Tariq Khyber, the head of the Khyber family, a man of sharp suits and sharper intellect, concluded his meeting with a satisfied smile. The air in the executive boardroom, usually thick with the scent of ambition and expensive cologne, now hummed with a palpable excitement, a joyous thrum of success. Around the polished mahogany table sat a select group of investors and board members, their faces were illuminated by the soft glow of the holographic displays. These were not simply corporate titans; they were the architects of shadow economies, men and women whose power was as undeniable as their moral flexibility. Their gazes, keen and calculating, reflected years spent navigating the murky waters of global finance and clandestine operations. They were the silent architects of the Khyber family’s more… unconventional ventures, their vast, often ill-gotten, wealth a quiet, yet undeniable, endorsement of Project Revenant. For them, ethics were merely an inconvenient variable in the

The investors exchanged excited glances, it was a collective glint of eager anticipation in their eyes. Seeing the control center, the actual nerve center of their vast, illicit investment, would be a rare privilege. It would not only cement their confidence but also provide a thrilling, tangible connection to the sheer scale of their power. It would confirm that their considerable funds were indeed in the right, most ruthless, hands.“Yeah, sure, Tariq,” the stout investor replied, pushing back his chair, his voice was thick with enthusiasm. “Come on, Tariq. Lead the way. Let us take a look at how we are conquering the world.” The other investors followed suit, rising with a unified, hungry energy, their previous questions melting away in the face of this exciting prospect.Tariq's smile returned, though it felt a little tighter now, a strained mask. “Excellent. Follow me, gentlemen.” He led them out of the plush, soundproof meeting room and into the labyrinthine, meticulously des

His heart hammered against his ribs, it was a frantic drumbeat of impending doom. Every instinct screamed at him to stop, to turn back, but the momentum of the moment, the expectant faces of his investors, propelled him forward.He stepped through the threshold, his investors eagerly following close behind him, their faces alight with unbridled anticipation. One of them, a portly man named Davies, let out a soft chuckle. "Well, Tariq, don't keep us in suspense! Let's see this marvel of ingenuity!" His words, intended to be lighthearted, were swallowed by the suddenly overwhelming atmosphere within the room, a palpable sense of wrongness that permeated the air, thick and suffocating.And then, Tariq Khyber froze. His body locked, his mind seizing. The words, the visions, the carefully constructed reality he had built, was shattered into a million pieces. The air, heavy with the stench of carnage and ozone, felt like a physical weight pressing down on him, stealing his breath. The s

Farouq’s body convulsed, a violent tremor was shaking his already frail frame. He coughed again, a deep, guttural sound that seemed to tear at his very core, and this time, a sickening spray of dark, arterial blood splattered across Tariq’s pristine suit jacket. The metallic tang filled the air, mingling with the acrid scent of ozone and burning circuitry. Farouq’s eyes, wide and unfocused, fixed on something beyond Tariq, a silent horror reflected in their depths. His lips, now a ghastly shade of blue, moved, struggling to form words.“J-Jayden…” he rasped, the name was barely a whisper, yet it struck Tariq with the force of a thunderclap. “Jayden Cole…”Tariq’s grip tightened on his brother’s shoulders, his knuckles turning white. The name, a ghost from their past, a threat thought long vanquished, now materialized as the architect of their ruin. The anger, momentarily overshadowed by concern for Farouq, surged back with renewed ferocity, colder and sharper than before.“Jayden

Tariq straightened, his jaw was tightening, a muscle twitching almost imperceptibly. "Project Revenant is, regrettably, temporarily on hold. The core infrastructure, as you are aware, was housed within the affected facility. We are in the process of assessing the full extent of the damage and formulating a comprehensive recovery plan." He chose the term "recovery plan" hoping it would convey proactive measures rather than desperate scrambling.Eleanor Vance interjected, her voice was sharp as a surgical blade, cutting through the thin veneer of professionalism. "Temporarily on hold? Tariq, we invested billions – billions! – based on your meticulous timelines, your ironclad projections of immediate and unparalleled returns. We require a clear understanding of precisely when operations will resume and, more importantly, when we can expect our capital back. Our agreements stipulated guaranteed returns, not indefinite delays!"The shift began subtle, there was a slight hardening in thei