Rehearsals for the second round of The Masked Legend were supposed to be routine.
Lighting checks.Camera blocking.Sound balance.
On the surface, everything looked professional.
But Avery Rivers had long since stopped believing in surfaces.
She walked calmly across the stage during a lighting reset, the Phoenix costume rustling softly with every step. Around her, crew members moved with practiced efficiency—heads down, voices low, eyes avoiding hers.
Too careful.
Too tense.
Her gaze drifted toward the far end of the corridor that led backstage, where the bright studio lights gave way to shadow.
That was when she saw it.
The producer.
Standing far too close to a sound technician.
They weren't laughing.They weren't joking.
They were whispering.
Avery slowed her steps, letting the System's Appraisal Eyes activate fully.
The world sharpened.
[Target: Senior Audio Technician][Intent: Malicious — 87% Probability][Current Action: Unauthorized Wireless Frequency Adjustment]
Her vision zoomed in, layers of data stacking over reality like transparent glass.
[System Warning: Environmental Sabotage Detected][Target: Stage 4 Wireless Frequency][Risk: Audio Delay / Signal Distortion / Mic Cut]
So this was Marcus Thorne's move.
Crude.
Predictable.
Pathetic.
The System chimed again.
[New Item Available in Shop:]Anti-Jamming Signal BoosterEffect: Stabilizes and overrides hostile frequency interferenceCost: 5,000 Prestige Points
Avery didn't hesitate.
"Purchase."
[Confirmed.]
A small, invisible interface flickered and then vanished, integrating directly into the Phoenix's microphone system. To the naked eye, nothing changed.
But beneath the stage—
Control had shifted.
Her gaze flicked back to the producer, who was nodding sharply as the technician adjusted a setting on his tablet.
The technician swallowed, clearly nervous.
Good, Avery thought. Fear makes people sloppy.
Another item flashed in the shop interface.
[One-Time Item:]Truth Recording BugEffect: Records audio and encrypted metadata. Cannot be detected by standard sweeps.Cost: 3,000 Prestige Points
Avery smiled behind the mask.
"Purchase."
[Confirmed.]
She turned and walked toward the technician just as he stepped away from the producer, head lowered, fingers twitching anxiously at his belt.
Perfect timing.
As she passed him, Avery stumbled—just slightly.
"Oh—sorry," she said softly, her voice filtered through the Phoenix modulator.
Her gloved hand brushed against his waist.
The technician barely noticed.
But the System did.
[Truth Recording Bug: Successfully Planted.]
A green confirmation icon blinked once and disappeared.
Avery continued walking without looking back, her heart steady, her breathing calm.
Behind her, the producer exhaled in relief, unaware that every word spoken in that hallway—from this moment forward—would be preserved in pristine clarity.
In her dressing room, Elias Vance was pacing.
He stopped the moment Avery entered.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" he asked, voice low.
Avery removed her gloves slowly and placed them on the table.
"They're trying to sabotage the audio," she replied evenly. "Stage 4 frequency. Classic interference."
Elias cursed under his breath. "If they mess with your performance—"
"They won't," Avery interrupted.
She met his eyes.
"I've already neutralized it."
Elias blinked. "Already?"
She nodded once.
"And I didn't stop there."
Avery lifted her hand slightly, and a translucent System window appeared between them—visible only to her, but the confidence in her posture told Elias everything.
"I planted a Truth Recording Bug on the technician," she said quietly. "Every instruction. Every confirmation. Every order from above."
Elias's expression changed.
The broken lawyer was gone.
The shark resurfaced.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"…You're not just defending yourself," he said. "You're setting a trap."
Avery's eyes were cold and bright behind the mask.
"If they want to play dirty," she whispered, "we'll make sure the whole world sees the mud on their hands."
The System chimed softly, almost approvingly.
[Strategic Action Recognized.][Path of the Mogul: Progress +3%][Hidden Achievement Progress: Enemy Exposure — 1/3]
Outside the dressing room, rehearsals continued.
The producer laughed loudly, clapping a technician on the shoulder.
"Let's make this round unforgettable," he said.
Avery listened through the thin walls, the Truth Recording Bug already capturing every syllable.
Unforgettable indeed.
Marcus Thorne thought this was a game of sabotage.
Avery knew better.
This was documentation.
And in the modern world, truth—properly timed—was more lethal than any lie.
She reached for the Phoenix mask again, fingers brushing the feathers with almost reverent calm.
"Make your move," she murmured.
"I'm recording."