The basement level of Kane Industries glowed with harsh fluorescent light at two in the morning. While most of the building sat dark and empty, the engineering lab hummed with tense activity. Sheets of blueprints covered every surface. Monitors displayed complex circuit diagrams and safety protocols. The air smelled of coffee and stress.

Hannah Zhao stood at the center of it all, hair pulled back in a messy bun, dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't gone home in ...