The message froze on the phone screen, six words that felt colder than the night air outside. The nest they had just built suddenly felt like a glass cage.“We have to go,” Miguel hissed, his 19 years of honed killer instinct screaming. “Now. They know this number. That means Silas spilled everything. This identity is burned.”“No.”Anya’s voice was so calm that it felt more terrifying than a shout. She wasn’t looking at the phone anymore. Her eyes were fixed on the Molserat Tech tower in the distance, as if having a silent conversation with their enemy.“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Miguel spun around to face her, bewildered. “This is basic protocol. Contact is compromised, you vanish.”“Iron Claw protocol,” Anya countered, finally looking at him. Her eyes flashed with cold analysis. “That’s for tools, Miguel. For predictable assets. They didn’t send this message to tell us they know. They sent it to see what we will do.”She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a manipulative, conspira

The words hung between them, more dangerous than the knife on Miguel’s hip. ‘Trading it.’ Miguel stared at her, his eyes narrowed, trying to solve the impossible riddle. "Trade? With whom?" His voice was hoarse with disbelief. "You want us to meet Daniel? Or Iron Claw? That’s not a trade, that’s an execution." "Of course we won’t meet them," Anya countered, her tone light as if discussing a chess strategy, not a life-or-death gamble. She closed her laptop, forcing Miguel to focus entirely on her. "We’re going to make them meet each other." She walked slowly around the table, her gaze never leaving Miguel. "Look at the board, Miguel. There are two kings. The White King, Daniel, is obsessed with retrieving his precious 'collection': this microchip data. The Black King, Mr. X, wants his valuable 'pawn'—Asset Gamma—to arrive safely at his fortress." "And we’re stuck in the middle," Miguel growled. "Ready to be crushed." "Wrong!" Anya corrected, a faint smile playing on her lips. "We

The room felt suffocating, no longer due to the cold, but because of the heat of rage and shock triggered by the ancient coordinates on the laptop screen. The digital calendar showed: only two hours remained before Daniel Molserat, the man who co-funded the formation of 'The Scythe,' arrived at the ruins of St. Yulia Orphanage."Someone is with him? Anyone willing to accompany him to those dark ruins—they aren't tourists. They are witnesses for his alibi," Miguel hissed, his voice laced with danger. He refused to leave the screen, where the coordinates of his past were displayed next to his enemy's schedule."This is exactly what he wants, Miguel. He's moving you like a pawn," Anya countered, her voice sharp yet calm. She gathered all the wireless devices to the center of the table, preparing for her digital work. "Daniel knows you can't just run from him; he has to destroy the psychological foundation of your heroism. Bringing up Eleanor now is a psychological blow. If you go there,

Miguel dropped from a height of about five meters. As he landed, he used the impact to his advantage, utilizing his disproportionate body to roll in a spiral motion. A bullet whizzed just over his head a second later.Two Elite Hunters on the ground floor reacted instantly. They fired at Miguel's moving shadow. Miguel retaliated. He didn't use bullets, but scrap iron he grabbed, throwing it like a disc. His pursuers were protected, but their attention was diverted.He slipped into a used steam pipe. The heat was intense; Miguel's skin felt lightly scorched, but he had to use this narrow passage."I detect your signal, Asset 7! Doctor Dark said you have a Pavlovian reaction to pain," the Squad Commander's voice was clear, now standing on the mezzanine, trying to dictate the narrative of the fight. "Surrender now! I only need you alive!"Miguel didn't respond; he just advanced. Doctor Dark's words were old memories. Those words were now the lie that set him free."Miguel, I'm close to o

“I will intercept her outside of Molserat jurisdiction, using standard protocol.”“No, Doctor! You will not handle this,” Mr. X cut in sharply, his tone now reverting to cold, fatal. “You are too attached to the experiment. You cannot completely destroy your own work. If Miss Molserat returns to Daniel’s system, which I now predict, she will reclaim it under the status of ‘abused victim.’ That is bad for our narrative. And if Miguel is caught by Molserat Tech’s PPA, we lose all chance of controlling the chip.”Mr. X continued, every word a sledgehammer blow. “I need a ruthless, independent operator whose sole focus is elimination, not rescue. I need someone who operates completely free of past ties to this syndicate. Someone authorized to work, with one target, one command, and zero negotiation.”Dark’s eyes widened. Only one name fit this description.“Mr. X… You can’t possibly be sending the Tiris Battalion Unit. They are too rigid and lack operational experience in Scythe-like cond