“You’ll get your red packet tomorrow when this is over,” Iris replied.
Bacon swished his fluffy black tail. “Thank you, Mother.”
Iris nodded. “Ketchup, I’ll leave Jin Corporation to you. I’m going to help your younger brother Bacon to regain control of the hotel’s surveillance system and ensure your dad’s safety.”
“Okie dokie, Mommy! The cute and mighty Ketchup will handle all these poopoo-heads by myself! Meow~”
“Good. Call me immediately if you think that you’re in trouble.”
“Aye aye, Mommy! Meow!”
Iris straightened her back, stretched her neck and shoulders, and regulated her breathing. Then her eyes became sharp as her fingers flew in a faster blur over her laptop’s keyboard.
It was easy for the mother and AI son pair to wrest control of the hotel’s surveillance and security system from this particular Eagle team. In the next few minutes, however, Eagle’s force at the hotel weakened all of a sudden.
And then….
“Mommy, mommy! Oh no! The attack on Jin Corporation has become fiercer! These Eagle poopoo-heads are fighting dirty! Pweh! The cute and mighty Ketchup looks down on all of them! Ganging up on a little kitty baby like me—where’s their sense of hacker honour?! How dare they treat a cute and fluffy kitty baby like this?! Hmph! Take that, stinky birdies! Ketchup will never forgive you if you prevent the cute and mighty me from earning tonight’s red packet from my mommy! Mreow!!!”
“I knew it.” Iris narrowed her eyes, already prepared for this kind of strategy from the opponent. “Not bad, Eagle. Not bad at all.” Then she smirked. “However, you’re still quite the amateurs compared to those old guys from back then.”
She took a few deep breaths. Her smirk disappeared and was replaced by a serious expression. She became calmer and more focused. Nevertheless, excitement burned within her eyes.
“Ketchup, Bacon. Fortify your internal systems, secure all of your data, and prepare for a power flood.”
“Gasp! Power flood?! Really, Mommy?! Meow!!!” Ketchup’s shocked expression looked exaggerated and comical but it was actually genuine.
Bacon stood on all fours, becoming serious but also excited at the same time, and all ready for a fierce battle. His golden eyes glowed brightly. He licked his sharp teeth and almost couldn’t conceal his anticipation. “All done, Mother. Bacon is ready at any time.”
“Oh oh oh! Wait a sec! Ketchup is doing it now, too! Yep, all done! The cute and mighty Ketchup is also super-duper to the highest level ready for the great and legendary power flood which until this time has only been a dormant code in our systems since our births but will now be activated for the first time ever! Woohoo! Yay yay! Ketchup can’t wait! Meowowow!!!”
Iris glanced at her two AI children on the dashboard monitor and smiled at them. All three of them had the same exact excitement and anticipation burning in their eyes.
“Do me proud, my babies. From this moment until tonight’s power flood ends, we’ll work as one.”
###
Gold Heights Condominium.
Wei Lan and her new best friend Randy were having their own impromptu fashion show in the formal living area with all the new outfits that they bought earlier today at the mall. It wasn’t only the two of them who were strutting their stuff on a makeshift catwalk. Iris’ old housekeeper Yi Mei, the cook, and even the maids and houseboys had also been incited to model new outfits.
It was because the vizcondesa and the Zumba instructor decided that it was high time to update the entire household’s outfits. Again. They had already become known in the area as the most fashionable household and was even featured by various influential fashion bloggers.
Wei Lan wanted to dress up the bodyguards as well, but unfortunately, the men refused to become her living mannequins. How boring!
They told her that their boss, Jin Liwei, had a strict standard dress code for all of his security subordinates. Wei Lan had no choice but to let them go, no matter how unsatisfied she felt about their too-stiff bodyguard suits, because she still couldn’t help but feel intimidated by her impressive son-in-law. Jin Liwei definitely had a much more formidable countenance than her ex-husband, Long Tengfei, although the two men were both considered elites in the business industry.
While she and Randy were having a blast directing and starring in their own private fashion show, all the lights in the penthouse suddenly went off.
Wei Lan screamed alongside the younger maids. Randy had the girliest shriek out of everyone.
Unlike them, Yi Mei and the cook were tougher and didn’t panic at all.
Fortunately, the total darkness only lasted for about five seconds before the electricity returned.
“What in the wooooooorld happened?!” Wei Lan demanded.
While all of them were trying to figure out the cause of the brief power outage, nobody noticed the abnormality happening inside the locked computer room concealed inside the library office.
All of the computers and servers inside turned on at the same time. They looked dusty from months of not being cleaned because Iris stopped coming over ever since Wei Lan returned to the country and made the penthouse her temporary residence.
Despite the lack of physical maintenance, all of the device’s software were still in tiptop condition from Iris and Ketchup’s regular remote updates. They were now performing in their peak capacities within seconds of activation without any problems.
There was a soft, dull but very discernible hum as the devices borrowed power not only from the rest of the penthouse but also from the entire condominium and even the adjacent buildings.
###
Dragon Palace Home #10.
Things were less lively in the mansion compared to the penthouse. The power supply here was much more abundant and robust compared to normal residential properties in the country.
There was no five-second power outage but there was still a barely noticeable dimming of the lights. It was only a brief flicker. Very few noticed the abnormality.
“Hm?” Jiang Ying Yue looked up at the bathroom lights while she was bathing her son in the childproof tub that Iris and Jin Liwei had customized just for Little Jun.
“Mommi? Wat wong?” (Mommy? What’s wrong?)
The lights remained bright and steady. She shook her head and wondered if she was just imagining things. Then she smiled at her son. “Nothing. Let’s finish up, okay?”
“Kaykay, Mommi!”
