2026-09-02 05:13:45
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
The Meridian Institute
The rain had finally stopped by mid-morning, leaving the upper districts covered in thick fog that smelled faintly of exhaust and cold copper.Inside the subterranean command vault, three terminal displays showed architectural schematics, financial records, and corporate registries for the Meridian Institute for Advanced Neurological Research.Jeremy sat near the center console, his black coffee cooling beside his elbow as he studied the main display. Jasper worked through layers of encrypted corporate firewalls, while Sarah cross-referenced the medical staff records against the ledgers recovered from Jeremy's mother's estate."On paper, the place is spotless," Jasper said, bringing up the institute's public profile. "A private research facility specializing in pediatric neurological disorders, developmental trauma, and rare genetic conditions. They fund lower-district clinics, run charity programs, and publish research on neural mapping.""A perfect corporate shield," Sarah remarked,
The Man in the Photograph
The blue light of the high-definition monitor washed over the subterranean command vault, casting pale, flickering shadows across the concrete walls. On the screen, the surveillance image remained frozen in sharp detail.Jeremy didn't move. He stood so close to the monitor that his reflection overlapped with the image of the young man stepping out of the armored sedan.He studied every line and angle of the face staring back at him. The young man's hair was dark, cropped short with military precision. His jawline was sharp, his cheekbones prominent. Just beneath his right eye, cutting through his pale skin, was a small, thin crescent scar that looked as though he'd gotten it years ago.Jeremy stared into those eyes, searching for some sign of recognition, a flicker of familiar emotion, or a memory buried deep in his past.Nothing.To him, the face was entirely foreign. The man looked like a stranger dressed in dark wool and tailored clothes, carrying himself with a cold, almost mechan
Elias
The storm outside had eased into a cold drizzle, leaving the air inside the subterranean command vault smelling of ozone, damp stone, and old paper.For four agonizing hours, the only sounds in the room were the rustle of yellowed documents, the sharp clack of Jasper's mechanical keyboard, and the steady hum of the tactical server racks.Jeremy sat at the central steel table, surrounded by piles of decrypted microfiche, estate ledgers, and shipping manifests salvaged from his mother's old personal archives. Beside him, a half-empty mug of coffee had gone cold, a thin film of oil settling over the surface.He didn't care. His dark eyes moved from line to line, following every transaction, corporate transfer, and hospital record bearing the Raven seal from twenty years ago.Elias Raven was a ghost.After his falsified death certificate at the Silver City Central Maternity Ward, his name had disappeared from municipal registries, family trees, and estate tax filings. It was as if the boy
The Child
The rain outside the upper-district clinic had settled into a steady, freezing drizzle that ran down the tall glass windows in jagged, unbroken sheets. Inside Dr. Orin’s private study, the air was thick with the scent of old paper, damp wool, and the bitter, metallic tang of tea left to go cold on the desk.Jeremy stood near the center of the room, his tactical jacket soaked, his posture rigid as an iron beam. His right hand remained tucked deep inside his pocket, his fingers curled tightly around the scarred, black-marked palm that seemed to grow heavier with every passing hour.Across the wide mahogany desk, Dr. Orin sat slumped in his high-backed leather chair. The old man looked fifty years older than he had three hours ago. His face was pale, his eyes bloodshot behind thick lenses, and his trembling hands clutched a worn, brass-bound ledger pulled from a hidden floor safe beneath the floorboards."I don't want half-truths, Orin," Jeremy said, his voice low and dangerously calm. I
THE HOSPITAL ATTACK
The static screeching from the dead satellite line was still ringing in Jeremy’s ears when the secondary alarm blared through their underground facility. Red emergency lights flashed through the dim corridor, casting a sickening crimson glow across the concrete walls.“The perimeter sensors on the upper level just tripped!” Jasper yelled from his console, his hands flying across the keys. “Multiple thermal signatures moving down the service stairwell! They bypassed the main entrance and came through the underground drainage ducts!”Jeremy didn’t hesitate. “David, with me! Sarah, get to the children’s ward!”They raced down the narrow, pipe-lined hallway, their boots pounding against the steel floor. Jeremy drew his carbine, gripping it tightly as adrenaline surged through his veins. Beside him, David clicked off his weapon’s safety, his jaw set.As they rounded the final corner leading to the medical wing, the sharp clack-clack of suppressed gunfire echoed through the corridor. Drywal
The Missing Child
For a moment, no one in the bunker spoke. An agonizing, suffocating silence stretched over the comms channel. Ten seconds passed. Then fifteen. The quiet became so heavy that Sarah looked up at the terminal screen, checking whether the signal had dropped out. The blue indicator continued pulsing steadily, and the call timer kept moving. Dr. Orin was still there. He simply wasn't answering."Doctor?" Sarah called out, her voice tight with rising anxiety. "Are you still there?"When Dr. Orin finally spoke, his voice was no longer dry or composed. It was trembling, cracked with a profound, terrifying sorrow that made the hair on the back of Jeremy's neck stand up."My God," Orin whispered, the sound of his shuddering breath loud through the speaker. "You saw it... You actually saw her with the child."Jeremy’s heart slammed against his ribs like a sledgehammer. He gripped the edge of the console so hard his knuckles turned stark white. "What child, Orin? What are you talking about?""Jer
You may also like
The Billionaire Heir
Teddy134.7K viewsFrom Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise
Magical Inspirations78.6K viewsI AM NOT A POOR SON-IN-LAW
Calendula615.6K viewsInvincible Billionaire Heir
Chanhlee84.2K viewsGlobal Devourer: I Survive by Slaughtering Beasts
Pen Goddess 180 viewsDivorcing the useless son in law ; The return of the Tycoon
Samantha 27 viewsReturn Of God Eye
Moon Walker242 viewsPAYBACK Of Johnson Lancaster
Heaven On Earth164 views