One day after leaving Janet’s hospital, Ethan sat inside an unmarked surveillance vehicle across from a private production facility owned by Aurelion Broadcast Network. He wore faded work clothes, a cap, tinted glasses and a thin facial covering that changed the shape of his jaw. A worn equipment case rested beside his feet.Mira turned a tablet towards him. “The Titan Crest’s records show that one of the false transportation requests delivered equipment to this facility. The courier’s files also contain a deletion schedule linked to its archive servers.”“So the material Casper discovered may have passed through this building,” Ethan said. He studied the guarded entrance. “If we raid it, Gideon Marek will destroy whatever remains before our people reach the servers.”“That is why your maintenance order is genuine,” Mira replied. “It reports a fault in the archive cooling system. The receptionist will find it in their database, but the identity attached to it belongs to a temporary te

Gideon struck the master control switch before Ethan’s final words passed through the broadcast delay. Across Verdanis, viewers saw the unknown technician challenge Cassian before their screens suddenly went dark. Inside the studio, however, the cameras continued recording everything.Cassian looked towards the control room and released an angry breath. “Turn off every camera and erase the recording,” he ordered. “This man entered our building under false pretences, and nothing he said will leave this studio.”“The public transmission has ended, but the evidence recording will continue,” Ethan replied. He remained seated while the security guards moved towards him. “Nobody should touch those cameras.”Cassian pointed at Ethan. “Seize him and destroy that equipment case. I want to know how he entered the building and who sent him.”The guards approached, but Ethan showed no fear. Through his hidden receiver, Mira confirmed that Tribunal army units had sealed the facility’s entrances. G

About two hours later, the assistant entered a secure evidence chamber just beneath the Presidential Villa. He carried an old broadcast power unit wrapped inside a dark cloth. His hands trembled as he placed it before Ethan.“Lionel Aurelion gave me this three days before he was killed,” the assistant said. He opened the casing and removed a damaged storage device. “He told me to destroy it if he died naturally and surrender it only if his death appeared planned.”“Why did you wait until now?” Ethan asked. He examined the burnt edge without touching it. “Lionel has been dead for several days.”“Because I did not know who Adrian controlled,” the assistant replied. “When I heard Cassian was arrested, I realised someone had finally entered the network without asking the Aurelion family for permission.”Mira sealed the device inside an evidence container. “What caused the damage?”“I destroyed the tracking component when men came to my house,” the assistant explained. “The heat damaged pa

The countdown reached four seconds before the third folder separated from the deletion system. The investigator pressed the final command, and the red timer stopped. Silence filled the underground room as the remaining server lights changed from red to blue.“The deletion has been stopped,” he reported, breathing heavily. “Three protected folders survived. I am making complete copies before opening anything.”Relief passed through the evidence chamber, but Ethan did not celebrate. Preventing the deletion had only given them the chance to discover what Adrian had hidden. It had not yet proven what those files contained.“Send one copy through the secure connection and keep another inside your equipment,” Ethan ordered. “The original server must remain untouched until forensic officers arrive. Record every action from this moment.”The first folder reached the Villa several minutes later. Its title appeared on the main screen in plain black letters: OPERATION PATRIARCH.Mira opened it w

The next morning, Adrian entered the private national-security conference room with the confidence of a man who believed Ethan had surrendered. No journalists were present, and the heavy doors closed as soon as his campaign lawyer followed him inside. Small Tribunal army cameras recorded the meeting for legal evidence, but none of their footage was connected to a public network.Before sitting, Adrian’s lawyer examined the camera and the sealed door. “My client entered voluntarily and expects to leave without interference when this discussion ends today.” An Electoral official confirmed that the meeting was consultative, but Adrian barely listened. The assurance strengthened his belief that nobody intended to confront him.Victor Draven sat on one side of the long table with two officials from the Electoral Protection Office. Mira stood near a secured evidence screen, while Ethan occupied the seat at the head of the table. He watched Adrian approach without offering him a greeting.