Building A Technological Empire

It was 6:00 AM, and Henry was already awake, his alarm clock buzzing faintly in the background. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The chilly morning air made him hesitate for a moment before swinging his legs off the bed. A long day awaited him, and while he didn't need to clock in at work until 9:00 AM, the distance to his workplace demanded an early start. He couldn't afford the luxury of a taxi, so walking it was—just as it had always been.

Dragging himself into the bathroom, Henry turned on the tap, the cold water splashing against his face and sending a shiver through his body. After a quick wash, he dressed in his usual faded uniform and shuffled to the kitchen. Breakfast was an uninspiring bowl of cereal—barely enough to stave off hunger. It wasn't about enjoying the meal; it was about getting by.

Henry glanced at his phone as he ate, the screen casting a faint glow in the dimly lit room. He downloaded Discord, an app he hadn't used much despite having an account for months. Back then, he'd made the account out of curiosity but had never needed the mobile app—until now. He swallowed the last spoonful of cereal, set the empty bowl aside, and opened the app, his fingers tapping purposefully.

It was time to build something new.

He began setting up a Discord community where he could sell cheats for video games. His plan was straightforward but risky—conduct all sales within the community while taking every precaution to stay anonymous. While game hacking was technically illegal, enforcement was rare, and Henry planned to keep his identity well-hidden. He wasn't naive, though; he knew the consequences if he slipped up.

As he stepped outside, Henry kept his phone in hand, working on the community setup while walking. The cold morning air nipped at his skin, and his breath came out in faint puffs. Every few seconds, he glanced up from his phone to ensure he wasn't about to walk into a pole or another pedestrian. Balancing his focus between the screen and his surroundings became a practiced rhythm, one he had mastered over the years of multitasking.

The hour-long walk passed slowly, the city waking up around him. By the time Henry arrived at work, his Discord community was almost complete. He pushed open the glass doors of the hotel and made his way to his seat at the far end of the reception desk. The lobby was quiet, with only the faint hum of an air conditioner breaking the silence. Henry settled into his chair and opened his phone again, making a few final adjustments to the server.

Now, with the community framework in place, he faced the bigger question: How to start?

Henry leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. He had been over this plan before but still needed to refine it. He decided to target an existing cheat community for Call of duty, a popular game he knew well. His strategy was to find "freeloaders"—players who couldn't or wouldn't pay for premium cheats. These people would be perfect to test his own cheats in exchange for gameplay recordings. He needed those recordings to showcase the cheats on Youtube and attract paying customers.

There was no way Henry could record gameplay himself; his old laptop would choke at the mere thought of it. But that limitation wouldn't stop him.

Switching over to one of the servers he was already a member of, Cheeto, Henry decided to begin his search there. The server was one of the largest in the community, and its general chat feature allowed members to interact freely—something many other cheat servers didn't offer.

He scrolled through the chat history.

#general-chat

Anax (DM for help): Before running the cheat, make sure to disable unnecessary mouse drivers in Device Manager.

Spourt: Yes, thank you.

Replying to Anax (DM for help)

Dockky: How do I get the aimbot?

Dockky: Is it detected?

Dockky: Is it free?

Replying to Dockky

Spourt: Bro, read #information. Everything you're asking is there.

Dockky: Okay, thanks.

Henry chuckled softly to himself. The messages were from two days ago. Dockky had probably been discouraged after checking the prices listed in the #information channel: $8 daily, $40 weekly, $100 monthly, and a staggering $500 for lifetime access. Outrageous, They hadn't sent a single message on the server since then.

Dockky was the perfect target.

Switching to direct messages, Henry typed:

Alphonz: Yo, you still looking for aimbots?

Henry smirked as the message sent successfully. He had chosen the alias Alphonz when creating his Discord account months ago and saw no reason to change it now. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to his server. One crucial detail was missing—a name.

After a moment's thought, inspiration struck: Origin.

The name resonated with him. An origin was where things began, and Henry wanted his cheats to be seen as the starting point for something big. If the cheating community ever talked about him, he wanted them to remember Origin.

Henry placed his phone down, feeling a sense of accomplishment. But there was one more thing to do: quit his job. He had already decided this would be his last day. Even if selling cheats didn't work out, his knowledge of cheats and anti-cheats would make him valuable in the industry.

Still, he hesitated. Working an extra day might seem polite, but his boss was a complete jerk. The mere thought of his boss's attitude irritated Henry. Finally, he sighed. He'd wait until the man arrived and resign then.

The morning passed quietly, with only a few guests checking in. Henry handled them efficiently, his mind more focused on what lay ahead. Finally, the boss arrived, striding into the lobby with his usual sour expression.

Henry stood up immediately, walking straight toward him. The man raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by the direct approach.

"I'd like to quit," Henry said without preamble.

The man frowned, his expression hardening. "Just like that?"

Henry nodded.

The boss's frown deepened, his irritation palpable. Henry knew exactly why he was angry. The man didn't care about losing him—he was upset because Henry had quit at the start of the week. If Henry had waited until midweek, the boss would have found a way to avoid paying him his full wages.

After a tense pause, the boss scoffed. "Like you'll find a job like this ever."

Henry smiled faintly, refusing to be baited. He packed his belongings, dropped the keys he had been holding, and walked out. The moment he stepped outside, a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders.

For the first time in years, he felt free.