When Teacher Alice began her lesson, Lara retrieved the unassuming cellphone she had purchased earlier. The device was plain—cheap casing, nothing that would draw attention.
She angled it so only she could see the screen and opened a website that had caught her eye days ago.
A money-making platform.
At first glance, it looked harmless—rows of job listings scrolling past, each tagged with difficulty levels, payout amounts, and vague descriptions written in deliberately bland language. Lara's eyes skimmed the entries with practiced detachment until one listing made her pause.
Target: Obsidian Peak
Industry: AI chip manufacturing
Difficulty: Level 1
Reward: $100,000
She tapped it.
The site redirected her instantly, threads of encrypted data unfolding behind the screen like a living thing. Lara felt a faint tightening in her chest—not fear, exactly, but anticipation.
Her fingers moved. Not hesitantly. Not experimentally.
