“Then we’ll take our leave for now. If anything develops, I’ll contact you immediately.”Blake Morgan rose to his feet and addressed Donovan Williams.“Very well. Travel safely.”Donovan inclined his head.“Assistant, please see Mr. Morgan out.”After exchanging farewells, Blake and Mason left the police department.Mason took the wheel himself. Though only father and son occupied the car, several vehicles trailed discreetly behind them—security escorts assigned for their protection.“Dad, for a moment back there, I was afraid you’d reveal everything,” Mason admitted, still unsettled.“You think I’m a fool?” Blake shot him a sidelong glance.“I’ve navigated a lifetime of storms. Do you imagine I’d grow careless now?”“The source of that intelligence concerns Joseph. Under no circumstances can his involvement be exposed.”“So what now?” Mason asked. “We should inform my future son-in-law and let him decide.”“We’ll return to the company,” Blake replied decisively. “Use our private line

“Then let’s share the assassins’ movements in real time—but without exposing our own identities.”“There shouldn’t be any difficulty in keeping our identities concealed, correct?”Joseph asked again.“No difficulty at all.”Neil Foster replied.“The commander of Nova City’s First Garrison Regiment is Clarence Bennett, isn’t he?”Joseph continued.“That’s right. We have a solid grasp of his background.”“His origins are remarkable, yet he rose through the ranks from an ordinary soldier. His record is distinguished, and his current position is well deserved.”“He’s forthright by nature, tactically competent, and particularly skilled at leading troops. He has commanded numerous large-scale engagements.”“He’s thirty-five now. A decade ago, during the southern border campaign against Dreadmoor, he distinguished himself repeatedly and was promoted to regimental commander.”There was undisguised admiration in Neil Foster’s tone as he spoke.“It seems you’ve had your eye on him for quite som

“These are ambush sites—and sniper positions. Not all of them, but a portion.”After studying the map, Clarence Bennett spoke with quiet certainty.“What?”The officers exchanged bewildered looks.The ambush points and sniper locations marked on the map were nothing like what they had anticipated.“Judging from the movement intelligence and these markings, it’s clear they originate from the same source.”“They were concerned we might overlook something—so they chose to give us a nudge.”Clarence’s voice carried a note of admiration.“This…”The room fell into stunned silence.“Who exactly are they? Why would they help us?”“To mark these positions so precisely suggests significant expertise—at the very least, exceptional military training.”“Our thinking has been conventional. Theirs, however, is anything but.”“Now that the points are marked, we can understand them. But without those markings, we would never have conceived of such placements. This is the work of a true strategist.”“

“Young Lord, take a look.”“Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, their ambush locations are largely in line with our projections.”“Clarence Bennett must have deciphered the map.”“They’ll initiate their offensive at five. From here, we should be able to observe the outcome in real time.”“If they succeed, the individual targets will disappear from our feed.”Neil Foster spread a map across the table.“How much they ultimately achieve will depend on battlefield command.”“This engagement will reveal just how capable Clarence Bennett truly is.”Joseph nodded slightly.“Commanders forged in the southern campaigns are rarely mediocre—especially one with such a decorated record.”Brian Adams added.“What about our own deployment? Is everything in place?”Joseph asked.“Old Adams and I have made the necessary arrangements.”“We’ve handled operations like this for years. There shouldn’t be any issues.”“Still, we’d appreciate your input, Young Lord.”Neil said.“We can review it again—

“Fine. Then we move together.”Clarence Bennett agreed without hesitation.On a battlefield, there is no space for sentiment or prolonged debate—everything unfolds in flashes of lightning.“You five—on me!”“The rest of you, lay down suppressive fire from the front!”With that command, Clarence led his small team toward the flank.At his signal, a dense barrage erupted from the front line.Moments later, gunfire flared from the side as well.Ahead of them, a shadow moved with uncanny agility, scaling half-finished structures as though walking on air.The skeletal buildings, riddled with gaps and broken walls, only enhanced his mobility.Yet even he could not ignore the storm of bullets behind him. He was forced to retreat along a narrow route.Seeing this, Mandy and Clarence exchanged a sharp glance.Their plan was working.“Push forward!”Clarence barked.The frontal unit advanced swiftly.As anticipated, the target veered toward the dead-end alley Mandy had identified.Though it was