POV: Jay
The city lights stretched across the road like glowing rivers as my motorbike sliced through the evening traffic.
The cool wind pushed against my helmet, but my mind was far from calm.
My crushed phone sat in the pocket of my jacket.
Completely destroyed.
Screen shattered.
Frame bent.
But I wasn't worried about the phone.
I was worried about the message.
LEVEL14.exe: You're running out of time.
I tightened my grip on the handlebars.
"Who the hell are you…" I murmured under my breath.
Instead of heading toward a normal phone store, I turned left into a quieter street filled with small electronics shops. Neon lights flickered above signboards, and wires hung across the narrow road like tangled vines.
I stopped in front of a modest shop with a glowing blue sign.
"Nova Tech Repair."
I removed my helmet and stepped inside.
Inside the shop, shelves were filled with computer parts, circuit boards, and dismantled laptops. The air smelled faintly of solder and plastic.
Behind the counter, a middle-aged man wearing square glasses looked up from a motherboard he was repairing.
He blinked.
"Miss Byte?"
I walked closer and placed the crushed phone on the counter.
"Evening, Jeff."
Jeff adjusted his glasses and picked up the broken device carefully.
"Well… someone clearly didn't like this phone."
I crossed my arms.
"It got run over by a car."
Jeff raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds like a story."
I leaned slightly closer.
"Can you restore the data?"
Jeff examined the phone, turning it slowly.
"Maybe. If the internal chip survived."
"Good."
He gestured toward a chair.
"Give me ten minutes."
I sat down while Jeff opened the phone with delicate tools. The cracked screen was removed piece by piece until the internal board was exposed.
Sparks of tiny reflections flashed under the shop lights.
Jeff connected the chip to a small recovery machine and began typing quickly.
The screen flickered.
Lines of data appeared.
Recovered files.
Messages.
Apps.
Jeff frowned slightly.
"Hm."
I leaned forward.
"What?"
"There's a trace here… from a messaging route."
My eyes sharpened.
"Track it."
Jeff typed faster.
Numbers scrolled across the screen. A small digital map appeared.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
A location flashed.
Only for a second.
Jeff quickly captured it.
I stood up.
"Zoom."
Jeff enlarged the location.
The map showed a large residential compound.
I stared at the address.
My expression slowly hardened.
"…That can't be right"
i looked confused.
"You know the place?"
My jaw tightened.
"Yes."
I immediately pulled out my spare device and called someone.
The call connected.
"Carlos."
A voice answered from the other side.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Find out who owns this property."
I sent the address.
There was a brief pause.
Then typing sounds.
Ten seconds later Carlos spoke again.
"…jay."
"Yes?"
"The property belongs to…"
Another pause.
"…Kaizer Watson."
My eyes darkened.
The room felt suddenly colder.
"So it's you…" I whispered.
Carlos on the phone sounded confused.
"jayjay?"
"Nothing."
I ended the call.
For a few seconds I simply stared at the screen.
Kaizer Watson.
Keifer's father.
My mind started racing.
Is he really behind LEVEL14?
I grabbed the broken phone from the counter.
"Thank you, Jeff ."
He nodded.
"Anytime, Miss Byte."
I placed my helmet on again and walked outside.
My motorbike roared to life and disappeared into the night.
But I wasn't alone.
Across the street…
Behind a parked car….
POV: Keifer
Outside, the street was calm, but my senses were screaming. I had insisted the Section E boys stay hidden, but my eyes never left the road. "Ci-N, David, keep your distance. Don't move until I say," I whispered. They nodded, crouching behind parked cars.
Yuri's eyes scanned the surroundings nervously. "Keifer… she really went to the tech shop?"
"Yes," I said, voice low. "She didn't know we were watching. Let's see what she wants there."
Felix squinted. "Do we follow? Or…?"
I shook my head. "Wait. Let's see what she does first." I kept my hands tucked into my jacket pockets, my expression calm but my mind racing. Jay Byte was unpredictable—she always had a plan, and I didn't want to tip my hand too soon.
Meanwhile, I noticed the small movement inside the shop. A man behind the counter adjusted his glasses and looked at the phone Jay had brought in. One of the boys whispered, "What's she doing?"
I didn't answer. I just observed. The way she leaned over the counter, the way she handled her new phone—careful, precise, almost like she expected trouble.
Ci-N muttered, "Is she restoring her old phone?"
I nodded slightly. "Yes… but something tells me this isn't just a phone repair. Watch carefully."
Jay had been in the tech shop for several minutes, her fingers dancing over the screen as she carefully transferred data from the destroyed phone to the new one. She didn't notice the two shadows outside, and I stayed hidden, analyzing every tiny gesture she made.
Finally, she stood up, sliding the new phone into her jacket pocket. She glanced around, seemingly satisfied, and walked out. My heart picked up pace. I gestured to the boys. "Follow her—but carefully. No contact yet. She doesn't know we're here."
Yuri muttered, "She looks serious… more than usual."
I frowned slightly. "Good. That means we're getting closer."
As she exited, two men behind the shop leaned forward, whispering to each other. "Who's the girl that just left?" one asked.
The man behind the counter adjusted his glasses and said, "She just wanted me to restore her old data, that's all."
I noticed a slight twitch in the man's eyes as he said it. Something was off—but I didn't comment. Not yet. My eyes followed Jay as she mounted her motorbike and drove off into the night.
The boys and I stayed hidden for a moment longer, watching her silhouette vanish among the streetlights.
I lowered my voice. "Keep your eyes open. She's on to something… and I don't intend to let her do it alone."
Inside, the tech shop, the man behind the counter muttered, almost to himself, "Kids these days… always curious, always digging."
I glanced back one last time, ensuring no one else noticed our presence.
Something was coming. And for the first time, I felt the weight of it fully:
End of Chapter