"Malice Marking"

On the morrow at half past six in the morning, Jonathan donned his raincoat, purposefully departing through the unobserved rear entrance of the community, traversing the labyrinthine streets to minimize his presence beneath the scrutinizing gaze of surveillance cameras.

Before departing, he caught sight of the message sent by the hacker.

Hacker: "We arrived in your city last night, lodging in a hotel. Have you given thought to our rendezvous location?"

Jonathan glanced at the message without responding, instead switching off his mobile to evade location detection.

He contemplated various meeting points:

A grand shopping center

A park plaza near government establishments

A restaurant teeming with visitors yet offering a private space and comprehensive surveillance