Chapter 4: Encrypted Lies

The four of them huddled in Arman’s small bedroom, the faint hum of his custom-built desktop filling the silence. Wires snaked across the floor, connecting routers, spare circuit boards, and a second monitor he had salvaged from his father’s shop.

Arman’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “I managed to capture fragments of the data stream before the blackout. If we can decode it, we’ll know what Black Circuit is planning.”

Zara leaned over his shoulder, her sharp eyes scanning the lines of code. “This isn’t standard encryption. They’re layering ciphers—AES over RSA, with custom obfuscation. Whoever wrote this knows their stuff.”

Riya sat cross-legged on the bed, clutching a notebook. “So… can you break it?”

Arman smirked faintly. “With enough time, yes. But we’ll need to combine skills.” He glanced at Zara. “You’re good with pattern recognition. Help me spot anomalies.”

Zara raised an eyebrow. “Did you just admit you need me?”

Arman ignored the jab, though Riya caught the flicker of tension between them. Kian, sitting quietly near the window, finally spoke. “If this is really about the city, we don’t have time for ego battles. Just get it done.”

Hours passed in tense silence, broken only by the clicking of keys and the occasional muttered curse. Slowly, fragments of text began to emerge from the encrypted files.

Riya read aloud from the decoded lines:
“Phase One: Establish access points through educational networks.”
“Phase Two: Redirect traffic to central relay nodes.”
Her voice faltered as the next line appeared.
“Phase Three: Disable Dhaka’s primary power grid.”

The room went still.

Zara’s face hardened. “They’re not just playing games. They want to shut down the entire city.”

Arman leaned back, his mind racing. “If they succeed, hospitals, transport, communications—everything will collapse. This isn’t just a hack. It’s sabotage.”

Kian clenched his fists. “Then we stop them. Whatever it takes.”

Before Arman could respond, the lights in his room flickered. The hum of his desktop stuttered. Outside, the streetlamps blinked once… twice… and then went dark.

The neighborhood plunged into silence and shadow.

Riya’s voice trembled. “It’s happening.”

Arman stared at the dead monitor, his heart pounding. Black Circuit wasn’t waiting. The blackout had begun.