Zed stood there motionless as he watched the officers drive away. When they were finally out of sight, he clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. Amanda Steele, who had been observing from a distance, approached him slowly, halting a few paces away.The air was thick with silence, stretching between them until Amanda finally broke it with a question, her voice soft but steady, "What now?"Zed exhaled sharply, barely above a whisper, "I don't know." He remained facing forward, his back still to Amanda, the weight of the situation sinking in. He stood there for a few moments, contemplating his next move. Finally, he turned to face her and began to walk forward, his steps purposeful yet weighed down by uncertainty."I'll have to think of something," Zed continued, his tone more resolute now. "I might have to hire the best lawyer in the city. Who knows? He might be able to work something out." His voice carried an edge of frustration as he spoke, as if he was desperately c

"So, what's the case about?" Allison inquired, her sharp gaze fixed on Zed, who sat across from her, the sunlight from the tall windows casting shadows across his tense expression.Zed leaned forward, planting both hands firmly on the desk between them."Last night, one of my employees broke into Eclipse Industries and destroyed several vehicles. He acted out of revenge—it was all a terrible misunderstanding that spiraled out of control. Now Mr. Damien is demanding retribution. He's already asked me to cover the cost of the damages, and he wants the perpetrator behind bars." Zed's voice was firm, steady, but his eyes betrayed the weight pressing on his shoulders.Allison tilted her head slightly, lips pursed in thought. "I see. And I hope you didn't talk to anyone else before calling me?"Zed leaned back in his chair and scratched the back of his head, his silence giving her the answer she expected."You've already spoken to the police, haven't you?" she asked, one eyebrow rising in a

Zed raised the glass once again and gulped down the water. He sighed heavily and dropped the glass onto the counter in front of him. Loosening his black tie to breathe more freely, he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.The pub was packed with people, and despite the three ceiling fans rotating overhead, the place remained stiflingly hot. Every single person there was drenched in sweat, their clothes clinging to their bodies.“Rough day?” the female bartender asked, noticing the worried look etched across Zed’s face.“Yeah,” Zed nodded, picking up the glass of water once more and downing the entire contents in one go.“You really are thirsty. Don’t they offer you water at your fancy company?” she asked, grabbing the glass and walking away to refill it. Moments later, she returned, now holding a glass brimming with ice water.Zed accepted it and took a small sip.“You know,” she continued, “this place is always filled with lowlifes and folks without jo

[Congratulations! You have completed the hidden quest]A deep mechanical voice echoed in Zed’s head, followed by a glowing blue screen materializing in front of him.He blinked, staring at the notification as confusion clouded his expression.‘Hidden quest?’ he mused, eyes fixed on the floating text.He hadn’t even known a hidden quest existed—let alone one still pending.---[Quest Information: Stand up against the gangsters][Reward: Option One: $60,000,000][Option Two: Golden Card][Punishment: -$6,000,000]---Zed’s eyes widened in disbelief as more screens materialized, laying out choices and consequences in glaring clarity.This wasn’t the first time the system had surprised him with a hidden quest. Just days ago, it had pulled the same stunt—revealing a hidden challenge only after he spun the lucky wheel numbers. If he hadn’t used that mysterious card that night, he would have lost everything.And now tonight… if he had chosen to back down, if he had let the gangsters take wha

Zed slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car lunged forward at breakneck speed. Sweat streamed down his face, his heart thundering like a drum in his chest. His eyes flicked to the side mirror—and what he saw made his blood run cold.A rocket-propelled grenade was slicing through the air behind him, its deadly nose locked onto his vehicle. Panic surged through Zed’s body like a bolt of electricity. The RPG was closing the distance alarmingly fast, and just before it could make contact, Zed jerked the steering wheel hard to the right.The car veered sideways in a screech of tires and smoking rubber.The rocket whistled past, missing by a hair’s breadth. It struck the pavement behind him and exploded with a deafening BOOM, sending a column of flame and shattered asphalt into the sky.Zed exhaled sharply, his knuckles white as he gripped the wheel, and he floored the accelerator again. The vehicle surged forward, moving so fast it seemed to hover just above the road.But no matte