The quiet in their new office was completely different from the scary, tense silences they were used to. Before, when they were hiding in motels or dark basements, silence meant danger—it was the quiet of holding your breath, waiting for an enemy to find you. This new silence was clean and peaceful. The air was cool from the conditioning, and the room smelled of newly painted walls and the fresh carpet beneath their feet. This silence wasn't about hiding; it was about possibility. But for Ace, who had spent so long running and fighting, this calm was almost as worrying as the sound of police sirens.

Bright sunlight poured through the tall windows of their office on the fifteenth floor. The space was modern and open, with a small waiting area, several desks with computers, and a meeting room with clear glass walls. It was hard to believe this was the same group of people who had once lived in a shabby motel or fought for their lives in a burned-out factory.

Each of them was settling into their new roles:

Kaito was focused on his bank of computer monitors, the screens glowing on his face as he kept a watchful eye on the digital heartbeat of the city.

Evelyn was carefully sorting through the financial records for their new company, her face serious with concentration.

Silva, dressed in a new button-up shirt that was a little too tight across his broad shoulders, stood by the window. Even in this safe, clean place, his eyes automatically scanned the streets below, a habit formed from a life of always watching for threats.

Elara, their brilliant hacker ally, was not physically present. She was a "ghost in the machine." Her work was evident in the perfect security of their computer network, and her presence was felt only when important information silently appeared on Kaito's screen.

This office was their kingdom now, a place they had built for themselves. But after everything they had lost, it still felt new and delicate, like it could be taken away at any moment.

Ace sat at his own clean desk, which held nothing but a single computer screen. He closed his eyes, not because he was tired, but to concentrate. Inside his mind, the mysterious power he called the "System" was quiet. It was no longer a harsh boss shouting orders, but more like a deep pool of energy he could tap into when he needed. He was mentally exploring a part of it called the "Corporate Espionage module," trying to understand it better. He could sense it was a huge collection of knowledge and tools for strategy and analysis, ready for him to use. It felt less like a separate tool and more like a powerful new instinct.

Suddenly, a loud buzz from the intercom on Evelyn's desk made all of them jump. They looked at each other in surprise. Nobody was supposed to know they were here yet. They hadn't told anyone about their new business. This office was meant to be their safe haven, not a public place.

Evelyn took a deep breath to calm her nerves and pressed the button to answer. "Miller Holdings. How can we help you?"

A young, anxious voice came through the speaker. "Um, hi. My name is Ben. Ben Carter? From Carter Tech? I... I got your address from a man down at the docks. He said you... solve problems?"

Another look passed between the team. This was a contact from Silva's network of underworld connections. This was it—their first real test as a legitimate business.

"Send him up, Evelyn," Ace said, his voice steady and calm.

A few minutes later, a young man in his early twenties walked into their conference room. He was clutching his laptop bag tightly, as if it could protect him. He had the excited-but-exhausted look of someone who has been working day and night, and his skin was pale from lack of sleep.

"Thank you for seeing me," Ben said, his eyes moving quickly between the four of them, stopping nervously on Silva's large, intimidating form. "I didn't know where else to turn. The police said it's a 'civil matter' and they can't really help."

"Start from the beginning," Ace said, using a gentle tone to put him at ease. "What's the problem?"

"It's my company," Ben explained, opening his laptop with shaking hands. "We created a new way to compress data—it's a special algorithm. It's our most important asset. We're just days away from a big meeting to get funding." He pulled up a series of emails on his screen. "And then these started arriving."

The emails were from someone calling themselves "Viper." The messages were threatening and rude. The demand was simple: pay $50,000 in untraceable cryptocurrency, or they would send the valuable algorithm to all of Carter Tech's competitors, making the company worthless.

"The police can't track the cryptocurrency wallet," Ben said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "And even if they could, it would take too much time. Our funding pitch is in seventy-two hours. If this secret gets out, my company is finished."

Evelyn leaned forward. "And why come to us?" she asked. "We're a new consulting firm. Why not go to a bigger, more well-known security company?"

Ben looked down at his hands, embarrassed. "Because we can't afford a big security company," he admitted. "And the man at the docks... he said you were... effective. He said you understood what it's like for people who get pushed around by bullies."

Inside Ace's mind, the special corporate knowledge he possessed—the "Corporate Espionage module"—stirred to life. It wasn't giving him a direct order, but rather offering him its analysis. Ace focused on Ben, on the threatening emails, on the clear fear in the young man's eyes. A stream of cool, logical insights filled his thoughts, breaking down the situation clearly:

<<<>>>

CLIENT ANALYSIS: BEN CARTER / CARTER TECH.

CREDIBILITY: HIGH. His financial trouble and desperation are real.

EXTORTION METHOD: SIMPLE AND UNSOPHISTICATED. It relies on scaring the victim and forcing them to act quickly.

LIKELY CULPRIT: A small-time criminal or a leftover member of a street gang who knows a bit about computers. This is not the work of a major corporation.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Find who is doing this and stop them. Getting the money back is not the main goal.

<<<>>>

Ace looked at his team and gave a small, confident nod. "We can help you."

Ben's head snapped up. Hope and desperation fought in his eyes. "You can? How? How much will it cost?"

Evelyn, who handled their finances and logistics, answered in a smooth, professional tone. "Our fee for resolving this will be ten thousand dollars. You only pay us after the threat is completely gone and your intellectual property is safely back in your hands."

This price was only a fraction of the $50,000 the criminals were demanding, something a struggling startup could actually pay. It also sent a message: Miller Holdings was here to help the desperate, not to exploit them.

"Yes! Done. Absolutely. Thank you!" Ben said, nodding repeatedly, overwhelmed with relief.

"Kaito," Ace said, turning to his hacker. "The emails. The crypto wallet. Find the digital breadcrumbs."

Kaito's fingers were already flying across his keyboard. He pulled the data from Ben's laptop. "The emails were sent through a middleman computer in a country with weak cyber laws. Standard procedure for hiding. The cryptocurrency wallet is a temporary, throwaway one. But..." he zoomed in on the hidden data attached to one email, "...the fool wrote one of these on his personal phone before sending it through the hiding service. I've got a location from a cell phone tower. He's right here in the city."

At that moment, Elara's contribution appeared on Kaito's second monitor—a map of the city with the cell tower's area highlighted. It was cross-referenced with the known territories of small-time criminal gangs.

"It's the 'Circuit Breakers,'" Silva grunted, immediately recognizing the neighborhood. "They're a bunch of failed hackers and thugs who think they're in charge now that Vincenzo's gang is gone. They've been shaking down small businesses in the old tech district."

Just like that, the faceless digital threat had a name and a home address.

"Okay," Ace said, standing up. The plan was formed. "Silva, you and I will go pay the Circuit Breakers a visit. Evelyn, you'll be our communication link, monitoring everything from here. Kaito, you're our digital overwatch. Get into their network, find their personal devices, and be ready to act."

Ben watched, his eyes wide, as the team of Miller Holdings snapped into action with practiced efficiency. This wasn't a polite business meeting; it felt more like a well-planned military operation.

An hour later, Ace and Silva stood outside a dirty storefront that pretended to be a computer repair shop. The sign flickered weakly, and the windows were so dusty you could barely see inside.

"Remember," Ace said quietly to Silva. "We're consultants now. We're here to de-escalate the situation."

Silva rolled his shoulders, his new shirt stretching tight across his back. "My way of de-escalating is very... persuasive," he replied.

They walked inside. A small bell jingled over the door. The shop was a mess, filled with taken-apart computer parts and smelling of old pizza. Two men were inside: one was skinny and pale, hunched over a keyboard, and the other was a bulky man with tattoos snaking up his arms, the kind you get in prison.

The bulky man stood up. "We're closed."

"We're not customers," Ace said, his voice calm and even. "We're here about Carter Tech."

The feeling in the room instantly turned cold and hostile. The lanky man stopped typing. The bulky man took a threatening step forward. "Don't know what you're talking about. Get out."

Ace's enhanced hearing, a gift from his System, picked up the faint, frantic sound of the lanky man clicking his mouse—probably trying to delete evidence or send a warning to someone.

"Kaito," Ace said softly into the tiny microphone hidden in his collar.

"On it," Kaito's voice replied instantly through the nearly invisible earpiece Ace wore. "I've just remotely locked his computer. He can't do a thing. I also have access to his personal online files. I'm looking at his vacation photos right now. His mother looks like a lovely woman."

Ace kept his eyes locked on the bulky man. He spoke with cold certainty. "Your partner's entire digital life is currently in our hands. The Carter Tech algorithm is now on a server we control. The threatening emails have been traced directly to this location. You have failed."

The bulky man bravado wavered. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. Their job was to scare a nervous young entrepreneur, not to be outsmarted and cornered by two calm professionals in a nice office.

Silva took just one step forward, but his large frame seemed to fill the entire cramped shop. His voice was low and left no room for argument. "Here's the new deal. You will delete every single copy of that algorithm. You will digitally sign a confession, which we will keep in a secure, hidden file. And you will never, ever go near Carter Tech or any other small business like it again."

"Or what?" the man sneered, but the threat was weak. He was trying to sound brave, but the confidence was gone.

"Or," Silva said, his voice dropping to a quiet, dangerous whisper that was somehow more frightening than a shout, "we don't call the police. Instead, we just spread the word to every other small-time gang in this city. We'll tell them that the Circuit Breakers are weak. That you can't handle pressure. That you give up easily." He let the idea hang in the filthy air. "How long do you think your gang would last once everyone knows you're an easy target?"

This was a threat the two criminals understood on a deep level. In their world of gangs and thugs, going to prison was a risk. But losing your reputation for being strong? That was a death sentence. No one would fear or respect them anymore, and they would be quickly destroyed by rivals.

The lanky man, now sweating heavily, nodded frantically. "It's done. It's deleted. I swear on my life."

"Kaito, verify," Ace said into his mic.

"Verified," Kaito's voice confirmed a moment later. "The data is completely wiped from their systems. The digital confession is signed, encrypted, and stored safely in our digital vault."

Ace took out a business card. It was simple and elegant, reading only: Miller Holdings. Strategic Solutions. He tossed it onto the dusty counter.

"If you're ever tempted to go back to shaking down people for money," Ace said, his tone final, "remember what happened here today. We are the reason that would be a very, very bad idea."

Without another word, they turned and walked out of the shop, leaving the two would-be extortionists standing in stunned, defeated silence.

Back in the clean, bright office of Miller Holdings, Ben Carter had tears of relief streaming down his face. "I don't know how to thank you," he choked out. "You saved my company. You saved everything I've worked for."

"You trusted us and came to us for help," Evelyn said, handing him a tablet with a formal service contract to sign. "That is thanks enough."

After Ben had left, overflowing with gratitude, the team gathered in the main office. The setting sun poured through the windows, painting the walls in warm shades of orange and gold.

"Our first client," Kaito said, a proud, genuine smile spreading across his face. "We actually did it. We used our skills to help someone, for real. And we did it the right way."

"It felt good," Silva admitted, finally loosening the tie that felt so strange around his neck. "Honestly? It felt better than just breaking someone's bones."

Evelyn nodded, a quiet satisfaction in her eyes. "It's a start. A real start."

Ace looked out the large window at the sprawling city they had fought so hard to protect. It was just one small startup. One minor threat. But it was a beginning. They had used the dangerous skills they learned in a life of darkness to create a small sliver of light for someone else.

Their kingdom was secure. The rule of their own unique brand of law and justice had officially begun.

But as Ace stood there, a cold, familiar feeling tickled at the back of his mind. The System, now a quiet part of him, had taken note of the successful mission. A new kind of influence had been established. Somewhere deep in its hidden programming, a new counter had begun to tick, one that didn't just measure their ability to survive, but their growing power and control.

The first battle was won, but Ace knew with sudden clarity that the larger war—the work of truly building their new world—was just beginning.

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