Friday. Day 11.Silas signed in at 6 AM.「 Ding! Day 11 Sign-In successful! 」「 Congratulations! The Host has obtained: 」「 1. $300,000 」Common reward. Small. It didn't matter. Today wasn't about sign-in rewards.Today was about Conrad Hale.Zephyr was already at her command station, running on four hours of sleep and her third energy drink. She spun her chair when she heard him move."I found it," she said."The Thorne Development link?""Direct wire transfer. Caelum Health Partners to a holding company called Meridian Capital Solutions. Meridian Capital is a wholly owned subsidiary of Thorne Development Corp — not Thorne Medical Group. The parent company." She pulled up the record. "Signed off by someone in Thorne Development's finance office. The amount matches a quarterly transfer pattern going back two years."Silas looked at the screen. There it was. The chain was complete. Conrad Hale to Caelum Health Partners to Meridian Capital Solutions to Thorne Development Corp."That's th

Day 14. Three days left on the God-Hand quest.Zephyr looked up from her laptop in the new penthouse. "Found one."Silas walked over. "What is it?""Veridian City Medical Association charity clinic. Free health screenings for underserved communities. Happening tomorrow at the Meridian Community Center. Forty-plus volunteer doctors. Open registration for medical professionals.""Registration?""Online. Name, credentials, specialty." She grinned. "I already made you a profile. Dr. Simon Ashford, visiting specialist from the Royal London Medical Institute. General practice with a focus on musculoskeletal rehabilitation.""How long will the credentials hold?""Under casual inspection? A week, maybe two. If someone actually calls the Royal London to verify, we've got a problem. But at a charity clinic, nobody's running deep background checks on volunteers."Silas nodded. "Sign me up.""Already done. You're registered for the afternoon shift. Starts at one."The Meridian Community Center was

Lyra Sinclair stood in the center of Silas's penthouse, scanning the space with the same precision she'd used on his medical file.Her eyes swept across Zephyr's workstation — three laptops, a portable server, cables, energy drink cans. Then to the windows. Then back to Silas."Nice apartment for a man who was in a charity ward three weeks ago.""I've had some luck recently.""Luck." She held the manila folder against her chest. "I've been a doctor for six years, Mr. Vane. I've never seen anything like what you did today. Or what your medical file shows. So I'll ask plainly — what happened to you?"Silas looked at Zephyr. "Give us a minute."Zephyr glanced between them. "You sure?""I'm sure."Zephyr grabbed her laptop and disappeared into the second bedroom. The door clicked shut.Silas turned back to Lyra. She hadn't moved. Hadn't sat down. She stood like a woman used to being the most disciplined person in any room."Sit down, Dr. Sinclair.""I'd rather stand.""Suit yourself." He s

Julian Thorne's morning began at 5:30 AM, as it always did.He ran six miles on the private treadmill in his penthouse gym on the sixty-first floor of Thorne Tower. Showered in a bathroom that cost more than most apartments. Dressed in a charcoal Castellani suit — hand-tailored, delivered monthly. Ate a breakfast of egg whites and black coffee prepared by a personal chef who was never seen and never spoken to.By 7 AM, he was at his desk on the sixtieth floor.The desk was glass and steel. No clutter. One laptop. One phone. A single framed photograph of Roderick Thorne — his father — shaking hands with the mayor of Veridian City.Julian opened his laptop and reviewed the morning's damage report.St. Caelum's billing fraud was now a five-day story. The Department of Health investigation had expanded. Eight staff members had been interviewed. Conrad Hale's bail conditions included surrendering his passport.Julian read the update without expression. Conrad was finished. The man had been

Marcus Webb walked into Julian Thorne's office at 9 PM.He didn't sit down. He stood in front of the glass desk and set a tablet on its surface. His expression was the kind of controlled blankness that military men use when delivering bad news."Report," Julian said."Sato and Beck were found at the Nexus Point café in Dockside. Both incapacitated. Sato has nerve damage in his right arm — temporary paralysis, doctors say three to four weeks for recovery. Beck's right shoulder was dislocated."Julian looked up from his laptop. "Incapacitated by whom?""A single individual. According to Sato, the encounter lasted less than five seconds."Julian's typing stopped. "Five seconds. Against two of my operatives.""Yes, sir.""Who?"Webb paused. Just one beat. "Silas Vane."The office was silent. Julian stared at Webb. His face was perfectly still — the polished composure he wore every day. But something shifted behind his eyes."Silas Vane," he repeated."Sato confirmed it. Vane walked into th