Part-121

  Intrigued, James waited for Ryan to tinue.

  "Remember those online scams we were talking about?" Ryan asked, his voice serious. "Well, it seems like they're getting worse."

  James nodded, his mind rag. "Yeah, I heard about the girl who got scammed today," he replied.

  "It's not just that," Ryan said, his voice filled with . "I've been doing some research, and it seems like there's a pattern to these scams. They're targeting students, mostly those who are o online shopping."

  A sense ency grew within James. This wasn't just a random occurre was a calcuted atta vulnerable targets.

  As James and Ryan discussed the growing problem of online scams, a sudden notification from the System interrupted their versation. A holographic s materialized in front of James, dispying the details of a new mission.

  **Mission 18: Iigate the online scammer within 7 days.**

  **Reward: +5 Wisdom**

  **Penalty for failure: You will get spped by Toya publicly due to a huge misuanding.**

  James' eyebrows shot up in surprise. A new mission, and a particurly challenging o that. The reward, an increase in Wisdom, was tempting, but the penalty was dht terrifying. Being spped by Toya in public was not something he wao experience.

  He g Ryan, who was oblivious to the holographic dispy. James knew he had to be careful. The System had a habit of throwing ued challenges, and this one could potentially have serious sequences.

  Taking a deep breath, James focused oask at hand. He had three days to iigate the online scammer, uheir identity, and hopefully bring them to justice. It was a daunting task, but one he was determio plete. After all, the fate of tless students depended on it.

  James turo Ryan, his expression serious. "Any clues?" he asked, his voice low.

  Ryan shook his head, his face etched with frustration. "None," he replied, his voice filled with disappoi. "I've tried everything, but I 't find anything."

  James nodded in uanding. This was going to be a difficult iigation. They were dealing with a skilled scammer, someone who knew how to cover their tracks.

  "We o start from scratch," James said, his voice filled with determination. "Let's break down the problem and tackle it step by step."

  Ryan nodded in agreement. "We start by gathering information from the victims," he suggested. "Maybe we find a pattern, something that ects all the cases."

  "And we o be careful," James added. "We don't want to attract the scammer's attention."

  Ryan agreed, a serious expression on his face. "We'll meet after school," he said. "We shorten our Judo practid focus on this iigation."

  As they walked towards the cafeteria for lunch, James couldn't shake the feeling that they were on the brink of something big.

  After a grueling Judo session that left them both pleasantly exhausted, James and Ryaled into a booth at their usual haunt, a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant known for its greasy burgers and bottomless fries. Wiping sweat from his brow, James g Ryan. "We should order first before the after-school rush hits," he suggested, grabbing a worn menu.