Badi's voice came out trembling. "I ... I only ever dealt with people at the bottom of their chain. Whenever we needed a shipment, we'd post a coded message on a forum that same day. Someone from their side would reach out and give us a drop location. All we had to do was show up with cash. Every time they came, they wore masks. I have no idea what any of them look like." "How did you find out about this channel?" Thora pressed. "A ... a friend put me in touch. It's referral-only. After the introduction, someone from their end contacts you directly." Badi rushed to add more, fear bleeding through his words. "People have tried to bust them before. None of them came back alive. Their firepower is serious—they've got a whole private army. And they're smart. In all the time I've dealt with them, I've never seen a single face." Thora processed everything, then spoke directly into her concealed mic. "Luke, get over here. Now.""Copy." Luke's voice came back instantly. He grabbed his backpack and got up to move out. But the second he stood up, something felt wrong. He looked down at his backpack—tucked beneath the shoulder strap was a tiny black dot that didn't belong there. It was nearly invisible unless you were looking for it, planted in the one spot most likely to be overlooked. He peeled it off. Behind his glasses, his expression shifted instantly. "Boss, I've got some bad news." Luke's voice came through the mic, tight with urgency. "Talk." Thora's tone stayed level. "I've been bugged." Thora paused for one second. "What's the status now?" "The device was on my backpack. Already destroyed." "Understood. Get here." "On my way."Thora's gaze went ice-cold. Someone had planted a listening device on Luke. Luke was the weakest link on their squad when it came to counter-surveillance, and he never moved with the rest of the team. But he was the hub—every thread of intelligence and every update on the squad's movements funneled through him. Whoever did this had targeted Luke specifically, which meant they knew exactly how her team operated—down to the details and patterns. "Boss, what's wrong?" Tristan picked up on the shift in her expression immediately, his voice dropping low. Shirley straightened up too, her eyes locked on Thora, concern written all over her face. "Luke was bugged." Thora relayed the information flatly. "What?" Tristan's tone went cold in an instant, the temperature around him seeming to plummet. Shirley's expression changed as she cut in. "Is Luke okay?" Thora shook her head. "He's fine. He already destroyed the device." "Any idea who did it?" Tristan asked. A razor-thin smile curved the corner of Thora's mouth, cold and certain. "I do." Tristan and Shirley exchanged a glance and dropped the subject—if Thora already had a lead, all they needed to do was wait for the order to move. ... Not far from Novaland, inside a concealed safe house. "The bug's been found." Gallo reported, his voice tight with frustration. Tobias didn't seem the least bit bothered. A faint smile crossed his face. "It's fine. Now that they've found it, it's time we move on to the next phase." Tobias wasn't a student of the Command Institute, and technically held no authority to lead. Yet every time a Command Institute cadet ended up on a team with him, the real decision-making always drifted into his hands. It was a cardinal sin in military doctrine, but every command student who'd worked alongside him had handed over the reins willingly. Even the academy's administration had little to say about it—at the end of the day, it came down to individual capability, and that wasn't something they could regulate. He had identified Luke's weakness long ago and personally engineered the opportunity to plant the listening device on his backpack. The bug had been discovered quickly, but every piece of intel worth hearing had already been captured. "Compile and analyze everything they've gathered so far. Find every thread that leads to the counterfeiting ring." Tobias's voice carried the quiet weight of absolute command. "Got it!" Gallo acknowledged and moved to execute immediately.Tobias lifted his gaze toward the distant skyline of Novaland, his eyes darkening with something dangerous. Thora, this time, I'm going to win.