CYRUS VS. PURPOSE GAME (BEFORE)

The next day I had a major announcement to be sent to all participants and everyone else through our various social media networks about it. It was all under the plan of holding a special event with extra levels that could pull your ranking up to reach the finals.

By now I think it is important to give an in-depth explanation of the Purpose. So prepare you're eyes and brains for a lesson on how we made a coding game.

The first step is obviously how the game works. The game is divide into levels and as a normal game goes further you go the harder it becomes and the points in further levels increase each time. The levels are added automatically each day for those players who go through the game everyday. For the purpose, you are given simple coding tasks in various categories but the more you proceed the more it becomes more hacker-based activities and remote control systems. This also includes breaking down firewalls and bypassing end-to-end encryptions that we set up known as decryption using backdoors. All of these are disguised as small tasks and activities but those who are well versed with hacker activities know what we were doing when we created the levels.

the team behind Purpose and tracking of the game make sure to see who can do the job the fastest in each level and who has an average higher speed than the rest. Obviously to give everyone a fair chance they could always improve their speed in previous levels and each time they increase their speed and efficiency the points are added back to their stats. These were the stats that we planned to use to identify someone who had high potential and just by their activities we could easily identify a professional hacker who must be XR.

From Miranda's description and even the Executive's perspective, XR was a master. He was even the grandmaster the lord of all things that came with technology. He spoke to devices and computers. He would find solutions as quickly as possible and he could find anything he wanted. Whether it was posted or not as long as energy was produced in the area he could find information. The secret had it that he was the one running all the social media companies behind a curtain. Apparently what people call 'blowing up' or the luck to get a certain burst of new followers and more of your works being seen was of his own choice. He controlled it if he deemed the individual was right for the position. Of course, there were so many factors that could lead to that situation which could be statistically proven with math and various levels of probability using all factors such as age, location, time and the social presence of the individual but it seemed everyone underground believed that it was all deemed by the will of XR. I believed that he could be a smart guy who would be extremely helpful and I could care less for all the propaganda that rose with his position.

After all those levels we rank up against everyone as the team together with DC check who has the largest abilities and who seemed extraordinary than the rest. The extraordinary aspect came in with those who seemed like they were using their concepts or coping skills to solve problems. In short who learned to hack using their back alleys and not those who would simply go to their web browsers and search 'How to code+pro'.We could easily tell when someone was just following what a random guy in a video had taught them.

All these things were calculated to the point where finding someone who showed profound talent would be certain. We spent a whole night with Miranda and Glenn coming up with a powerful algorism for creating the levels with increasing difficulty. Miranda and I did a lot of work with coming up with the code and Glenn added a bunch of human and psychological scenarios and suggestions that would make anyone feel frustrated by the task but not frustrated to the point they want to quit the game but rather it makes them feel more and more addicted to beating the level and the longer you take the more you want to finish and move on to the next task. It was scary how Glenn gives us suggestions that would make anyone gain a gaming addiction. Putting all our brains together we formed Purpose which was supposed to be the ultimate trap for XR.

By DC's suggestion, I had decided it would be fitting if I was the one who posed a challenge to the rest. I was the one who they would want to beat in the game and just showing that I was smart it would make somebody determined to beat the score I would get and finally XR would be bound to show up to see what all the fuss was about. It was a brilliant and solid idea.

At first, when I told Glenn and Miranda about the idea they were skeptical but later on, they were convinced that it may work out. Well at least Glenn was more enthusiastic about the idea working out but Miranda had already moved on to the second idea, that anything they would do with Purpose was just useless to her.

"Do what you can do within the week," she told me," but we know after a week we are giving our full focus of catching The Executive off guard and getting those files."

It was not that she was wishing bad luck on me or anything. It was not like she was at the center of her apartment praying that I would be hit by a truck in the middle of the game but it was more like she thought it would not work on time. time was of the essence and she had already given up on ever getting XR on time. I thought it was weird that she would not do the one thing that she was instructed by herself to do. Although I was pessimistic I opened up my heart to the possibility of finding XR and getting those files and saving Gendwall and eventually Miranda. It was an ambitious thought but that was the one fuelling me at that moment.

"Sir, it's time," Patrick said as I sat at my chair with a bunch of live streaming equipment in front of me.

The equipment was there as a source of proof that I actually went through the game and not just plastering non-existent scores. it would serve as evidence that I could compete in the tournament and I was going by the rules. Plus being life would be a nice touch to show people that I was serious about what I was doing. The lights were blinding and I could not imagine doing this in front of people with my messy and sweaty face on their devices but it was better than actually doing it live like the way people used to do in the old days and there would be people gathered now actually watching you that would have given me major anxiety.

half of me tried to convince my brain that the majority of people who were watching were multi-tasking and might be too distracted to care about what I was doing. It was a nice thought to have.

I closed my eyes for a while as I placed my fingers on the keyboard. You know the way you do with your forefingers looking for the ridge things on the f and j keys to know that you were at the right place. I tried to relax my entire body.

"Breathe in and out." I chanted in my mind.

"one more minute," Patrick said.

"In and out."I continued with my chant before the seconds reached to live.

"30 seconds sir."He said as his voice sounded like it was getting more nervous than I was.

I opened one of my eyes to peek at Patrick who looked like he was the one who was going live and not me.

"Sorry, I am nervous this is your first gaming live stream of course I am anxious and excited," Patrick said patting his face with his handkerchief looking like a nervous wreck.

I closed my eye once again and went back to my chant. I was more relaxed now. Seeing Patrick look like a nervous wreck helped me go back to focus. At least someone could relate to my anxiety even if it was higher than normal it was still a pleasant feeling.

"Okay countdown to 10," Patrick said.

When he said that my brain went dark to black and I finally felt all my thoughts falling to the ground before me. I reached my optimal thinking level that was being an empty slate. It was a technique I learned a while back when I was first getting frustrated with everything I would do. Solutions would always come easier when I was solving things with an empty slate. This came with the ability to use more critical and creative thinking when it came to solving issues. That was my only technique from there my brain would do whatever seemed right in each situation.

"3.....2....1....and we are living," Patrick said.

I opened my eyes and stared at my screen with the entire screen with a welcome button on the bottom and title screen written "Purpose, will you be able to make it through to the end?" and the very bottom the DigiCliff trademark. I pressed enter to continue and proceeded to level 1 out of twenty-four levels.

I eased up my hands a bit. bent my head from side to side and prepared my mind to go at optimum speed and efficiency.