Codebreakers: The Detective and the Hacker (Cipher Chronicles 1)

9

Svetlana

        As we walked back down the hospital hallway, ZhiLei’s expression was set in a deep, thoughtful frown. Tuguegarao, our own city, might actually be the center of this entire operation. It was almost unthinkable.

ZhiLei opened the car door for me, snapping me out of my thoughts. “We need to make a plan,” he said quietly once we were both inside. “If Tuguegarao is their main base or one of their base, then they could have people planted everywhere—people watching us, waiting for us to slip.”

Kumabog ng malakas ang dibdib ko. Tama siya, maaring may nakakaalam na sa galaw naming ito. Maaring nariyan lamang sila at nagmamatyag.

He started the engine, and we drove in silence for a few minutes. My mind was racing with questions, theories, and half-formed ideas. “Paano natin sila mahahanap?” I finally asked, breaking the silence. Saan nga ba kami mag uumpisa?

Hindi pa ito ang simula. Magsisimula pa lamang. Ilang taon na bang nagsimula ang organisasyong iyon? At kailan ito nagsimula? Ano ang dahilan? Ano ang susunod nilang hakbang?

ZhiLei tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his eyes focused. “They’re smart, and they know how to stay hidden. But we know they’re here somewhere, and that means there’s bound to be a trail—even if it’s faint.”

My curiosity sparked. “What are you thinking?”

He glanced at me, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “They might have hidden facilities, but they still need resources. Power, water, internet access... things that any operation would need to run smoothly. If we can find irregularities in the city’s infrastructure—strange energy spikes, private networks set up in unusual places—we might have a lead.”

“But Tuguegarao is not as big as manila but not as small as you think,” maraming pasikot sikot rito, kahit taga rito ako, hindi parin ako pamilyar sa mga lugar dito.

“I know... We'll let inspector Morales know about this first... We need their help.” tumahimik ako at hindi na nagsalita pa.

“Did you try to inspect the victims bodies?” maya maya'y tanong ko. His car slowly stop due to the traffic.

“Yes... Some of them are still on the lab, Dr. Jimenez are still searching some clues,” nangunot ang noo niya.

“Wala pang resulta?”

“None yet.”

“But its quite confusing, it's like the data is being erased before we even get to it,” he muttered, frustration clear in his voice. “Every lead we find seems to vanish as soon as we notice it, like someone is always one step ahead of us.”

I shivered slightly, the thought sending a chill down my spine. “Parang may tumututok sa bawat galaw natin. It's like they're watching our investigation in real-time, making sure we never get close enough.”

ZhiLei nodded, his jaw tense. “Exactly. Which means they're either incredibly skilled or... they have access to our system. They might be monitoring the police records, medical reports—anything that could give us a clue.” He shook his head. “They’re shutting down any possible lead before we even start.”

My stomach turned at the thought. “So, we're fighting an enemy who knows our every move? How are we supposed to beat that?”

Lei's gaze turned serious as he glanced at me. “By thinking like them. We’ll have to go off the grid, follow instincts instead of records, make connections where they wouldn't expect us to.”