The morning sunlight trickled through the cracks in the windows of the computer shop, casting a soft glow on the rows of computers that had been buzzing all night. The shop was already alive with the sounds of children playing Dota, their excited shouts and laughter filling the air. Some others were casually browsing Facebook, completely unaware of the secret operations that had taken place just beneath their feet the night before.
Zark stirred awake, blinking groggily as he sat up in his chair. His eyes adjusted to the bright light, and for a brief moment, he was disoriented. It was strange—just hours ago, he had been surrounded by his new comrades, immersed in the reality of his new life as part of ZeroCrypt. Now, everything seemed normal, almost mundane, like the events of last night were part of a distant dream.
He glanced around the basement. Samantha was still fast asleep at her workstation, her head resting on a pile of papers, her expression peaceful. Zark rubbed his eyes and stood, stretching his arms above his head. The exhaustion from the night before had finally caught up with him, but there was a sense of calm in the shop that made him feel at ease.
"Morning," Zark said softly as he wandered toward the stairs that led back up to the main floor.
He climbed the steps quietly, trying not to disturb Samantha, who was still in a deep slumber.
As he reached the top, he found Jojo behind the counter, casually manning the front desk. Children milled around the shop, engrossed in their games, their faces lit up by the glow of the screens in front of them. The scene was perfectly ordinary, a typical day in the life of a computer shop.
"Good morning, Zark," Jojo greeted him with a grin, not missing a beat as he tapped away at the register.
"How'd you sleep? Ready for another day?"
Zark chuckled softly, still shaking off the last remnants of sleep.
"Honestly, it was nice to get some rest, but… everything feels surreal," he admitted, glancing at the children playing their games.
"It's like nothing ever happened."
Jojo nodded, a knowing smile on his face.
"That's the beauty of it," he said quietly.
"To everyone else, this is just a regular shop. No one suspects what goes on down there."
At that moment, Samantha stirred awake downstairs and made her way up to the main floor. She stretched and yawned as she approached the counter.
"I'm heading out for a bit," she said, adjusting her jacket.
"Need to take a bath and actually rest for a while."
Zark nodded. "Take care, Samantha."
Jojo waved her off. "You deserve the break," he said with a laugh.
"Just don't take too long—we've got work to do later."
Samantha smirked, rolling her eyes playfully.
"I'll be back before you know it. See you guys later," she said before stepping outside into the bustling streets.
The day passed without incident. Zark helped out at the shop where he could, watching the flow of customers come and go. It was odd to see how smoothly everything ran on the surface, even while knowing what lay beneath. For the children and casual gamers, the computer shop was nothing more than a place to escape into their virtual worlds. But for Zark and the rest of ZeroCrypt, it was a safe haven—a headquarters for something far bigger than the kids playing Dota could ever imagine.
As nightfall approached, the shop began to empty. The children and their parents slowly filtered out, leaving behind the hum of idle computers and the flickering of the fluorescent lights. The quiet settled in once more, and Jojo began tidying up the front desk, preparing for what was to come.
Just as the last customer left, the members of ZeroCrypt began to return. They trickled in one by one, moving quietly through the front door as though they were just there to rent PCs like anyone else. They exchanged brief nods with Jojo, who directed them to the basement with a casual gesture, as though it were a routine part of the evening.
For the kids who frequented the shop during the day, it was nothing out of the ordinary. In their eyes, these late-night visitors were just work-from-home call center agents who didn't have computers of their own, coming to rent a station for the night shift. It wasn't uncommon to see people working odd hours in the neighborhood—nothing unusual, nothing suspicious.
Roy was the first to arrive, striding into the shop with his hands in his pockets. He grinned when he saw Zark standing by the counter.
"Hey, man. How'd you sleep?" Roy asked.
"Not bad," Zark replied with a smile.
"Ready for another night of work?"
Roy chuckled and patted Zark on the shoulder. "You bet. See you downstairs."
Next came Dominic, a wide grin on his face as he strolled in casually.
"Zark, my guy! Hope you're ready to make some magic tonight."
Zark laughed softly. "I'm ready. See you down there, Dominic."
Dominic winked and disappeared down the stairs.
Angelica appeared not long after, her hair tied up in a ponytail, looking relaxed but focused. She waved at Zark as she entered.
"Hey, Zark. Glad you're settling in."
"Thanks, Angel." Zark smiled, feeling more at ease with each familiar face.
Julia was next, quietly slipping into the shop, giving Zark a small nod as she headed downstairs.
"See you soon, Zark," she said softly, before disappearing into the basement.
Rene entered with a swagger, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He grinned at Zark, blowing a puff of smoke into the air.
"Zark! Another day, another hack, eh?"
"That's the plan, Rene," Zark replied, chuckling.
Rene tipped his head and made his way downstairs, the smell of smoke lingering in the air.
Lawrence and Ricardo arrived together, chatting quietly as they approached the counter. Lawrence nodded toward Zark. "Good to see you again, Zark," Lawrence said with a slight smile.
Ricardo slapped Zark on the back playfully.
"You ready for another round? Let's tear this thing up tonight."
"Absolutely," Zark replied with a grin. "Let's do this."
Dezer entered soon after, his usual rebellious air about him. He flashed Zark a quick smile.
"Hope you're not too exhausted from yesterday. We've got work to do, man."
"I'm good, Dezer," Zark assured him. "Let's get to it."
Dezer smirked before heading down the stairs.
Hiro arrived with a quiet nod, his long hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
"Zark," he said with a brief smile.
"Let's make sure everything runs smoothly tonight."
"Looking forward to it, Hiro," Zark responded, feeling more confident with each passing greeting.
Ericson arrived last, adjusting his glasses as he entered.
"Zark," he said in his usual calm tone.
"Hope you're ready for tonight. We've got some serious work ahead of us."
"I'm ready, Lorkan. Let's make it happen," Zark replied.
As the last of the members disappeared into the basement, Zark turned to Jojo.
"They're good at this," he said quietly, still in awe of how seamlessly the group operated.
Jojo grinned, leaning against the counter.
"We've been doing this for a while now," he said.
"It's all about keeping things discreet. The moment people start noticing us, we're done for."
Zark nodded, his respect for the group deepening with each passing moment. He had found himself in the midst of something extraordinary, and as the night deepened, he realized that there was no turning back. ZeroCrypt was his new reality, and he would have to embrace it fully if he wanted to survive in this dangerous game.
The basement once again buzzed with energy as the team settled into their workstations, ready to dive back into the mission at hand. Zark took a deep breath before following them downstairs, prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead.