Chapter 34 A Kindred Spirit Is Hard to Find

Chapter 34 A Kindred Spirit Is Hard to Find

In the office of the Secretary of Defense, Edward hung up the phone and let out a long breath.

His aide couldn't hold back: "Sir, isn't this Evelyn a bit too much of a troublemaker?"

"Never mind hacking into our Defense Department systems — now she's gone and picked a fight with gang members too. With that kind of reckless attitude, she's bound to cause us even bigger headaches down the road."

Edward sighed again, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "It's already done. Nothing we can do about it now. I just hope she can crack that code soon."

"Besides, Christopher's already in California, right? Let's see what progress he's making."

"Yeah, I guess that's all we can do. But will that Evelyn actually put in the work for us?"

……

A private hospital in California.

With Owen pulling some strings, Gabriel's test results came back quickly — just some surface wounds, no internal damage. After the hospital doctor applied some antiseptic, the three of them left.

It was almost time for school to let out, but none of them felt like going back. Evelyn had other plans, so she asked Owen to take Gabriel home.

She was always a woman of her word. Since she'd promised the Defense Department she'd solve their puzzle, she would. But if even the Defense Department couldn't crack it, Gabriel's beat-up secondhand computer definitely wouldn't cut it. Before she could even start, she needed to build a proper machine.

As luck would have it, she knew someone in California — a big name in the computer industry who was sure to have the right parts.

Evelyn flagged down a cab and headed over to pick up the key components she needed, planning to assemble everything herself.

The taxi wound its way into an upscale neighborhood and pulled up in front of a sleek, modern building. The person she was looking for ran a computer shop right here in this prime real estate.

The reason was simple enough — he lived nearby, so it was convenient.

The shop had only one young clerk on duty. He looked up with a big smile when he heard the door open, but the smile vanished the moment he saw Evelyn.

He gave her outfit a contemptuous once-over and lazily dropped his gaze back down.

Evelyn frowned but said nothing, walking straight up to him.

"I'm here to see your boss."

"Boss isn't in today." The clerk didn't even look up, half-heartedly tapping at the register. "And even if he were, he doesn't have time to see just anyone. This is a computer shop, not a meet-and-greet."

Evelyn's frown deepened, but she didn't want to make another trip. She grabbed a pen and paper, quickly wrote down the parts she needed, and handed it to him. "Then find me everything on this list."

The clerk didn't take it. He glanced at it dismissively and said, "We sell computers here, not junk. If you're looking for scrap, try the junkyard. Kid, I'm busy. Don't come in here wasting my time if you can't afford anything."

So it was about money.

Evelyn saw right through him but wasn't about to waste more time. She said, one last time, with forced patience: "These are computer components. If you're not sure, ask your boss whether you carry them."

"Are you telling me how to do my job?!" The clerk slammed his hand on the desk. "I've been here three years. You think I don't know computer parts?"

Before the words were even out, the door swung open again. Two well-dressed women walked in.

The clerk's eyes lit up instantly. He hurried over, all smiles. "Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Lopez! You're back! What can I help you with today?"

"We heard the new models just came in, and you know us — we always want the latest—" One of them paused, noticing Evelyn. "Oh, you have a customer. Go take care of her first, we'll browse on our own."

"Her?" The clerk snorted. "She's just a broke student looking for scrap parts."

The two women laughed, and the clerk kept going, nodding toward Evelyn's clothes. "Just look at what she's wearing."

Evelyn stared at him coldly. "I'll ask one more time. Do you have the items on this list or not?"

"Sure we do." The clerk stepped forward with exaggerated confidence and started punching random numbers into the calculator. "Let me add it all up. Everything on the list comes to one million dollars. So — you buying?"

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "These parts cost a million dollars?" Her voice dropped. "Think carefully."

"A million is a million. No money? Then get out—" He didn't finish the sentence before letting out a yelp.

Evelyn had grabbed him by the head and shoved his face down onto the calculator. "Say that again," she said coldly. "How much?"

"Help! Someone call the police!" the clerk screamed. "This broke student is attacking me!"

The two women were clearly startled and kept their distance, calling out cautiously, "Hey, let's talk this through. No need for violence."

"Right, the shop owner will be here any minute. Whatever the problem is, you can take it up with him."

As if on cue, the door opened again. Both women called out at once: "Look, Mr. Cross is here!"

Mr. Cross walked in to find his clerk pinned down by a girl in a school uniform, and froze. He was just about to say something when the girl let go, walked straight over to him, and held out a piece of paper.

"I need the items on this list. Your clerk decided to give me a hard time because of how I'm dressed."

Mr. Cross shot a sharp glare at the clerk, then turned to Evelyn with a string of apologies.

Evelyn waved him off without ceremony. "You can deal with him later. Get me what I need first."

Mr. Cross gave an awkward laugh and looked down at the list — and his expression shifted immediately to one of genuine respect.

The combination of parts was nothing short of brilliant. Several of the components were discontinued custom pieces he'd been holding onto for years. He was puzzled — how did someone so young not only know about these parts, but know that he had them?

He didn't ask directly. Instead, he pointed to one of the hard drive models on the list. "I do have a question, if you don't mind. The configuration overall is excellent — whoever put this together really knows their stuff. But this particular hard drive seems like an odd choice. Could I ask why they went with this model?"

"I made the list myself," Evelyn said plainly. "I know which one you'd pick, and in general terms, yes, that one's better. But a computer is a tool, and what I need right now is heavy computation. For that, this one is the better choice."

They went back and forth in terms that left everyone else in the room completely lost — but Mr. Cross's eyes lit up like he'd just found a kindred spirit.

"You're absolutely right! Raw computing power is exactly where it shines — how did I forget that? You're something else, kid. Big future ahead of you." He grabbed the paper excitedly. "I'll go pull everything together right now."

He'd taken only a few steps when he suddenly stopped, smacking himself on the forehead. He turned back to Evelyn with a regretful look.

"I got so excited I wasn't thinking straight. That hard drive was a gift from an old friend. It's not for sale." He paused. "I'm truly sorry. I can't sell you what's on this list."