The campus didn't just buzz now—it boiled. The aftermath of Elias's cold, calculated strike in the lecture hall spiraled into pure chaos. News leaked. Screenshots spread. A trending tag on social media: #SystemBreaker.
Yet Elias, as always, walked through the storm like it was a light drizzle.
---
2:30 PM – Westwood Central Library
Mila followed him like a shadow. She had questions. Everyone did. But Elias didn't speak unless the Watch told him to.
Today, the Watch pulsed with a blue hue.
> New Task Generated: Knowledge Seeker Protocol 14
Find the Lost Book of Transactions in Westwood Library.
Risk Level: Yellow.
Reward: 200,000 Campus Credits + Hidden Skill: "Lie Detector - Verbal Sync."
Elias stepped past the quiet study tables, deeper into the archives where no students went. The air changed. The light dimmed. The silence felt… intentional.
Mila whispered, "Are we even allowed here?"
"No," Elias answered.
They reached a section labeled "Restricted: Financial Corruption – Obsolete Records."
There it was.
A dusty leather book.
The Book of Transactions.
He picked it up.
Suddenly, a girl appeared from the aisle corner. Pale skin. Jet-black hair. Piercing green eyes. Red lipstick.
"Did you touch that book without gloves?" she asked, her voice a low hum.
"Should I have?" Elias asked.
"I'm Lorelei. Head Librarian… also an ex-fixer for several campus elites."
Mila flinched. Elias didn't blink.
Lorelei leaned against a bookshelf, her body language soaked in seduction and danger. "That book got five people expelled and three professors exiled. You sure you want it?"
"Give me a better reason not to," Elias replied.
She smiled and walked closer. "Because I've seen what happens when someone deciphers it. Madness. Blackmail. Betrayals. Students jumping off buildings."
Elias opened the book anyway.
---
Inside the Book
It wasn't just text. It was coded. Symbols, hidden ledgers, student names tied to suspicious accounts. A trail of bribes, teacher-student affairs paid off, fake marks, money laundering through student organizations.
At the bottom of the last page was something handwritten:
> If you've found this…
Then you're already a target.
– X
Suddenly, the library lights flickered.
The Watch flared.
> Hidden Protocol Unlocked: "Assassination Warning - Campus Tier."
Target marked: Elias.
Hostiles: 2 – Armed.
Estimated time to impact: 2 minutes.
---
3:04 PM – Library Rooftop
Elias dragged Mila with him to the roof. Lorelei followed them with a wicked grin. "You'll need help."
"How good are you at hiding?" Elias asked.
She pulled a pistol from her thigh holster. "I'm better at shooting."
Two masked students appeared—faces covered, but they moved like trained killers.
They weren't just students. They were part of the Phantom Batch—elite underworld hires planted in schools as sleeper agents.
One lunged.
Elias ducked, used the watch's energy pulse, slamming the attacker into a rooftop pipe. The second pulled a knife on Mila, but Lorelei shot his knee, then his shoulder.
It was over in thirty seconds.
---
Mila stared at Elias. "What are you, Elias?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he opened the book one more time.
At the very back was a name circled in red ink.
Professor Alonzo Kane
– Current Head of Westwood Business Department
– Former Director of Operations at Nexacorp
– Involved in 12 known academic disappearances
Elias shut the book.
The next task was forming.
The war was deeper than anyone knew.
And Elias?
He was just getting started.