Unmasking the Serpent

The sun had long since set over Shanghai, but the lights in Sun Lixia's villa burned bright, a beacon of determination in the quiet night. Inside, the air thrummed with tension and the rapid-fire clicking of computer keys. In a spacious study converted into a makeshift command center, three figures hunched over an array of high-tech equipment, their faces illuminated by the blue glow of multiple screens.

Tang Ziyi sat at the center, his fingers flying across the keyboard with practiced ease. To his left, Xu Zhonghao, pored over lines of code, his brow furrowed in concentration. Completing the trio was Sun Ming, her youthful face set in a mask of grim determination as she navigated through layers of digital security.