"Even schools are getting involved, that''s just awful," Sandy fumed, mming her fist on the table. "I talked to some students, and they said these snack powders are thetest craze from inte cafes nearby. They''re especially popr around schools, with loads of street vendors selling them. Who could be so heartless? If I get my hands on them, they''ll wish they hadn''t crossed me!"


    Kiran called out to Viona, who was waiting just outside the door. "Send out teams to monitor schools overseas. Nab anyone who looks suspicious."


    "Yes, sir."


    Sophie couldn''t shake off a nagging sense of unease. She squeezed Colby''s hand a little tighter, "Colby, has Harold checked in on Fiona and Alec yet?"


    "I''ve already let him know."


    "Make sure we beef up security at the school. Every snack sold by vendors near the campus needs a thorough check. We can''t risk any slip-ups."


    "Don''t worry, our Fiona isn''t that gullible."


    Sophie wasn''t just being overprotective; Fiona had been pampered her whole life. The special training sessions Colby organized were as normal to her as eating or sleeping.


    She hadn''t truly faced the world''s dangers, only knowing how to physically defend herself without grasping the cunning nature of people. If The Silent Shadows had left any traces, Sophie had to ensure her daughter''s safety.


    Ding-ding—


    Colby''s phone buzzed with a call from Adler. On the line, Adler spoke with aid- back tone, "You guys don''t need to stress. This dark web is nothingpared to The Silent Shadows from twenty years ago."


    Sophie was taken aback. "What do you mean?"


    "I casually hacked into this dark web and found that the creator... well, they''re no tech wizard. Just some amateur ying around withputer programming. The site''s a mess, and its management is ck. I was poking around for half an hour, and they didn''t even notice."


    Adler continued typing away. "I''ve pulled up a list of everyone who''s bought drugs and organs. I''ll send it to your phones. Plus, I''ve messed with the site to intercept any orders ced in the next two weeks. No need to worry about it spreading."


    Sophie paused, processing his words. "So, our opponent this time is..."


    "Pretty basic, even a bit childish. Probably not a big organization."


    Adler added while typing some more code. "Believe it or not, I can trace their IP address in under three minutes."


    "What''s going on?" Sophie frowned. "Is their firewall really that weak?"


    "Weak doesn''t even cover it; it''s practically nonexistent."


    Adler quickly cracked the IP address and sent it to Sophie''s phone. "The person''s in Devonport. We''ve got all the merchant info for Devonport, right? Have Harold dig through the database and see who''s been acting shady. We might catch the culprit in less than a day."


    Sophie rubbed her temples in frustration. What was going on?


    After the call ended, Sophie turned to Kiran and asked, "Are we dealing with the same person? If they''re really as inept as Adler says, how have these powders spread so fast both here and abroad?"


    "If it''s like Adler described, then there are only two possibilities."