The scent of bleach and death was the only thing Silas Vane could taste.He lay in a cramped, dimly lit ward of St. Jude’s Public Hospital—the kind of place where the poor were sent to be forgotten. His legs were suspended in traction, both shattered in three places. His ribs felt like jagged glass stabbing into his lungs with every shallow breath."You’re lucky to be alive, Mr. Vane," a weary-looking doctor said, glancing at a tablet. "But 'alive' is a relative term. The spinal damage is severe. You might never walk again without assistance. And then there’s the matter of your outstanding balance..."Silas stared at the cracked ceiling. Ten days ago, he was the lead architect for the Sterling Group, engaged to the woman of his dreams, Elena Vance. Today, he was a nameless cripple.Julian Thorne—the heir to the Thorne conglomerate—hadn't just stolen Silas's blueprints; he had stolen Silas's life. When Silas tried to blow the whistle, Julian’s "security team" had cornered him in a dark

The black luxury sedan glided through the rain-slicked streets of Veridian City. Sarah Miller sat in the plush leather seat next to Silas, her hands clenching her worn nursing bag. She looked at Silas—dressed in a simple hospital gown but draped in a borrowed coat—and felt as if she were sitting next to a dormant volcano."Silas," she whispered, "that card... that money... Julian Thorne will find out you're alive. He has eyes everywhere. The police, the banks, the docks—he owns this city."Silas turned his gaze from the window. His eyes seemed to catch the neon lights of the city and refract them into something colder. "Let him watch. I want him to see me coming. I want him to feel the walls closing in."[Ding! It is now 00:00. Daily Login is available.] [Would the Host like to Log In?]Login, Silas commanded internally.[Ding! Login Successful!] [Day 2 Reward: 1x 'Ghost-Step' Movement Technique (Passive) & 1x 'Dragon-Slaying' Perception Upgrade.] [The Host's 'Eye of Discernment' has

The penthouse windows vibrated under the assault of a sudden, unnatural storm. The sky wasn't grey; it was a bruised, sickly purple.Silas stood in the center of the dark lounge, his eyes closed. He didn't need light. His [Dragon-Slaying Perception] rendered the room in lines of shimmering gold and deep shadows. He could feel the heartbeats in the building—Sarah’s frantic, bird-like pulse in the bedroom, and a second, cold, rhythmic thrumming approaching from the elevator shaft.Not the elevator. The shaft.[System Warning: 'The Cleaner' has entered the combat zone.] [Detection: High-Frequency Vibration Blades detected. Target is a 'Modified Human'.]The glass of the balcony door didn't shatter; it disintegrated into dust. A figure draped in a high-tech, matte-black cloak stepped inside. Where a face should have been, there was only a glowing red visor. In each hand, the assassin held a monofilament wire that hummed with a deadly, invisible frequency."Silas Vane," the voice was a syn

The Grand Valerius Ballroom was a cathedral of excess. Crystal chandeliers hung like frozen explosions from the gold-leaf ceiling, casting a shimmering light over the cream of Veridian City’s society. Men in four-thousand-dollar suits and women draped in rare gems sipped champagne that cost more than a nurse’s monthly salary.At the center of the room stood Julian Thorne. He was the picture of a modern prince—composed, handsome, and utterly lethal. Beside him, Elena Vance leaned into his shoulder, her hand resting on his arm. She wore a dress of silver silk that clung to her curves, her eyes scanning the room with the practiced boredom of someone who had successfully traded her soul for a seat at the top."To the future of the Sterling-Thorne merger," Julian announced, raising his glass. The crowd erupted in applause. "A future built on innovation, strength, and the removal of... outdated elements."Elena smiled, a slight shiver of delight running through her. She knew exactly what "o

The Sovereign Clinic didn't look like a medical facility. Located in a repurposed cathedral in the heart of the Upper East District, it was a monolith of black marble and tempered glass. There were no waiting rooms, only private lounges. There were no generic doctors, only Silas Vane and a hand-picked staff of loyalists led by Sarah Miller.Outside, the street was lined with armored vehicles. Since the miracle at the gala, the elite of Veridian City were no longer looking for plastic surgeons; they were looking for a man who could touch the soul.Silas sat in his office—the old altar of the cathedral—watching the dawn break through the stained glass.[Ding! It is now 00:00. Day 6 Login is available.] [Would the Host like to Log In?]Login, Silas thought.[Ding! Login Successful!] [Day 6 Reward: 1x 'Sovereign’s Ledger' (Unique Artifact) & 1x 'Lie-Eater' Passive Perk.] [The Sovereign’s Ledger: Any contract signed in this book is absolute. Breaking it results in 'Soul-Dissolution'.] [Lie