"What did you just say?" Ashton asked again, staring at Rachel in shock. His voice carried both fear and disbelief.
Rachel looked straight at him and said, "Do you want me to repeat it? I said, "I'll use your computer to hack into every traffic camera and dash camera in Baswil City."
Ashton's eyes widened, his jaw almost dropping. "I heard you, but do you know that's illegal? You could get ten years in prison or pay seven hundred and fifty million Norpondian dollars. We should call the authorities, and—"
Rachel's glare cut into him like ice. "Coward."
Ashton froze. His heart skipped a beat. "What… what did you just call me?" His voice cracked with shock.
"I called you a coward," Rachel said, walking toward him, her steps slow and heavy.
Her eyes burned with anger as she went on: "How can you talk about calling the authorities when your cousin's life is ticking away? It will take too long to get approval. Josie doesn't have that kind of time."
Her fierce stare locked on him like a predator, which made Ashton instinctively step back.
"But… we are the Shens," Ashton said, his voice shaking. "If Grandma makes the call, then—"
Saul cut him off, his voice steady and commanding, saying, "Son, your cousin is right. Go get her the computer. Time is not on our side."
After Saul finished talking, his eyes warned Ashton not to waste another second.
Ashton's shoulders slumped in defeat, and then he dragged his feet toward the exit door, with every step heavy and unwilling.
Rachel snapped at him and said, "Ashton, can you hurry up and stop walking like an old lady?"
Her sharp tone made him pick up his pace.
Minutes later, Ashton returned carrying his most loved computer, Erebus, a custom computer with the best parts money could buy.
Rachel gave it a glance and smirked faintly. "Hmm, Erebus—quantum processor, high RAM, advanced graphics, secure OS. It's good, but not the best. I'll manage." She stretched out her hand and said, "Give it here."
Ashton's face twisted in annoyance. Her words really cut him deep because Erebus was his pride.
With a sour look on his face, he shoved the Erebus into her arms bitterly and said, "Here. Take it."
Rachel smirked at his sour face, ruffled his hair, and pinched his cheek while saying, "How cute."
But the smirk vanished quickly as she turned serious and started to scan the control room until she found a wide desk with a leather chair.
Walking to the wide desk, she set Erebus down and sat down on the leather chair while sinking into the comfort of the seat.
She leaned back, stretched her fingers, and closed her eyes, then memories of her past life came rushing into her mind again as—Fetrixcon, the most wanted hacker alive, heir of the Trix Mafia Family, the one no agency could ever catch.
After a while, her eyes snapped open, then her fingers hit the keyboard of Erebus, and they flew so fast that they blurred.
The control room went silent.
No one dared to breathe too loud, and the only sound that could be heard in the control room was the furious tap-tap-tap of the keyboard, which was sounding and rolling like a nonstop drumbeat.
Ashton's heart raced.
He stood frozen, unable to believe his eyes.
He was known as one of the best hackers in Norpond—even in the Norpondian International Bureau Investigation Agency. But this… this was beyond anything he had ever seen.
Rachel's mind sharpened like a blade as she dove into Baswil City's main network.
It was like facing a massive locked skyscraper and searching for a door.
She released a scanning program, hunting weak spots—outdated software, bad passwords, and lazy firewalls.
Once she found one, she slipped inside, fooling the system into accepting her.
Then she built a master key program that unlocked everything.
The defenses collapsed one by one.
Her control spread across the city like a rising flood.
She took over traffic cameras and dash cams, rerouting feeds into Erebus.
Then she wiped her tracks clean, leaving no trace.
It was like robbing a building without leaving a fingerprint.
Everyone—Erica, Susan, Saul, Silas, Paul, Elena, Ashley, Ashton, and Pamela—watched in awe.
Their eyes followed her hands, too fast to track.
On the screen, a map of Baswil City appeared. Green dots lit up—traffic cameras under her control. Then blue dots appeared—dash cams of every car she now owned.
The views shifted: streets, highways, cars, faces, voices—all pouring into Erebus at once.
Rachel closed her eyes and listened.
Through the countless voices, she picked out the one she had been waiting for—Josie.
Her cousin's frightened face filled a dash cam screen, then her trembling voice broke through, saying, "Why are you doing this? Do you want money? I can give you any amount you want. I'm a Shen; you know the Shens, right? We are—"
Then a cold voice cut her off and said, "Shut up and drive. Boss Alessandro wants to see you at La Vipera's Den."
Rachel's lips moved as she mumbled, "La Vipera's Den." Then she looked up and said, "Does anyone here know where that is?"
Ashley nodded quickly and said, "Yes, I mentioned it earlier. It's a bar owned by the Vulturi Syndicate."
Rachel's eyes lit with a smile as she said, "Good. You'll be my navigator."
"Navigator? Me?" Ashley said in disbelief.
"Yes," Rachel said firmly, then turned to Ashton and said, "And I'll need the keys to your Audi RS7."
Erica's worried voice broke in. "Rachel, don't be reckless. The Vulturis Syndicate is dangerous. Why don't we wait for me to call—"
Rachel shook her head. "Grandma, every second we waste is another second Josie is suffering. Trust me, I'll bring her back."
She looked at Elena, her voice softening. "Aunt Elena, I promise I'll bring Josie back."
Elena's lips trembled.
No words came out of her mouth, only the hope shining in her hazel eyes as Rachel gave her a firm nod.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel held out her hand and said, "The keys."
Ashton blinked, then fumbled in his pocket before saying, "Oh, right." Then he handed the keys over with a strained smile while saying, "Just try not to scratch it. That car is one of my favorites."
Rachel rolled her eyes and hissed, then she turned to Ashley and said,. "Let's go."
Erica was already on her phone, texting the Chief of Police and President Jason Voughn.
The others stood frozen as Rachel and Ashley walked out, shutting the door behind them.
They took the elevator down to the underground parking lot, where Ashton's deep blue Audi RS7 was parked and was gleaming under the lights.
Rachel and Ashley hopped into the Audi RS7 as soon as they got to the Audi RS7, and as soon as Rachel twisted the key, the engine of the Audi RS7 roared to life, with its deep growl filling the underground parking lot.
She gripped the wheel, then her pulse raced as memories of her past life flooded her mind again as Aliya Modric, the racing genius and queen of the racing track.
Then she glanced at Ashley and said, "Hold on tight," before slamming her right foot on the accelerator pedal of the Audi RS7, which made the tires screech as the Audi RS7 shot forward and burst out of the underground parking lot with violent speed.
But just as Rachel hit the open road with the Audi RS7, a sleek black Mercedes-Benz S-Class swerved in front of the Audi RS7 and blocked the way, which made Rachel slam on the brakes hard.
The Audi RS7 screeched to a halt with smoke filling the air, and as the driver's door of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class opened slowly, a pair of slender legs stepped out first, followed by the body of a man in a suit whose face was hidden in the smoke.