Jason stood frozen in the doorway for a long, agonizing second. His mind raced through a dozen different combat scenarios, but he knew the brutal reality—if the Third Phantom wanted to kill him right now, he wouldn’t last a single second against him.He had seen the Third Phantom through a digital surveillance screen before, but this was the first time he was seeing him in person. Jason was deeply surprised by his youthful appearance. The man seemed to be just a few years older than himself, yet he was already revered as one of the few most dreaded assassins on the entire planet.He took a slow, deep breath, forcing his heart rate to steady. If the Third Phantom wanted them dead, they would already be bleeding on the carpet.Jason stepped aside, gesturing for the assassin to enter. "Come in."Alina looked between the two men, realizing the sheer absurdity of the situation. A light, genuine laugh escaped her lips. "I had no idea you were acquainted. Of all the hotels in Silverbridge, w

“That was not all… according to the organization's rules, in order to redeem yourself, you must perform three impossible tasks.” The Third Phantom sighed. “It is a calculated method to weed out traitorous individuals and caution the rest against insubordination. If by some miracle the operative survives, they become a top-tier company asset, and their rank within the syndicate is permanently elevated.”“The first mission was to be executed in Nigeria. His primary objective was to assassinate the sitting President…” The Third Phantom smiled, deliberately pausing for effect.“How is that an impossible task?” Charlotte finally took the bait. “Nigeria has a well-known reputation for internal insecurity… how is that difficult for an elite assassin to accomplish?”“Nigeria is truly a jungle, a place where the citizens selectively follow the rules to suit their own needs. But if you live in a jungle, you must learn exactly how to survive in one,” the Third Phantom replied smoothly. “The man h

The Third Phantom stepped away from the window, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of dark amusement and profound respect."The third and final impossible task was a pure suicide mission," the assassin stated, his voice commanding the quiet hotel room. "Seth was deployed to the freezing wastelands of Siberia. His target was not a person, but an empire. He was ordered to infiltrate the impenetrable, subterranean fortress of a Russian oligarch named Anastasia, to discover who she was selling weaponized Californium to."Jason’s eyes sharpened at the mention of the highly volatile, astronomically expensive radioactive element. Though he had no idea that it was directly related to Gina’s recent mission, to him, Californium was just a wildly dangerous substance that supposedly had nothing to do with the Pike empire."Anastasia’s security was flawless," the Third Phantom continued. "So, Seth did something brilliant. He didn't infiltrate as a ghost. He intentionally broke in like a clumsy, amate

"I will follow you from a considerable distance, and I will not interfere in any of your matters except if your life is in absolute danger," the Third Phantom warned as he stood up to follow them."Dear, you can stay here for the meantime. I have to fulfill my contract. I only need to watch from a considerable distance, it is nothing much." The Third Phantom smiled warmly and kissed his wife.But the moment he turned toward the door, his entire aura shifted. The warmth vanished instantly, replaced by a suffocating, freezing pressure. Both Charlotte and Jason could scarcely believe that this terrifying shadow was the exact same person laughing and telling them stories just a few minutes ago.Jason flagged down a taxi, and both he and Charlotte climbed into the back seat. Their destination: the Pendleton University main gates.The taxi crawled to a halt just outside the university entrance, but the campus was entirely unrecognizable.The morning air was thick with the suffocating stench

"So, do you agree that we all possess selective morality?" Jason pushed softly. "When it is not your problem, it is very easy to play the judge—a saint who is perfectly fair in all his dealings. But let us agree that we are all fundamentally selfish in some way, Detective."Jason smiled, a cold, knowing expression that belonged to a king, not a college student."I am very curious about you, boy," Vance said, stepping closer. "You certainly don't seem like the clueless, terrified kid you portrayed yourself to be when you walked through those doors. And I am going to thoroughly enjoy scooping every last secret out of your brain."Vance smirked, visibly angered by Jason’s antagonizing attitude, yet practically vibrating with a predator's anticipation."I will have a lot of fun interrogating you," the detective mocked, gesturing toward the heavy metal door. "Please, do me the honor of stepping inside."Charlotte, who had been crying her eyes out just seconds before, paused her sobbing jus