Chapter 26: 25

Sanae’s POV

While Ruby was still resting, Karla and I took it upon ourselves to investigate the person responsible for uploading Lesley’s videos. The process was slow and tedious at first, given the precautions we had to take. However, things took a turn for the better when one of the most trusted white-hat hackers in the field volunteered to help us expedite the search.

Her name was Quiera Labyrinth, a skilled hacker who, coincidentally, had once been a student of Ruby’s at a prestigious institution back when Ruby was still teaching as a sideline. She hired Quiera right after the girl graduated.  Despite her young age, she had already made a name for herself in the industry.

As we settled into our workspace, I turned to her with curiosity.

“So, tell me, Quiera, how many years have you been in the field?” I asked, watching as her fingers tapped effortlessly on the keyboard.

“Three years,” she responded casually, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“In those three years, how has life treated you?” I inquired further, genuinely interested in her progress.

She smirked slightly before answering, “Pretty great, actually. I was able to buy my own house, start my own fast-food chain, and by the end of this year, I’ll be a loving wife.”

“Good for you,” I replied, nodding in approval.

I observed her for a moment before asking my next question. “How loyal are you to Ms. Espinosa?”

Quiera finally looked up from the screen, her eyes sharp and unwavering. “Loyal to the point that if she asked me to kill, I’d fucking kill you.”

I let out a smirk at her boldness before giving her a light pat on the shoulder. “That’s the kind of loyalty that’s hard to come by.”

With that settled, we got to work. I sat down and began bypassing the uploader’s account security, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I sifted through layers of encryption and security measures. Karla, on the other hand, focused on tracing the uploader’s physical location, her expertise in digital forensics proving invaluable.

Meanwhile, Quiera ensured that our every move remained undetectable. She deployed countermeasures to mask our digital footprints, making sure no other hackers, black-hat or otherwise, could track our activity.

Minutes felt like hours, but finally, I found what I was looking for. The moment I identified the uploader’s identity, I wasted no time in taking action. With a few keystrokes, I initiated the takedown process, systematically removing every single video of Lesley that was circulating on social media.

“We got them,” I announced, my voice laced with satisfaction.

Karla let out a breath, her screen displaying the uploader’s real-time location. “And we know exactly where they are.”

Quiera grinned, leaning back in her chair. “Now, the real fun begins.”

"So, we're really going there? Just the three of us?" I asked, watching as Karla smiled knowingly.

"Of course. We need to handle this discreetly, just as Ruby requested."

"But why?" I pressed. "Why can't we inform the Federation of Technology and request backup?"

"The Federation of Technology has no jurisdiction over this matter," Quiera explained. "Unless the issue poses a direct threat to global data security or involves major technological crimes, they won't intervene. However, what works in our favor is the immunity granted to employees of the Empire. This allows us to conduct investigations and take action against cyber crimes that affect our company and the people within it. We have the authority to hold the perpetrators accountable."

"Oh, I see. So... what exactly are we going to do with them?"

"Kill them," Karla answered without hesitation.

I was taken aback. "Wait, are you guys seriously talking about killing someone?"

Karla sighed, as if she had expected my reaction. "Oh, come on. You entered this industry. You should already understand what needs to be done when one of your colleagues issues was being exploited like this."

Quiera added, "Do you remember your brother, Akio? When he found out that someone had hacked your mother’s bank account and stolen all the money she had saved for decades, he didn’t hesitate. He mercilessly took that person’s life."

I vividly recalled that night. My mother was devastated, completely crushed by the loss. And Akio? He was beyond furious. He stormed out of the house late at night, and just a few hours later, my mother was in shock, because all of her stolen savings had been miraculously recovered.

"This can't be..." I murmured in disbelief.

"It’s the truth," Quiera confirmed. "Anyone would do the same if their family or loved ones were involved in something like this."

" Are you coming or what?"- Karla asked "I'm coming"- i spoke

" Wanna do the first kill?"- Karla asked

" Karla no, i won't let my hand be dirtied"- i spoke softly

" Damn fine. "- she said

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We were positioned at a secure vantage point, keeping a close watch on the hacker’s location. The dimly lit street provided just enough visibility for us to see movement near the house. Two people emerged from the front door, their figures silhouetted against the faint glow of the porch light. Something about them felt eerily familiar, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pinpoint where I had seen them before.

Karla’s voice broke through my thoughts. "So, what’s the plan? Are we taking him out immediately, or should we have a little fun first?"

Quiera smirked, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Torture sounds like a much better idea. I highly doubt he’s the mastermind behind all of this."

Karla turned to her with curiosity. "And what makes you so sure?"

Quiera leaned back slightly, crossing her arms as if she had already solved the mystery. "Think about it. This kind of operation, exploiting a video that has been forgotten for years now, retro activating one's issues, it’s never just one person. It’s always a chain, a network. And at the top of that chain? A mastermind pulling all the strings. You’ve seen enough movies to know how this works, right?"

I scoffed. "Oh, so we’re basing our tactics on movies now?"

Quiera shot me a playful glare. "And why not? Fiction imitates reality, doesn’t it? There’s always someone more powerful behind the scenes, someone with a bigger agenda. And in this case, it’s obvious, their goal is to bring down Sedes Quantum. They are taking such issues for each of the personalities that are connected to our CEO. "

Karla nodded slowly, considering her words. "That actually makes a lot of sense. If this hacker was really the one in charge, he wouldn’t be hiding in some run-down house. The real boss wouldn’t be so easy to find."

I exhaled, feeling a strange mix of excitement and tension settle over us. "So, what’s the next move?"

Quiera cracked her knuckles, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Simple. We go in, grab him, and make him talk."

Karla smirked. "And if he refuses?"

"Oh, trust me," Quiera said, her voice laced with amusement. "Everyone talks eventually."

A heavy silence hung between us for a moment before I finally nodded. "Alright then. Let’s do this."

_________________________________

Karla’s POV

The three of us decided to pretend to be clients. As we stood in front of the door, I pressed the doorbell. A few moments later, a man appeared, lazily exhaling a puff of smoke. The strong, distinct scent of weed filled the air.

"We wanna ask you something," I said, my voice firm.

He raised an eyebrow, studying us suspiciously. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Do you know Lesley Asci?" Sanae asked, her expression unreadable.

The man scoffed. "Yeah, what about her?"

Quiera didn’t waste another second. "We’re here for her," she said before swiftly plunging a knife into his abdomen. He gasped, his body jerking in shock as he crumpled to the floor, clutching his bleeding side.

We quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind us. I pressed my foot down harshly on the most sensitive part of his body, causing him to groan in pain.

"Who is behind all of this, hmm?" I demanded, applying more pressure with my foot.

"I... It's none of your business! Ughhh!" he gritted out, his body convulsing in pain.

I clicked my tongue in irritation. "Quiera, locate his room. Find out where all the hacking is happening."

Quiera nodded and disappeared down the hall. I crouched down, meeting the man's pained gaze. "Do you even know who you're messing with?" I asked darkly. "You're just playing around with the cousin of our boss."

His breath hitched. Fear flickered in his bloodshot eyes.

"Who ordered you to do it?" I pressed.

"I... I don't kno—ugh!" he cried out as Sanae suddenly fired a nail gun into his hand, pinning him to the floor.

"Come on, just say it already. I’m getting sleepy," Sanae muttered, twirling the nail gun in her hand as if she were already bored with this interrogation.

The man's entire body trembled. His teeth clenched in agony.

"Or," I added, smirking, "maybe I should make your dear sister, Denise, experience the same things that happened in that video you leaked, Khael?"

His eyes widened in pure terror. "How... How do you know my sister's name?!" he stammered, panic lacing his voice.

His question was cut short by another agonizing groan as I delivered a sharp, unforgiving kick to his groin.

"Why is it so hard for you to just talk?" I sighed in frustration. "All you have to do is open your damn mouth."

He was panting, sweat beading down his forehead. "I... I'm sorry, I can't. If I tell you the name of the one who ordered this, they'll kill me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I was just following orders—"

Suddenly, Quiera pulled out her phone and spoke into it. "Hello? Is this Denise?"

Khael’s entire body stiffened, his face turning deathly pale. "Leave her out of this! I'll do whatever you want!" he begged. "Please, just don't involve my sister."

Sanae smirked, leaning forward. "Then start talking."

Khael swallowed hard. His voice trembled as he finally spoke. "Someone named Ben paid me to upload the gang rape video of Lesley. He got the footage from his friend’s laptop. He never told me his friend’s name, I swear." He hesitated, his body shaking. "Please, believe me. I only did it because I needed money. My father is sick—I needed to pay for his treatment. This was the only solution I could think of." His voice broke, and tears streamed down his face. "Please, have mercy. You can take my devices, track Ben if you want, but please... spare my life. I have a family."

I glanced at Sanae and Quiera. Sanae looked unimpressed, arms crossed over her chest, while Quiera frowned, disappointed that we weren’t going to kill him.

"Sanae, Quiera, remove the nails from his hand. Treat his wounds," I ordered.

Sanae rolled her eyes but obeyed, while Quiera simply let out a sigh before getting to work.

I turned to Khael, my tone firm. "I’ll spare your life. I’ll even give you enough money to cover your father’s treatment. But listen carefully—once you're patched up, you need to disappear. You and your family. They’ll find out we were here soon enough, and when they do, they won’t hesitate to hunt you down. We’ll help you escape, but in return, you hand over every single device you own. Do you understand?"

Khael nodded weakly, relief evident in his eyes. "Yes... I understand. Thank you."

I stood up, stretching my shoulders before turning to Quiera. "What’s our next move?" she asked, still sounding dissatisfied.

I clenched my fists, my blood boiling. "What else? We need to find out who the fuck Ben is."