The red-light district, the third largest district, farthest away from the Magisterial, the tallest tower which stood proudly at the centre of Grashire, the capital of the AI Empire was a chaotic maze of crumbling buildings, with no sense of arrangement or order, contrasting sharply with the towering presence of the Magisterial in the city's heart.

The AI Empire, a sprawling metropolis driven by artificial intelligence, loomed over the city, its advanced technology permeating every aspect of life. Automated systems governed daily operations, while the citizens marvelled at the marvels of AI-powered advancements. However, in the depths of the red-light district, where pleasure and secrecy intertwined, the rules of the empire bent, and the abandoned apartment became a haven for those seeking hidden truths and subversive, lustful activities.

In the red-light district stood an abandoned three-story cobblestoned apartment on the brink of collapse which consorted with the other crumbling buildings along the wide streets, which were buzzing with the sounds of gorgeous women hunting for their next prey for another moment of ecstasy and intimacy.

On the highest floor of the abandoned apartment, was a dimly lit room filled with a variety of monitors, all large and as thin as a pane of glass showing a never-ending sequence of green lit numbers shifting and changing at rapid rates.

Clack-clack-clack

In front of these brightly lit monitors with glowing green screens sat a figure shrouded in darkness. The figure was a silhouette of a person, busily typing at lightning speed on a thin transparent glass keyboard, giving the illusion of typing in the air.

'...Infiltration successful, accessing intel database…'

A mundane, plodding voice cut across the room, addressing no one in particular. Its source originated from the many monitors positioned in front of the silhouette.

A mundane, plodding voice cut across the room addressing no one in particular. Its source, originating from the many monitors positioned in front of the silhouette.

"Excellent! Locate the target codes and access the files before copying and exporting files to allocated drop off points, Base 2 and then base 1".

'Locating Target Codes…'

'Target codes found…high level encryption detected…Access Denied'

The monotonous voice replied to the silhouette's commands. The silhouette hung his head back chuckling, trying to laugh off his annoyance by the files' encryption.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Damn those task force idiots! Can't make anything easy. Ugh, proceed with the copying and exporting of files, ignore and skip all attempts to open the files for now"

'Files successfully duplicated…Preparing to export'

'Files successfully exported to Base 2…Error Message has been successfully planted'

'.... All traces have been deleted…'

'Preparing to export to Base 1….'

'Files successfully exported to Base 1…Program Task Complete'

"Hah! Worked better than expected, terminate program and shut down after final procedure"

Klak Klak Klak

The sound of heels hitting the floor reverberated across the dimly lit room as the silhouette of another person, clearly a female from the way her chest bulged, appeared from the only door connected to the room, behind the seat where the man sat. The man turned to face his new guest; a smug smile plastered over his face.

"I take it you were able to accomplish your task without any hindrances, Kwaku"

She had a sharp yet nefarious voice, clearly someone who intended to cause harm of some sorts. She stood arms crossed flashing her perfectly aligned white teeth with a smirk, addressing the male she referred to as Kwaku.

"Yes, everything has been done just as you asked, with no hindrances whatsoever," Kwaku replied, his voice dripping with confidence.

"And I hope you left no traces, but the fake, leading back to us."

"I did that as well."

"And you didn't forget to leave the traces leading to the second base behind?"

"Don't be so quick to doubt my abilities. I can't stand it when someone undervalues my expertise!" Kwaku retorted, his voice laced with venom.

"I've deleted any and all traces leading back to us, leaving only a fake path and an error message. They'll most likely think the intel couldn't reach us here. I also left just enough traces to be linked to the other specified target, close to where you wanted," Kwaku explained, a snarky smirk on his face.

Kwaku got up from his seat, his face now fully exposed under the dim light. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with black hair and sharp golden eyes. He reached for a flash drive from one of the system units by the monitors and walked over to the woman.

"Here you go. I even did a little bit more to help," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Excellent work—"

Before she could reach for the drive, Kwaku quickly closed his fist around it, teasing her.

"Woah there, don't be too greedy now. It's time I receive my compensation, don't you think? Your end of the bargain," he said with a snicker.

Kwaku pulled his hand back, still holding the drive, preventing her from grabbing it.

"You're a filthy arrogant pig, but of course, what isn't to be expected?" she remarked.

"Ha. Ha. Ouch, my feelings," Kwaku replied sarcastically.

"I haven't forgotten our deal. That's why I've brought someone to fulfil my end of the agreement. Make sure to give her the drive when you're finished," she instructed.

Another figure, also a woman, appeared from behind the silhouette. She had a cute round face, copper-red eyes partially hidden behind her bangs, and fair delicate arms crossed over her shapely thighs, which were slightly visible from her mini dress.

"I was going to refuse, but...just this time, I'll accept this one," the woman said, looking away to the side.

"I don't really care what you do. Just give her what I want," Kwaku snickered, licking his lips with a perverse look on his face.

With that, the silhouette turned away and left the room, disappearing into the darkness behind the door. Kwaku caught a glimpse of a strand of red hair falling from the unknown woman's head before turning his attention back to his reward.

"Let's see how this turns out, hehehe!"