Back in the hospital suite, Dr. Evans finished writing on his chart and stepped out, leaving Dustin and Serena alone.Dustin leaned back against his pillows, looking at Serena with sharp, analytical eyes. "Serena. Tell me everything that happened while I was under. From the minute the surgery ended to the moment I woke up."Serena took a deep breath, sitting on the edge of his bed. "It started with a phone call from Lydia. She was hysterical, Dustin. She said Ferdinand treated her like trash after she told him she was pregnant. Out of spite and fear, she warned me that Collins had a high-level mole inside our military hospital camp.""A mole..." Dustin muttered, his brow furrowing."Yes," Serena continued, her voice trembling at the memory. "She told me Collins knew the surgery was successful and that a strike team was coming through the underground tunnels at midnight. That's why Calvin and I used a mannequin to bait them and moved you up to the vault. But even up there... an assassi

Meanwhile, deep within the heavily guarded walls of the Central State Penitentiary, the disgraced Vice President Ronald sat on the edge of his steel cot inside his private cell.A heavy iron latch clicked open at the cell door. A corrupt prison guard stepped inside, glanced left and right down the corridor, and slid a sleek, encrypted burner phone into Ronald’s hands before stepping back out and locking the bars.Ronald smirked bitterly. He dialed a foreign, unlisted ten-digit number.The line rang twice before a smooth, eerie voice answered on the other end."Speak," the voice rasped. It was the elite, silver-masked assassin who had infiltrated the hospital vault earlier, shot Calvin in the arm, and escaped into the night."You failed me at the hospital vault," Ronald said, his tone dripping with cold, political venom. "I paid you half a million dollars to put a bullet through Dustin Quinn's head, and he is still walking around.""The Commander took the bullet for him," the assassin

Matt Enshaw gripped the leather folder tightly against his ribs as he stormed down the hallway of the hospital wing. His chest heaved with anxious, erratic breaths. His mind was spinning with the terrifying truth he had uncovered after three exhausting months of private investigation.He marched straight toward Dustin’s private ward, his hand reaching out to slam open the heavy double doors."Stop right there, boy," a low, stern voice commanded from the shadows.Master Fred stepped out from the adjoining corridor, his sharp eyes instantly catching the wild, explosive rage written across Matt’s face. Fred’s gaze drifted down to the thick bundle of confidential documents clutched in Matt’s shaking hands. In a split second, the old butler knew.Before Matt could react or shout out, Master Fred grabbed him by the shoulder with a surprisingly iron grip and shoved him backward into an empty, abandoned recovery ward. He slammed the door shut, locking it with a sharp click."What do you think

The living room television flashed with bright crimson emergency banners. The news anchor's solemn voice echoed off the quiet walls of Mike’s apartment:"We interrupt this broadcast for a national tragedy. The Supreme Military Council has officially confirmed that the Acting God of War, Lord Supreme Dustin Quinn, has passed away following sudden medical complications at the Royal Military Trauma Hospital..."Mike froze in the middle of his living room, his glass slipping from his fingers and shattering against the hardwood floor."What...?" Mike gasped, staring at the screen in pure disbelief. "No... no way! He was recovering! He survived the ridge!"His hands shook uncontrollably as he snatched his phone off the couch, frantically dialing his sister's direct line.On the other end of the city, sitting in the dimly lit waiting lounge of the military hospital, Serena saw Mike's name light up her screen. She took a deep, steadying breath, remembering Calvin’s strict instructions. She pr

"Yes, Mr. President," Dustin replied smoothly over the encrypted line, his voice completely steady. "I am not dead.""What is the meaning of this?!" the President gasped, taking some steps away from his security detail. "The military council declared you dead an hour ago! The entire country is descending into absolute chaos!""I had to do it, sir," Dustin explained calmly. "It was the only way to draw Collins out into the open. As long as he thought I was breathing, he stayed buried deep inside his rat holes, using proxy assassins and corrupted doctors. Faking my death was the only move that would force him to expose his entire network."The President leaned against the hallway wall, letting out a long, heavy breath as the genius of the tactical trap washed over him. A slow, subtle smile began to form on the leader's face."You played everyone, didn't you?" the President muttered, shaking his head in awe. "Including me.""I apologize for the deception, Your Excellency," Dustin said. "