**Arc 2: Chapter 29 – The Pushback**
The morning light filtered through the blinds of Jae-min's apartment, but he barely noticed. His focus was locked on his laptop screen, scrolling through the chaos unfolding online. The teaser had done its job—speculation about Lionheart's involvement in human trafficking was dominating every platform.
But with the attention came retaliation.
"Min-ji, how bad is it?" Jae-min asked, his voice heavy. He was on a video call with her and So-ra, both of whom looked exhausted.
"Worse than we anticipated," Min-ji said, rubbing her temples. "They're claiming the document is fake. Their PR team is flooding media outlets with counter-statements, and some major networks are siding with them. They're even spinning it to make us look like opportunistic frauds."
"And that's not the worst part," So-ra added grimly. "They've started targeting smaller platforms and activists who've been sharing our posts. A couple of their accounts were shut down overnight. It's a warning."
Jae-min clenched his fists. "They're trying to scare us into silence. We can't let them win."
"We won't," Elyra's voice chimed in. She materialized beside him, arms crossed and eyes blazing with determination. "But they've upped the stakes. It's time to hit back harder."
---
By noon, the team was gathered in a private coworking space they'd rented under a pseudonym. The tension in the room was palpable, but the determination in everyone's eyes kept them grounded.
"We need to go public with the trafficking ring now," So-ra said, her laptop open to a detailed report. "The full story. Documents, testimony, everything we've got. If we hold back any longer, they'll discredit us before we can make our case."
Min-ji frowned. "But we're still missing key pieces. We don't have concrete evidence of how they're smuggling people or who's involved on the ground. If we release an incomplete story, it could backfire."
Jae-min paced the room, his mind racing. "What about the whistleblowers? The ones who've gone silent—can we reach them?"
So-ra shook her head. "I've tried. Either they're too scared to talk, or Lionheart's already gotten to them."
"Then we find someone else," Jae-min said firmly. "There has to be someone who knows what's going on and is willing to talk."
Elyra leaned against the wall, her voice cutting through the tension. "There's a name in the files you haven't followed up on yet. Adrian Kim. He's listed as a former logistics manager for one of Lionheart's subsidiaries. If anyone knows about their trafficking operations, it's him."
So-ra's eyes lit up. "I saw that name. He left the company two years ago under... questionable circumstances. No public statements, no lawsuits—just disappeared. But if we can find him…"
"Then we might have our smoking gun," Jae-min finished.
---
Tracking down Adrian Kim wasn't easy. Jae-min and Elyra spent hours cross-referencing data from the files with public records, tracing a faint trail that led them to a small, run-down apartment on the outskirts of the city.
The building was quiet, almost eerily so, as Jae-min approached the door. Elyra remained invisible to everyone but him, but her presence was reassuring nonetheless.
"You sure about this?" she asked as he raised his hand to knock.
"We don't have a choice," Jae-min replied.
The door opened a crack, revealing a haggard man in his late thirties. His eyes darted around nervously before settling on Jae-min.
"Who are you?" Adrian asked, his voice low and wary.
"My name's Jae-min," he said quickly, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk about Lionheart."
At the mention of the company, Adrian's face darkened. He started to close the door, but Jae-min stuck his foot in the gap.
"Please," he said urgently. "We know what they've been doing. We're trying to expose them, but we need your help."
Adrian hesitated, his gaze flickering between Jae-min's face and the hallway behind him. Finally, he sighed and opened the door wider.
"Come in. But make it quick."
---
Inside, the apartment was cramped and sparsely furnished. Adrian gestured for Jae-min to sit while he paced the small living room.
"I don't know what you think you know," Adrian began, his voice strained. "But if you're messing with Lionheart, you're in way over your head."
"We know about the trafficking," Jae-min said bluntly. "The experiments. The people they've been smuggling overseas. We just need proof to bring them down, and you can help us get it."
Adrian stopped pacing, his shoulders tense. "You don't understand. These people aren't just powerful—they're untouchable. I tried to speak out once. You know what it cost me? Everything. My job, my reputation, my family…"
Elyra appeared beside Jae-min, her expression sharp. "He's scared. But he knows something. Push him."
Jae-min leaned forward. "I get it. You're scared. But think about the people they've hurt—the people they'll keep hurting if no one stops them. You left for a reason, didn't you? Because you couldn't stand what they were doing."
Adrian's face crumpled, and he sank into a chair. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, in a quiet voice, he began to speak.
"They used shell companies to move people," he said. "Fake job offers, fake visas. Once the victims were in their system, they were shipped off to 'research facilities' in places no one would look—offshore rigs, isolated islands…"
Jae-min's stomach churned, but he forced himself to listen.
"I can give you names," Adrian continued. "Locations. But you have to promise me something. If you go public with this, you protect me. Because if Lionheart finds out I talked, I'm as good as dead."
"You have my word," Jae-min said.
Elyra smirked. "We've got what we need. Now let's make Lionheart pay."
As Jae-min left the apartment, a fire burned in his chest. The evidence Adrian had shared would be enough to blow the trafficking operation wide open. But he knew the fight was far from over.
Lionheart wouldn't go down without a fight—and neither would he.