Episode 34 – Bloodlines and Betrayal
The hospital was under siege before anyone knew it.
ZeroFace's attack came at 3 AM.
A simple message: "A thousand lives. One button."
Inside the control room, panic spread like wildfire. The power grid blinked, then shut down completely. Emergency systems flickered, but only for a moment.
The data center — where medical records, patient information, and vital systems ran — was compromised.
By 4 AM, the lights were out in every room. The electronic locks failed. Patients, doctors, nurses scrambled in the dark.
ZeroFace was here.
---
Kevin's phone rang just after dawn.
The moment he heard the report, he knew: this wasn't just another hack.
"Get the team ready. We're going in." His voice was low, lethal.
Alex, Guen, Minjae, and Miran were at his side within minutes. The hospital was still in chaos, staff scrambling to regain control.
The reports kept coming: ZeroFace activated medical supply shutdowns. ICU patients at risk. Data of patients with critical conditions compromised.
"What the hell are they doing?" Guen demanded. "They're not just stealing data anymore."
Kevin's jaw tightened. "They're sending a message. And we need to stop it."
---
Inside the chaos of the hospital's main control room, ZeroFace's signature appeared on the screen.
Their encrypted voice modulated: "One hour. Keep pressing. Or the bloodbath begins."
Guen cursed under her breath. "How the hell do they know how to take down a hospital like this? They've been planning this."
"We'll stop them," Kevin said firmly. "But not by playing their game."
Minjae's eyes were cold, his usual smirk absent. He scanned the data screens. "We need to find the mainframe. I'll take care of the security protocols."
"Stay on guard," Kevin warned. "ZeroFace won't make this easy."
---
Meanwhile, deep in the hospital's server room, Alex found something that made his blood run cold.
A hidden file labeled Project Black Echo.
"Guys, I found something," Alex said, voice strained.
Guen was beside him in an instant. "What is it?"
Alex hesitated before pulling the file open. The contents were encrypted, but one word caught their eye: Betrayal.
He opened it further. The page contained detailed plans — ZeroFace's first strike was just the beginning. They were targeting key infrastructures — hospitals, power plants, data centers — all essential systems designed to destroy the city's pulse.
But then, Alex found something else — a line that made his heart freeze:
> "The mole's in the group. Trust no one."
Guen's hand shook as she looked at the screen. "They know… they know."
Alex ran a hand through his hair. "And if they know… then we're all at risk."
---
Back at the hospital entrance, the chaos escalated.
Minjae was at the frontlines, clearing the hallway of tech glitches, hacking through firewalls and scrambling to stop ZeroFace's power grid shutdowns. But the tension in his jaw — something darker than usual — lingered.
"Minjae," Kevin called, "we need to get to the control room."
Minjae shot him a look, his usual cocky grin gone. "I know. But something doesn't feel right."
"I need you focused," Kevin snapped. "Lives are at stake."
Minjae didn't answer immediately, his eyes shifting across the monitors. His hand clenched on the console. "I know, I'm in. Let's get to work."
---
The hospital's main control room was a battlefield.
"Everything's gone to hell," a staff member said, voice shaking.
Kevin's eyes locked onto the screen. ZeroFace had already infiltrated the system so deeply, every level of the hospital was compromised.
Guen stood beside him, studying the data. "They're playing with us."
Minjae moved to a terminal, typing furiously. "If we don't stop this in the next thirty minutes, every patient in the ICU is dead."
Guen turned to Kevin, her voice tight. "We need to trust each other right now. No secrets."
He didn't answer. He couldn't. Not when the weight of the mission bore down on him — not when he knew the cost of failure.
---
But something deeper gnawed at Alex.
The words on the screen — The mole's in the group.
He tried to shake off the doubt, but it lingered. He couldn't stop thinking about it. What if it's me?
He glanced over at Minjae, who was deep in his work, his fingers flying across the console.
"No," Alex muttered. Minjae's not the mole. He'd never betray us.
But the seed of doubt was already planted. And as the timer ticked down, Alex found himself questioning everyone around him.
---
The final countdown hit: 5 minutes.
Kevin, Guen, and Minjae stormed toward the server room, determined to stop ZeroFace. Miran stayed back, guarding the doors and ensuring no one followed them.
"Five minutes," Kevin said, voice low and steady.
Guen nodded, determination flashing in her eyes. "We finish this. Now."
Inside the server room, ZeroFace's presence loomed like a ghost, their encrypted voice ringing in their ears:
"Game over."
The lights flickered, and suddenly, the countdown stopped.
But the doors locked. The hallway went dark. A screeching sound echoed through the halls.
"What the hell is happening?" Minjae spat.
Alex's eyes darted around the room. Something was wrong.
Then, the voice came again, distorted and taunting.
"You're too late. Game over, heroes. Time to bleed."
---
Back at the hospital entrance, Miran stood watch, holding the line.
Suddenly, the ground shook.
"What the hell?" Miran gasped, glancing around.
Explosion after explosion echoed from the depths of the hospital. The first wave of chaos had begun.
Minjae's voice came over her earpiece: "Get to the server room. Now."
Her pulse quickened, but she sprinted toward the control room, heart pounding. Something had broken. The walls were caving in, and the team was about to find themselves in a deadly trap.
---
Minutes later, the truth began to unravel.
As Minjae hacked into the mainframe, he uncovered the final twist: ZeroFace had planted explosives all over the building, with a devastating countdown.
Guen looked at Kevin, breathless. "We need to evacuate."
Kevin shook his head, jaw set. "We're not leaving. We stop ZeroFace."
The team split, with Kevin leading the charge to defuse the bombs, while Minjae worked to stabilize the server room. Alex and Guen fought through the waves of ZeroFace's manipulations, their will tested to the limit.
---
But as the timer hit zero, an explosion rattled the building.
It wasn't just the hospital. The entire district went dark. Every life, every patient, at risk.
And the worst was yet to come.
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