Chapter 19: Spies Among Us

The Skyward Technologies office was brimming with energy. After the AI product launch, the stock prices had surged, and new partnership offers flooded in. Employees moved with pride, no longer burdened by the failures of the past.

But Zhao Feng's sharp eyes saw past the facade. Victory often brought a false sense of security, and that was precisely when the enemy would strike.

"System," Zhao Feng commanded, his voice low. "Activate Surveillance Mode. Scan for any suspicious activity within Skyward."

Ding!

[Surveillance Mode Activated.]

[Analyzing Employee Behavior, Communication Records, and Network Activity…]

The screen in front of him flashed with streams of encrypted data. Employee emails, financial reports, and access logs were filtered in real-time. Zhao Feng's expression remained calm as he patiently waited.

"The rat always reveals itself."

---

Just as Zhao Feng reviewed the system reports, his assistant Xiao Ling entered the office, her face pale with concern.

"Boss, we have a problem," she said urgently. "The cybersecurity team detected a breach attempt on our AI source code this morning."

Zhao Feng's eyes flashed coldly.

"Who?"

Xiao Ling hesitated. "The attack was masked through multiple proxies, but our security traced it back to an internal source."

Internal.

Zhao Feng's jaw tightened. The mole wasn't just lurking — they were already making their move.

"Where's the compromised system?"

"Server Room C," Xiao Ling replied. "The team has locked it down, but the breach left no identifiable trace."

"Good," Zhao Feng said, rising to his feet. "Let's see who tries to cover their tracks."

---

Within minutes, Zhao Feng arrived at the sleek, temperature-controlled server room. Towering racks of servers emitted a soft hum, their lights blinking steadily. A team of cybersecurity specialists stood by, anxious.

"Report," Zhao Feng ordered.

A young technician stepped forward. "The hacker tried to access encrypted segments of the AI framework, but our firewalls blocked the attempt. The breach was short-lived, but effective."

Zhao Feng nodded. "Pull the server logs. Identify which employee credentials were used."

The technician swiftly tapped on his tablet, pulling up a holographic interface. Moments later, the system delivered its results.

[Suspicious Activity Detected: Employee ID - Zhou Wei]

"Zhou Wei?" Xiao Ling frowned. "He's a mid-level engineer on the AI development team. No criminal record. Loyal for years."

Zhao Feng's eyes gleamed.

"Loyalty can crumble in the face of opportunity," he said. "Bring him to the interrogation room. Now."

---

In the dimly lit interrogation room, Zhou Wei sat hunched over the table, his hands trembling. Beads of sweat lined his forehead as Zhao Feng entered, the air thick with tension.

"Mr. Zhao Feng," Zhou Wei stammered. "There must be some mistake. I-I didn't do anything!"

Zhao Feng's gaze pierced through him.

"The system says otherwise," Zhao Feng said, his voice calm yet commanding. "You attempted to breach the AI code. Who are you working for? Black Dragon Corporation? Lu Zhenhua?"

"I swear, I don't know what you're talking about!" Zhou Wei insisted, his eyes darting in desperation.

Zhao Feng stepped closer, his shadow looming over the trembling engineer.

"Then explain this."

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Feng activated the holographic display. Zhou Wei's credentials flashed in glaring red, along with timestamps of the breach attempt.

"Still think it's a mistake?" Zhao Feng's voice dropped lower, each word dripping with authority.

"I-I was framed!" Zhou Wei cried. "I didn't even access the servers last night. Someone must have used my login!"

Zhao Feng narrowed his eyes. The panic in Zhou Wei's voice seemed genuine. But the system never lied.

Ding!

[Analysis Complete: 70% Probability of External Credential Theft Detected.]

"A smokescreen," Zhao Feng muttered. "The mole used Zhou Wei as a pawn."

Zhou Wei's relief was palpable, though the fear of punishment lingered.

"Boss, what do we do now?" Xiao Ling asked.

Zhao Feng's eyes burned with determination.

"We flush out the real mole," he said coldly. "And this time, we don't give them the chance to hide."

Ding!

[Mission Progress: 50% Complete.]

"Next — the trap is set."