Chike stood before the massive tempered glass window of the Crimson Vault’s central chamber, the late evening city lights reflecting off its surface like scattered embers in a dying fire. The hum of the vault’s internal systems was low, almost imperceptible, but he could feel it in the soles of his feet a steady thrum of power and control, as if the entire building was breathing.Behind him, the Red Ledger’s crest glimmered faintly under the dim lighting, carved into the steel paneling like a silent threat. Every corridor leading here had been guarded, every wall lined with hidden scanners. Chike knew exactly what kind of danger he was in, but his face betrayed nothing.The System’s interface flickered in his peripheral vision.[Task Update: Access Protocol Delta.][Warning: Security Level – Absolute.][Penalty for failure: Compromise of current identity.]He ignored the cold tone of the notification and focused instead on the faint shadow moving in the reflection of the glass.“You t

The air inside the boardroom felt thicker than the smog outside Lagos’ skyline. Every wall screen was lit with the glowing insignia of the Crimson Vault, its crimson eye spinning slowly, almost hypnotically, as though mocking Chike’s presence. The heavy glass table reflected their faces predators in tailored suits, each one pretending to be calm while their eyes measured who would fall first.The silence wasn’t peace it was the sound of daggers being sharpened in everyone’s heads.Chike didn’t sit. He stood at the far end of the table, deliberately placing himself where every light hit him, forcing each man and woman here to meet his eyes. The Blackwell twins were whispering to each other on his right, trying to mask their unease behind smirks. Across from them, Oba Adigun tapped his gold tipped cane on the floor, a subtle rhythm that always meant he was losing patience.“This is no ordinary gathering,” Chike began, his voice carrying enough weight to silence even the twins’ murmurs.

The room was silent too silent for a place that was supposed to be abandoned. Chike’s breath came in slow, measured pulls as he scanned the broken warehouse. The smell of damp concrete and oil clung to the air, thick and unwelcoming. Somewhere in the shadows, something shifted.He didn’t move immediately.A hunter never revealed himself until he knew where the prey was hiding.The warehouse lights were long dead, and the few shafts of moonlight that bled through the rusted holes in the ceiling looked almost silver against the dust motes in the air. Each crunch of debris beneath his boots sounded too loud. Every step felt like it was being measured by unseen eyes.From his left, a faint metallic scrape rang out. He pivoted sharply, the tension in his shoulders tightening like a drawn bowstring.“You’ve been following me since the pier,” he said, voice low but commanding. “Might as well show yourself.”A deep chuckle rolled from the shadows. “Still as sharp as ever, Chike. But sharpness

The city never truly slept, but tonight, Chike could feel the shift in its pulse.It was subtle at first an unease crawling under the skin of the streets, whispers slipping between the cracks of the night. The air smelled faintly of rain and gasoline, but beneath that was something sharper… the stench of anticipation, of something moving in the shadows.He sat in the backseat of the black SUV, eyes locked on the neon blur outside the tinted window. His mind was still replaying the words from the encrypted message he’d received an hour ago.They’ve breached the second ring.The Red Ledger knows where to find you.It wasn’t panic that tightened his grip on the armrest. No, panic was for men who didn’t have a system whispering in their ear. What Chike felt was calculation. Every second now was a piece on a board, and one wrong move would end the game.“Boss,” Kalu said from the front passenger seat, his tone too tight to hide the concern. “Are we still heading to the safehouse?”Chike’s

The rain had not stopped for hours. It came down in relentless sheets, drumming on the roof of the black SUV as it cut through the winding mountain road. Every turn felt sharper, every shadow deeper. Chike’s jaw was set like stone, his fingers gripping the steering wheel so tightly that the leather creaked. The storm didn’t bother him he had faced worse but the weight of what was ahead pressed against his chest like a slab of granite.The message had been short, almost taunting: If you want the ledger, come alone.The Crimson Vault. The name alone was enough to make most men hesitate, but Chike wasn’t most men. His mind wasn’t on the danger it was on the people waiting for him to return. On the system’s cold, ever present interface reminding him of the stakes:[Mission Update: Access the Crimson Vault]Failure Penalty: 2,000 system credits deducted. Reputation drop.Bonus for Success: +5,000 credits.Special Condition: No external backup.The headlights cut through the rain just enoug