The night air was cool and quiet as Zark, Jerry, and Rommel continued their walk toward the address indicated in the letter. Their footsteps echoed softly against the pavement as they approached their destination. As they turned a corner, the address came into view. In front of them stood a large, brightly lit building with the sign "Infospeed" displayed prominently above the entrance. Through the glass doors, they could see rows of computers and customers seated inside, gaming or working intently. The place was bustling, with a constant hum of activity spilling out into the street.
"A shop?" Rommel said, eyebrows raised.
He took a step back, glancing at Zark.
"This is the place?"
Zark looked at the glowing sign and the people inside, his mind racing. The sight of the busy internet café didn't align with what he expected. But as he observed the layout and noticed some subtle signs, something clicked.
"This isn't just an internet café," he muttered to himself, as if piecing together a puzzle.
"If I'm not wrong, this will be the new headquarters."
Without wasting another moment, Zark pushed open the door and walked inside. The hum of computers and chatter filled the air, and the faint scent of coffee drifted from the corner where a small café section was set up. He made his way directly to the counter, where a young woman with a friendly smile was stationed. She was about 5'4", with a lean and athletic build. Her dark hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and her sharp, observant eyes were a striking shade of brown that seemed to take in everything at once. She wore dark, fitted clothes and a light leather jacket, giving her a laid-back yet confident appearance.
"Hi, welcome to Infospeed," she greeted, her tone cheerful.
"How can I help you?"
Zark felt a wave of disappointment wash over him.
The person standing before him was an unfamiliar face—someone he didn't recognize. He had half-expected to see Jojo, or at least someone he knew from the old headquarters. But there was nothing. No sign of Jojo, no secretive signals, no indication that this place was more than just an ordinary internet café.
"Uh, yeah," Zark said, trying to recover.
"I was wondering if you could… I mean, is there a manager or someone I could speak to?"
The woman tilted her head slightly, studying Zark with a curious expression.
"The manager's not here right now," she replied, her eyes not leaving his.
"But I can leave a message for them if you'd like."
Zark nodded slowly, glancing around the café.
"No, that's alright," he said, forcing a polite smile.
"Thanks anyway."
He turned back to Jerry and Rommel, who were lingering near the entrance, and gave them a subtle nod to follow him back outside. Once they were a few paces away from the building, he stopped and took a deep breath.
"This isn't right," Zark said, his frustration evident.
"Before, our headquarters was in the basement of Jojo's shop. It was hidden, underground. I thought maybe Jojo would be here too, that he'd be running things like before."
Jerry exchanged a glance with Rommel before looking back at Zark.
"So, you thought this place would be like the old base," he said, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"You expected something familiar."
"Yeah," Zark admitted, his voice dropping.
"But I'm not sure now. I thought I'd at least find Jojo or some sign that we're in the right place."
He glanced back at the brightly lit entrance of Infospeed, feeling a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"But it's just… a shop."
Rommel took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the building.
"Maybe there's more to it," he suggested, his tone cautious.
"Could be that the real setup isn't out in the open. If this is supposed to be a front, then it makes sense to keep things hidden."
"You're right," Zark said, nodding slowly as he considered the possibility.
"But how do we find out without drawing too much attention to ourselves?"
Jerry placed a reassuring hand on Zark's shoulder.
"Let's take a step back," he advised.
"If this is a new headquarters, there has to be a way to get in touch with whoever's running things here. We just need to figure out what it is."
Zark's mind raced as he thought about what to do next. There was no obvious way forward, and no sign of Jojo or anyone familiar. Yet, something about the place felt too deliberate to be a mere coincidence.
"We need to find out who's behind this," he said, his voice steady.
"And fast."
"Maybe we should ask that girl some more questions," Rommel suggested, glancing back at the woman behind the counter.
"She might know something."
Zark considered it but quickly shook his head.
"If she does know something, she wouldn't just tell us outright," he said.
"We need to approach this carefully. Maybe observe for a while, see if anything stands out."
Jerry glanced at the busy café, then back at Zark.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
Zark took a deep breath.
"I think we should split up," he said.
"Thadz, you stay here and keep an eye on the place. See if you notice anything out of the ordinary. Jerry and I will head back in and try to get more information without being too obvious."
Rommel nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll see if I can spot anything that doesn't fit," he said, positioning himself near a parked motorcycle across the street.
Zark and Jerry walked back toward the entrance, re-entering the café. This time, Zark made a point to look around at every detail: the placement of the cameras, the exits, the flow of people coming and going. As they approached the counter again, the woman's eyes met his, a flicker of recognition crossing her face.
"Back again?" she asked, her tone light but curious.
"Yeah," Zark replied, trying to sound casual.
"Just thought I'd ask… do you get a lot of regulars here?"
The woman shrugged.
"A few," she said.
"But it's mostly students and freelancers. The kind of people who come and go."
Her gaze lingered on Zark, as though she was trying to read him.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious," Zark said, forcing a smile.
"It's a nice setup here. Better than most cafés I've seen."
She nodded, her expression neutral.
"We aim to please."
Then, as if considering something, she added,
"Is there something else you need? You seem… a bit lost."
Zark's eyes flicked to Jerry, who was standing a few feet behind him, then back to her..
"Actually, yeah," he said slowly.
"I was wondering if there's a basement level here. You know, extra storage or anything?"
The woman's expression didn't change, but there was a slight pause before she answered.
"No, not really," she said smoothly.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious," Zark repeated, his tone casual.
"I've seen some places with extra levels for storage, that's all."
She smiled politely, but her eyes remained sharp.
"Well, we don't have anything like that here," she said.
"But if there's anything else you need, let me know."
Realizing they weren't going to get anything more out of her, Zark nodded and backed away from the counter, signaling to Jerry to follow him outside again. Once they were back out on the sidewalk, Rommel walked over to join them.
"Any luck?" Rommel asked.
Zark shook his head.
"No," he said.
"She wasn't giving anything away. I even asked about a basement, but she said there isn't one."
"She's good," Jerry remarked, glancing back at the woman inside.
"Didn't let anything slip."
Zark's thoughts raced.
"But this place is too well put together to be just a random café," he said, his frustration mounting.
"There has to be something more. We just haven't found it yet."
"Then we keep digging," Rommel said firmly.
"We'll figure out what this place really is."
As they continued to discuss their next steps, Zark couldn't shake the feeling that the woman behind the counter knew more than she was letting on. There was something about the way she had looked at him, as if she was evaluating him, measuring his words and his intentions.