust, acting like he finally accepted being their loyal dog.
On his biggest mission, the Blackleaf"s leader sent him back to Country H, giving him a high-profile mission, to shutdown Country H"s military bases for an all-out attack the Red Rebels were planning to do in the country"s capital.
Back in Country H after Sei and his mother Fei were transported to Blackleaf headquarters, Country H was still under heavy fire as the rebels and the government fought to gain control. Cities would be lost or gained by the rebels or military and neither side seemed to gain the upper hand. That is until the day of the planned attack finally came. In a heavily guarded server room, the twelve-year-old boy Sei was ready to receive his mission. However, as incentive from the rebels, they brought out his mother and Zaki to threatened him. Although he"s been loyal all these years, they said if he failed to do his mission properly, they will kill his beloved mother in front of him.
The rebels also roughed up Zaki a bit as a warning, should Sei have any hopes that Zaki would rescue his mother that this would deter him for any ideas to go against him. With cold eyes, Sei abided and did the job without batting an eye.
Thus, that day, the new world"s most terrifying hacker was introduced to the world. His success in shutting down the military bases allowed the Red Rebels to successfully infiltrate the capital.
However, n.o.body knew other than Sei and Zaki that everything that had happened was already foreseen by Sei. He antic.i.p.ated the flow of events since Zaki stepped out of the lab and exploited Blackleaf and the Red Rebel plans to its very roots. No one knew that he purposely rode along with the Red Rebel"s for the sake of their escape. Thus, while the Red Rebels were focused on attacking the capital, in the middle of war and chaos, using Zaki"s combat ability and Sei"s perfect escape plan, the two of them along with Fei successfully escaped the clutches of evil.