2025-10-02 03:37:23
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War Council
The city lights glimmered far below, but Ethan barely noticed. He stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of Cass’s safehouse, his reflection looking back at him—eyes rimmed red, jaw set hard, shoulders weighed down by what he had seen inside the case.Cass sat behind him at the kitchen table, legs crossed, a glass of scotch in her hand. She watched him in silence for a long while before finally speaking.“You’re too calm,” she said. “Most men would be tearing their hair out after hearing what you just told me. Multiple Hosts? The Council playing the same game as you? And now a thirty-day timer hanging over your head? Ethan, this isn’t survival anymore. It’s suicide.”He didn’t turn. “Panic doesn’t win wars. Preparation does.”Cass snorted. “Wars need armies. And last time I checked, your ‘army’ consists of me, Miles the caffeine-addicted code monkey, and a few half-loyal investors who’ll bolt the second the Council breathes in their direction.”Ethan’s lips curved in a faint smile. “The
The Truth Inside the Case
The world vanished in white.Ethan staggered back, shielding his eyes as the case split open like a ruptured star. The hum became a roar, and then—silence. When his vision cleared, the penthouse was gone.He stood in a void. Endless black stretching in every direction, broken only by the shimmering outline of the case floating before him. Cass was nowhere to be seen. The blood, the fire, the enforcers—all erased.[System Override Engaged]The voice wasn’t the cold monotone he was used to. It was deeper, richer, like a chorus of overlapping whispers.Ethan’s fists clenched. “What the hell are you?”[You have crossed a threshold. The Council has forced an acceleration of your evolution.]The case rotated slowly, opening wider. Inside was no weapon, no pile of cash, no technological artifact. Instead, there was light. And within the light, fragments—data, images, faces, entire histories flashing too fast for the human eye to follow.Memories. But not his own.Ethan reached toward them de
The Council’s Test
The penthouse erupted into chaos. Bullets tore through glass, shredding priceless art and sending shards flying across the floor. Ethan ducked low, sliding behind an overturned marble table as Cass rolled into cover beside him, her twin pistols spitting fire back at the enforcers.The system’s cold words burned in his mind:[Hidden Mission: Survive the Council’s Test] [Failure Condition: Permanent Termination]His knuckles tightened around his rifle. Survive. Not win. Survive.But Ethan wasn’t built for running.“Cover me,” he growled.Cass didn’t hesitate. She leaned out, her pistols barking in controlled bursts, forcing the enforcers back. Ethan vaulted the table, landing in a crouch as his rifle snapped up. Each pull of the trigger was precise, mechanical—two enforcers dropped before they had time to react.But more kept coming.They weren’t standard muscle; every movement was crisp, drilled. These were killers bred for this exact situation. Ethan felt it in the way they advanced—r
The Council’s Hidden Hand
The rain poured relentlessly over the city, streaking neon lights into rivers of color across the streets. Ethan stood on the rooftop of a half-collapsed skyscraper, the storm soaking through his black tactical gear. His eyes were locked on the glowing mission window only he could see.[Mission Update: Eliminate Target – Councilor Victor Dane] [Time Remaining: 23:59:12]Less than a day left.He had chased shadows before, but this—this was different. Dane wasn’t just another corrupt politician with ties to the Syndicate. He was something bigger. Each lead Ethan had followed seemed to circle back to the same name, whispered in fear: The Council.The so-called puppet masters of the city. A hidden order of elites who played the world like a chessboard. Ethan had always believed in enemies he could see, enemies he could put a bullet through. But this? This was a phantom war.Lightning cut across the sky, illuminating the figure who had joined him silently on the rooftop. Cass. She moved li
The Double Game
The rain hadn’t stopped all morning. It drizzled against the city skyline in streaks, turning glass towers into blurred shadows. Ethan sat behind the wheel of a rented sedan, parked across from Councilman Grayson’s headquarters. His fingers tapped the steering wheel in a steady rhythm, each beat matching the thrum of his pulse.From here, Grayson’s world looked untouchable—armored SUVs at the entrance, bodyguards pacing in clockwork patterns, cameras angled like watchful eyes.Anyone else would’ve seen a fortress. Ethan saw opportunities.The system chimed in his head.[Mission Update: Infiltrate Councilman Grayson’s Inner Circle] Time limit: 72 hours Reward: Trait Upgrade – Persuasion Lv.3 Failure: Exposure – permanent loss of investor credibility.Ethan’s lips curved in a hard smile. Investor credibility. That was the system’s way of saying: “Lose this, and your empire starts to rot from the inside.”He wasn’t going to let that happen.Later that day, back at the safehouse, Damian h
Masks and Daggers
The body was cooling fast beneath the night air, blood soaking into the rooftop gravel. Ethan crouched there, eyes locked on the man’s pale face. One of Damian’s men. No doubt. The scar near the ear, the military haircut, the faint tattoo peeking from the collar—Ethan remembered him clearly from the safehouse.His jaw tightened.Damian had set him up. Sent his own man to put a bullet through his skull.The system’s familiar chime echoed in his mind, a hollow comfort.[Enhanced Reflexes Lv.2: Activated]Reaction speed +30% Accuracy improved in combat scenarios.Ethan flexed his fingers, feeling the slight buzz of heightened awareness rushing through his veins. It didn’t soothe the betrayal burning in his chest.Why? Damian had handed him the file on Councilman Grayson, practically begged him to take the mission. And then he’d turned around and ordered an ambush. Did Damian want him dead—or did he just want to test him?Either way, it meant one thing. Ethan couldn’t trust him. Not anymor
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