CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE:The warehouse had gone silent, but the air was thick with tension, as if the walls themselves had absorbed the echoes of the night’s chaos. Billy stepped back from the subdued form of Monsieur, his breath steady but his heart still pounding from the adrenaline. The Luoshen, now secured in a reinforced case, seemed to radiate the weight of centuries, its patterns both familiar and maddeningly cryptic. Every line, every stroke, was a whisper from his father, Alexander Anderson, a legacy that had been preserved despite the greed and violence of those who sought to exploit it.Owen moved quickly, coordinating with the containment team to ensure Monsieur could not escape. The mastermind’s men had been restrained or neutralized, but the possibility of hidden contingencies lingered. Billy’s eyes scanned the room, catching glimpses of Lucas, now shackled and under watch, his expression a mixture of fear and defiance. Billy’s pulse tightened—not out of fear for himself, but

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE:The night air was heavy with tension. Even the wind seemed to whisper of the chaos that lingered beneath the surface. Billy stood by the window of his temporary hideout, eyes fixed on the distant city lights that blinked like coded messages in the dark. From afar, everything looked calm—peaceful even—but he knew better. Peace was an illusion, one that only existed until the next strike.Behind him, Tyla paced slowly, her arms crossed, face drawn tight with unspoken words. The glow from the streetlamps framed her in soft light, revealing the fatigue in her eyes. They hadn’t spoken much since the last confrontation. Too many truths had been dragged out into the open, and neither of them knew how to patch what was left.“You’ve been quiet all evening,” Tyla said finally, her voice low but edged with frustration. “Don’t tell me you’re planning another operation without telling me.”Billy didn’t turn. “Planning? No. Thinking? Yes.” His reflection on the window looked a

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE:The night was thick with silence, the kind that made even the faintest sound echo like thunder. Billy stood by the large bay window of the temporary hideout, staring into the street below. The city never really slept, but tonight, it seemed to hold its breath—just like him.He hadn’t slept in days. The events of the past week had burned through his veins like fire. The Luoshen had changed everything—not just the balance of power, but the way he saw everyone around him. Allies felt like potential threats, and friends were suddenly strangers wearing familiar faces.A soft knock broke his thoughts. “You should eat something,” Tyla’s voice came, gentle but firm.Billy didn’t turn. “I’m not hungry.”“You’ve said that for three days now,” she replied, stepping into the room. Her eyes traced the tired lines on his face, the way his fingers twitched slightly when he was lost in thought. “Starving yourself won’t change anything.”He finally looked at her, exhaustion blendin

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN:The night pressed heavily against the glass walls of the penthouse, a curtain of rain tracing slow, silvery veins down the windows. Billy stood near the edge, his reflection fractured by the faint light from the city below. Every breath he took carried the weight of what he had uncovered—the partial map within the Luoshen, Monsieur’s deeper agenda, and the growing distance between him and Tyla.Owen paced behind him, phone in hand. “We’ve got chatter,” he said, tone low. “Monsieur’s people are regrouping. He’s not retreating; he’s shifting. He’s still after the treasure, Billy. He’s not done—not by a long shot.”Billy didn’t move. “He’ll come at me differently this time. He already forced me to reveal part of the Luoshen’s meaning… He won’t stop until he has everything.”Owen leaned against the counter. “Then we need to get ahead of him before he decides to take something—or someone—you care about.”That struck deeper than Billy let show. Tyla’s face flashed throu

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE:Rain slashed against the windshield as Billy drove through the narrow mountain road, his knuckles pale from gripping the wheel. The storm had broken suddenly, a violent downpour that seemed to mirror the chaos brewing inside him. The last coordinates from the Luoshen had led them here — to the edge of a forgotten mining settlement buried deep in the highlands.Beside him, Owen scanned the faint signal from his device, its rhythmic beeping barely audible over the thunder. “This is the place. The final cache should be somewhere beneath the old tunnels.”Billy’s jaw tightened. “And Monsieur?”“Off the grid. But I’d bet my life he’s coming.”Billy didn’t answer. He stepped out into the storm, rain pelting against his jacket as he stared up at the looming cliffs. Everything about this place felt wrong — the heavy silence between thunderclaps, the way the mist clung to the air like it was watching them. The Luoshen’s secret had always led to danger, but this felt differe