The next morning, Alex, Jared, and Leo sat together in the classroom earlier than usual. The atmosphere felt like a secret meeting—quiet, tense, and full of strategy.
Leo leaned in, whispering urgently,
"Okay, so I heard something from one of the tech kids. The Cooperation's system is weird. If someone punches the wrong person—even by accident—the attacker's rank drops instantly, and the person below them moves up."
Jared frowned.
"So… if we make them hit the wrong target?"
Leo snapped his fingers.
"Exactly! Those seniors have short tempers. Just a tiny push and they explode. So when my turn comes—when I'm the target—we switch seats. Totally scramble it."
Alex finally understood where this was going.
"So the senior swings at you… but hits someone else instead."
Leo pointed at the seat near the door—a spot usually occupied by a quiet bookish kid with messy hair and thick glasses.
"Yeah. I'll sit there. When they come looking for me, they won't check carefully. They'll just attack. And boom—wrong target."
Jared stared at Leo, half horrified.
"Dude… that's kinda brutal."
Leo shook his head quickly.
"No, no, he won't get hurt. We'll shift the chairs at the last second. The punch will either miss or barely graze him. It only needs to be enough for the system to detect a 'wrong target' hit."
Alex exhaled, thinking carefully.
"We need to keep that kid safe. We can't drag anyone innocent into this."
Leo nodded firmly.
"Agreed. We'll time it perfectly. The goal is just to make the senior lose rank—not to get anyone hurt."
Jared rubbed his chin, a small grin forming.
"Alright… now it's starting to sound possible. Using their own chaos against them. We raise our ranks little by little."
Alex finally spoke, his voice steady.
"Okay. But remember—this is just temporary. We're doing this only until we get deep enough inside The Cooperation to learn how it works."
The three of them exchanged determined looks.
The plan was set.
Now all they needed… was the perfect moment to trigger it.
Suddenly, a phone rang loudly.
Leo quickly hit silent, then shifted seats, covering his mouth as he whispered:
"I'll treat you to a drink later, just relax."
The bookish student, who usually sat at the far end, was now moved to Leo's old seat. Neither Leo nor the bookish student could swap phones because the system's facial recognition detected their faces.
The classroom door opened. The senior on duty this time strode in, eyes scanning every name tag on the desks, clearly searching for Leo.
Alex calmly adjusted his seat exactly according to their plan.
The senior stopped right at the desk now occupied by the bookish student.
Without hesitation, the senior swung his arm.
CRASH!
The punch hit the bookish student—not Leo.
The senior immediately checked his phone for the system alert.
His eyes widened.
"You're not Leo?? Where is Leo?!"
Alex turned slowly, a sly smile on his face. Jared, sitting nearby, waved subtly as if to say, "the system worked."
From the end of the row, Leo looked at the senior with a sarcastic grin.
"I'm Leo," he said calmly, as if nothing had happened.
The classroom fell silent. The senior was flustered, his face turning red—but the system had already logged the error: wrong target hit = senior's ranking dropped sharply.
Alex glanced at Leo, Jared smiled again.
"First part of the plan… successful," they all thought.
Once the seniors had left, the classroom erupted in relief.
Many students looked visibly eased, exchanging glances and small smiles, as if they had just escaped a major confrontation.
Jared patted Alex on the shoulder, giving him a subtle signal. Alex glanced at Leo, who remained seated calmly, almost indifferent. They exchanged a quick look, then Alex slowly approached the bespectacled "nerd" student.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked quietly, keeping his voice low so others wouldn't overhear.
The nerd nodded subtly. His eyes still flickered with unease, but he gave a faint smile.
"I'm fine," he replied.
Alex turned to Jared and Leo, sharing a serious look.
"Now… we need to get Ryder Knox's attention," he said, his tone measured.
"Someone from the shadows will show up soon. That will give us a lead."
Jared nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. And we need to figure out who among Ryder's former members we can trust."
Leo narrowed his eyes.
"A former member? You mean… someone from our school?"
Alex tilted his head, frowning.
"Who could be a spy inside Ryder's crew? Someone who left him but still knows his moves and secrets?"
Jared took a deep breath, then spoke with certainty:
"His name is Kali."
Alex and Leo looked at him, surprised.
"Kali? From our school?" Alex whispered, almost in disbelief.
"Yes," Jared continued.
"Kali used to be part of Ryder's gang at BTSI. But she left—some personal conflict with Ryder. She still keeps in touch with a few people in his group… and she knows their strategies. If we can get her on our side, she could be the key to breaking into The Cooperation's system."
Leo squinted, realizing both the potential and the danger.
"If Ryder finds out, her life could be at risk. But if we succeed… we'll know who really controls the rankings and the ring they're planning."
Alex nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming with focus.
"Alright. Next step… we find Kali. Carefully, quietly, but quickly. This is our chance to get deeper into their system."
Jared gave a faint smile.
"I already have an idea of how to approach her without drawing Ryder's attention."
Leo patted Jared on the shoulder.
"Okay, this is starting to feel like a chess game. And I like it."
Alex stared out the window, already calculating their next moves.
"Kali… I hope you're ready to play on our team."
The bookworm adjusted his glasses and suddenly joined the conversation.
"Kali? You mean Kal Hector?" he asked, slightly surprised.
Leo nodded firmly.
"Yeah. He's the one who can give us information about Ryder Knox. Former member, but he still knows a lot about their strategies."
The bookworm thought for a moment, then spoke quietly,
"I know his class… he's in 2B."
Alex's eyes went wide, almost dropping his pencil in shock.
"2B? That's… Nancy's class!" he thought, both alarmed and worried.
Nancy, sitting a few desks ahead, was scribbling in her notebook, completely unaware that a former member of Ryder's crew was right there in her classroom.
Alex turned to Leo and Jared, his eyes widening.
"So… if we want to meet Kali, we have to do it in Nancy's class? This could get complicated."
Jared let out a slow breath, slightly panicked but trying to stay focused.
"We need to be careful. Ryder or the other seniors can't find out. This could be a trap."
Leo smirked slightly, his sharp eyes fixed on classroom 2B from a distance.
"Alright. Then the next step… we approach him without causing a scene. Kali… he's definitely going to be the key to breaking into The Cooperation's system."
Alex nodded, keeping his eyes on Nancy, who was still writing, completely oblivious to the intrigue unfolding around her.
"This is turning out to be far more dangerous than I imagined…"