Lucas’s stealth transport dropped his primary strike team into the freezing waters of the Vltava River under the cover of a blinding Prague storm. The water hit his face like jagged pieces of ice, but his expression did not alter as he submerged beneath the dark surface.The freezing currents swirled around him, yet his mind remained fixed on the image of his bleeding agents captured in the dark basement."Vanguard One is in the water," Dustin’s muffled voice crackled through the secure underwater bone-conduction comms. "All units, form up on the master."Wearing advanced, lightweight combat gear that shielded their body heat from thermal tracking, Lucas led Dustin and ten elite operators forward. They breached the hidden entry valve, pushing deep into the pitch-black subterranean pipes that stretched beneath Prague’s old industrial district.The water inside the iron tunnel was freezing, the stench of stagnant waste unbearable, but Lucas moved with the steady, lethal grace of a preda

The medical transport jet cut smoothly back across the dark ocean, the low hum of its powerful engines filling the cabin with a steady, calming vibration. In the rear compartment, Agent Mitchell and young Agent Torres rested comfortably inside high-tech medical recovery pods, their vitals completely stabilized by advanced automated care.Lucas sat at the primary command console in the center of the cabin, the soft blue light of multiple monitors reflecting off his calm, unyielding face. He watched the international financial markets collapse in real-time as his aggressive predatory algorithms stripped the Hartley family of their remaining global wealth.Lines of crimson data cascaded down his primary screen, each flashing alert representing another frozen asset, another canceled credit facility, and another multi-million dollar loss for his enemies."The UK sector is completely hollowed out, sir," Dustin said, stepping up to the console with his personal digital tablet in hand. "Hartl

The arts district was completely packed with luxury cars as the city's elite arrived for the exclusive preview of Sophie Laurent's new art collection. Sleek limousines and high-end sports cars lined the entire block, their polished surfaces gleaming under the bright streetlights.Media cameras flashed rapidly along the edge of the red carpet, capturing every high-society figure walking into the beautifully illuminated gallery building. Yet, despite the beautiful displays and the champagne, the primary topic of quiet whisper among the gathered guests was the sudden, complete disappearance of the Ashford family."Did you hear?" a woman dripping in emeralds whispered to her husband, blocking her mouth with a silk purse. "They lost everything in a single night. Someone said Vivian was evicted from her own mansion this morning.""Good riddance," her husband muttered back, stepping past the reporters. "They were always arrogant, acting like they owned the entire city's corporate sector."Vi

The morning headlines were a total bloodbath for the city’s political elite, the bold lettering across the front pages screaming the news. [SENATOR BLACKWELL ARRESTED IN MASSIVE BRIBERY SCANDAL] flashed on every news broadcast and digital billboard across the metropolis.A humiliating picture of Victoria being dragged out of the gallery in handcuffs was plastered across every major tabloid, completely cementing her high-society ruin. The woman who had spent six years looking down on a delivery boy was now the most hated face in the country.In a damp cell at the local detention center, Victoria sat on a cold concrete bench, her expensive clothes stained and her spirit utterly crushed. She stared at the scratched wall, the harsh fluorescent light casting ugly shadows over her pale, tear-stained face.The heavy steel door groaned loudly as it swung open, breaking the heavy silence of the holding block. Thomas Wright, the corrupt lawyer who was still barely out on bail himself, stepped i

"Tell the gallery operators to lock the inner vault," Lucas murmured, his voice laced with a lethal, quiet intensity as his limousine sped away from the harbor.Inside the vehicle, Dustin Steele's fingers danced across his glowing tactical interface, executing the master's command in a fraction of a second. The signal flicked across the city, completely sealing Sophie Laurent's gallery into an unbreachable fortress while Lucas's cold eyes watched the rain wash over the dark glass windows.Miles away from the luxury vehicle, the heavy steel gates of the city jail's high-security wing closed with a deafening, metallic clang.The air inside the detention facility was freezing, thick with the chemical stench of cheap pine disinfectant and old iron bars that had held generations of criminals. Every step down the concrete corridor felt like an absolute descent into a nightmare from which there was no waking up.Victoria Ashford walked slowly down the narrow hallway, her expensive high-socie