Chapter 5: The First Step to Changing Fate

The moment Mo Xixi awoke the next morning, her sharp mind was already at work. As a hacker in her past life, she knew that every action needed careful planning, especially if she wanted to rewrite the tragic fate awaiting her and her family.

Lying on the soft bed, she rubbed her tiny hands together and sighed. "Three years old... My body is too weak. Before I can do anything major, I need to build up my strength." She knew that in this world, both modern technology and ancient martial arts coexisted. If she wanted to survive, she had to master both.

Her first step? Gaining access to technology.

Her mother, Yinghua, had a phone. Mo Xixi had seen her use it before, mostly for simple tasks like making calls and checking messages. But that was enough. If she could just get access to the internet, she could start gathering information about this world.

She climbed out of bed and tiptoed toward the living room, where her mother was preparing breakfast. "Mom!" she called sweetly.

Yinghua turned with a warm smile. "Good morning, sweetheart. Go wash your face first, then we'll eat."

"Okay!" Mo Xixi chirped before hurrying off. She needed to act as naturally as possible. If her mother suspected anything unusual about her behavior, it could complicate things.

Once she was done washing up, she returned to the dining table. Yinghua had made porridge with side dishes. Mo Xixi obediently ate, though she inwardly longed for something with more protein. She would need to build muscle fast if she wanted to start training.

As she ate, she casually glanced at her mother's phone on the table. She had to time this right.

"Mom, can I see your phone? I want to watch cartoons," she asked in the cutest voice possible.

Yinghua chuckled. "Cartoons? Xixi, you haven't shown much interest in them before."

Mo Xixi blinked. Had she made a mistake? She quickly adjusted. "I saw some other kids talking about them, and I got curious. Please, Mom?"

Yinghua hesitated but eventually nodded. "Okay, but just for a little while."

Success.

Mo Xixi took the phone and acted like she was watching cartoons, but in reality, she was scanning the system. She quickly memorized the passcode, took note of the internet provider, and accessed the browser. Her tiny fingers moved swiftly, gathering the basic layout of this world's technology.

From what she found, it was just as she had suspected. The internet here was similar to her past life but had additional layers of security due to the integration of magic and technology. That would make hacking challenging, but not impossible.

Her mind buzzed with ideas. She needed her own device. But how could she get one without raising suspicion?

"Mom," she called out sweetly.

"Yes, baby?"

"Can I have a tablet? I heard some kids at school say they have one."

Yinghua looked surprised. "A tablet? Xixi, you're still young. You don’t need one."

Mo Xixi pouted. "But I want to play educational games. It will help me learn!" She made sure to look as adorable as possible.

Yinghua sighed, clearly conflicted. "I'll think about it. But only if you promise not to overuse it."

"Okay!" Mo Xixi beamed. Just one step closer.

---

Later that day, Mo Xixi sat on her bed, legs crossed, going over everything she had learned so far.

"Alright, let’s organize," she muttered to herself. "Step one, get access to a personal device. Step two, start hacking into minor systems to test my skills. Step three, build a secure database for myself. Step four, train my body."

She sighed. "But I also need to be careful. If I’m too hasty, I might attract unwanted attention."

Just then, Yinghua walked in. "Xixi, sweetheart, I’ve been thinking... I suppose a tablet wouldn't be a bad idea. But only if you use it for learning."

Mo Xixi’s eyes sparkled. "Really, Mom?!"

Yinghua smiled. "Yes, but I’ll set parental controls on it."

Mo Xixi held back a smirk. Parental controls? Those were child’s play.

---

That evening, Yinghua took Mo Xixi to an electronics store. Mo Xixi let her mother pick the device, not wanting to appear too eager. Once they got home, she thanked her mother and went to her room, pretending to explore the features.

In reality, she was already working on bypassing the restrictions. Within minutes, she had full access.

"Now... Let’s begin," she whispered, pulling up a blank screen.

The first thing she did was create an encrypted safe zone for her activities. It would be untraceable to normal security systems. Then, she tested the basic hacking defenses of the network. As expected, the magic-tech security was tough, but she managed to slip through minor firewalls without triggering alerts.

She grinned. "Looks like I still have my touch."

But she had to be careful. The organizations that controlled this world’s tech weren’t ordinary. If she drew too much attention, she could endanger herself and her mother.

Taking a deep breath, she tapped the screen and brought up a new file. Then, with a determined look, she typed in two letters:

GS.

Ghost Shadow was back.

Mo Xixi leaned back, satisfied. She had taken her first step toward changing fate.

Now, she just needed to gain more power before her enemies even knew she existed.

---

Meanwhile, in a distant, high-security facility, a man in a dark suit frowned at his screen.

"Sir," one of his subordinates called. "There was a small disturbance in the system just now. Nothing major, but... It left a strange mark."

The man narrowed his eyes. "A mark?"

The subordinate nodded and pulled up the data.

On the screen, a tarot card flickered, with two letters shining brightly.

GS.

The man’s expression darkened. "Ghost Shadow...? That’s impossible. Ghost Shadow was a legend from another world. How could they be here?"

He tapped his fingers against the desk. "Find out where this came from. Immediately."

As the search began, Mo Xixi sat in her room, completely unaware that her first small test had already sent ripples through the world.

But she wasn’t worried.

She had 12 years to rewrite fate.

And she wasn’t going to waste a single second.

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