CHAPTER 83: BOOM!

{Anything I ask.}

The words caused them all to pause in silence.

"Anything?" Silk repeated, narrowing her eyes. "That’s a big word, suit. You saying we become your little puppets?"

{Not puppets,} OmniTech corrected smoothly, holding up a finger. {Contractors. Well-paid, well-protected, highly... expendable contractors.}

Zero shrank a little at that last word, clutching the hood of his sweatshirt tighter. Nico’s hand didn’t stop patting his head, but she frowned at him through the screen.

"And if we say no?" Bypass asked quietly, though his hands were already typing, running silent scripts in the background—scripts that OmniTech casually deleted one by one as soon as they appeared.

{If you say no, then I just disappear from your lives,} he answered, {but do know that you only have a few minutes before the consequences of his actions hit.}

He finished his words by pointing at Tag.

The team thought for a moment. His words might just be a bluff—a way for them to accept his deal out of desperation—but what if they weren’t?

"We don’t tru—" Tag started but was interrupted again.

"We accept," Nico answered without missing a beat.

Tag went silent. Although he wanted to protest, to say he didn’t trust OmniTech, he knew at this moment that he had lost his team’s trust, and it would be hard earning it back.

So he decided to say nothing to the decision.

{Great,} OmniTech said, clapping both hands together. {First order of business, you need to abandon this base.}

"What do you mean ’abandon the base’?" Bypass asked, slightly adjusting his glasses.

{I’d prefer if you followed my orders without question,} he said, {but since you just started working for me, I’ll cut you some slack.}

His words made them frown, but they said nothing in response.

{This base of yours has been compromised, and staying here any longer will just put you six in danger,} he explained.

"What do you mean our base is compromised?" Silk asked. "Our base’s location is unknown to even the—"

She was cut off by OmniTech, who just sighed and said, {Tech Square Midtown, a two-story gaming lounge tucked between a laundromat and a lit vape shop.}

That silenced Silk instantly. Her eyes widened in shock as she stumbled back a step. The others weren’t much different; they were also stunned, because their base was supposed to be hidden beyond reach.

{Now then,} OmniTech’s avatar was somehow back on its cube, {will you kindly follow the order?}

There was a smile on his face that didn’t look like one. His words were not as kind as he made them seem.

It felt as if there would be consequences for rejecting his order, so the team just silently picked up the backpacks, stuffing in everything important.

Zero wanted to take his rig, but OmniTech denied his request, stating that he didn’t have anywhere to put it anyway.

The team of six took the elevator leading to the lounge, which was currently packed with gamers screaming at the top of their lungs.

The owner of the gaming lounge looked at them in surprise before smiling. "I see you’ve decided to leave your cave."

But their expressions weren’t what he expected—especially Zero’s. Frowning, he asked again, "Is something wrong?"

"It’s nothing," Tag replied, before adding, "we’ll be stepping out for a bit."

"Sure," the lounge owner nodded. "Just be careful out there, since you six are not exactly..."

He ended his words with a certain look that they understood without him even saying. With that, they stepped out, leaving him by himself again.

Although he didn’t believe they were fine, he just chalked it up to the fact that they might’ve failed an important hack and were now sour about it.

Y’know, geniuses with their egos and shit.

"But their bounties are getting larger by the day," he whispered to himself, a certain glint flashing in his eyes. "Soon enough... soon enough, whoever cashes in won’t have to lift a finger for the rest of their life."

He leaned back against the counter, pretending to busy himself with a stack of receipts as the gamers behind him roared at another round’s victory.

That was the plan. Let the group of misfits drive up their worth with every stunt and every break-in. Let the governments, the corps, the underground syndicates all throw in their bids until the price was astronomical.

And when it was high enough—high enough to tempt even the greediest of devils—he would hand them over himself.

And like that, he’d be in the top 10% in the US, and all it would take was a single move. He could almost taste the riches coming his way, the respect it would bring... and most importantly, the ladies.

---

While a betrayal was being plotted against them, the Vigilants were walking toward a certain van on OmniTech’s command.

{That van will take you to a new base I arranged earlier. Get in, do not talk to the driver, just tap the window separating you two and he’ll start driving,} he spoke through Tag’s phone.

They entered the van’s open door, closed it, and sat down before tapping on the window.

Where had Ethan gotten the driver? Well, he just happened to be the lucky, or rather unlucky, underworld member who lived in Atlanta and, at the same time, drove a van.

All Ethan had to do was apply the carrot-and-stick method: go park your van at a certain location at a certain time, don’t ask any questions, and definitely do not be curious about whoever enters the van.

Just drive after a tap on the window.

Succeed, and he’d be rewarded with a one-time code, something that could breach any bank’s vault, allowing him to steal whatever sum his greed could imagine... but only once.

Fail, and he’d be praying the cops got to him first. Simple demands, simple consequences. And the driver was unwilling to find out who this person was or what he was capable of.

{Now, a task for Tag,} OmniTech said as soon as the van started moving. {You were part of the drama club back in high school, right?}

His words made the six freeze, and they immediately turned to Tag, looking at him in surprise.

Tag seemed to blush in embarrassment, but they couldn’t be sure since the van was a bit dark.

"Y-yes." He muttered, his voice almost a whisper.

"Really?" Zero moved from his seat next to Nico and toward Tag. "How was it? Did you go up on stage? Were you Romeo or Juliet?"

"I was Romeo... once," Tag admitted reluctantly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But that’s not the point here, is it?"

{Oh, it very much is,} OmniTech answered. {Time to put your theater pants back on. Dmitri’s about to call you.}

"What do you—" Before he could finish his words, a call from an unknown number came in.

{Answer it,} OmniTech ordered. {I want you to put on a convincing act, and I’ll handle the rest.}

Tag hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he picked up the call and placed the phone to his ear.

"You failed," were the first words that came through, and Tag immediately felt genuine fear.

A few minutes after the call was answered—

BOOM!