The Cybersecurity and Defense Center was located in a massive skyscraper.

  Using his ID card, Carter led them through every security gate and locked door without difficulty. Inside, they stepped into an elevator and began ascending.

  Trying to ease the tension, Carter glanced at them. "Don’t be nervous. Just a few professors who want to ask you some questions."

  Toma remained relaxed, shrugging lightly. "It won’t be a problem. We can handle it."

  Carter then placed a reassuring hand on Arlen’s shoulder and studied his expression. "And you, Arlen? Are you alright?"

  Arlen nodded, though he still looked uneasy as his eyes wandered across the metallic walls. "Yeah… it’s just that this place is so ultra-modern. There’s holographic technology everywhere, lasers… and I don’t even know what half these gadgets do."

  A faint smile appeared on Carter’s face. "I understand. Even I don’t fully understand these latest innovations. This skyscraper is the largest digital research and development facility in the human world. They work on countless projects here, many beyond even my knowledge. And one of these floors happens to be our destination."

  Right as he finished speaking, the elevator came to a smooth stop.

  They had arrived.

  With a playful gesture, Carter stepped aside and motioned forward. "Ladies first."

  Lyrien walked out first, giving him a polite nod of thanks.

  They proceeded down a long, quiet corridor until Carter finally stopped in front of a reinforced door.

  He pointed at the inscription beside it. "Cybersecurity and Defense Center. This is it."

  Next to the door, a touchscreen panel and card reader were installed.

  Carter inserted his ID card. The system immediately scanned his retina, then his fingerprint.

  A moment later, the heavy armored door slid open.

  Carter gestured inside. "Come on. Let’s go in."

  The moment they entered, their eyes were met with an overwhelming sight—advanced holographic tablets, massive supercomputers, and countless unknown devices filled the room. Several figures in white coats turned toward them.

  An older man stepped forward to greet them.

  "Supervisor, it’s good to see you again."

  Carter returned the greeting calmly. "The pleasure is mine."

  The professor’s gaze shifted to the three students. "So these are the high school students who can help us?"

  "Yes," Carter confirmed. "That’s them."

  The professor smiled warmly. "Hello, young ones. I am Oth, a professor and researcher."

  Lyrien, Arlen, and Toma introduced themselves briefly, but Oth quickly moved to the main topic.

  "I assume you’ve heard about the cyberattack?"

  Arlen hesitated, unsure of the details, but answered anyway. "We only know that the internet was hacked… or something like that."

  Oth shook his head and touched his forehead. "The internet itself wasn’t hacked. The attackers accessed the Planetary Communications Authority’s satellite backbone network and used the mandatory emergency protocol to override every device’s screen at the same time."

  Lyrien and Arlen blinked in confusion.

  Toma frowned slightly, trying to process it. "What? I didn’t understand half of that…"

  Oth let out a small laugh. "That’s understandable. The important part is this—the internet is not centralized. It’s a distributed network, so it cannot simply be hacked as a whole. Instead, the video appeared on every phone simultaneously… six days ago, at exactly noon."

  Toma slowly nodded as the explanation began to make sense. "Okay… I think I’m starting to understand. But how did they do it?"

  Oth continued his explanation, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Every phone contains a hardware-integrated module that can override the display in case of emergency. It cannot be disabled or muted. Simply put, this entire system is controlled by a special satellite. The satellite itself is operated from this building by the Planetary Communications Authority, or PCA. The PCA handles maintenance, full security, and many other responsibilities."

  Toma and Arlen exchanged confused looks.

  Toma frowned. "Okay… but how did they hack this?"

  Arlen shook his head as well. "Yeah, I don’t get it either."

  Oth nodded, as if he had expected that reaction. "The global network is governed by a centralized artificial intelligence security system with absolute authority. It operates under a strict zero-tolerance protocol. No sexually explicit or suggestive material can be created, displayed, transmitted, or stored in any form.

  The system continuously monitors all connected devices in real time. Prohibited websites cannot be created, hidden networks cannot exist, and no form of illegal trade—whether involving narcotics, weapons, or any other contraband—is possible. Any attempt to upload or distribute unlawful content is blocked before it can even appear online.

  There are no loopholes, no anonymous backdoors, and no dark web beyond its reach. The system does not merely filter violations—it prevents them from ever existing. As a result, the World Wide Web has become a fully regulated, universally accepted, and entirely child-safe environment. Which naturally leads to the question—how did they do it?"

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  Arlen let out a long sigh, clearly losing patience. "Look, doc, I believe you’re a genius, but please stop dragging this out and just tell us what the criminals did already!"

  Toma rubbed his head in agreement. "Sorry, professor, but our brains are about to fry from all this information."

  Seeing their frustration, Oth raised his hands slightly. "Alright, I understand. The short version is this—the criminals infiltrated the PCA building and shut down the AI security system. After that, they accessed the satellite and used it to override every phone screen globally. That’s how they played the recording."

  Arlen grinned and gave Oth a light pat on the shoulder. "Very good, doc. See? You can explain it clearly."

  At that moment, Lyrien spoke up, still puzzled. "But we didn’t see the video. How is that possible?"

  Carter answered calmly, "Simple. It happened at noon, and at that time, you’re always studying."

  Realization appeared on Lyrien’s face. "That’s true… But I really want to see the recording."

  Oth nodded immediately. "Of course. That’s part of our job. We can show it to you."

  He turned toward his colleagues. "Play the video."

  The recording appeared instantly on the largest screen in the room.

  Before it even began, Toma’s eyes widened in recognition as he stared at the masked figure.

  His voice turned sharp. "It’s that guy."

  Carter crossed his arms, his expression serious. "Yes. He’s most likely the one responsible for the destruction of New Hale City."

  Oth folded his hands behind his back. "Watch carefully. You might notice something we missed."

  Then the video began.

  Every eye in the room focused on the demon-masked figure sitting in the chair.

  "Hello, people. I hope everyone is having a good day. This is not a virus. This is a live broadcast. And who I am is irrelevant."

  The figure leaned forward slightly.

  "I have a message for humanity. I am the leader of a new criminal organization. But not some pathetic drug or weapons trafficking group. No. We are the Demonblood Alliance."

  A chilling pause followed.

  "A criminal organization that will soon change the fate of humanity."

  His voice grew darker.

  "As our first step… we will kill the king of the human world."

  No one in the room moved.

  "And we will raise the demonic race to a new level."

  The masked figure tilted his head.

  "Your royal majesty… watch yourself carefully. Your days are numbered."

  He let out a quiet laugh.

  "I wish everyone a pleasant time… living in fear."

  The screen went silent.

  The video recording stopped, and silence filled the room.

  Arlen clenched his fists, his face full of frustration. "He’s insane!"

  Carter crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "Or a genius…"

  Lyrien frowned, confused by that reaction. "What do you mean, Inspector?"

  Carter’s gaze remained fixed on the dark screen as his voice turned serious. "It could be empty threats… but we don’t know what kind of power they actually possess. So far, we only know they can influence and control demons to some extent. That has never happened before. And that giant demon we fought… it was extremely powerful. The three of us barely defeated it, and it almost cost us our lives."

  Toma’s brows furrowed as he tried to process everything. "But I don’t understand. Can’t we prepare somehow? Or investigate them further?"

  Carter let out a quiet sigh. "That’s the problem. They’re almost invisible. We have very few traces. Just the photographs I showed you, but we can’t identify their faces or names. And if they’re capable of creating more giant demons… then this world could be in serious danger.

  Toma’s heart began pounding faster.

  His voice rose with frustration. "So what, we just sit back and let them create as many giant demons as they want until they destroy everything?!"

  "Easy, Toma," Carter replied calmly. "It’s not that simple. After the incident, the King increased his security tenfold, and either the Captain or the Vice-Captain of the Royal Squad is always by his side. Meanwhile, the Captain of the Elite Squad is planning a large-scale operation in which several squads will join forces and infiltrate the demon world.”

  Professor Oth stepped forward, shifting the focus. "Did any of you notice something unusual in the recording?"

  Toma shook his head slowly. "No… the masked guy was just sitting there and talking."

  "In that case," Oth continued, sitting down at a nearby computer, "I’d like to show you the security footage."

  With a few quick movements, he brought up the recordings from the surveillance cameras.

  The screen showed three men entering the building disguised as security guards. They moved calmly through the halls, took the elevator to the PCA section, and stopped a professor in the corridor, taking him hostage.

  Suddenly, Toma leaned forward.

  "Wait. Pause it here."

  The footage froze.

  Toma pointed at the screen, his eyes narrowing. "Right there. The professor is trying to avoid eye contact… but that criminal is forcing him to look into his eyes."

  Carter immediately understood. "Professor, zoom in on his face. Enhance the image."

  "Right away."

  The image sharpened.

  The moment the face became clear, recognition hit both boys.

  Toma’s voice filled with disbelief. "Arlen… isn’t that the guy we’re thinking of?"

  Arlen’s eyes widened. "Yes! That’s him! The criminal who hijacked the train in Hale City! I remember his ability clearly. Anyone who looked into his eyes fell under his control… or saw hallucinations."

  Carter snapped his fingers, a satisfied smile appearing. "That’s what I wanted to see. Sharp minds. Good work guys! Professor Oth, resume the playback!"

  The recording continued, and everything happened exactly as they had expected.

  After making eye contact with one of the criminals, the professor immediately fell under his control. Without hesitation, he opened the secured door and allowed them access to the PCA section.

  Inside, the same thing repeated. Every professor they encountered was hypnotized. Under that control, they helped shut down the artificial intelligence defense system and establish access to the satellite.

  Once everything was ready, the criminals simply played their recording. Using the satellite, the message was transmitted to every phone in the world.

  And then, when the professors were no longer useful…

  They killed them.

  But something else caught their attention.

  The long-haired man stepped toward his two companions and placed a hand on them.

  A moment later—

  They disappeared.

  Not ran. Not hid.

  They vanished, as if they had dissolved into thin air.

  "That’s the full recording," Oth announced.

  Lyrien’s body trembled slightly. "It’s horrible… Once the professors were no longer useful, they killed them without hesitation…"

  Arlen’s hands tightened into fists. "Those bastards!"

  Toma remained focused, his mind racing.

  His eyes widened slightly. "Carter… that long-haired guy. He’s the same one."

  Carter turned to him. "What do you mean?"

  "He’s the one who helped the masked man escape in New Hale City. When the ice army appeared. I remember it clearly. He touched him… and they disappeared exactly like this."

  Carter nodded slowly. "Yes… that’s a very important clue."

  He continued, thinking out loud.

  "That already gives us a very solid starting point! We know that one of them has the ability to turn people into demons and possesses demonic powers. Another can somehow hypnotize or manipulate people if he looks into their eyes. And the third can either teleport those he touches—including himself—or his ability is invisibility…”

  His eyes narrowed slightly.

  "The third can teleport anyone he touches—including himself. Or possibly turn them invisible."

  Professor Oth smiled with satisfaction. "Excellent work. You’ve helped us more than you realize."

  Carter gave them an approving look. "You did great today. That was your role in this investigation. You can return to the hotel now. I’ll stay here and continue examining the data."

  He added calmly, "We’ll meet again tonight."

  "Okay!"

  "We’re glad we could help!"

  As they prepared to leave, Toma felt a small sense of accomplishment.

  They finally had a lead.

  But deep inside, he knew this was only the beginning.

  The Demonblood Alliance was still a complete mystery.

  What are they planning?

  When will they strike?

  And who are they… really?