The Bug
"Do you feel like there is someone eavesdropping us everywhere?" A girl student spoke quietly to another girl in the quiet corridor.
"I think commotions caused by the hub just got on your nerve" The girl giggled.
"I really felt it. It was like there was no where safe in the school anymore, even this place felt less secure" The same girl spoke, looking around with a spooked expression.
"You are just overthinking, Alice.
It's just the hub that got on everyone's nerve but it actually has some integrity.
So you don't need to worry about your secrets being exposed"
The other girl consoled her friend.
"May be I'm just too paranoid with the situation going around.
I can't let my family find out about this or even worse the teacher.
If they know that I cheated my way to the top of the competition, all of my future would be ruined" Alice said with a terrified face.
"It's alright.
No one knows this secret except me and you know that I won't tell on you.
Never.
So just breath and relax, alright" The girl hugged Alice and calmed her down.
"Thank you, Amy. Let's go back to class"
When they walked off from the remote corridor, they didn't noticed that there was an object that resembled an eyeball on the walls over their head.
After the girls left, that object opened a slit on their body like an eyes and something was poking out of it like an antenna.
In Luke's Classroom, Mikel was notified by his gadget about the news.
"Look at the first news that the bug just reported" Mikel said while handing the gadget to Luke.
"Alice cheat?
I thought that she was a natural talent" Luke looked at the gadget in disbelief.
"Yes I thought so too.
I expect 3 more news like this one in the following hours" Mikel said
"And also how did you make all those things connect to the gadget?
It's so convenient" He asked with fascination.
"I just created a virtual storage space in the space allocated by the school in the school portals.
It was supposed to store the contents for educational purpose but before they migrated to the portals I just transformed them a little to conform with the patterns of educational content.
Easy, right?" Luke explained it to Mikel like it was that easy and Mikel just stared blankly at him.
"Whatever. The bugs work and that's all that matter.
Congratulations, you just made this whole school you enemies including the professors" Mikel looked at Luke with a smile.
"Don't exaggerate things. It's not that serious" Luke thought that Mikel was just speaking non-sense like he always did but only Mikel knew how much hatred they would attract once the people knew who was behind this.
"And also I created a virtual bank that wired money through the system and into my banks already, so we don't have to collect the money anymore.
Not anymore, I mean less frequent, you know.
Some of them still preferred cash" Luke smiled and looked at Mikel with his thumb and index finger rubbing together.
"PARDON?
TELL ME WHAT DID YOU DO AGAIN?" Mikel asked Luke, his eyes almost fell out of the sockets.
When Luke was about to answer again, Mike cut him off with a glare and spoke through a gritted teeth.
"The Capital office could trace back to your gadget and know all of your data, whether its the meals you had, the lessons you learned or even the steps that you took each day from your house to the school, if they really want to know.
And you.." Mikel stopped as he didn't know what word should he used to describe his emotions right now.
"Relax. This amount is meager to the Capital and we lived in such a remote area.
I mean who would be interested in something a student in Area 29 had.
And I even encrypted them so that it would be super hard for them to crack" Luke said proudly.
"How can you be so sure?" Mikel asked, his face still serious
"It was my dad's actually. He taught me if I ever need an anonymous account I could do like this" Luke said proudly before his face turned a little bit awkward.
"But I changed it a bit, because I forgot the last part that my dad taught me. But I'm sure that it was 90 percent impregnable" Luke smiled wryly before he puffed his chest proudly after he finished the sentence.
"Let's hope it's that way" Mikel sighed and looked at Luke helplessly.
*Ding
"See. Passive income" Luke smiled and look at his gadget where 10cu was transferred to the virtual account.
"Passive my a*s. I still have to do the works" Mikel rolled his eyes before he replied to the question that was asked.
...
In the area at the back of the school, there was an area where all the bottles would be collected here and further sent to the recycling unit at the outskirt of the city.
Normally, this area would be deserted except for the janitor who took the bottles out here once a day but now there were two people standing there conversing, a man and a woman to be precise.
If anyone accidentally walked by, they would be shocked to see that two of them were Professor Lana and Professor Patrick.
"I don't know if you notice but I saw a few transmitting devices in several remote corridors when I was walking from my office. I'm not sure if they are here for you" Professor Lana glanced at a smiling Professor Patrick.
"I don't think it was them. If they know that I'm here, they won't just monitor me with that toy.
Are you going to help me if they found me?" Professor Patrick asked, smile still plastered on his face.
"No.
It's your own business and I will not get involved" Professor Lana looked at Professor Patrick in the eyes before she continued.
"And don't get the students involved.
Don't think that I don't know your plan to recoup your force.
They are just a children"
"And they will have to grow up soon" Professor Patrick cut her off.
"The war is coming and you know it.
The camps with different ideologies would rise like mushrooms after rain.
Believe me when I say that the next two decades from now on would be filled with blood and sorrow" Professor Patrick finished his sentence while lighting the cigarette in his mouth.
Professor Lana looked at him with sorrow in her eyes.
"What's with that gaze. I thought you guys hate us" Professor Patrick said jokingly after seeing the emotional Professor Lana.
"What do you mean?" Professor Lana suddenly looked at him with her deep brown eyes.
Professor Patrick just looked up to the sky and said some word that made her eyes turned wide.
"How did yo.." Professor Lana asked in disbelief.
This was actually the first time in many years that Professor Lana lost her composure completely and her eyes turned murderous.
"Don't overreact. We have our different ways and you know that I'm not your enemy" Professor Patrick said before he took another puff and started walking away.
"Don't forget our deal" This was the last sentence Professor Patrick said before he threw the half-finished cigarette on the ground and disappear into the school building leaving Professor Lana there, standing quietly.