Late at night, the lights in Victor Kane’s office were glaring.

  Derek Voss dragged a young technician into a hallway corner, hissing in anger: “It was you, wasn’t it? You idiot, you told the big boss about the Grey Rats going dark?”

  The young technician trembled all over, shaking his head frantically. “It wasn’t me, Manager Voss! I swear I didn’t report anything to Mr. Kane—”

  “Shut up! On your knees!” Derek sneered. “Starting now, you’re in charge of clearing all data junk in Sector B. Three hours of overtime every day to clean up backup logs. And the security inspection report next week—you're writing all of it. Fail, and you can kiss your half-year bonus goodbye!”

  The technician turned pale. “Manager, that’s impossible—”

  Footsteps echoed from a distance. Derek immediately took a step back, adjusted his tie, and shot a fierce glare at the technician before striding briskly toward the office. Victor had summoned him immediately. Derek’s face turned ashen as he picked up his pace.

  At the door, Derek took a deep breath and put on a worried expression. He pushed the door open. Seeing Victor’s grim face, he dropped to his knees at once, bowing his head and avoiding eye contact.

  “Mr. Kane, I was wrong! I was stupid—but Ethan’s people are stronger than we thought.” Derek spoke rapidly. “These past few days I’ve worked day and night, personally monitoring every Grey Rat signal. I’ve recalibrated the communication frequency three times, even sent out scout teams to confirm their positions. Still, we failed. I’ve let you down!”

  “Useless!” Victor sprang to his feet and kicked Derek in the gut, sending him crashing into the wall. Striding over, he grabbed Derek’s hair, his voice icy: “I gave you a chance, and this is what I get? We spent a fortune developing those advanced biorobots, and you’ve got a pig’s brain?”

  Clutching his stomach and gasping from the pain, Derek forced a smile, cursing inwardly—here we go again, the old bastard only knows how to hit people.

  Victor let go and scoffed coldly, returning to sit behind his desk, his gaze fixed on Derek as he struggled to his feet.

  Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Derek said quickly, “But Mr. Kane, even though the Grey Rats were exposed, they did manage to take out one of their core members—Jake Riley. That guy was Ethan’s right hand, responsible for all their equipment maintenance. Without him, Rebirth Corporation’s tech support will be severely crippled.”

  Victor raised an eyebrow. “How are you sure he’s dead?”

  “The final footage transmitted by the Grey Rats showed Jake Riley manually severing the energy core’s control circuit to protect the others. He was engulfed by the explosion’s shockwave. The failure was mainly due to that Rebecca Shaw—she used to work in our tech department and knows our system inside out. She spotted the Grey Rats’ weaknesses. If not for her—”

  The office door opened. Owen Pierce entered, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his expression calm. He glanced at the disheveled Derek, then nodded slightly at Victor.

  “Minister Pierce,” Victor’s tone softened slightly, “perfect timing. Derek was just reporting on the Grey Rat operation’s failure.”

  Owen nodded without a change in expression. “Yes, Mr. Kane. I noticed anomalies in the system—someone used the Grey Rats’ communication module to infiltrate our network.”

  Derek interjected, “It had to be Rebecca Shaw! She’s too familiar with our system—she knew exactly how to crack the Grey Rats’ defenses.”

  Owen gave Derek a look, then calmly analyzed, “The intrusion patterns do suggest someone with a tech department background, but there are also signs of unconventional hacker techniques. It's likely Shaw collaborated with that young hacker, Lila. This means we’re dealing with a technically adept team capable of reverse-engineering our devices.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Victor narrowed his eyes. “So Ethan’s team is more dangerous than we thought?”

  “In terms of technology, yes,” Owen admitted. “They successfully cracked and destroyed our advanced biorobots. This isn’t something ordinary rebels can do. The fall of Ashen Valley already proves they have a certain level of organization.”

  Derek, sensing his position was at risk, quickly added: “But I heard some talk from the miners—about an old guy named Otis who can cure strange diseases, hiding in Cyber Eye. That’s definitely their next stop! We can ambush them there and wipe them all out!”

  Victor turned to Owen. “Cyber Eye? What’s your take?”

  Owen pondered for a moment, then opened a terminal and projected a map of Cyber Eye. “The rumors Derek mentioned weren’t coincidental. We deliberately spread that intel. Otis is a defector from our medical unit, and he is indeed active in Cyber Eye. I arranged for word to leak near the mining area in Ashen Valley, making sure Rebirth Corporation caught wind of the name. With Jake dead and unknown diseases looming, heading to Cyber Eye is an inevitable move.”

  He pointed to several key locations on the map. “We can set the board there. Step one: target Rebecca Shaw. Reconfigure all communication systems, switch to non-standard encryption protocols. She knows our B-7 series—we’ll switch to the newly developed D-3 series to raise the difficulty of her decryption.”

  “Step two,” Owen continued, “target the young hacker Lila. We’ll plant a series of digital decoys. Her hacking relies more on instinct than formal training—she’ll naturally attack the seemingly weakest nodes. We can lead her into an isolated virtual environment.”

  “Step three: Nick Torres. Former Colonial Army, well-versed in our standard tactics. I suggest deploying standard formations around the Sky Tower to lull him into complacency, but place special forces at the underground city’s entrances and choke points, using new weapons he's unfamiliar with.”

  Owen adjusted the projection, displaying the full defensive network. “Lastly, to counter Tara—the wild card. Her combat style is highly aggressive. In the underground city, we’ll set up circular defenses to isolate her and exhaust her stamina.”

  Victor studied Owen’s carefully laid-out plan and gave a slow nod. “So you're the one luring them there?”

  “Exactly,” Owen said calmly. “Cyber Eye is the perfect testing ground. Its complex terrain will reveal their weaknesses while letting us test our new systems' stability. If they do reach Otis, we can verify whether he’s still of value. If they fail, their morale will take a hit.”

  “And one more thing,” Owen added, “Jake Riley’s death is a serious blow to Rebirth Corporation. They’re acting out of desperation, not aggression. We should respond with containment, not full destruction.”

  Victor frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Strategically speaking,” Owen explained, “emerging rebel groups like Rebirth are useful for stress-testing our systems. They also draw out hidden elements. If we annihilate them completely, the next wave will just go underground and become harder to detect. By restricting their activity, we maintain surface stability across the galaxy and gather ongoing intelligence.”

  He adjusted his glasses. “Since Ethan’s rise, our defenses have been upgraded three times. Encryption protocols have improved. Letting them stir things up in Cyber Eye serves both as a pressure test and a chance for tech iteration.”

  Victor leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. Finally, he nodded. “Makes sense. Execute your plan, Owen. Cyber Eye is your responsibility now.” He glanced at Derek. “As for you—you’d better pray Owen succeeds. Because if he fails, the blame falls on you.”

  Derek forced a stiff smile. “Yes, sir. I’ll fully cooperate with Minister Pierce.”

  But inside, his mind raged: That sly fox Owen—he’s the one who led them there, yet he gets the credit, and I take the fall!

  After the meeting, Owen stepped out into the hallway—only to be stopped by Derek.

  “Minister Pierce,” Derek offered a fawning smile, “your plan is sheer brilliance. Luring the rebels into Cyber Eye—truly masterful! But do you really think it’s wise to let them run loose there? They destroyed our advanced biorobots and captured Ashen Valley!”

  Owen stopped, looking at Derek calmly. “Voss, this is a matter of strategy. Ethan leads with idealism. He needs small victories to keep morale up. Cyber Eye is their bait—but also our board. Controlling their moves means controlling Rebirth Corporation’s trajectory.”

  Derek chuckled nervously. “Of course, of course. I just wonder—if they get their hands on something valuable in Cyber Eye…”

  “What you’re worried about is your job,” Owen said bluntly. “But what you should be worried about is the full report on the Grey Rats. I’ve noticed several inconsistencies in the materials you submitted. I want a complete and accurate report on my desk by 9 a.m. tomorrow. Every detail on how the Grey Rats were exposed, and all data they transmitted. No omissions.”

  Derek’s smile froze. “Yes, Minister Pierce.”