Lance watched his son play on the rug for a moment, the flickering light of the television casting long shadows against the wall. The news anchor was still talking about the "Vigilante’s Fire," but the sound faded into the background as he felt a subtle vibration in his thigh. His expression shifted instantly. "I need to take this," Lance murmured to Isabelle. He stepped into his private study, the heavy oak door clicking shut. He pulled the sleek, encrypted phone from his pocket. "Report," he said, his voice a low rasp. "Hello, sir. Sorry to disturb you at this hour," Selene’s professional voice came through the speakers. "We have a lead. Regarding the night of the ambush, the night they thought they killed you." Lance’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. The air in the small study seemed to freeze. "Go on." "The footage we recovered from the satellite scrub was heavily corrupted, and as you know, every one of the assassins wore high-tech facial-blurrin

"There is no need for all that," Lance said in a terrifyingly flat tone, with a gun barrel pressed against his skull. "Just apologize."Viktor’s face twisted in pure malice. "Apologize? I’ll tell you what. After you're dead, I’m going to use a hot iron to inscribe that apology into the skin of your back." He stepped back, keeping the revolver leveled at Lance’s chest, and signaled the room with a sharp nod. "Iwon'tt use this gun to end him quickly, that is too easy. Kill him. Break every bone before he stops breathing!"The air in the bar exploded.A massive man with a jagged scar lunged first, swinging a heavy iron pipe. Lance didn't even flinch. He stepped into the attacker’s space, moving like a shadow. His palm struck the man’s elbow, snapping the joint backward with a sickening crack. Before the man could scream, Lance seized the iron pipe mid-air and swung it in a low, brutal arc.The pipe connected with the shins of two approaching thugs, the sound of splintering bone echoing a

Lance moved.To the Chairman’s horror, the man didn't dive for cover. He became a whirlwind of violent precision. Lance caught a flying bullet with the wooden top of a side table, then used the table as a shield to crush three guards against the wall. He spun, catching a taser wire mid-air and jerking it forward, sending the high-voltage current back into the man who fired it.It wasn't a fight; it was a slaughter. Lance moved through the guards like they were made of glass. He used a heavy glass vase to shatter a man’s jaw, then used the same man as a stepping stone to launch himself into the air. He landed a double-kick on two guards' chests.One guard tried to reload, but Lance was already there. He seized the man’s arm and snapped it over his shoulder, then used the guard's own baton to clear the rest of the room, blood sprayed on the walls.Less than three minutes later, the penthouse was silent. The men were slumped in heaps, the expensive furniture was reduced to splinters, and

Lance kicked open the double doors of the Crimson Lotus Casino. The air inside was thick with the scent of expensive perfume, and all around were men who gambled millions of dollars.This was the nerve center of the city’s underground weapons trade.Rich men in silk suits froze, their champagne glasses hovering mid-air. Lance marched through the center of the hall, dragging the battered Governor by his collar like a bag of trash."Where is the Syndicate Queen?" Lance’s voice boomed, cutting through the jazz music.Immediately, a dozen bodyguards in black suits drew guns."Hey, guys, relax," a soft, melodic voice drifted from the velvet-draped VIP balcony. "Don’t scare our customers."A young woman, breathtakingly beautiful and dressed in an intricate red silk gown resembling a Chinese princess, descended the stairs.She moved with grace, fluttering two ornate hand-fans.Lance shoved the Governor forward. The man collapsed onto the plush carpet, gasping for air. The Queen’s eyes widene

Lance looked at the fortress, then back at the man. His voice remained flat, unimpressed. "I was eating. Viktor wasted my food. He said the Chairman would apologize. The Chairman said the Governor would apologize. The Governor refused and mentioned the Queen, but she refused too. She mentioned your name. Now, I am here for that apology."A stunned silence fell over the mountain. Then, the Councillor’s guards began to laugh. The Councillor himself looked confused, then deeply insulted. "You went through all this... You broke the underworld’s hierarchy... because of an apology for a plate of food?""If you offend someone," Lance said simply, "it is right to demand an apology. I am here for the one I deserve.""Who cares about your stupid apology!" the Councillor roared. "You laid hands on my Queen! You humiliated my men! Get on your knees this instant and beg her for forgiveness!"The Queen let out a mocking, jagged laughter. "Hurry up and kneel, you fool! You're in the presence of a go