Concrete swallowed the sound when she tried the code.
[Ding!]
Event: Cancel Attempt — Signature Invalid
Status:
- Survival Probability: 48% → 47% (Δ −1%)
Note: Origin validation failed. Handshake/OTP required.
Elara exhaled once, a sharp release of air. Panic wasted seconds; seconds bled Survival. "Legal packet—now," she whispered into the mic. "Aim for the primary host and all CDN nodes."
"On it," the voice in her earbud replied, keys clacking in the background. "DMCA filed on copyright pretext. Geo-propagation delay is in flight. We've bought minutes, not hours."
[Ding!]
Event: Distribution Nodes Delayed
Status:
- Survival Probability: 47% → 49% (Δ +2%)
Note: Temporary stall; auto-drop still armed.
The compromised phone buzzed. "S" again—voice this time, a distorted silk. "Tick-tock, princess. Feeling the pressure?"
"You called it a retainer," Elara said softly, angling the hidden microphone toward the phone's speaker. "That's procurement of stolen data. If you believe this is clean, say the number again. Then say the one-time passcode you just used to arm the failsafe. Prove it's a legitimate transaction."
A silence, then a soft, staticky laugh. "Fifty thousand. And you don't get my security tokens."
"Then this recorded line goes public with your 'retainer' admission," she cut in, her voice chillingly calm. "Or you can cancel the drop from your end, and we can both pretend we have a shared interest in shareholder value."
A held breath. "Fine. A half-code. You finish it. The first half is '7AG9'. The validation suffix is… 'Kilo'."
[Thrum…]
Side Mission: Flip the Handler "S"
Progress: 35% → 70%
Timer: 00:14:30
Penalty on Failure: Survival −10%
From behind her, a voice like a knife sheathed in velvet: "You call this coming alone?"
She didn't turn. Liam had remained a silent, oppressive presence. "Stay where you are, Mr. Sterling," she said, her fingers flying over the mirrored phone's screen, entering 7AG9Kilo. "Unless you plan to be useful."
[Ding!]
Event: Male Lead Interaction (Proximity)
Status:
- Attention: 42/100 → 45/100 (Δ +3)
- Survival Probability: 49% → 48% (Δ −1%)
Note: Prolonged proximity increases risk.
"Useful?" he murmured, stepping closer. The air grew colder. "I'm being immensely useful. I'm observing. You keep choosing survival over pride. It's an interesting choice, Ms. Vance."
The phone screen flashed red again. Invalid Handshake. Pairing Required.
It wasn't enough. She needed the final piece from 'S'. The real cancel had to come from the source device. "The code failed. Your system requires a paired device handshake. Cancel it properly, or your voice admitting to a fifty-thousand-dollar bribe goes to the SEC in sixty seconds."
A string of garbled curses erupted from the phone. "You're a dead woman, Vance!"
"Unlikely," Elara said, her voice flat. "The clock's at fifteen minutes. Make the call."
A long, tense silence was broken by a faint, confirming chime from the phone. A new message appeared: Auto-drop sequence disarmed.
[Ding!]
Event: Evidence Capture — Handshake Confirmed
Status:
- Survival Probability: 48% → 51% (Δ +3%)
[Thrum…]
Side Mission: Flip the Handler "S" — COMPLETED
Progress: 70% → 100%
Reward: Survival +6%
Timer: 00:06:20
Elara sagged against a cold concrete pillar, the strength draining from her legs. It was over. The immediate fire was out.
"A neat piece of work," Liam said, not sounding pleased, but… intrigued. "Extortion via compliance. You neutralized the threat and gathered evidence, all while technically following his rules." He studied her in the dim light. "Who taught you to do that?"
Before she could answer, a different chime sounded, this one only in her mind. The final, original timer she had been given upon waking in that ballroom hit zero.
[Ding!]
Event: Primary Objective — SURVIVE (24h) — COMPLETED
Status:
- Survival Probability: 57% → 64% (Δ +7%)
Note: World Exit Pending…
A wave of disorientation hit her. The garage walls seemed to waver. Liam's form flickered, his intense gaze the last thing to hold solid.
[Ding!]
Note: Attention Anchor Imprinted
Status:
- Attention Mark: 12/100 (persistent across worlds)
Note: Anchor established: subject of high narrative gravity detected. Trace will persist across transfer.
The world dissolved into a sensory overload. The smell of oil and concrete vanished, replaced by the faint scent of chalk dust and cheap perfume. The echo of footsteps faded into the distant, shrill ring of a school bell. A locker door slammed shut with a metallic clang that felt both alien and terrifyingly familiar.
End of World 1 — The Rejected Heiress.