Chapter 24: Unraveling the Web

The old factory was a cold, echoing shell, but inside, it felt like a war room. Ava, Lucas, Jess, Sara, Daniel, and Ryan gathered around a makeshift table lit by the soft glow of a few battery-powered lamps. They were tired, running on adrenaline and fear, but they were also resolute. They had come too far to back down now. Jess’s laptop screencast a blue light on their faces as she typed rapidly, tracking the online reaction to their live broadcast. “We’ve got traction,” she announced. “People are talking. Collins’s team is trying to discredit us, but more outlets are picking up the story. They’re digging into his past connections.” Ava felt a flicker of hope. “That’s good. We need to keep the momentum going.” Sara leaned forward, her expression serious. “But we need more than just public opinion. We need someone inside Collins’s network to flip and corroborate our evidence. That’s what will make it stick.” Ryan nodded, flipping through a list of names from Collins’s documents. “I