The courthouse was packed. Every seat was filled. Reporters lined the walls with their cameras ready. The Wu family trial was the biggest story of the decade. Everyone wanted to see justice served.Ethan sat in the front row. Lily was beside him, holding his hand tightly. Sarah was on his other side. They had come to watch Helen Wu face her crimes. To see the woman who had destroyed so many lives finally answer for her sins.Helen sat in the defendant's box. She looked different now. Smaller. Frail. Her expensive clothes were gone. Her perfect hair was messy. Her eyes were hollow. She was just a broken woman in an orange jumpsuit.The prosecutor stood up. He was a sharp man in an expensive suit. His voice was calm but commanding. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Today we present the case against Helen Wu. A woman who built her empire on murder, poison, and lies. A woman who destroyed countless lives to satisfy her greed."He laid out the case against Helen. The poison. The murders.

The boat cut through the dark water. The engine was barely a whisper. Ethan stood at the bow, his eyes fixed on the distant island. The system had guided them here. Through the fog. Past the patrol boats. Into the heart of Victor Chen's fortress.Sarah was beside him. Her face was pale. Her hands were gripping the railing. She was scared. But she was not backing down."How much further?" Sarah asked.Ethan looked at the system display. Five hundred meters. The island is ahead. There is a small dock on the eastern shore. That is our best entry point."Almost there," Ethan said. "Get ready."Sarah checked her bag. Weapons. Supplies. Medical kit. Everything they might need. She had prepared for everything. Except the one thing she could not prepare for. The unknown.The boat drifted toward the dock. Ethan cut the engine. They floated in silence. The only sound was the gentle lapping of water against the hull.Ethan stepped onto the dock. His feet were silent on the wooden planks. Sarah f

The peaceful days stretched into peaceful weeks. Ethan had almost forgotten what it felt like to be happy. To wake up without fear. To go to sleep without nightmares. To live without constantly looking over his shoulder.Lily was thriving. She was back in school. She had friends. She laughed every day. Her health was perfect. The antidote had worked. She was finally free.Sarah had moved into the estate. She had her own wing. Her own lab. She was working on new treatments. New cures. Helping people who had been victimized by the Wus. She had found her purpose again.Sophia was still there. Still trying. Still hoping. She was a different person now. Softer. Kinder. More patient. She spent every moment with Lily. Making up for lost time. Proving that she had changed.Ethan watched them all. He felt something he had not felt in years. Peace. Contentment. Happiness.But the peace did not last.It was late at night. Ethan was in his study. He was going through old documents. Rebuilding the

The target was a financial hub. A building in the heart of the city. The Shadow Council used it to launder money. To hide their illegal transactions. To fund their operations.Ethan stood across the street. He was wearing a dark suit. He looked like a businessman. Unremarkable. Invisible. Sarah was beside him. She was wearing a similar outfit. They looked like a couple heading to work."System," Ethan whispered. "Give me the layout."The blue screen appeared in his vision. A detailed map of the building. Security checkpoints. Camera angles. Guard rotations. Emergency exits. Everything they needed to know."The vault is on the fifteenth floor," Ethan said. "That is where they keep the records. That is what we need."Sarah nodded. "How do we get in?"Ethan looked at the map. "There is a service entrance on the side. It leads to the basement. From there, we can take the stairs. Avoid the cameras. Avoid the guards."Sarah looked at him. "And if we get caught?"Ethan smiled. A cold smile.

The retaliation came three days later. Ethan was in his study when the system activated. The blue screen flickered in front of his eyes. The message was urgent. Red letters flashed across the display.Warning. Hostile forces detected. Multiple targets. The Shadow Council is striking back. Immediate action required.Ethan stood up. His heart was pounding. His mind was racing. He had known this was coming. He had prepared for it. But knowing and facing it were two different things. "Where? Where are they attacking? Give me the locations. Give me everything."The system displayed a map. Red dots appeared across the city. The estate. The warehouse. The homes of his allies. Everywhere. They were hitting everyone. They were trying to destroy everything. The Shadow Council was not playing games."They are hitting everyone," Ethan said. His voice was cold. Hard. "They are trying to destroy us all. They want to wipe us out completely. They want to send a message."Sarah ran in. Her face was pa