**Arc 2: Chapter 28 – The Threat Grows**
The sound of a buzzing phone broke the fragile silence in Jae-min's apartment. He had barely slept after the previous night's developments, but the urgency in Min-ji's voice over the phone made him sit up.
"They're escalating," she said, skipping any pleasantries. "Lionheart has filed a lawsuit against us. Defamation, cyber intrusion, theft of intellectual property—you name it."
Jae-min swung his legs off the couch and stood. "They're trying to bury us in legal battles to buy time. Typical corporate tactic. How's the public reacting?"
Min-ji hesitated, and Jae-min's chest tightened. "It's... divided. Some think we've crossed a line. Others are calling us heroes. But the media outlets they've bought are running nonstop segments framing us as criminals."
Jae-min closed his eyes and exhaled. "Alright. Let's stay ahead of this. I'll meet you and So-ra at the usual spot in an hour. We'll figure out our next move."
---
The café felt quieter than usual as the trio gathered in their corner booth. So-ra's face was pale, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She'd been glued to her laptop for hours, monitoring the fallout.
"We've got another problem," she said, her voice low. "Lionheart's not just hitting us legally. They're targeting the people coming forward. Two whistleblowers I talked to last week have gone silent. One of them had their house vandalized last night."
Min-ji cursed under her breath. "They're trying to intimidate everyone into backing off."
Jae-min rubbed his temples. The weight of the situation was pressing down on him, but he couldn't afford to falter now.
"What about the new files Elyra found?" he asked.
So-ra's expression brightened slightly. "I'm still going through them, but there's something big. It's not just illegal experiments—it's human trafficking. Lionheart's been smuggling people to use as test subjects in their overseas labs."
Jae-min's blood ran cold. "Do we have proof?"
"Enough to start connecting the dots," So-ra replied. "If we release this, it could turn the tide. No one—no matter how much money Lionheart throws around—can defend human trafficking."
---
Back at his apartment, Jae-min sat in front of his laptop, staring at the files So-ra had shared. His mind swirled with anger and disgust.
"Feeling overwhelmed?" Elyra's voice cut through his thoughts. She appeared beside him, her usual smirk replaced with a rare look of concern.
"They're ruining lives, Elyra," he said, his voice shaking. "And they think they can get away with it because they're powerful."
Elyra placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's why you have me. And trust me, Jae-min, we're going to make them pay. But you can't do this on sheer anger alone. Stay smart."
Jae-min nodded, though the fire in his chest refused to subside. "What's our next step?"
Elyra's smirk returned. "We use their own greed against them. You've got connections now—people watching this unfold. Start mobilizing them. If Lionheart wants to play dirty, we'll show them what real pressure looks like."
---
The next day, Jae-min met with a group of independent journalists and activists who had rallied to their cause. The atmosphere was tense but determined.
"We're releasing a teaser tonight," Min-ji announced to the group. "Just enough to hint at the trafficking ring. Once we've got everyone's attention, we'll drop the full report."
An older journalist raised his hand. "Are you sure you're ready for this? If Lionheart's already coming at you this hard, exposing trafficking will make them even more desperate."
Jae-min stood, meeting the man's gaze. "If we back down now, more people will get hurt. We can't let fear stop us."
The journalist nodded, and murmurs of agreement rippled through the room.
---
That evening, the teaser went live. It was a single tweet from Min-ji's account, accompanied by a blurred image of a document:
**"What's Lionheart hiding overseas? Human lives are not experiments. Full story coming soon."**
The internet exploded within minutes. Speculation ran wild, with hashtags calling for Lionheart's downfall trending globally.
Jae-min watched the reactions unfold from his desk, his phone vibrating nonstop. Elyra leaned against the wall, watching him with an amused expression.
"You've lit the fuse," she said.
"Now we just have to make sure it doesn't blow up in our faces," Jae-min replied.
Elyra's smirk widened. "Don't worry. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve if things get messy."
But Jae-min knew the hardest part was yet to come. Lionheart wouldn't go down without a fight, and the stakes had never been higher.