2025-12-27 18:27:24
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 383
The palace was a hive of whispers and shadows, but tonight, it would be a symphony of chaos. Max checked the small, crude map again, the lines etched onto parchment feeling more real than the stone walls around them. Trisha stood beside him, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps.“Ready?” Max murmured, his voice a low rumble.Trisha nodded, her eyes wide but firm. “As I’ll ever be.”A distant clang echoed through the corridor. That was their signal. The diversion. Max had rigged a series of old, unused bells in the servants’ quarters, set to go off with a timed release. It wouldn’t last long, but it would be enough.“Now,” Max said, pulling a loose stone from the wall. Behind it, a dark, narrow opening appeared. The hidden passage.They squeezed inside, the air thick with dust and the smell of old stone. Max went first, his broad shoulders brushing against the rough walls. Trisha followed, her hand reaching out, finding his.“Keep close,” Max whispered, his voice echoing slightly
Chapter 382
This was it. Bucky moved.He struck fast, silent. One guard went down with a choked gasp, the other followed moments later. Bucky dragged them into a recessed alcove, out of sight. He checked the door. Reinforced steel, a complex electronic lock. Not a problem. His fingers, guided by years of training, worked quickly on the panel. A soft click.He pushed the door open, stepping into a vast, opulent office. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of Tokyo. A large, polished desk sat in the center, surrounded by expensive art. And Kaito.Kaito stood by the window, his back to Bucky, a phone pressed to his ear. His voice was tight, furious. “I don’t care! Find the source! Shut it down! This is a disaster!”Bucky moved, silent as a shadow. Kaito spun around, his eyes wide with shock as he saw Bucky. He dropped the phone.“You!” Kaito snarled, his face contorted in rage. “How did you…?”Bucky didn’t speak. He just moved. Kaito, despite his age, was quick. He lunged for a hidde
Chapter 381
“He hosts lavish parties, charity events, art shows,” Sarai confirmed. “He loves to show off his power and influence. He’s very careful about what the public sees.”“Good,” Bucky said, a plan already forming in his mind. “That’s our weakness. We use his need for public approval against him. We make him look bad, really bad, in a way he can’t ignore. Something that makes his own people question him, or makes the authorities *have* to act.”“What kind of bad?” Sarai asked, intrigued despite herself. “He’s already a known gangster. Everyone knows he’s involved in shady dealings.”“Not just shady dealings,” Bucky clarified. “Something that exposes his true cruelty, his disregard for even his own people. Something that makes him look weak, or desperate. Something that threatens his *business* more than a simple raid would.”Sarai thought for a moment. “He has a lot of investments in the entertainment industry. Clubs, talent agencies, even a small film studio. He uses them to launder money,
Chapter 380
Kaito, seeing no escape, lunged one last time, a desperate, animalistic cry. He grabbed a heavy marble statue from a pedestal, swinging it wildly. Bucky sidestepped, his movements fluid. He caught Kaito’s arm, twisted, and brought him down to the ground. Kaito hit the expensive carpet with a grunt, the statue rolling away.Bucky knelt beside him, pressing his metal hand against Kaito’s throat, just enough to hold him, not enough to kill him quickly. “Where are the rest of the files? The ones about Hana, about the other girls? The full ledgers?”Kaito gasped for air, his eyes wide with terror. “In… in the server room… down the hall… encrypted…”Bucky gave a sharp nod. “Good. You’re going to help me get them.”He secured Kaito, tying him up with cables from the office equipment. Then, using Kaito’s access codes and his own skills, he navigated to the server room. It was a maze of blinking lights and humming machines. With Kaito’s forced cooperation, Bucky accessed the main servers, down
Chapter 379
The next day was a blur of frantic, whispered activity. Sarai, disguised in a simple wig and glasses, met her journalist contact in a bustling coffee shop, far from Kaito’s usual haunts. She fed him carefully selected pieces of information, hints about Hana’s disappearance, whispers of Kaito’s involvement, and the general location of where he might keep incriminating records. She didn’t give him everything, not yet. She needed to build the fuse, not light the whole bomb prematurely.Meanwhile, Bucky was a ghost, moving through the city’s underbelly. He watched the Akashi Tower, studying guard rotations, entry points, blind spots in the security cameras. He found a maintenance shaft, a delivery entrance, a forgotten rooftop access. He planned his approach, step by agonizing step.As evening approached, they met back in the cramped apartment. Sarai looked pale, but there was a fire in her eyes.“The journalist is interested,” she reported, her voice hushed. “He’s making calls, checking
Chapter 378
The stale air in the cramped Tokyo apartment pressed down on Bucky and Sarai. The city hummed outside, a constant, indifferent presence. They’d been holed up for a day, moving only when absolutely necessary, living off convenience store food. Sarai sat hunched on a thin futon, tracing patterns on the dusty floor with her finger. Bucky stood by the window, peering through a crack in the blinds at the neon-lit street below.“We can’t stay here,” Sarai said, her voice flat, tired. “They’ll find us. It’s only a matter of time.”Bucky turned, his face a mask of grim resolve. “And we can’t leave. Not yet.”Sarai finally looked up, her eyes dark with a mix of fear and anger. “What do you mean, ‘not yet’? We’re done, Bucky. We got the information. Max has what he needs. We need to get out.”“No,” Bucky said, his voice low but firm. “Max needs Kaito gone. Completely. Not just a piece of paper. Not just a temporary setback. Kaito’s network is too big, too deep. If we leave now, he’ll rebuild. H
You may also like
The Lowly Son in Law is Quadrillionaire
Riku Ormstrom92.5K viewsReturn Of The Dragon Lord
Snowwriter 136.3K viewsThe understated miraculous Doctor.
Pen thinker 84.4K viewsRags To Riches: The Riveting Tale Of Jason Smith
Chukwuemeka_101123.5K viewsTHE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL HEIR
Grep-pens449 viewsThe Underestimated Husband's Dominance
Ana Stacia495 viewsTHE RETURN OF LIAM REYES
Ozieve406 viewsThe Disabled Son-in-law is not Human!
Enola 413 views