"This place is too quiet, Caleb. Even for the size of a secret data syndicate headquarters."Isabella Vane whispered sharply while pressing her back against a main lobby pillar. Both her hands tightly gripped a silenced semi-automatic pistol. Her eyes, emitting wild silver flashes, swept every corner of the spacious room.They had just stepped into the Panopticon skyscraper in the heart of Frankfurt city. The giant building was made entirely of pitch-black glass that absorbed the street light. Just as Isabella had said, the main lobby lined with gray marble was completely empty. There were no security guards patrolling. There was no receptionist behind the marble desk. Even the metal detector gates in front of the elevator access were completely dead.Caleb Thorne stood tall in the middle of the lobby. His black suit covered the ancient bone vest he wore. His right hand reached into his pocket, pulled out a white handkerchief, and he coughed softly into th

"Fall back, Viktor! You will die a foolish death if you keep standing in front of me!"Caleb Thorne's voice sounded hoarse and panting. His breath raced hard on the cold server room floor. Silvery-black blood continued to flow heavily from the torn wounds on his left shoulder and right thigh. The thick fluid soaked through the remains of his white shirt, creating dark puddles that reflected the flashes of gunfire."A good dog never leaves its master when under attack, My King!" roared Viktor Krum accompanied by a shrill, mad laugh.The Russian giant stood firmly withstanding the rain of bullets. Three gaping holes in his stomach and chest continued to spew fresh blood. The barrel of the Gatling machine gun in his hands glowed burning red from overheating, but he kept pulling the trigger towards the ceiling. Unfortunately, Viktor's bullets only destroyed concrete and empty cables. Panopticon's spider drones moved with an agility that made absolutely no sens

"You have truly lost your mind, Thorne!" shrieked Silas Croft from behind the loudspeakers, his tone shrill cutting through the billowing nerve gas. CRAAASSH! The solid, pointed steel spear as thick as an adult's arm slammed into Caleb's body without mercy. The cold metal tore his white shirt, shattered his right ribs with an incredibly loud snapping sound, and pierced straight through, tearing his right lung. The jagged steel tip protruded out from Caleb's back, dripping pitch-black blood mixed with fresh red blood onto the glass floor. Caleb coughed violently. Fresh blood spurted from his mouth, wetting the floor beneath his feet. "What did you just do, you idiot?!" roared Silas from inside the safe server room. His voice cracked with a completely irrational panic. "What kind of combat tactic is this?! You killed yourself on purpose!" "I am turning off your machine, Silas," answered Caleb quietly. His breat

"My system is clean of all viruses, Boss." The voice broke the silence of Panopticon's main server room, which was now shattered to pieces. Thick smoke smelling of burning plastic and ozone enveloped the cold air. On the glass floor, Silas Croft's body lay lifeless with bulging, blood-shot eyes, leaving small twitches of post-mortem muscle spasms at his fingertips. Caleb Thorne was still sprawled on the floor. His left hand gripped the broken glass table tightly, trying to support the remaining weight of his body. He lifted his face slowly. His one remaining brown eye stared straight at the figure standing a few steps in front of him. Zero's spirit no longer emitted a blinding neon green light. The rows of binary code that previously flowed heavily from the bullet hole in his head now stopped completely. The hacker ghost's terrifying form slowly began to fade. The gaping hole in the young man's forehead closed tightly, hiding the violent

"Brother Caleb! Try listening to the melody of this part! I just finished it last night!"The sound of classical piano keys clinking played melodiously from the ground floor hall of the Black Castle. Lisa Thorne sat upright in front of her white Grand Piano. Viktor Krum stood beside the girl, clapping with his giant-sized hands. Viktor's cheerful laughter boomed, filling every corner of the room.Caleb Thorne stood silently on the second-floor balcony. He looked down through the carved iron railing. The morning wind of the Swiss mountains hit his hard face. He wore a very expensive custom-made black suit. A black leather eyepatch circled slantwise across his face, hiding his left eye socket which had died permanently. One week had passed since the hellish night in Frankfurt. Panopticon had been leveled to the ground. The global data syndicate had vanished without a trace from the world map.The European underworld now knelt in absolute fear. Rumors spread