The world flipped upside down. The metallic crunch of the missile impact tore through the tail section, and the warning alarms screamed in a deafening, rhythmic panic. Red emergency lights flashed wildly against the walls of the cabin, making everything look like a fractured nightmare.Arthur’s feet left the floor as gravity lost its grip. He slammed hard against the ceiling, the breath knocked violently from his lungs. Around him, the two armored guards bounced like ragdolls, their heavy rifles clattering against the metal framing.Judge Harrison wasn't smiling anymore. His elegant walking cane slipped from his hands, clacking away into the dark corners of the cabin. The old man gripped the leg of a bolted passenger seat, his knuckles turning white as his face twisted into pure, unadulterated terror. He wasn't a grandmaster right now; he was just a fragile piece of flesh trapped in a falling cage."Hold on!" the pilot's voice crackled and distorted over the broken intercom, swallowed

The small television screen glowed in the dark living room of the brick house. The news anchor repeated the shocking story over and over again. Arthur York was a wanted murderer. The police broadcasted a video showing his face walking through the precinct holding cells.Elias paced back and forth across the old carpet. The lawyer rubbed his temples with his fingers. "This is bad, Chairman. This is very bad. They did not just freeze your money. They created a perfect digital trap. If the police catch you, no judge in this city will grant you bail. You will go right back to Blackwood."Reuben sat on the couch. He wrapped a blanket tightly around his shoulders. "Arthur, did you go to the police station tonight?""No," Arthur said. His voice was calm and steady. "I was on a bridge fighting for your life, Reuben. The organization used fake video technology to frame me. They want me locked up so they can take Apex Horizon without a fight. If I am in a cell, I cannot defend my shares.""We n

Arthur stood firm on the dusty concrete platform. He kept his broad shoulders squarely in front of Reuben. The twelve tactical guards kept their automatic rifles raised. The bright white lights attached to their barrels cut through the deep darkness of the abandoned station.Thomas smiled. The deep wrinkles around his eyes folded with cruel delight. He aimed his black pistol right at Arthur's chest. He felt very powerful. He thought he had cornered a dangerous animal. He wore a custom tailored suit that looked very out of place in the dirt."You have nowhere to run, York," Thomas said loudly. The loud echo of his voice bounced off the dirty tiled walls. "You should have stayed in prison. The business world does not belong to people like you. It belongs to men who know how to follow the rules.""You mean men who know how to beg," Arthur replied softly. His voice remained very calm. He did not show an ounce of fear. "You are not a leader, Thomas. You are just a dog doing tricks for scra

The thick white gas sprayed from the metal vents with a harsh hissing noise. The smell was bitter and sharp. It burned Arthur's eyes and scraped the back of his throat like coarse sandpaper. Reuben fell to his knees on the cold floor. The baker coughed violently. He grabbed his chest in extreme pain. The poison was working fast.Elias kept his dark pistol aimed at the locked steel door. Bullets could not stop a chemical attack. He pulled his dark suit jacket over his nose and mouth to filter the bad air. He looked around the room for any way out.Arthur did not panic. He looked around the freezing server room. The blinking green and blue lights on the machines cut through the rising white fog. Marcus Vanguard was laughing loudly over the intercom speaker. The cruel sound bounced off the metal walls.Arthur grabbed a heavy red fire extinguisher from the wall bracket. He swung the heavy metal tank hard. He smashed the plastic speaker on the ceiling into tiny pieces. The annoying laughte

The second explosion tore through the rear of the parking garage, sending a shower of concrete dust and hot metal across the ramp. The heavy armored truck shook from the force of the blast. Thick black smoke filled the air, making it hard to see the exit.Arthur pulled Alice into the back of the transport vehicle. Elias, Jax, and Reuben scrambled in right behind them. Elias slammed the heavy steel door shut, locking out the sound of gunfire from Vanguard's mercenaries."The rear exit is completely blocked," Elias said, wiping dust from his face. "We are trapped in the center of the garage."Arthur walked to the front cabin. He grabbed the shoulder of the driver, a tough logistics veteran named Marcus who had worked for Apex Horizon for a decade."The front barrier," Arthur said. His voice was steady and quiet. "Can we break through it?"Marcus gripped the heavy steering wheel. "This truck has a reinforced steel bumper and a dual engine. It can push through a brick wall, Chairman. But