Chapter 360: Chapter 360

In the hacker world, there’s also something akin to a "Martial World conference." They use various methods to show who’s superior.

And of course, these "Martial World conferences" are divided into two types.

The first type requires participants to reveal themselves. These competitions usually take place offline. For example, the most famous one is the Pwn2Own hacking contest organized by the cybersecurity service provider ZDI of the Federation’s Pentagon. Many enterprises, including Software, Google, and Apple, provide sponsorship. Internet companies in the Republic have similarly organized events.

These events either require hackers to defeat existing security software on the spot or solve certain technical issues. There are also competitive attack-defense battles.

These competitions come with generous cash prizes to attract all sorts of masters.

Of course, even in these "White Path" contests, hackers still try to challenge the rules. Some competitors hack into their opponents’ computers to spy on their problem-solving process, then solve it ahead; some hack into the organizer’s servers to disrupt their opponents’ work; some secretly "climb over the wall" to seek external help in "limited participation" matches.

If this were a normal sporting event, such unsportsmanlike conduct would likely lead to all sorts of bans.

But in the hacker world, many people just smile knowingly at such behavior. Being caught is simply a sign of inadequate skills, while not getting caught is seen as having true hacker style.

This is still within the "White Path" competitions.

The contests on the "Black Path" are even more dangerous and tricky.

Of course, it must be clarified that this does not mean the "Black Path" has a higher technical level than the "White Path." It’s possible that some of the famous "White Hats" also have "Black Path" alter egos. Perhaps a notorious thief in the dark world is just an obscure cybersecurity worker.

The identity of the two can change into each other.

The competitions on the "Black Path" are more dangerous than those on the "White Path."

It’s said that several years ago, a keen individual developed a brand-new form of hacker competition. The "Champion" would leave some "stakes" on a predetermined server, maybe a sum of Virtual Coin or some valuable intel [such as vulnerabilities to threaten cybersecurity providers or even sovereign states], and make arrangements there. The first person to obtain this information would be declared the victor. On that server, competitors could do whatever they wanted.

Of course, such an undertaking isn’t without its risks. Content originally comes from nοvelfire.net

The participants could very well be exposed by the "Champion" with their "real name."

In the hackers’ realm, the "real name and surname"—one’s identity in the real world—is akin to the true name of a devil in legend.

In the "Magic World" of collective human fantasy, every cautious Wizard considers their real name and surname the most valued secret and the greatest threat to their life. If an enemy acquired their true name and surname, even a well-known common spell could be fatal. This belief in the power of names is found everywhere, from Africa to the westernmost parts of Europe, even to the easternmost parts of Asia in Japan.

Times change, and after the information revolution, "technology" has made magic reemerge, and people have again become concerned about their true names and surnames.

Once an enemy has your true name, and you’re unwilling to bow, you have no choice but to show a limited degree of obedience to the one who holds your true name.

Of course, the same applies to the "Champion." Only the most powerful Electronic Wizard would dare to run such a "Hero Arena."

For the academically minded technicians, such competitions are incomprehensible. They don’t understand why one would take enormous risks just for the sake of pride.

But those Internet Heroes who walk the gray line truly relish it.

Inside that server prepared by the "Champion," the competing hackers are free to flex their skills. Whether it’s viruses, backdoors, or privilege escalation, anything goes.

Some overconfident individuals also want to make a name for themselves as Champions. Such people might even get hacked during the "Hero’s Challenge Poster" phase, ending up with their prepared server filled with other people’s "honey pots."

In short, it was an era where heroes vied for supremacy.

Soon, the chaotic Jianghu came to an end. A hacker with the ID "Firewall Dragon" brought an end to the turmoil and established a dominant position.

.....................

"Uh, wait a minute..." Xiang Shan raised his hand to interrupt Colonel Lei’s narration, "What’s that guy’s ID? Firewall Dragon?"

——That moniker... sounds so powerful just hearing it!

It took Colonel Lei a second or two to realize, "Ah, yes, that’s right. Firewall Dragon, the defender of the firewall, seems to have some literary allusion—speaking of which, Director Xiang, your pronunciation... needs practice."

Officer Hu nodded in agreement, "That is true. Director Xiang, we are about the same age, I understand you. But you are working in an international environment now. You really need to practice your English pronunciation."

Lei Chaoyang had no doubts and continued, "The hacker known as Firewall Dragon indeed has dominating power. Within five months, he initiated three Hero Arena challenges, defending his title flawlessly, earning the nickname ’Iron Wall Defender,’ living up to his moniker. But, half a year later, a hacker with the ID ’Loki’ defeated him."

"To humiliate his opponent, ’Loki’ hacked into Firewall Dragon’s website, and on the homepage left the message ’Dragon is not brave, ignis is brave.’ Ignis is Latin for ’flame,’ and in some regions is also considered the ’spirit of fire,’ carrying the meaning of ’Fire God.’ You might not be aware, so I’m explaining..."

Xiang Shan nodded with an expression indicating he fully understood and even got some special jokes, "Oh, then what?"

"Then? The following year, a hacker called ’Agni’—in Chinese, ’Aqini’—joined the fight and defeated ’Loki,’ then changed ’Loki’s community signature to ’Loki is not brave, Agni is brave.’ ’Agni’ and ’Ignis’ are cognates."

Xiang Shan frowned, "Wait, according to the timeline you just mentioned, this event was also six or seven years ago, right? This ’Aqini,’ also known as Jakub Hartman, was only about ten years old back then, right? Was he that skilled already? And he played on such a big stage?"

"Not exactly," Colonel Lei shook his head. "At that time, the ID ’Aqini’ did not belong to Jakub Hartman. According to later intelligence, the first ’Aqini’ should be Firewall Dragon himself. He had changed his ID and came back for revenge with a vengeance."

Xiang Shan nodded, "Oh."

"However, it was ’Aqini,’ later uncovered by Hartman three years ago as having a criminal record, who was sent to prison by the FBI. Even after release, he would face a lifetime restriction from using electronic devices," Colonel Lei said, "According to hacker rules, the ID ’Aqini’ then belonged to him. It is said that Hartman’s defense and anti-tracking technology were taught online by Firewall Dragon."

Officer Hu exclaimed, "He’s a tough character. I’m afraid in Hartman’s eyes, this is akin to ’righteous eradication of kin.’

Colonel Lei continued, "This incident created a trend. Loki was originally a Fire God as well as a god of deception, lying, and mischief, which aligns with the aesthetics of certain hackers, so it could be seen as a ’not too rare ID’ in the hacker world. And Ignis and Agni, originally just a rivalry in a small circle, unexpectedly sent out a signal—this was a battle between ’Fire Gods.’

"Consequently, IDs of ’Fire Gods’ from various mythologies were dug up and used as hacker monikers. Since then, holding a ’Fire God’ alias became a matter of prestige among hackers. This also brought more rules to hacker duels."

Xiang Shan was momentarily stunned, "You mean..."

"Yes. If the loser acknowledges defeat and agrees to give up the alias, the winner will stop there and not dig into the loser’s real identity. These kinds of duels have become more orderly. It’s also evolved into a kind of ’Jianghu rule,’ a ’cultural phenomenon.’ It could be considered a form of ’martial ethics,’ alright."

Xiang Shan nodded, "I understand. Characters like Hartman, those imperial hounds, trash of Jianghu, have no such martial ethics."

Although Colonel Lei wanted to point out that "everyone here has an official status, and perhaps it’s not great to use terms like imperial hounds," he still diligently explained, "Hackers don’t do much in communities open to the public. But in their own communities, hackers avoid using IDs with Fire God names. If a greenhorn accidentally takes one, they can easily be targeted by some more critical individuals, uncovered, and banned from deeper circles. Everyone naturally maintains the dignity of the elite."

"However, outside of competitions, hackers holding Fire God aliases become targets for those wishing to make a name for themselves, often facing challenges."

"It can be said that every ’Fire God’ is a hacker tempered through countless challenges, skilled in their craft."

Xiang Shan said, "So this ’Zhu Rong’ could be one of our Republic’s citizens?"

"That’s not necessarily the case," Lei Chaoyang shook his head. "’Aqini’ is a Fire God from Indian mythology, but both the anterior and current ’Aqini’ were born in the Federation. A person from India carries the Roman Fire God ’Vulcan’ moniker. Japanese hackers possess the ID of the Greek Fire God ’Hephaestus.’ They’re also very persistent about the ID ’Kagutsuchi Life,’ but they can’t seem to take it."

"In the end, these IDs are globally competitive. Even if the first one to register was based on their own cultural background, those fighting over it may differ. Besides, cultural integration is a major trend now, and it’s quite common to adore foreign mythologies."

Xiang Shan nodded, "So you’re saying, we know nothing about this ’Zhu Rong’ right now? What about the other ’Fire Gods’?"