The sun had barely crested over the horizon when Aira Ke awoke, her eyes heavy with exhaustion but her mind alert, calculating. She could feel the change in the air, like the world had shifted beneath her feet, and everything they'd done—every move, every risk—was now set in motion.
Kian Lei Raizhen sat by the window, staring out over the city, his features cast in deep shadows. Aira knew he didn't sleep much, especially not after a mission this big. His silence spoke volumes.
"You're thinking about Zhou," she said, her voice quiet, cutting through the stillness of the room.
Kian didn't turn, his gaze fixed on the rising skyline. "I'm thinking about how much damage this will cause once it hits. Zhou has more connections than we've seen. We're not just up against him anymore—we're up against a network."
Aira knew exactly what he meant. The information they'd extracted from Zhou's private estate was volatile—explosive. And once it got into the wrong hands, there was no telling what kind of chaos it would create.
"I'm already in contact with international whistleblower groups," Aira said, pulling her phone from her pocket. "They're prepped. All it takes is a press of a button, and the world will know what Zhou Renwei has been hiding. His empire will crumble."
Kian finally looked at her, his eyes dark and unreadable. "It's not just his empire that will fall."
Aira knew what he was implying, but she didn't want to hear it. Zhou's empire had already extended its claws into the highest echelons of power, and exposing his corruption would not only take down the magnate but also many of his allies—those hidden in plain sight.
"I'll send it out soon," Aira said, pushing the thought aside. "We have to move fast. The longer we wait, the more chance he has to cover his tracks."
Kian stood, pushing away from the window. "We don't have the luxury of time."
Liling, who had been sitting in the corner of the room, tapping away at a laptop, looked up from her work. "The files are ready to be leaked. But we need to do it in a way that doesn't leave a trace back to us."
Aira nodded, glancing between Kian and Liling. The three of them had become an unlikely team—a mixture of necessity and survival, bound by the singular goal of bringing down Zhou Renwei. But as the walls closed in, the stakes kept getting higher.
"There's a glitch," Liling continued. "Zhou has already started shutting down some of the accounts linked to the files. He's scrambling, trying to cover his tracks."
Kian's expression darkened, his jaw tightening. "He's moving faster than we expected. He must've known it was coming."
Aira's mind raced. If Zhou was trying to delete evidence, they had to act now, before he could erase everything. "Where's the leak? Who tipped him off?"
Liling bit her lip. "I've been going through the contacts. It's hard to say, but I have a suspicion... there's someone close to the government who's been feeding him intel. They've been covering their tracks too, but I can trace the activity."
Aira's blood ran cold. Someone inside their network had sold them out.
"We need to find out who it is," Aira said, her voice steely. "Before they lead us straight into a trap."
Kian met her eyes, his expression grim. "If Zhou knows we're onto him, he won't hesitate to retaliate. We'll need to move carefully from now on."
Aira clenched her fists. She'd known the risks. She'd known the dangers. But it was one thing to acknowledge it, and another to be staring down the barrel of Zhou Renwei's fury.
"Alright," she said, standing up and walking to the map that Liling had pinned to the wall. "We leak the files, but we do it in a way that causes maximum disruption—target the key players in Zhou's operation. His business partners. His political allies."
"Agreed," Kian said, his tone decisive. "We'll leak the most dangerous material first. The offshore accounts. The bribery recordings. If we can expose his financial network, it'll cripple his ability to retaliate."
Liling nodded. "It's risky. Zhou won't take this sitting down. We'll need to make sure there's no trace leading back to us."
"We'll be ghosts," Aira said, her resolve hardening. "Let's move."
---
Later that night, the city of Jing erupted in chaos.
The first leak went out, and the world was set ablaze.
Offshore accounts tied to illegal trade routes. Bribery logs involving high-ranking officials from China's government. Evidence of blackmail and manipulation spanning across multiple continents. The world watched as Zhou Renwei's empire was exposed for all to see.
But with every victory came a shadow.
Zhou had resources that no one could have predicted. By the time the world had woken up to the revelations, he had already activated his countermeasures—shutting down key communication channels, erasing digital fingerprints, and shifting his operations into overdrive. His retaliation was swift, and it was deadly.
In the midst of it all, Aira and her team were on the move. They couldn't afford to stop.
They had to stay one step ahead.
---
Back at the safehouse, they regrouped. The adrenaline that had been pulsing through their veins was now giving way to exhaustion. They hadn't slept in days, and the weight of everything that was happening was beginning to take its toll.
"I'm tracing the government connections," Liling said, her voice strained as she typed furiously. "But there's too much interference. Zhou's men are on high alert. I can feel them closing in."
Aira turned to Kian. "We need to move again. Now."
Kian looked at her, his expression hard but filled with a sense of urgency. "I agree. But we need to do it carefully. If we stay in one place for too long, Zhou will find us. We need a plan."
Aira glanced at the laptop where Liling was working, her brow furrowed in concentration. "What do you need?"
Liling didn't look up. "I need access to the underground communications network. There's a sub-level server hidden in one of the government buildings. If I can tap into that, I'll be able to trace the mole. But it's going to be risky."
Kian glanced at Aira. "If she's right, that's our best shot at finding the leak before we're caught."
Aira nodded. "Do it."
---
The plan was set.
Under the cover of darkness, they infiltrated a government building in the heart of Jing City. The building was heavily guarded, but with Kian's expertise and Aira's tactical precision, they were able to slip in unnoticed.
Liling worked quickly, bypassing security systems and unlocking the server room. As the hum of the machines filled the air, Aira couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time. Every minute spent in this building was another minute closer to being discovered.
Suddenly, the door to the server room burst open.
"Get down!" Kian shouted, shoving Aira and Liling behind a row of metal cabinets.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway, followed by the unmistakable sound of guns being drawn.
Zhou's men had found them.
Aira's pulse surged in her ears as she reached for the gun at her side. Kian was already crouched by the door, waiting for the perfect moment.
Liling's voice trembled. "I've almost got it... I'm almost there."
"Focus," Aira said, her tone low but firm. "We'll cover you."
Kian nodded. "We have one chance. Make it count."
The door to the server room creaked open, and the first guard stepped inside. Without hesitation, Kian took him down with a quick, silent strike.
The rest followed quickly, a deadly game of cat and mouse in the shadows.
Liling was almost done. A few more seconds, and they'd have the information they needed.
The last guard turned, his eyes locking onto Aira.
Before he could raise his weapon, she fired.
The guard collapsed.
And in the silence that followed, Liling let out a breath of relief.
"I got it," she whispered.
Kian grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the exit. "Let's move. Now."
As they disappeared into the night, the city around them was on the brink of chaos. Zhou Renwei's empire was crumbling, and Aira Ke was determined to make sure it didn't take them down with it.
The mole was still out there, but now they had the evidence to expose him. The hunt had just begun.