Part-130

  "Hey, wait a minute," Sourov excimed, a spark of hope igniting in his eyes. "I know someone who might be able to help us."

  Intrigued, James and Ryan leaned forward. "Who?" they asked in unison.

  "My cousin," Sourov replied. "He's a senior software developer. He knows his way around puters."

  Ryan's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find him!"

  Without hesitation, James stood up, following Ryan's lead. They had to find a way to catch these scammers, and this might be their best ce yet.

  They found Sourov's cousin, Pronoy Bashu, in a modest apartment oskirts of the city. A man in his early forties, Pronoy was not the stereotypical image of a tech wizard. He was more of a quiet, introspective individual, with a gentle demeanor that belied his sharp intellect. Despite his reclusive nature, Sourov’s influence vinced him to meet with the boys.

  "It's good to finally meet you," James said, extending his hand.

  Pronoy nodded, a firm handshake. "Likewise," he replied, his voice soft-spoken.

  After a brief exge of pleasahey got down to business. Sourov expihe situation iail, outlining the problem with the online scams and their attempts to track down the culprits.

  Pronoy listened ily, his expression thoughtful. When Sourov finished, he leaned ba his chair, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "People tend to have the wrong idea about software engineers and doctors," he began, breaking the silehey think we have solutions to every problem, like we're modern-day magis. But the reality is far more plex."

  James and Ryan exged a gnce, unsure of where Pronoy was going with this.

  "Trag someone down based on a phone number is not as simple as it sounds," Pronoy tinued. "Even with access to databases, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. And hag into a pany's servers is not only illegal but also incredibly risky. You could face serious legal sequences."

  A wave of disappoi washed over the boys. It seemed like they were hitting dead ends at every turn.

  Pronoy paused, sidering his words carefully. "While I am a software engineer, I'm ly a hacker," he admitted, a wry smile pying on his lips. "I deal with legitimate software development, not breaking into systems."

  James and Ryan exged disappointed gnces. It seemed like they were hitting another dead end.

  Seeing the expet looks on their faces, Pronoy softened his tone. "Okay, okay. I do have a friend who knows his way around puters. He's ly what you would call ahical hacker,' but he's good at what he does. Normally, he prefers to keep a low profile, but since he's a friend of mine, I think he'll agree to meet with you."

  A surge of hope surged through James and Ryan. This was their best ce yet. "Thank you," James said, his voice filled with gratitude.

  "I'll arrange a meeting for tomorrow," Pronoy replied. "But remember, this is a risky proposition. There's no guarahat we'll be able to find anything."

  The boys nodded in uanding. They were prepared to take the risk. After all, they had nothing to lose.