After four long hours on the road—each one slower than the last—we finally reached the town of Silekka (pronounced Sih-lek-uh). Nestled at the far edges of the country and province, Silekka was like no other place I'd seen. It was a surreal blend of ocean mist, desert air, and urban charm. The kind of place where the wind carries both salt and sand, and where every corner whispers luxury and quiet power.
Unlike the bold, in-your-face brightness of Velmire City, Silekka had a softer dominance to it. It didn't scream for attention—it commanded it silently. As I drove down its smooth, sun-kissed streets, I noticed something almost unsettling: peace. Real peace. The kind that feels suspicious when you've lived too long in chaos.
There weren't many buildings. Most of what I saw looked like converted cafe-palaces—soft sandstone structures that radiated warmth. Instead of malls or neon storefronts, I passed elegant boutiques, each more exclusive-looking than the last. Because let's be real—it wouldn't be part of Velmire's jurisdiction without at least one overpriced, name-brand boutique clinging to its borders like ivy. The roads were flanked by small oasis streams—crystal clear lines of water that seemed to snake their way toward the sea. Even the air here seemed to favor the town, brushing against the skin like silk. This was the kind of place made for relaxing, for sipping something iced with a book on your lap. The kind of place where you'd confidently say, "Nothing ever happens here."
And yet... here we were.
"Take a sharp left here," I heard Leader say just as I rolled up to a red stop sign.
I nodded silently, turned the wheel, and began climbing a quiet hill road. From the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of Manbun—and Bold_Eagle straightening their black tracksuits and pulling their caps tighter over their heads. Probably trying to look less suspicious. I mean, who were they kidding?
I kept my focus on the road as we climbed. The higher we went, the denser the trees became, casting dancing shadows across the windshield. The road narrowed, hugged on both sides by thick forest. "Turn here," Leader instructed.
I glanced at where he was pointing and almost laughed. "Are you serious?" I said, raising a brow. "You want me to drive into a forest?"
"It's fine. We'll fit. Just turn—now!" he barked, a bit too urgently.
With a muttered curse, I veered left, the tires crunching over dry underbrush as we nosed into the trees. The car scraped past bushes and ducked beneath low-hanging branches as I dodged trunks like I was in a Mario Kart level set in a jungle. After fifteen tense minutes of off-roading and ducking every few seconds from branches that seemed to want to smack me in the face, Leader finally told me to stop.
Up ahead, a tall brown wall loomed—massive, seamless, and somehow both natural and fortified. It looked like it had been sculpted from solid sand and cemented by years of sun and silence.
Leader unfolded a map over the armrest between us, the creased paper soft with age. He pulled out a red highlighter from the glove box, circled four areas, and began assigning missions like we were in some kind of low-budget spy flick.
"Hercules_7—you're in charge of retrieving the documents from the third floor," he said, nodding toward Manbun.
So that's his name, I thought. Took long enough.
"Bold_Eagle, you're with me. We hit these three rooms here for the samples."
Then Leader turned to me.
"Lillies_are_Violet," he said, "you're handling the security. You'll hack into the system, bypass the cameras, and disengage the three gate layers when I give the signal. That wall in front of us? That's Gate One. Another's thirty meters behind it, and the third is fifteen meters after that. Disengage them one by one with proper spacing. Time it cleanly. Got it?"
I nodded like I understood, even though half of what he said sounded like Morse code in my brain. Everyone else seemed to get it, so I went with the flow.
Leader handed out walkie-talkies, and the three of them stepped out. I saw a glint of metal tucked into someone's waistband—probably a gun. Actually, scratch that. They all definitely had one.
"Lillies," Leader called back, "when I say bring the car, you bring the car. Oh—and hack into the CCTV footage. Warn us if anyone's heading our way."
And with that, the car door slammed shut behind him. I watched them disappear into the shadows of the trees, walking alongside the wall like ghosts. I briefly wondered how they planned to scale that thing. Then again—not my problem. I had the "safe" job: staying in the car, hacking into a mansion's security with nothing but an IP address and a dream.
I reached behind the seat, grabbed my bag, and pulled out my laptop. As I powered it on, I muttered to myself, "Let's see what kind of fortress we're working with…"
After nearly two hours—two painful, finger-cramping hours—I finally cracked their firewall. My wrists were sore, and whoever built this system? They were a straight-up genius. Probably even better than me. That's saying something.
I now had live CCTV footage, albeit in low-resolution black-and-white. The mansion was huge—practically a palace—perched on a cliffside and blanketed in manicured gardens that would put royalty to shame. The building itself was intimidating, with guards posted at nearly every corner. They were big, built, and armed to the teeth. Unlike my crew, they weren't rocking tracksuits.
The feed shifted, and I saw Leader and Bold_Eagle creep into view. They'd made it past the first two gates and were approaching the first target room.
chhh— "Violet. Room code?" Leader's voice crackled over the walkie.
I grabbed it. "MM-65-00-SR. Door stays open five minutes—code resets after that, so move fast."
He keyed it in and disappeared inside.
Then: chhh— "Lillies_are_Violet, I'm at the documents room. Open the door. Now."
That was Hercules_7.
I worked fast, fingers flying. "Done," I said, "but you've got company. Two guards heading your way—armed. Move now."
The camera caught him ducking inside just in time. Meanwhile, Leader and Bold_Eagle emerged from the first room. Their tracksuits looked suspiciously bulkier than before. They darted toward the east wing—it'd take them a while to reach the next room.
Back on Hercules_7's feed, I saw him exit and press flat against the wall, barely avoiding a patrol. Then: chhh— "I'll take the third room. What's the code?"
"18-KG-888-GH," I answered, still typing.
Then Leader's voice broke through again. "Lillies, disengage the gates. Start bringing the car. Give me the final room code now."
"PEN-45-0219-HEA," I replied—
Then the screen flickered. And went dark.
"Oh no…" I whispered, frozen. "Please no, not now."
chhh— "Everything okay, Lillies?" Leader asked, voice tight.
"Yes! All good!" I lied, heart pounding. I quickly flicked off the walkie so he wouldn't hear the panic in my voice.
I forgot to charge the damn laptop.
I hit my forehead with my palm. Idiot. Now what? Without access, I couldn't disable the gates. And when I turned the ignition, the car wheezed and died.
ch-ch-chhhh-cheeeeee. The battery was dead too.
Of course.
I had to think fast. No laptop. No car. And three teammates counting on me.
I scrambled to the back seat, grabbed my duffel bag, and started tossing in everything that could link me to this mission—fake IDs, my laptop, my burner phone. Then I flung the door open and bolted into the forest, clutching the bag like my life depended on it. My plan?
Simple: reach the gate, sneak inside, and somehow hijack a car from the estate to use as our new getaway ride.
Can't be that hard, right?
Right…?