Chapter 17 – The Hidden Hand

Chapter 17 – The Hidden Hand

Ding!

The sudden notification jolted Chen Yunran from his thoughts. He stared at the screen, the words in front of him blurring into a mess of digital code as his mind raced to comprehend what was unfolding.

[New Task: Uncover the Source of the Threat]

[Objective: Investigate the origins of the hidden conspiracy and the mysterious threat against you]

[Rewards: +5 Perception, Skill Unlock – 'Threat Detection']

He sat back in his chair, sighing heavily. Every day, it seemed as if he was falling deeper into a rabbit hole. What had started as a simple matter of unauthorized access to the company's digital archives had now turned into something much darker—something far more dangerous. There were forces at play here that he couldn't even begin to understand, but what was clear was that they were far beyond the corporate rivalries he had initially assumed. The stakes had shifted, and now they felt personal.

"Uncover the Source of the Threat…" He muttered under his breath. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, but he was paralyzed by the thought of what he had already uncovered. His search had led him to troubling files, encrypted messages, and traces of a conspiracy that went much higher than just his company. This was no longer just about digital espionage—it was about survival.

His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. The office was nearly empty, save for the occasional janitor who swept past, glancing briefly in his direction. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a faint buzz in the silence of the late hour.

Chen Yunran had learned a lot over the past few weeks—far more than he ever expected when he first joined this company. But now, he was faced with a task that was far beyond anything he had ever anticipated.

He rubbed his eyes, fatigue weighing heavily on him. The files in front of him were a mix of corporate espionage tactics, financial manipulation strategies, and coded messages that made his head spin. There were whispers of an organization far larger than the company he worked for—a shadowy network that controlled vast amounts of influence. The names of top executives, high-ranking officials, and powerful figures had cropped up in these files. What was going on here?

He was no longer just an intern.

He was part of something far more dangerous, and he had no idea who to trust. The System's mission prompt was clear: uncover the source of the threat. But how? Where did he even start?

The Unexpected Meeting

His phone buzzed in his pocket, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at it quickly, noticing a message from Xu Meilin.

Xu Meilin: I need to talk to you. In my office now.

His stomach dropped. He quickly stood, his mind racing. Did she know about his unauthorized access? Had someone else discovered what he had been digging into? Chen Yunran had spent hours in the shadows of the company's servers, uncovering more than he ever intended to. But now, he had the feeling that the game was changing, and not in his favor.

As he walked down the empty corridor toward her office, the silence seemed to stretch on endlessly, amplifying his anxiety. His steps echoed off the walls as he walked past the closed offices of his colleagues. He could feel his palms growing sweaty, and the pit in his stomach deepened with every step.

When he reached her office, he knocked briefly before entering.

Xu Meilin was seated behind her desk, papers spread out before her. Her sharp eyes flicked toward the door, but she didn't speak immediately. She simply gestured to the chair across from her. Chen Yunran closed the door behind him, stepping into the room.

Her eyes didn't leave him as he sat down. The tension in the room was palpable, the silence stretching for a moment before she spoke.

"I've been getting reports," she said slowly, her voice cool and controlled. "Reports of unauthorized access to sensitive files. You're the only one with clearance to access these documents, Yunran. And yet, someone has been using your credentials to dig into the company's most classified information."

Chen Yunran's heart skipped a beat. His mind raced. Could someone else be impersonating him? Had his access been compromised? He had been so focused on digging into the conspiracy that he hadn't considered someone might be using his account to cover their tracks.

"I don't know what you mean," he said cautiously, his voice steady despite the storm brewing in his chest. "I've been following all the protocols. If something's gone wrong, it wasn't intentional."

Xu Meilin didn't react immediately. Her gaze was sharp, but there was something else there too—a glint of suspicion that made his pulse quicken.

She pushed a file across the table to him. "This is a report from our internal security team. It shows that your credentials were used to access a backdoor entry to our systems just after you logged in last night."

Chen Yunran looked at the file, his stomach tightening as he saw the log entries, the IP address traces. His name was attached to it. This couldn't be happening. He was being framed—or worse, someone was using his access to cover their tracks.

"I didn't do that," he said, his voice sharper now. "Someone must have hijacked my credentials. Why would I risk everything now?"

Xu Meilin studied him intently, her eyes narrowing just slightly. He couldn't tell if she believed him or not. But he couldn't afford to let her see how rattled he truly was. She was powerful—she had access to more than he did, and there was a chance she was a part of this conspiracy. Or maybe she was just a pawn in a much larger game.

"I'm not accusing you," she said finally, her tone softer. "But you need to understand the gravity of this. Someone is playing a very dangerous game—and you're in the middle of it."

Chen Yunran stayed silent, his mind racing. He had always suspected that Xu Meilin wasn't just an ordinary executive. There was something about her—her quiet demeanor, her willingness to move people around like pawns—that made him question her role in all of this.

"I need to go," he said suddenly, standing up and making his way to the door. He couldn't stay here any longer. The walls felt like they were closing in, and he needed answers.

"Yunran, wait," she said quickly, but he was already out the door, walking briskly down the hallway.

A New Revelation

Back at his desk, he wasted no time. The task from the System was clear now: uncover the source of the threat. He had been digging into the company's systems, uncovering classified files, but now he needed more than just digital forensics. He needed a breakthrough.

Activating the Threat Detection skill, he watched as the screen before him came to life with a flurry of data. His fingers moved quickly, sorting through the streams of information. He could feel the weight of the task bearing down on him. He wasn't just hunting for files anymore—he was hunting for the mastermind behind all of this.

The digital grid of data laid before him like a sprawling map of the company's infrastructure. His eyes scanned the screen, looking for anything out of place. At first, it seemed like a maze of numbers and charts, but then, something caught his eye. There was a thread, a subtle line of code, barely noticeable among the noise. It led to a private server that he had never accessed before.

Chen Yunran clicked on it, heart pounding in his chest. He was crossing a line now, and he knew it. There was no going back.

As the file opened, the screen flickered briefly before a message appeared, a simple phrase that made his blood run cold:

File Found: Source of the Threat

Decrypting...

He stared at the screen, his breath caught in his throat. This was it. The source of the threat—the origin of everything that had been happening—was right in front of him. The file was encrypted, but his skills were now sharp enough to crack it. As the lines of code slowly began to unravel, his mind raced. What would he find?

Status Update

[Host: Chen Yunran]

[Race: Human (Ascended – Sealed)]

[Physique: Weakened Cultivator Body (Suppressed)]

Stats:

Strength: 7 Agility: 6 Stamina: 7 Perception: 9 (+5 from Mission) Intelligence: 27 Qi Reserves: Sealed

Innate Skills:

Perseverance (From First Life) Fast Learner (From First Life) Survival Instinct (From First Life)

Acquired Skills:

Multitasking Digital Espionage (Temporary) Observation Mastery Persuasion (Beginner) Crisis Management Hand-to-Hand Combat (Beginner) Basic Negotiation Digital Forensics Threat Detection

Goddess Favorability:

Xu Meilin: 65%

The encrypted file finally opened, revealing an array of documents. But one stood out—a message with a single line of text:

"You've seen too much. This is your final warning. Stay out of this, or else."

Chen Yunran felt a chill run down his spine. His heart hammered in his chest. Whoever was behind this wasn't just playing games. They were watching him. And they wouldn't stop until they had silenced him. The conspiracy was real. And he was in deeper than he ever realized.

The warning was clear. He was now a target. But Chen Yunran wasn't ready to back down. Not yet.

Chapter 17 ends on the precipice of an all-out war, as Chen Yunran prepares to face the forces behind the conspiracy that has consumed his life.