Lance ignored him, tossing him into the back of the van.The van roared to life, descending the mountain and heading toward a restricted zone on the outskirts of the city. They eventually arrived at what looked like a massive military installation.As the van approached the gate, the soldiers saw the High Councillor’s bloodied face pressed against the glass. Believing it was an emergency arrival, the guards signaled for the massive steel doors to hiss open. Lance drove straight into the heart of the base.He stepped out and dragged the Councillor into the central command hall. Soldiers in full tactical gear stood at every corner, their rifles held with deadly precision. At the far end of the hall, seated on a throne was the War-Chief. He was a man built like a tank; he was covered in scars that told stories of wars."Councillor," the War-Chief rumbled. "What brings you here in such a pathetic state? And where are my men? I sent them to you to be polished into masters of martial arts."

The hundreds of soldiers were lifted off their feet and hurled backward like ragdolls, slamming into the stone walls with bone-breaking force. Portions of the ceiling crumbled, raining dust and debris onto the fallen men.When the light faded, not a single soldier was left standing. The "fortress" was silent, filled only with the groans of the defeated.Lance turned his gaze toward the War-Chief, who was now trembling so hard he could barely stay in his throne. Lance walked forward, his boots crunching on the rubble."You have caused nothing but pain," Lance said, his voice dropping to a deadly tone. "You killed thousands. You burned villages. You even killed my family. I never knew this base existed; it was covered up too well. Someone in a very high place was backing you. Someone gave you the coordinates. Someone gave you the names."Lance seized the War-Chief by the throat, hoisting the massive man into the air. "SPEAK! Tell me who gave the order, and I promise to grant you a quick

"It’s you," James whispered. "Well, the upgrade you. With this technology, humans don't even need to go to war. I was working on bringing you back as the perfect soldier. If you had stayed alive, you wouldn't have let the project finish. But once this is done, this machine will think like you, fight like you, and learn an opponent's every move in seconds. We won't need to send fathers and sons to die in trenches anymore."James turned to him, pleading now. "I killed you for the greater good. I respect you more than anyone, Lance, but you were weak. You were a brake on the wheel of progress. Now you have a second chance at life. Work with me. We will be unstoppable.""EResult" Lance’s fist tightened. "You’ve killed thousands of innocents for this. You spent billions on a project I forbade. Is this pile of scrap worth the life of my wife? My daughter? My father? You wiped them out for a ghost in a tank?""I was going to give you back your life!" James shouted. "That should count for som

Outside, the cool night air hit Lance’s face. He stood by the side of his black van, leaning against the metal as he watched the distant lab.The laboratory exploded, and the flames rose to the sky.The heat from the explosion was still radiating against Lance’s skin when Selene approached him."General," she said softly, "we finished the sweep. James is dead. Unfortunately, we could not bring him in alive as you requested."Lance watched the flames. "It doesn’t matter," he replied, his voice a hollow echo. "He was going to die today regardless."Lance climbed into his black van and drove back to the city. He drove straight to a secluded wing of the military base where he had built a private altar. Inside, the air was cool and smelled of incense. He closed the heavy doors.Selene and the elite guards stood outside.Inside, Lance rekindled a single white candle. He knelt before the framed photographs of a beautiful woman and two young, laughing girls. Tears finally came down his cheeks

The room erupted into loud laughter. "This guy is an absolute clown!" a guest shouted.Lance stood perfectly still, letting the laughter die down. Then, he spoke smoothly. "It is the electronic key to a finished estate property in the Apex Sector."The entire room froze. The laughter cut off so fast it felt like the air had been sucked out of the grand hall. You could have heard a pin drop on the marble floor after he mentioned Apex Sector.Elena’s eyes widened, her hands flying to her mouth. "Wait... you mean the Apex Sector? The most secure, elite zone in the entire country? The place where Selene, the President of Apex Corp, actually lives?"Lance nodded slowly. "Yes. And that is my gift to the family."The wealthy guests looked at him in absolute awe. The whispers started again, but this time, the tone was entirely different."How is that even possible?" one of the billionaires murmured, his champagne glass trembling."Civilians are not even allowed within one hundred meters of th