Chapter 21: The Garden City Strike​The heat in Port Harcourt was different from Lagos. It was heavy, smelling of rain and crude oil. We were parked in a rented compound in GRA Phase 2. Chidi was tapping away at a new encrypted laptop, his face lit by the blue glow of the screen.​"Emeka, this Victoria Adeyemi is not like Alhaji Bello," Chidi said, looking worried. "She doesn't do loud parties. She stays in her mansion behind three layers of electric fences and a private militia. They call her the 'Iron Lady of the Delta'."​"Everyone is made of iron until they meet a furnace, Chidi," I said. I was looking at the gold ring. It was pulsing steadily, feeding me data on the local economy.​[TARGET 2: Chief (Mrs.) Victoria Adeyemi.][Company: Oasis Petroleum Services.][Status: Currently bidding for the 'OML 45' Oil Block renewal. If she wins, her net worth triples.]​"She thinks she’s about to become the richest woman in Africa," I whispered. "She’s waiting for a signature from the Minis

Chapter 23: The General’s Gambit​The road to Kaduna was a blur of dry savannah and dust. I sat in the back of the armored SUV, the 1998 Ledger open on my lap. My eyes were fixed on the name that seemed to burn through the paper.​[TARGET 4: General Sani Gumel (Rtd).][Position: Chairman, Northern Defense Industries.][Role in 1998: The Executioner. He commanded the unit that stormed the Osei residence. He is the man who pulled the trigger on Anthony Osei.]​"Emeka, I’ve managed to restore a backup signal to Uyo," Chidi said, his hands flying across the keyboard. "Tobi’s men moved your mother just five minutes before a hit squad arrived. She’s safe for now, but General Gumel is tracking our every move. He’s not a businessman, Emeka. He’s a soldier. He doesn’t play the 'buyout' game."​"Every soldier needs a budget, Chidi," I said, my voice as cold as ice. "He thinks he’s untouchable because he has guns. But he forgot that guns need bullets, and bullets are bought with the money he sto

Chapter 25: The Coal City Trap​The drive from Lagos to Enugu was the longest ten hours of my life. As we crossed the bridge into the "Coal City," the rolling green hills offered no beauty to me. All I could see was the photo of my mother sitting next to that monster, Boniface. My own uncle. The man who had sold my father’s life for a seat at a table that didn't even want him.​"Emeka, listen to me," Chidi said, his voice low in the back of the SUV. "The System is flagging the entire Enugu State Power Grid. Obinna Okeke hasn't just sabotaged the past; he’s controlling the present. He has 'Smart Meters' in every house in this city. He can see where we are just by tracking the power draw of any building we enter."​"Then we stay in the dark," I said. My eyes were fixed on the glowing ledger.​[TARGET 5: Chief Obinna Okeke.][Position: Chairman, Southeast Power Grid.][Role in 1998: The Saboteur. Cut the power to the Osei residence to facilitate the murder.]​[Current Status: Hosting a p

Chapter 27: The Shadow Chairman​The man in the black glass helicopter stepped onto the sand, his purple ring glowing. He looked like a god, but to me, he just looked like another debtor who had lived too long on stolen time.​"You say you built this system?" I laughed, stepping forward. The liquid gold light of my ring didn't fade; it turned into a blinding white glare. "Then you should know the most basic rule of the Osei code: The son shall surpass the father."​[DING!][Anti-Override Protocol: ACTIVATED.][Status: Counter-Hack Successful. You have seized control of the 'Master's' server.]​The man’s purple glow flickered and died. He looked at his finger, his eyes widening in shock. "What? That’s impossible! This is the Root System!"​"Your system is built on old data, 'Uncle'," I said, walking right into his personal space. "Mine is built on the vengeance of 1998. It doesn't run on code; it runs on blood."​[Skill Activated: Mass Asset Liquidation.][Target: The High Table’s Glob

Chapter 29: The Forger's Last StandThe penthouse smelled like expensive cologne and burnt electronics. Chief Festus Ekwueme, the man who had spent three decades pretending to be the "moral compass" of the National Audit Bureau, looked like a cornered animal. He was still holding that gold-plated mallet, his chest heaving."Stay back, Emeka!" Festus screamed. "I have the original files! If you take one more step, I’ll drop this laptop into the acid bath! Your father will remain a thief in the history books forever!"I walked through the shattered glass door, my shoes crunching on the fragments. I didn't look at the laptop. I looked at him."You really think a physical hard drive matters in 2026, Festus?" I asked. My voice was calm, which seemed to scare him more than if I had been shouting. "The System already scanned this room the moment I stepped onto the island. Every lie you ever typed, every signature you ever forged—it's already in the cloud."[TARGET 9: Chief Festus Ekwueme.][