The general still stood, but barely. His boots had shifted on the cracked concrete, and sweat ran down his face in thin lines. The proud posture was still there, but it no longer looked like strength. It looked like a man trying to remain upright while the world around him fell apart.Evans’ voice cut through the chaos. “You wanted command proven.”For a moment the entire yard seemed to lean toward the two men. Even the fires crackling through the ruined weapon racks sounded distant. Every soldier understood that whatever happened next would decide who truly commanded Rovek.Kareth swallowed. “This proves nothing except that you are dangerous.”Evans kept moving toward him. “No,” he said. “This proves you were stupid.”The words did not sound loud, but they struck the air like iron hitting stone. Several soldiers lowered their heads instinctively. Others stared at the ground, unwilling to witness their general losing the argument.The officers behind Kareth had already begun backing

The disguise sat well on Evans because power was easiest to hide when people had already decided you were beneath them.The moment he stepped out of the vehicle, the noise began.Not voices. Not sound.Thoughts.Faint, scattered, and unguarded.Some were simple. Some were tired. Some were cruel without reason, but none of them knew they were being heard by Evans.By sunrise, he was no longer dressed like the Oligarch of Rovek. The tailored dark coat was gone. In its place was a plain government inspection suit, clean but forgettable. His security escort had been reduced to two men who looked more like clerks than guards. Even the vehicle was ordinary by state standards, with no banners, no armored convoy, no sign that anyone important sat inside.The research compound rose out of the dry land like a white secret.Its walls were too clean. Its perimeter too disciplined. Cameras tracked the road before the vehicle even reached the checkpoint. Rows of polished structures sat beyond th

The executive doors opened without warmth.Mara stepped aside and gestured Evans into a wide meeting room lined with black glass and pale wood. The place looked less like a boardroom and more like a command center pretending to be elegant. A long polished table stretched through the center. On one side sat four men and one woman in expensive coats and lab suits, all of them too comfortable for people operating inside a dying country.At the head of the table sat a silver-haired man with narrow features and a practiced smile. He did not rise immediately. He let the silence measure Evans first.It was a practiced silence.The kind used to test weakness before deciding how much respect to pretend.Then he stood.“You requested a meeting?” he asked.Evans walked in with slow control. His two escorts remained near the door. “Yes.” Evans’ voice did not rise. It did not need to.The man’s smile stayed in place. “I am Director Salvek Dorn. This facility’s acting executive administrator.”Ev

That line really got under Evans’ skin.Not because it was cruel. He had heard cruelty before.He had heard worse from men who later begged for mercy.Not because it was arrogant. He had seen arrogance in palaces, councils, and war rooms.It got to him because it was said with certainty. These people had already decided what Rovek was worth. They had already weighed the country, found it weak, and built an entire business model on its inability to answer back.They had calculated suffering the same way they calculated profit margins.He looked from one face to another, memorizing them.Faces. Voices. Positions.None of them would be forgotten.Then the younger scientist spoke again, unable to stop himself. “Your hospitals are collapsing now, aren’t they?”Another gave a low laugh. “I wonder how many die each hour while we sit here.”The question was not asked with concern.It was asked with amusement.Doctor Vessa did not smile, but her voice cut just as sharply. “You should be gratef

Dorn’s composure finally cracked. “That is impossible. This facility is valued at over one hundred billion—”“Then consider this a discount,” Evans said with great authority.Silence hit harder this time.The silence did not feel empty.It felt like something had just been decided, and everyone in the room had realized too late that they were no longer part of the decision.One of the scientists shook his head. “You cannot just claim ownership over this facility. There are international protections. Aureldrake will never—”Evans turned his eyes on him.The man stopped speaking immediately.“I am not asking the Aureldrake,” Evans said. “I am informing you that you do not own this place anymore.”Dorn took a step forward despite himself. “My lord, this is beyond your authority. This will trigger—”“It already has,” Evans cut in.Then continued quietly:“You built inside my country. You operated during a national emergency. You withheld life-saving treatment that would have been benefici