This week, Salem kicks off with a real explosion: a secret lab raid. It wasn’t a sneak-in, grab-and-run affair, but a well-organized, targeted break-in, as if the intruder knew exactly what to take and what to destroy to erase the evidence.

The scary thing is that a lab raid in Salem almost certainly involves a dark scheme, one that, if exposed, would implicate a whole host of people.

So the moment the doors burst open, lights flash, and documents are thrown from the shelves… the entire city goes into panic mode: everyone fears exposure, everyone fears being blamed, and anyone who has ever set foot in the lab becomes the first target of questioning.

Amidst the chaos, unexpected news falls on two influential figures, further intensifying the tension.

In Salem, “surprise news” is rarely the sweet kind like winning the lottery. It’s usually something that changes lives in three seconds: a test result, legal proof, identity confirmation, or a buried truth suddenly surfacing. The painful part is that the news arrives when everyone is already on edge, so the reaction is anything but calm. One person might burst into tears, another might freeze, and a single misspoken word can ignite a new conflict.

Before anyone could recover, Salem was greeted by several more unexpected faces. Days never let new people in just for a greeting, so this arrival felt like they were “coming to cause trouble.” Some walked in with expressions as if they knew everyone’s secrets. Some asked the exact question that silenced everyone. And some appeared at the most sensitive spot, as if planted there to monitor, to set a trap, or to relay information.