Under the Heiress' Facade

Hera rushed toward the restroom in the administrative block, following Astral Nova's floor plan she had investigated.

She then called Leon's mobile.

"How's it going on your end?"

On the other end of the line came the clacking of a mechanical keyboard and Leon's anxious voice.

"The surveillance in the administrative block has been shut down, but they've also spotted me. I can't hold out much longer. Hurry."

Given his abilities, breaking through Astral Nova's firewall was out of the question. Hera had sent him the code and instructions on a USB earlier that morning.

"Got it."

Hera emerged from the restroom and glanced around. When she didn't see anyone, she casually approached the door of a dark office.

The door was secured with an electronic lock. Hera pulled out her phone, quickly pulled up a coding page, and applied it to the electronic lock.

The door opened with a click.

The office was pitch black, momentarily disorienting Hera. She quickly turned on her phone's flashlight.

It seemed to be a standard data room. Fortunately, there was a computer.

Hera didn't turn on the lights. After closing the office door, she powered up the computer and pulled over a chair to sit.

The computer powered on and asked for a password. Hera extracted a USB stick from her pocket and plugged it into the mainframe. Soon, the password was cracked.

Her fingers danced across the keyboard. Having breached Astral Nova's firewall before and now infiltrating through their internal computer, her access to the financial system was as swift as ever. Astral Nova's financial data was extensive and heavily guarded with additional firewalls. It was double-secured and meticulously safe. Cracking it now would take some time.

But giving up wasn't an option for Hera after having come this far and risking so much.

Hera picked up her phone and sent Bernard a WhatsApp message. She rubbed her fingers, hoping Bernard could buy her more time, and then got down to business. Meanwhile, Bernard sat in the executive chair in Skyscraper, reading Hera's message.

"I have diarrhea."

She ended her text with a tearful emoji.

Samson sat across from Bernard, wearing a demon mask and looking restless.

He glanced at his watch several times and couldn't help but ask, "Bernard, where's Dr. Shadow?"

"In the restroom."

Samson didn't know what to say.

He couldn't understand the game Bernard was playing. He inwardly questioned if Bernard realized the consequences of him wearing that demon mask.

If Astral Nova members found out he was impersonating the grandmaster, he'd surely be denounced.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Samson immediately asked warily.

From outside came Scorpio's voice.

"Samson, Code Red."

The last Code Red was when Raven breached the firewall.

It seemed that worrying about things that might happen increased their chances of happening.

Samson looked straight at Bernard, silently asking what they should do now.

Bernard suddenly stood up and walked behind the screen.

Samson quickly removed the mask and said, "Come in."

Scorpio entered and noticed Samson dressed entirely in black, mirroring the Grandmaster's attire. His slightly disheveled hair suggested that he had just removed a mask. This raised Scorpio's suspicion. The grandmaster's identity was shrouded in mystery. Even the 12 zodiac signs of Astral Nova had never seen the grandmaster in person. Most of the time, Samson would manage them.

Scorpio wondered if Samson was the grandmaster.

"What happened?" Samson asked.

Scorpio snapped out of it and reported, "Raven seems to be back."