All Chapters of The Beggar’s Throne: Chapter 471
- Chapter 480
630 chapters
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-One
The city slept under a false calm.Above ground, neon signs flickered lazily against the thinning fog, buses rumbled along their routes, and people began their morning routines—never knowing how close they had come to annihilation just hours before. But beneath the surface, inside the labyrinth of tunnels and forgotten infrastructure where Jake Sullivan and his team now moved, tension coiled tighter with every step.Jake led, silent and focused.Kael flanked him, heavier footsteps absorbed by the damp concrete. Lyra came last, hunched over a portable interface, the stolen transmission logs decrypting line by line in her hands. Every few seconds, soft beeping indicated another pattern unfolding—another clue to Soren’s grand design.Jake spoke without turning. “What do we have?”Lyra’s brow furrowed. “More than we expected. Soren’s systems weren’t just preparing for a strike. They’re syncing.”“Syncing what?” Kael muttered.Lyra swallowed, her tone grave. “Everything.”Jake slowed, tens
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Two
Jake Sullivan’s boots crunched against the broken concrete of the old subway tunnel, the echo bouncing like distant thunder through the cavernous space. The city above slept, oblivious to the war brewing beneath its feet, and the dim glow of his flashlight carved sharp slices through the darkness. His team moved with the practiced coordination of soldiers who had fought too many battles together to need words for every motion. Lyra’s eyes darted left and right, fingers occasionally brushing the walls as if she could read the metal and stone for hidden dangers. Kael’s steady breathing and tight grip on his rifle were reassurance enough—silent but absolute.They were following a lead from the transmission logs Jake had extracted from the communications hub, a trail that pointed to a facility far deeper underground than they had anticipated. It wasn’t marked on any maps, a ghost in the city’s forgotten arteries, yet the encrypted data made it clear that this was the heart of Soren’s newe
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Three
The following morning broke cold and silver, the kind of quiet dawn that felt like the world was holding its breath. Nathan stood by the window of the guest house, hands braced on the sill, watching the estate grounds wake slowly beneath a pale sweep of light. He hadn’t slept—not really. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Cass’s face, the way her voice had trembled, the way she fought to stay strong even when the ground beneath her was shifting.Behind him, the door clicked softly.Liam didn’t bother pretending he hadn’t been watching Nathan unravel.“You look terrible,” Liam said, moving to drop onto the armchair with a weary sigh. “More terrible than usual, which is impressive.”Nathan didn’t turn. “Couldn’t sleep.”“You mean you didn’t let yourself sleep.”Nathan’s jaw flexed. “She was crying, Liam.”“I know.” Liam rubbed his face. “I heard her.”For a moment they were both quiet—the kind of silence that wasn’t empty, but heavy, filled with everything they couldn’t say out loud.
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Four
The boardroom was already buzzing by the time Cass, Nathan, and Liam approached the double doors. Low voices, the scrape of chairs, the jittering cadence of people who thought they were in control. Cass paused just outside, her fingers tightening around the folder in her hand.Nathan noticed immediately.“You sure?” he asked quietly.Cass didn’t look at him—she didn’t need to. She inhaled slowly, pressing down the tremor at the base of her ribs. “Yes.”Liam adjusted the cuff of his jacket, eyeing her with a sharpness that came from protective instincts he rarely admitted to. “You look like you’re about to take over a kingdom,” he said. “Which, technically, you are. So let’s go.”Cass almost smiled. Almost.Nathan opened the door for her.Silence fell like a dropped curtain.Every head turned. The room of polished wood, glass walls, and inherited arrogance went still as Cass stepped inside, shoulders squared, chin lifted. She didn’t hesitate.She took the seat at the head of the long t
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Five
Cass didn’t make it ten steps into the private wing before her body finally admitted what her mind had been refusing all morning—she was exhausted down to the bone. Her shoulders ached, her head throbbed, and the emotional tension she had been holding like an iron rod in her spine loosened all at once.Nathan noticed first.“Sit,” he said gently, guiding her toward the long leather couch beneath the window.“I’m fine,” she protested faintly.“You said that after you got stabbed,” Liam reminded, tossing his jacket onto a chair. “Forgive us if we don’t take your word for it.”Cass managed a tired smile. “I wasn’t stabbed today.”“No,” Liam said, lowering himself onto the arm of the couch, “but you went to war.”Nathan crouched in front of her, hands braced on his knees, his eyes searching hers. “Cass… what you did in that room wasn’t small. You carried an entire legacy on your back for an hour straight. Let yourself breathe.”At that, something in her finally cracked open.She leaned ba
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Six
Night settled over the Sullivan estate like a slow-moving tide, rolling in shadows through the corridors and softening every sharp corner. The world outside grew quieter, dimmer, but inside Cass felt more awake than she had all day. The weight of Marcus’s message—another letter—sat in her chest like a spark wrapped in velvet. Not heavy. Not painful. Just… significant.Nathan walked beside her as they made their way toward the study, silent but close enough that she could feel the warmth of him. Liam followed a few steps behind, his energy coiled and restless like a caged storm. Elise had offered to accompany them, but Cass asked her to wait. This moment felt too personal—too intimate—to be observed by anyone else.The long hallway leading to the study was dim, lit only by small sconces casting soft amber pools onto the carpet. Cass traced her fingers over the wood paneling as she walked. She remembered running through this corridor as a child, skidding across the polished floor, her f
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Seven
The morning arrived without softness, without warmth, without the gentle promise of a new day. It broke over the Sullivan estate like a blade—clean, cold, and merciless. Cass stood at the window of her room long before the sun fully rose, watching the first pale streaks of light cut across the horizon. The world looked quiet, untouched. Almost peaceful.But peace was a lie. Today marked the first step into a war her father had prepared her for without her knowing. Today she would open the path Marcus had built in shadows. Today she would become the woman he believed she could be.Cass pressed her fingers against the glass, feeling the faint chill. Her reflection stared back at her—tired eyes, stiff shoulders, the weight of sleepless hours written beneath her skin. She wasn’t afraid. Not anymore. But she was… aware. Aware of every heartbeat. Every breath. Every choice ahead.A soft knock broke through her thoughts.“Cass?” Nathan’s voice, gentle but steady.“Come in.”He opened the doo
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Eight
The night air was heavy with tension as Jake Sullivan crouched atop the derelict rooftop, the city sprawled beneath him like a sleeping beast. Streetlights cast long, fractured shadows, and the faint hum of distant traffic mixed with the occasional siren, reminders that life continued unaware of the war brewing above it. Jake’s eyes scanned the horizon, the familiar weight of responsibility pressing on his shoulders. Every move tonight mattered, every decision had consequences, and there was no room for error.Lyra shifted beside him, her dark hair catching the dim light, eyes trained on the narrow alley below. “Drones are still active,” she whispered, pointing toward a rotating pattern of red glows. “Soren’s upgraded their sensors. He knows we’re coming.”Jake’s jaw tightened. He had anticipated this. Soren’s predictive algorithms had always been his greatest obstacle—anticipating attacks before they even happened. But Jake thrived in this tension. “Then we adapt,” he said quietly. “
Chapter Four Hundred and Seventy-Nine
Dawn had yet to break when Jake Sullivan stepped onto the rain-slick streets of the industrial district, the chill biting through his jacket, sharpening his senses. The city was quiet, but the quiet carried weight—it was the calm before Soren’s storm, and Jake knew every second counted. He adjusted the strap of his pack, checking the compact equipment inside: EMP grenades, portable hacking modules, silenced weapons. Every piece of gear was meticulously arranged, a reflection of the meticulous mind that wielded it.Lyra moved beside him, her eyes scanning the alleys and rooftops with the precision of a predator. Kael followed close, hands resting near his holstered sidearm, alert to the slightest shift in shadows. Jake could feel the tension radiating from them, not fear but the familiar electricity that comes with anticipation, with the knowledge that the outcome of this night could change everything.“We hit the second node here,” Jake whispered, kneeling to examine a tactical map pr
Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty
Jake Sullivan moved through the ruined industrial corridor like a phantom, his boots barely making a sound against the fractured concrete. The faint hum of distant machinery echoed through the halls, a reminder that this district, abandoned by most, was still alive with Soren’s influence. Every step Jake took was measured, each movement calculated—not just for speed, but for survival.Lyra stayed close, her eyes darting to every corner, every shadow. She had been quiet since the last node raid, her mind clearly processing the data they had extracted. Kael brought up the rear, muscles coiled like springs, ready to react at the slightest disturbance. Jake knew their silence was not unease—it was focus. They were a single organism when it came to operations like this, each instinct complementing the others.Jake held up his hand, signaling a halt. Ahead, the massive steel doors of the secondary command relay loomed. The structure was fortified, bristling with sensors and surveillance equ