“My… my work…” Chen mumbled, his voice losing some of its manic edge.“Your work survives if you stop this,” Max pressed. “It dies with us if you don’t.”Tommy suddenly shouted, “Max, I’ve got a backdoor! It’s risky, but I think I can disable the sequence directly from the main power conduit! It’ll take a minute, but it’s our best shot!”“Do it, Tommy! Go!” Max ordered.Tommy sprinted out of the control room, heading towards the power conduit Bucky had targeted earlier.The timer was at 2:00.“He’s going to try and bypass it,” Chen said, a flicker of something in his eyes. “He won’t make it. My system is too complex.”“Then help him, Chen!” Max urged, his voice desperate. “Give us the direct override! Don’t let your life’s work be erased!”Chen hesitated, his gaze fixed on the countdown. His chest heaved. The thought of his grand plan, his entire life’s ambition, being reduced to ashes, seemed to weigh heavily on him.“The code…” Chen began, his voice hoarse. “It’s… a sequence based o

The tunnel was exactly as he remembered it: narrow, concrete-lined, and dimly lit by emergency glow-strips embedded in the ceiling. It sloped downwards, deeper into the earth, away from the main complex. This wasn’t just a simple escape route; it was an old service tunnel, a forgotten relic from the city’s early infrastructure, repurposed and reinforced by Chen’s engineers. It led to a series of abandoned sewer lines, eventually connecting to a storm drain that emptied out into the industrial district, miles away.Kim moved quickly, his footsteps echoing softly in the confined space. The air was heavy and damp, a stark contrast to the sterile environment of the complex. He could still hear the faint thud of footsteps and distant voices from above, a constant reminder of the hunters closing in.“Stupid, arrogant fool,” Kim muttered to himself, thinking of Chen. “He thought he was untouchable. He thought he could play God with this city.”Kim had been drawn to Chen’s vision, initially.

The air in the old storm drain was thick with the smell of damp earth and decay. Tommy Becker stood over Kim Min Jae, who lay on the grimy catwalk, his wrists bound tightly behind his back with zip-ties. Kim was panting, defeated, but a flicker of defiance still burned in his eyes. Bobby and his team were securing the area, their flashlights cutting through the gloom.“You’re lucky, Kim,” Tommy said, his voice low and dangerous. He nudged Kim with his foot, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make a point. “Max wants you alive. For now.”Kim just glared, spitting a glob of phlegm onto the concrete near Tommy’s boot. “Go to hell, Becker.”Tommy’s jaw tightened. He leaned down, his face inches from Kim’s. “You think this is a game? You think you can just play with people’s lives, burn down a city, and walk away?”He reached down, grabbing a handful of Kim’s shirt, pulling him halfway up. “You messed with the wrong people, Kim. You messed with *our* people.”Kim coughed, struggling ag

Max knelt down, bringing his face level with Kim’s. The flashlight beam illuminated Kim’s desperate, angry features.“Let me tell you something, Kim,” Max began, his voice low and steady. “You talk about power, about control, about legacy. But you’ve lost it all. Everything you thought you had, it’s gone.”Kim scoffed. “I’m still breathing, Max. And as long as I’m breathing, I’m a threat.”“You’re not a threat, Kim,” Max corrected him. “You’re a footnote. Chen’s empire is crumbling. All the networks you built, all the systems you designed, they’re being dismantled right now. Your name will be erased from every ledger, every database. You will become a ghost.”“You can’t erase me!” Kim yelled, his voice cracking with a sudden, raw fear.“Oh, but we can,” Max said, his voice devoid of emotion. “Your money, your influence, your reputation… it’s all gone. You have nothing left. No one to call, no place to go, no power to wield.”He paused, letting his words sink in. “And as for Sarai…” Ma

Gonzalez took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He knew Max was playing games, but he also knew Max was right. Without evidence, his hands were tied. He couldn’t just arrest Max for cleaning a warehouse.“This city is under federal jurisdiction, Lucky,” Gonzalez stated, his voice tight with controlled anger. “You can’t just run around like some kind of warlord, settling scores and then erasing the evidence.”“Warlord? That’s a bit dramatic, Agent,” Max said, shaking his head. “I’m simply ensuring the stability of my… interests. And the interests of the people who rely on me.”“The people who rely on you?” Gonzalez scoffed. “You mean the people you extort, the people you control, the people you force into your little network of crime!”Max’s eyes hardened slightly, the smile fading a fraction. “I provide order, Agent. Something your federal bureaucracy seems incapable of doing. When the local police are overwhelmed, when the systems fail, who do people turn to? Not to you,