The stillness of Tang Ning's room was in sharp contrast to the storm that had just passed. Her monitors, once lit with the chaotic brilliance of code and firewalls, were now dark, save for a single notification blinking at the corner of the screen: **Funds received.** $500 million now rested securely in her account.
But Tang Ning wasn't celebrating. She sat back, her body still humming with the adrenaline from her battle with **Erebus**. The victory felt hollow—temporary. She had won the mission, secured the prize, but something about Erebus lingered, an unfinished chord in the melody of her triumph.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, replaying the duel in her mind. Erebus had been formidable—far more skilled than any hacker she had faced since her return. The way they had bypassed her decoy, slicing through firewalls with precision, it reminded her of the old world. Of competitors she once knew. But there was something different this time. Erebus wasn't just playing the game for the prize; they were a hunter, circling, testing her.
A shiver ran down her spine as she realized that in this new life, there was someone out there just as good as her.
The low hum of her laptop pulled her from her thoughts. She clicked on the notification, opening the message that accompanied the confirmation of her payment.
**"Well done, Phoenix. Your reputation precedes you. But be careful—there are always those watching, even when you think you've won. The real work begins now."**
It was signed only with a symbol: **Ω**.
Tang Ning stared at it for a long moment. She had completed the mission, earned the money, but the deeper game was still in play. The warning felt personal, almost as if her mysterious client knew more about her than they let on. **Who is Ω?** She wondered.
Her hand moved instinctively to her notebook, flipping to a blank page. She wrote down the symbol, circling it twice. This wasn't over—not by a long shot. The dark web was vast, full of shadows, and Tang Ning knew she was just scratching the surface. Whoever Ω was, they were pulling strings behind the scenes. The $500 million was a small fortune, but the prize felt like bait for something much larger.
She shut down her laptop, finally pulling herself away from the screen. The cool air of the room pressed against her skin, grounding her back in reality. For now, her immediate goal had been met. **Phoenix Ventures** could take its first steps. The money she had won would be more than enough to fund her acquisitions, invest in tech startups, and set her plans in motion.
But as always, her mind flickered back to the broader picture. **The Fedorovs**. The power players in the shadows. She would need to move carefully from here. Money alone wasn't enough to protect her from what was coming.
Pushing those thoughts aside for the moment, she leaned against the window, staring out at the city that sprawled beneath her. It was early morning now, the streets below just beginning to wake up. She thought of **Gu Yan**—the message he had sent her before the mission. The promise she had made to visit him during the holidays lingered in the back of her mind.
The warmth of his words had brought a small sense of peace, but as much as she cared for him, she couldn't ignore the growing distance between them. Gu Yan was someone who lived in the light, a grounding force in her life. But how long could she keep him in her world, when her world was now one of shadows, secrets, and danger?
She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. **Soon**, she told herself. Soon, she would visit him. She owed him that much. But for now, there were more immediate concerns.
Turning back to her desk, Tang Ning opened another encrypted channel, this time to her personal network of contacts. She needed to begin laying the groundwork for Phoenix Ventures. Her mind raced as she thought of the startups she had been monitoring. **Tech startups, cybersecurity firms, renewable energy.** The sectors where she could quietly establish a foothold while keeping her true intentions hidden.
As she prepared to reach out to potential investors, she found her thoughts drifting back to **Erebus**. A small part of her couldn't shake the feeling that their paths would cross again. The competition had felt too personal, too precise. There was a connection there—one she hadn't yet uncovered.
Her fingers paused over the keyboard. **Who are you, Erebus?** The question gnawed at her, an itch she couldn't scratch. Whoever they were, they were powerful, that much was clear. But their skill, their audacity—it all pointed to someone with a history in this game. And if Erebus was anything like her, they wouldn't let the loss go easily.
She added Erebus's name to the list of threats in her notebook, right below the Fedorovs. There was no doubt in her mind that they would be back, possibly even working for someone bigger—maybe even **Ω**.
As the city outside came to life, Tang Ning's world became quieter, more focused. She had the money, she had the plan, and now she had the enemies. But she also had the experience of lifetimes behind her, and this time, she wouldn't be caught off guard.
The dark web had revealed its first card, and Tang Ning was ready to play the rest of the game.
But the question remained: **How deep did this rabbit hole go?**