Chapter 411: Specter ProtocolThe night smelled like copper and static.Rain fell in fine sheets over the ruined transport hangar just south of the Arkash border. What was once a Federation refueling station was now nothing more than scorched ferrocrete and twisted steel. Still, the ruins made perfect cover.Jace Virelli crouched behind the husk of a rail-freighter chassis, pulse rifle drawn, eye on the movement tracker synced to his neural band. One green dot—him. Two red. Moving."Ghosts never sleep," he muttered.His comm crackled.“Specter-One, this is Wraith-Echo. Confirm extraction window. You’ve got two tails converging east of the wreckline.”Jace replied with a breath more than words. “Negative on extract. They’re hunting for Echo data. I can’t let that fall into their hands.”Silence on the other end.Then a low, grim voice.“Activate Specter Protocol. Burn the data. Burn everything.”He knew the voice—Director Saren herself.That meant the situation was worse than Command l

Chapter 413: The Hollow SignalThe bunker lights flickered.Jax's boots struck the concrete floor as he stalked down the narrow hallway of Sector 9’s forgotten underground lab—his pulse syncing with every step. Sweat clung to his skin beneath his tactical vest, and the silent tension in his team behind him was thick enough to cut with a blade."How deep does this place go?" asked Cruz, voice hushed, rifle raised."Too deep," Jax muttered. "It was sealed during the Eden Collapse. Anything past Level Six was scrubbed from official records.""Then why are we here?" murmured Shade, fingers twitching near her holster."Because a Spiral signal came from here," Jax said. "One that shouldn't exist."The signal. It had arrived two nights ago—buried under layers of encrypted ghost code. A pulse not meant for broadcast, but for resurrection.A whisper."Jaxon Mirea… come home."The voice had been his mother's. But she died over a decade ago in the Siege of Karron Spire. No Spiral Song could repl

Chapter 415: A Silence Before the BurnIn war, there’s always a moment—right before the blood spills again—when silence tastes like ash, and the breath of old ghosts tightens your grip.I. THE EYE OF THE MAELSTROMRain lashed against the shattered glass of the Citadel's south wing. From his vantage point high above Sector Twelve, Jace Draven watched the Spiral Core flicker in the distance, a dying heartbeat beneath the storm. His gloved hand pressed against the window, the warmth of his blood-soaked skin fogging the fractured glass.“It’s too quiet,” he muttered.Behind him, Elira Voss clicked the safety off her pulseblade. She wore her trauma suit like a second skin—burned, patched, soaked in grit. Her voice cut the silence.“That’s not quiet. That’s breathing.”Jace turned. The comm-line in his ear buzzed, followed by a cracked voice:“Whisperborne are repositioning. Two squads breached the east quadrant. We lost contact with Sev.”He didn’t flinch, but something cold settled behi

Chapter 417 – Ashes on the WindThe wind howled over the crumbling rooftop, the scent of gunpowder still fresh in the air. Broken concrete and smoldering debris scattered the battleground where moments ago, Shadow OPS had fought to survive. Blood mixed with rainwater, trickling in small rivers down the gutters. The storm had broken, but it had left behind more than just destruction—it had changed everything.Jaxon crouched beside the wounded, his gloves soaked in crimson. "Keep pressure on the wound!" he shouted, voice hoarse. Behind him, Zoe scanned the perimeter, rifle raised, eyes narrowed. Her once-smooth braid was torn and matted, her expression stone-cold.They were supposed to be extraction-ready. Supposed to be out by now.But the Whisperborne had changed the rules."Ghost, come in," Jaxon barked into the comms. Static. Then a faint buzz.“…can’t… breach… repeat… stuck between north stairwell and firewall gate. Hostiles—everywhere.”Jaxon slammed a fist against the ruined vent

Chapter 419 – Smoke in the MirrorThe sun dipped low, bleeding crimson into the edges of the skyline as the convoy rolled into the outskirts of Reval. Cracked pavement, barbed wire, and abandoned checkpoints greeted them like ghosts of wars past. The air was thick with a grim stillness—unnatural, like the city was holding its breath.Jaxon stepped out of the lead vehicle, boots crunching against shattered glass. Behind him, Ramirez dismounted silently, his eyes scanning the rooftops with a veteran’s paranoia. Their intel said the Omega Cell was nesting here, waiting for a courier carrying black-market biotech stolen from a NATO lab. But something about the silence gnawed at Jaxon’s gut."This doesn’t feel right," Jaxon muttered, pressing a finger to his comm. “Echo Lead to all units. Spread wide. Eyes up. Safety off.”A chorus of affirmatives crackled back.Kiera emerged from the second truck, slinging her rifle over her shoulder. Her face was pale but focused. “The tracker says the p