Chapter 174 New York

The figure stepped forward, their movements surprisingly agile for someone who had seemingly been trapped down here for who knows how long. Their voice, once gruff, softened slightly as they explained a complex sequence of commands, a digital back alley leading to the forbidden heart of the network. John, with his limited hacking knowledge, followed the instructions as best he could. Olivia chimed in, her fingers dancing across the keyboard, their combined efforts a desperate gamble against the consortium's digital defenses. The tension crackled in the air as lines of code scrolled across the screen, cryptic messages flashing by in a whirlwind of digital activity. They were pushing the system to its limits, praying it wouldn't collapse before they could access the data. Suddenly, the screen flickered wildly, a flurry of error messages filling the terminal. John felt a pang of fear, but then,with a final groan, the system yielded. The "Project Cerberus" folder hung open, its contents