The shadow war for Manhattan spilled directly into the physical streets as Marcus Vance’s enforcers launched coordinated attacks on Apex assets. The peaceful city blocks turned into a loud and scary battlefield all at once. Men wearing dark masks ran out of black trucks, carrying heavy iron bars and fire bombs in their hands. They did not care about the police or the public eyes at all as they started their bad work. "Go! Go! Smash the whole gate!" a mean voice shouted down a narrow city lane. "Burn every single box with the Apex logo on it!" "The guards are running!" another shooter called out, his gun making a loud pop. "We have full control of this block right now!" "Throw the gas bottles inside!" the leader roared, his face ugly with an arrogant smile. "Let the whole street turn into fire!" "The ghost king cannot stop our physical trucks!" they laughed, running back to

The bright morning sun rose over a freezing Manhattan, casting cold light across the tall buildings. But inside Marcus Vance’s high-rise command center, the atmosphere was pure, cold terror. The big room was totally quiet, but the heavy air felt like a big cage locking everyone inside. Nobody danced, and nobody smiled on the floorboards today. "Why is the system so quiet?" a guard whispered in a big panic from the side path. "The computer lights are completely dead." "I don't know, man," his partner called out back, his hands shaking hard. "The boss has been staring at that screen for ten minutes." "He looks very angry," the first guard said, his breath coming in short intervals. "His face is totally white." "Just stay by the main door lane," the partner warned loudly. "Do not make a single sound to break his focus." Marcus Vance stared at his laptop sc

Heavy rain lashed against the rusted iron shipping containers at Pier Forty-Two. Ethan Cole walked slowly down the main concrete lane, his boots crunching against the wet gravel with a steady, unhurried rhythm. The freezing wind whipped across the harbor, driving the downpour directly into his face, but his focus remained locked on the massive cargo ship docked at the end of the line.He left his dark coat completely open, letting the rain soak through his clothes as his hands remained fully visible by his sides. Without a hint of hesitation, he stepped directly into the blinding beams of the heavy floodlights cutting through the darkness from the ship's upper deck. The intense white glare washed over him, casting a long shadow across the shimmering puddles on the concrete floor.Lady Veronica Chen stood high up on the elevated platform of the cargo ship, looking down at him with an icy, mocking smile. The harsh lights illuminated her body, making her appearance seem almost ghostly ag

The next morning came very quickly with bright sun. The big financial world woke up to a huge shock.News of the Chen Group's sudden liquidation hit Wall Street hard. It was on every single television screen in the city.Every big banker and money man was talking about it. They could not believe their own eyes."The Chen Group is completely gone!" a man on the television yelled. "Their assets vanished overnight!""Who could do such a massive thing?" another news worker asked. "It is totally unprecedented!"The stock market numbers began to move up and down very fast. It was total madness on the trading floors.Apex Holdings was now the name on everyone's lips. The company was officially recognized by the big banks.They were now the largest private maritime logistics operator in the entire western hemisphere. They owned all the boats.No one else had that much power over the deep blue ocean now. Ethan Cole had done the impossible.Inside her brand new executive suite at Apex tower, Cy

The black SUV convoy left Apex just after midnight.Five vehicles moved through the sleeping streets, their headlights cutting through the darkness as they headed north toward Rhode Island. Inside the lead vehicle, Ethan sat silently beside Vincent, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.Cynthia had wanted to come.He had refused.Not because he doubted her strength, but because Diana had already made her position clear.Cynthia was his weakness in the Sterlings' eyes.Ethan intended to make sure they discovered just how badly they had misunderstood him.Vincent looked down at the tablet in his hands.“We are twenty minutes from the outer perimeter.”Ethan nodded.“Any unusual movement?”“None.”“That is unusual.”Vincent frowned. “You expected them to attack us?”“No.”Ethan leaned back slowly.“I expected them to want us to believe they weren't prepared.”Vincent's expression hardened.At that exact moment, the tablet screen went black.The vehicle's communication system shut down.Then