The Tycoon's Odyssey

Evan sat in his room with a cold expression as the glow of multiple monitors cast an eerie light across his face.

Once he had returned after hitting the fellow, Evan began preparing a big present for Darpan.

It was time to show Darpan place.

Lines of code scrolled rapidly on one screen while on another, a command and control interface displayed his connection to several compromised computers around the world. His latest acquisition was Darpan's computer, which he had infiltrated using a sophisticated remote access tool he had developed himself.

With a few keystrokes, Evan initiated a connection to Darpan's computer, seamlessly bypassing its firewall defenses. He watched as Darpan's desktop appeared on his screen, the icons and wallpaper familiar yet distant.

"Let's see what you've got," Evan muttered to himself as he began exploring Darpan's files. Navigating through the folders with the precision of someone who had done this countless times before, Evan found sensitive documents, financial records, personal correspondence, and even some encrypted files that piqued his interest.

By opening a command prompt, Evan executed a script to capture keystrokes, hoping to snag passwords or other valuable information. He then glanced at his other monitor where he had a live feed of Darpan's screen, ready to intercept any online transactions or messages that could lead to financial gain.

But Evan's primary objective tonight was to cause chaos and sow distrust. He accessed Darpan's web browser, remotely opening new tabs and navigating to numerous websites—social media, news outlets, and even obscure forums that were known for their controversial content. Each click was designed to leave a digital footprint that would raise questions and suspicions sooner or later.

Evan then clicked on an article regarding financial fraud allegations, knowing that it would catch Darpan's attention. Then, with a few more keystrokes, he sent an anonymous message through Darpan's email account, planting seeds of doubt among his contacts.

The clock ticked past midnight while Evan continued his digital intrusion. He meticulously made sure to cover his tracks, wiping logs and closing any backdoors to avoid detection. Finally satisfied with the chaos he had unleashed, Evan waited for Darpan to open the computer and wait for his reaction.

_____

The computer was connected to his mainframe and was highly confidential, containing numerous important things. Except for him, no one could operate it. But just now, as soon as he opened it, even before entering the password the booting window appeared, it was already unlocked.

"Fucking Hell!"

"What...."

The words got stuck in his throat as he saw multiple files and tabs flashing on his home screen.

If this wasn't shocking enough, then the contents that were opened in the tab scared the shit out of him.

A few tabs displaced his conversation, while others displayed call recordings with Raj and many other important individuals.

Other few tabs displayed his files of tax evasion, money manipulation, records of black money, and a detailed note of how he cut costs in the infrastructure projects and scammed here and there– though small, once highlighted, these cases could ruin his reputation.

Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead and in a few moments, he was drenched entirely, despite the fact that he was sitting in an air-conditioned room.

He was too bewildered and shocked to even utter a word.

All the screams and curses he wanted to spit out were stuck in his throat since this was the first time something like this happened.

This was terrifying…It was too terrifying…

"Who? Just who is this bastard…" Darpan roared angrily, losing his composure.

Just at that instant...

RING!RING!RING!

His phone rang and as he looked at the caller, he noticed that it was an unknown number.

His immediate urge was to cut the call, but his gut warned him not to. His sixth sense screamed that he would regret it if he dared to cut off the call.

"Who?"

In response, a familiar voice echoed in his ears.

[Surprise...Surprise...]

[I hope you like my surprise, Mr. Director…]

"You...How is this possible?" Darpan freaked out and stood up from his seat in horror.

But knowing whom he was dealing with, he tried to maintain his composure.

"Did...Did you hire top-notch hackers…? This is a breach of privacy…! Do you know I can sue you?"

The man he was dealing with was just a young, naive individual. Despite his brilliant mind, he was bound to falter in experience...

[Sue me...On what ground will you sue me?]

[I can just cover up every track. Even if it fails, do you think you will be alive by the time all of this is over?]

[Once I release everything, your reputation will take a hit. Your education enterprise will be affected, and you will be prosecuted and jailed for tax evasion. All the money you siphoned off while building a government project would be in the limelight. And don't forget about mixing with Raj and using him to manipulate FSSAI.]

Darpan immediately shut up his mouth.

Indeed, he was in big trouble. And by arguing, he knew that he was just playing with fire.

But how did this guy do it?

Just how?

If he hired a hacker, how did he manage to do it with limited resources?

Even he can't find a good hacker on a whim, so how did this guy find one out of nowhere?

Darpan's first response was to find a hacker for help, but would that even be possible?

Darpan closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, and asked.

"What do you want?"

[That's a good question. A very good question. Straight to the point… I like it.]

[I want you to stop all this farce. Tell Raj to withdraw the FSSAI order and all those shenanigans.]

"I will do it," Darpan answered resolutely.

[Now, I see that your net worth is 150 million dollars which equals 12 billion Indra rupees. That's a pretty good sum for a middle-class businessman, so...]

Darpan's heart stirred for a moment and his breathing became ragged.

"What… What do you want?"

[Send me 5 billion rupees..]

"EVAAANANNN!"

"Don't push your luck too hard, bastard… Why don't you ask me to give everything to you?

[No...No...I can't take everything, otherwise, who will feed your wife...]

[Listen, I am giving you a warning. Give me 5 billion otherwise, I will accompany you to death. All this information can destroy you and I am telling you I am not going to rest until I destroy everything you have. Decide whether you want to save money or put everything down and become bankrupt.]

[Also, you can kill me, but I have already set up an automated system. If I don't open this file within 24 hours, it'll be sent to the respective people and all media outlets.]

"500 million rupees...Take this and leave," Darpan muttered, squeezing his life.

[Fuck off...]

[What the fuck is this…? 500 million…? Do you think that I am a beggar? That ain't enough to buy me four Royal Royce Phantom.

Darpan's chest heaved up and down with anger.

"1 billion."

[Make it 4 billion rupees.]

"1.5"

[3.5 is my last offer, or I am gonna submit everything now and with this tax evasion and all the black money evidence to income tax, I will still get a cut of it.]

"3 Billion, my final..."

[Damn! Deal.]

With this, the phone was immediately cut off, leaving Darpan flabbergasted.

"FUCKKK YOU!"

Roaring angrily, he smashed the phone onto the ground, bursting it into pieces.

....

For those who are wondering...

300 Billion rupees=37 Million USD=300 Crore