The world doesn't end in silence.
It ends in notifications.
> #GhostHacker — 4.7M posts.
#BanECLIPSE — trending globally.
#WhoIsOmega — climbing fast.
The league had gone into lockdown.
Servers suspended.
Matches cancelled.
Teams under audit.
And me — the eye of the storm — watching everything I'd built collapse in real time.
---
ECLIPSE Headquarters — Conference Room
"Half the sponsors froze their contracts," Luna said, her voice shaking. "The other half want statements. What do we tell them?"
"The truth," I said flatly. "That we didn't start this war."
Ashen slammed a file onto the table. "That doesn't matter anymore! They found code fragments from Aurora in the leak. They're tracing it to you, Captain!"
I froze.
He continued, voice cracking, "Someone from inside must've mirrored your system before the crash."
Luna whispered, "Who would even—"
The door opened.
"Me," said a quiet voice.
We turned.
Standing there, guilt carved across his face, was Xiao Yi — our youngest analyst.
The kid I'd recruited myself.
---
The Confession
"I didn't mean to leak it," he said. "Ω reached out. They said they could help clear your name, stop the investigation— I just… I didn't think they'd use it."
I stepped closer. "You sent them access keys."
He nodded, tears streaking down. "They promised to protect us."
"They never protect anyone," I said softly. "They erase."
He looked up, eyes wide. "They said if I didn't comply, they'd go after—"
A gunshot cut through the hallway.
Luna screamed.
The glass behind Xiao Yi shattered.
He dropped instantly.
Blood and silence filled the air.
---
Minutes Later — Rooftop Evacuation
Rain pounded hard enough to drown thought.
Lao K found me kneeling beside Xiao Yi's body as the med drones arrived too late.
"He was just a kid," I said. "He wanted to help."
Lao K's jaw was tight. "Ω sent a message."
"Yeah," I said. "They just made it personal."
He crouched beside me. "Then what now?"
I stood slowly, rain running down my face, no longer sure if it was water or fury.
"Now," I said, "we stop hiding."
---
Lyra Systems — Midnight
Every system alarmed. Every firewall burned.
I walked straight through the mainframe gates of my father's empire — the one Ω had buried their code in.
Security tried to stop me.
They failed.
Lines of light unfolded like a weapon as I typed faster than I could breathe.
Aurora recompiled. Stronger. Smarter. Angry.
And in the middle of the chaos, a message blinked to life.
> Ω: Brave move, Miss Qin.
You want daylight?
Let's play in the sun.
---
End Scene
Lao K's voice came through the comm, static breaking.
> "Ruo, whatever you're doing— stop. This isn't a match you can win."
I smiled faintly at the console.
> "It was never about winning."
And I pressed Enter.
---
✨ End of Chapter Twenty — "Breakpoint."
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