Chapter 17: A Desperate Measure

Isaac's empire had suffered a significant blow, but he wasn't about to let everything crumble. His algorithm had been compromised, his systems hijacked—but Isaac had backup plans. Always.

It took him days of tireless effort to restore even partial control over his network, but Isaac knew it wouldn't be enough. The hacker had left a backdoor in his system, and no matter how many layers of security he added, they were already inside. His digital empire was fragile, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Isaac realized he had only one option left: purge the algorithm.

It was a drastic move, one that would wipe out most of the progress he'd made. The algorithm had been his greatest tool, but it was now a liability. If he didn't destroy it, the hacker would keep exploiting it, eroding his influence until nothing remained. With a heavy heart, Isaac prepared the kill switch, knowing that doing so would leave him vulnerable.

As he executed the purge, he watched his creation disintegrate in real-time. Lines of code vanished, security systems unraveled, and Isaac felt a piece of himself being erased. When the purge finished, his screen went black again.

Isaac had lost his most powerful weapon. Now, he had to start over.