Sector 6, Nexora News Plaza – 04:00 AM
The Nexora skyline was chaos.
Screens that once showed luxury ads now blasted with red-ticker headlines:
"BREAKING: Harid Reman, Internal Affairs Chief, Linked to Illicit Transfers!"
"Anonymous Source 'RavenSeed' Uploads 63GB of Internal Corruption Logs!"
"Nexora Internal Systems Breached – Investigation Underway."
Civilians flooded social feeds with hashtags. Students marched near the academy gates. Slum zones buzzed with electricity. Even the upper class was uneasy.
And in a quiet underground chamber, Auron Riven watched it unfold.
He wasn't smiling.
He was calculating.
New Passive Reward Unlocked: System Uplink to Nexora Data Feeds – Viewable Statistics Enabled.
Influence Growth Rate: +2.1% per hour
Public Heat Score: 37/100 – Caution Level: Medium
The VaultPod – Main Chamber, 04:13 AM
Kara paced while watching encrypted feeds flicker across six screens. Her black tank top was soaked in sweat. She hadn't slept in 36 hours.
"You know what this means, right?" she said.
Auron nodded. "They'll come."
"Not just the ones in power. Syndicates. Enforcers. Black line mercs. You made noise, Riven. Real noise."
Auron looked over at Riva. She was curled up on a pillow fort, hugging a bear that still had a price tag on it.
"I need more reach. More tools. More hands."
Kara raised an eyebrow. "You building an army?"
"No." He turned away. "I'm building a firewall. Around her."
New Mission Tree Unlocked: Arc Title – 'Rise of the Digital Phantom'
Branch 1: Digital Fortress
Objective: Install autonomous defense A.I. grid (3 levels)
Reward: $30,000 per layer + Stealth Mode System Boost
Branch 2: Financial Funnel
Objective: Set up five ghost companies in Nexora's trade net
Reward: Passive income stream unlocked (est. $2,500/day)
Branch 3: Human Capital
Objective: Recruit 3 operatives (Tech, Field, Clean-Up)
Reward: Operational Support Units unlocked
Week 1 – Digital Fortress Initiation
Auron spent $30,000 upgrading The VaultPod with:
Wall-embedded AI turret points
Voiceprint-lock safe zones
Multi-layer EMP shielding
Result: No signal or heat trace could leave or enter without permission.
System Notification:
Fortress Layer 1 Complete – Reward Unlocked: $30,000 + System Stealth Mode Boost +1
Balance: $111,500 – 30,000 + 30,000 = $111,500
Net Neutral. All gain.
Week 2 – Financial Funnel Build-Up
Alias: Kale Riven now officially owned:
A tech recycling startup (GreenByte)
A student lunch vendor license
A private freelance analytics agency
A delivery firm using two used hovervans
A fake NGO for displaced slum orphans
Setup Cost: $40,000 (legal + illegal channels)
Daily Revenue: $2,750 (projected within 10 days)
System Notification:
Funnel System Online – Revenue Tracker Added
Reward: Passive Stream Unlocked + Auto-Hide Transaction Mask
Week 3 – Human Capital: Operative Hunt
Kara stood beside Auron at a rooftop eatery in Sector 4. A holographic billboard floated above, still flashing about the Harid scandal.
"Found one," she said.
"Who?"
"Ghostnet alias: 'CrowJaw'. Real name: unknown. But he hacks Nexora Tower clocks for fun."
Auron nodded. "Approach him."
Later that night, the team found their tech asset. A pale, lanky boy with wired gloves and glasses.
"I don't do in-person," he said.
"You're already here," Kara snapped.
"I charge per threat level."
"You'll be rich or dead by next week," Auron said. "Your call."
He joined.
Second Operative: Mireen "Spindle" Vos
Ex-smuggler, anti-detection driver
Picked up during a drone raid Auron orchestrated using system funds
$15,000 paid in bribe to extract her
She spat oil and said, "You better pay my damn tools."
He did.
Third Operative: Darin "Patch" Mox
Clean-up specialist. Former body incinerator for the Brack Syndicate.
Now drinks too much and lives in a storage crate.
"Why me?" he asked Auron.
"Because you know how to vanish things no one wants found."
Operative Network Complete – Reward: Operational Command UI + Emergency Deployment Option (x3)
Auron watched as their IDs updated in his system. Ghost names. All protected. All off-grid.
They were pieces on his board.
Midnight – Personal Reflection Log: Riven (Hidden Protocol Access)
"She sleeps sounder now. No coughs. No tremors. Every meal is clean. Every breath is soft."
"The city doesn't know my face, but it's learning my weight. I don't want thrones. I want armor."
"But I know how thrones are built. One nail at a time."
New Mission Prompt: Syndicate Approach
A message from the Broker:
"The Crimson Dagger wants to meet. They think you're bad for business. But might be worse as an enemy."
Kara looked over Auron's shoulder.
"You going?"
He stared at the invite for a long second.
Then said: "Yeah."
"Alone?"
"No."
He looked at his team. "None of us are ghosts anymore."