Becoming A Tech Tycoon Begins With Regression novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Spectra

As it turned out, Ethan and Google weren’t the only ones keeping busy.

Near Tech Square in Midtown Atlanta, Isabela’s bus had just reached its destination.

The commercial vehicle hissed to a stop along Peachtree Street, its brakes squealing loud enough to snap Isabela out of her thoughts.

She rose from her seat, adjusting the strap of her slim backpack as the automated voice announced:

"Tech Square. Next stop, Fifth Street."

The doors hissed open, allowing the passengers, which included Isabela, out.

Isabela stepped off the bus and into the mild buzz of Midtown’s morning flow, she was faced with workers in neat suits and students making their way towards different destinations.

Glass buildings loomed all around her, their shadows cast across the sidewalks. Unlike most of the other passengers, she wasn’t here for work.

Well, not exactly.

She tugged her black blouse down absently, already regretting the choice. It wasn’t uncomfortable, per se, but it didn’t match her vibe. She’d worn it to play the part of an intern heading to some office job. But now that the bus ride was over, the act was too.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Isabela made her way down a narrow alley tucked between a Korean noodle bar and a boutique clothing shop.

At the end of the alley sat an unassuming door with a faded {AUTHORIZED ENTRY ONLY} sign. She knocked twice, paused, then knocked three more times.

A metallic click echoed, and the door creaked open.

Inside was a cramped, dusty maintenance room, likely part of the noodle bar’s basement access. She ducked inside, letting the door swing shut behind her.

A backpack with a different outfit was already waiting behind a stack of crates, right where she’d been informed it’d be the previous night.

In less than five minutes, the business look was gone.

Now she was in her usual oversized hoodie again, one that went down her knee, a short underneath, and fingerless gloves on her hands.

Her hair was now tucked under a beanie, and the contacts were swapped out for her old round glasses.

She stared at her reflection in the scratched metal panel on the wall and exhaled softly. "Much better."

A buzz came from her phone.

Turning on the screen, she noticed that it was just a message from one of the people she was supposed to be meeting right now.

Without bothering to reply, since she already got the directions of the new base last night, Isabela walked out of the maintenance room through the rear stairwell.

She emerged into the backside of a strip lined with various small businesses most were unremarkable, especially for an area such as this.

But there was one that stood out.

It was a two story gaming lounge tucked between a laundromat and a dimly lit vape shop.

The lounge had a neon sign, which was off since it was morning, with the pixelated lettering that read:

THE GRID

Isabela crossed the small sidewalk and stepped through the glass doors. She was instantly greeted by the cool air from the AC, along with the unmistakable smell of energy drinks and instant ramen.

"Yo!" the guy at the front desk barely looked up from his own screen. "First floor’s full. If you’re lookin’ for COD or CS, check the second—"

Isabela didn’t reply. She veered left, straight past the front desk and through a staff-only door.

Through it she made her way to the back, bypassing the main lounge and heading straight for a locked maintenance closet labeled:

This morning, she had gone out with a fake internship excuse, dressed like someone she wasn’t, rode the bus with real workers, all while heading here, to this hacker cell that called themselves The Vigilants.

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