All Chapters of BLOOD AND ASHES : Chapter 111
- Chapter 113
113 chapters
TRUTH IN THE SMOKE
She nodded and opened her bag. The drone came out like a tiny bird. Its eyes blinked green.“Ricardo,” Tobias said softly into his earpiece, “see them?”“Clear as daylight,” Ricardo replied from above. “Four total. One watching from the car shop behind you. They’re armed, but light.”“Don’t hit them,” Tobias said. “Just stay sharp.”Cielo released the drone. It rose quietly, hiding behind the tarps and smoke. The small camera turned, recording everything — the fake volunteers shouting, the old woman crying, the men collecting money in sacks.Tobias walked forward slowly. His coat brushed against the side of a vegetable stand. He stopped in front of the three men and spoke in a calm, deep tone.“Morning, gentlemen,” he said. “Who sent you?”The leader smiled, pretending to be confident. “We already said, sir — we’re working for Doña Valdeza’s campaign.”Tobias tilted his head slightly. “Oh? That’s interesting. Because Doña Valdeza doesn’t charge the poor for loyalty.”The man frowned.
THE 5TH PRECINCT
The night after the market scandal felt like a storm that refused to rest.Ciudad de Sanvelis glowed under broken streetlights — the kind that flickered between light and shadow, like the city couldn’t decide if it wanted to stay clean or dirty.News vans still lingered outside cafés, broadcasting the aftershocks of Tobias’s revelation. “Fake Valdeza Volunteers Exposed.” The people had chosen their side. But Tobias knew this was only round one.It was already election week, and tension ran through Ciudad de Sanvelis like a live wire.Partial results from Montierra County were out — Doña Valdeza was leading by 12%, a fragile victory that could still vanish if they lost control of the streets.Voting continued across other counties, and every rally, every headline, every rumor now mattered.That’s why Tobias and his team were here — standing under the dripping awning of the 5th Precinct, where the permits for Valdeza’s next rally waited behind crooked smiles and dirty hands.Rain tapped
TARGETS CONFIRMED
The precinct gym was a world of sweat, echoing punches, and bad tempers. Officers trained under dim lights, their laughter was sharp and mean.In the center stood Sergeant Calderón, Argüello’s pet bulldog — a thick-armed man with scars and no mercy. He was forcing a rookie to do push-ups while shouting insults loud enough to shake the walls.Calderón’s voice thundered across the gym. “Fifty more! You call that a push-up, rookie? My grandmother could do better with one arm!”The rookie’s arms trembled, sweat dripping onto the mat. “Sir, I… I can’t—”Calderón kicked his boot lightly against the rookie’s ribs. “Can’t? You think the streets care about can’t? Down and up, boy!”The rookie gritted his teeth, his voice cracking. “It hurts, Sergeant.”“Good,” Calderón snarled. “Pain is the only honest thing you’ll ever learn in this job.”A junior officer nearby muttered, “He’s gonna pass out, sir.”Calderón turned sharply. “Then he’ll pass out stronger than he woke up. Now shut your mouth an