> "In the digital world, fear is silence."
—CipherGod
---
Location Unknown – CipherGod's Fortress
The underwater submarine was pitch-black, lit only by screens pulsing with data like breathing monsters. CipherGod, face covered by a skull-printed hood, stared at his primary monitor.
On it was a single message from Reyan:
> "Join the Council. Or disappear forever."
CipherGod smirked. "So the Ghost speaks."
He moved his fingers across three keyboards, initiating counter-traces, firewall crashes, system loopbacks.
Every tactic.
Every tool.
But no matter how deep he dove, Reyan was deeper.
Every firewall he touched… Reyan had already bypassed.
Every backdoor he opened… Reyan had sealed with his name.
For the first time in CipherGod's life…
He was powerless in the one world he thought he ruled.
He stared at the screen.
Then typed:
> "I kneel."
---
Zenith-9 – Command Chamber
Meira read the message aloud. "He really said it. CipherGod has surrendered."
Parth spun his chair around. "Should we trust him?"
Reyan walked calmly to the console. "No."
He pressed a button.
> [System Action: Install loyalty chip in all CipherGod's devices. Add false failsafes. Trust, but control.]
Then he opened a channel.
---
Encrypted Voice Call – CipherGod Connected
Reyan: "What's your real name?"
CipherGod: "…Zeno."
Reyan: "Zeno. From now on, you're our Ghost Hunter. You find threats before they find us."
Zeno: "And if I betray you?"
Reyan: "Then I let Meira rewrite your brain."
Zeno: laughs softly "Understood, Ghost King."
---
System Notification:
> [New Asset Recruited: Zeno aka CipherGod]
Role: Network Sentinel / Intelligence Assassin
Loyalty Level: Monitored
Mental State: Controlled Arrogance
---
Later That Night – Arya's Room
Arya found a letter tucked inside one of her old schoolbooks. It was yellowed, cracked, and handwritten.
She opened it, confused.
> From: Mr. Jagat Rai – Old Landlord
To: Arya & Reyan
"I know you two survived the fire. I know you were told it was an accident. But I saw something that night... something no one else noticed. It wasn't a short-circuit. Someone set the fire."
"Your parents were hiding something."
"And now, someone's watching me too. If you're reading this… I may already be gone. But the truth is under the house. The original house—beneath the floorboards. Burned but not erased."
Arya's hands shook. "Reyan…"
---
Reyan's Reaction
The moment she showed him the letter, everything in Reyan's face changed.
All the money in the world… couldn't prepare him for that.
For five years, he had believed the fire was an accident.
But if someone had murdered their parents?
Then this wasn't just a mission to rebuild the world.
It was a mission to uncover buried truth.
---
System Alert:
> [New Priority Flag Added: Incident File – RFS: "Fire of Sector K-13"]
[Objective: Locate and extract hidden evidence at destroyed site.]
[Warning: Surveillance drones already spotted near Zone K-13. Someone else is searching too.]
Reyan narrowed his eyes.
> "System. Assemble the team. We're going back."