Alex returned to headquarters three days later. The Havenport situation was stabilized. Sarah Park, the union organizer, was now factory director. Tom was promoted to floor manager. New safety protocols were implemented. Workers were actually smiling. Chen Global's board was less pleased. "He's setting dangerous precedents," Board Member Williams complained during the meeting. Alex sat at the far end of the table. Still wearing his mask in corporate settings. Maintaining some mystery. "Dangerous how?" he asked. "Workers are demanding the same treatment at other facilities. Unions. Safety standards. Fair wages. It's cutting into profits." "By three percent," Alex said. "Profits are down three percent. Meanwhile, productivity is up fifteen percent. Worker retention is up forty percent. And we've avoided seventeen wrongful death lawsuits." "That's not the point—" "That's exactly the point." Alex leaned forward. "We're building a sustainable model. Not a expl

Alex spent the next two days building his cover.Wrote code. Fixed bugs. Kept his head down.Established himself as competent but unremarkable.The team started accepting him.Nodding in hallways. Including him in lunch conversations.Trust took time.But he was patient.On the third day, Richard assigned him a task."Need you to review the authentication module. It's been buggy.""Sure.""Code's in the repo. Should be straightforward."Alex pulled up the code.It wasn't buggy.It was sabotaged.Someone had deliberately introduced vulnerabilities.Security holes that would allow unauthorized access.Perfect for stealing user data.Or planting backdoors.He spent hours analyzing.Documented everything.But didn't fix it.Not yet.He needed Richard to make another move.At 4 PM, Jennifer stopped by his desk."How's it going?""Good. Getting familiar with the codebase.""Any thoughts?""It's solid work. But there are some... interesting architectural choices."Her eyes sharpened. "Intere

The next morning, Alex arrived at VisionAI early.The office was quiet.Most of the team hadn't processed yesterday's events yet.Richard's arrest had shaken everyone.Alex sat at his desk.Checked his email.Twenty messages from investors.All asking the same question: "Is VisionAI stable?"Richard's arrest had leaked.Tech blogs were already running stories."VisionAI in Crisis: Lead Developer Arrested for Espionage""Sterling Media Connected to VisionAI Sabotage""Chen Global's Mysterious Consultant Exposes Corporate Spy"The last headline was problematic.People were asking questions about him.His phone buzzed.Lucy."You're trending on tech Twitter. Not by name, but as 'the mysterious Chen Global consultant.' People are digging.""How much did they find?""Nothing concrete. But speculation is wild. Some think you're a corporate spy. Others think you're Marcus Chen's secret weapon.""Both true, technically.""This isn't funny. If your identity gets exposed—""It won't. I've been

Lucy was against it."You can't just walk into their territory.""I'm not walking. I'm driving.""That's not the point! Twenty armed men, Alex. This isn't a movie.""Which is why I'm bringing backup."James stood beside him. "My team is ready.""This is insane," Lucy said."This is necessary. They tried to kill me twice. Third time, they might succeed. Better to end it now.""By doing what exactly?""By making them an offer.""What kind of offer?""The kind backed by unlimited resources."Lucy threw up her hands. "You're going to buy off the Russian mafia?""I'm going to make them understand that I'm more valuable as an ally than as an enemy.""And if they refuse?"Alex's expression hardened. "Then James's team is very good at their jobs."They left at midnight.Three vehicles. Twenty men total.Alex rode in the middle car.James beside him."You know where we're going?""Yes. They operate out of a warehouse. Industrial district.""You've been there?""Reconnaissance. Earlier today. W

Melissa was scrolling through her phone at 3 PM.Sitting in her tiny apartment. Eating instant ramen. Watching TikTok.The video appeared on her feed."Mystery Factory Worker Destroys 10 Armed Men"She almost scrolled past it.But something made her stop.She tapped play.Grainy footage. Dark alley. Ten men with weapons.One man in coveralls.The way he moved.Fluid. Efficient. No wasted motion.Melissa leaned closer to her screen.Something familiar about him.The build. The height.She paused the video. Zoomed in on his face.Couldn't see it clearly. Shadows. Motion blur.But the way he stood after the fight.Hands at his sides. Perfectly still. Like he was waiting for more.That posture.She'd seen it before.Her mind raced back. Five years ago.Alex standing in the rain. After she'd dumped him.He'd stood exactly like that.Silent. Still. Absorbing everything."No," she whispered. "No way."She replayed the video.Watched his movements again.The way he pivoted. The way he struck.