2025-11-17 23:51:29Marcus Slate’s orders spread through the underworld like wildfire.
Within an hour, every informant, every hired blade, every street watcher in the district had one mission:
Find Ethan Cole.
Track him.
Pressure him.
Break him.
But Slate made one mistake.
He assumed Ethan was a man who could be hunted.
He didn’t know Ethan used to be the one doing the hunting.
A PRESENCE IN THE DARK
Ethan stopped beside a closed hardware store, pretending to adjust his wristwatch.
His expression was relaxed.
His heartbeat steady.
But he had already sensed it:
A sniper scope brushing over him.
A second presence perched on a rooftop.
Two more following from opposite ends of the street.
Slate had upgraded the enemy pieces.
But they were still playing on Ethan’s board.
Commander Hale’s voice buzzed through the encrypted earpiece Ethan wore.
“Sir, five signals closing in. Professionals this time. Should we intervene?”
Ethan shook his head lightly.
“No.”
“Sir…?”
“This is still warm-up.”
THE ROOFTOP SHADOW
On a nearby rooftop, a figure knelt behind a long-barrel rifle.
Black gloves.
Unmarked uniform.
Breathing steady.
This wasn’t one of Slate’s thugs.
This was a mercenary—silent, trained, efficient.
“Target locked,” the sniper whispered into a mic.
“Releasing shot in five… four… three—”
A hand grabbed him from behind.
Not a loud move.
Not even violent.
Just a firm grip around the back of the sniper’s neck.
A cold voice followed:
“You pointed your gun at the wrong man.”
The sniper’s eyes widened in horror.
Ethan stood behind him.
He hadn’t climbed the rooftop.
He hadn’t made a sound.
He simply appeared.
Before the sniper could shout, Ethan twisted the rifle away and pressed his foot lightly on the man’s wrist—
CRUNCH.
The sniper swallowed a scream.
Ethan lowered himself to eye level.
“Tell Slate this is his second mistake.”
Ethan let go, leaving the man trembling on the rooftop floor.
MEANWHILE: AT THE DAWSON RESIDENCE
The Dawson living room looked like a funeral.
Vivian sat frozen.
Tanya paced in circles.
Lila stared at Ethan’s empty chair.
No one spoke for several minutes.
Finally Tanya blurted,
“Kai, this is insane. How can Ethan be involved in things like this? He’s a… he’s just Ethan!”
Vivian shot her a look.
“You saw how those men bowed to him.”
Lila swallowed hard.
She had never cared much about Ethan before.
But for the first time, fear and confusion twisted together inside her.
Who was her husband?
What had he done?
Or what was he capable of?
Before she could say anything, the front door suddenly opened.
All three women jumped.
But it wasn’t Ethan.
It was a short, nervous man carrying a brown envelope.
“G-Good evening… I’m looking for Mr. Ethan Cole,” he stammered.
Vivian narrowed her eyes.
“Who are you?”
“I… I was asked to deliver this to him.”
He held out the envelope.
“It contains urgent documents. Please make sure he gets it.”
He placed it on the table and hurried out.
Tanya grabbed the envelope.
“What could be inside?”
Lila stopped her.
“Don’t open it.”
But Tanya had already torn the seal.
Inside were three things:
A printed photograph of Ethan standing on a battlefield
A black metal emblem with foreign markings
A single sentence written in bold:
“THE GHOST COMMANDER HAS RETURNED.”
The room fell silent.
Lila felt her entire world tilt.
Ghost Commander?
Her useless, quiet husband?
THE UNDERGROUND WAREHOUSE
Marcus Slate tapped his fingers on a metal desk, irritated.
“Report.”
One of his lieutenants knelt.
“Sir… the sniper unit failed. Unconfirmed reports say Ethan neutralized them without weapons.”
Slate’s jaw tightened.
“So he really is the Ghost.”
The room tensed.
That name was known only at the highest levels.
A shadow unit whispered about in military corridors.
A man who completed missions classified as impossible.
Marcus exhaled sharply.
“Fine.”
He stood.
“If he wants a war, then we escalate.”
He turned to his lieutenant.
“Prepare the Scorpion Unit.”
The lieutenant’s head snapped up in shock.
“Sir—! That’s an elite kill squad! If the Cole family detects any of this—”
Slate slammed a fist into the desk.
“The Coles won’t know until it’s over!”
He leaned forward, eyes sharp like a blade.
“Tonight… Ethan Cole dies.”
ETHAN’S WALK
Night wind brushed against Ethan’s face as he walked down the empty road.
Commander Hale’s voice returned.
“Sir, Slate just activated the Scorpion Unit. They’re lethal. Even your injury—”
Ethan cut him off.
“Hale.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Book a hotel suite under a random name.”
Hale paused.
“A hotel, sir?”
“Yes.”
Ethan’s voice was calm.
Completely calm.
“Slate wants the hunt. Let’s give him a location to find me.”
“You’re baiting them…”
Ethan’s lips pulled into the faintest, coldest smile.
“No.
I’m ending them.”
The night swallowed his figure as he walked.
And the most dangerous unit in the city began moving toward him.
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Chapter Fourteen
The Dawson house was too quiet.Too still.Too heavy.Lila stood in the middle of the living room, the broken door replaced temporarily by Riker’s men, the shattered glass swept away, the blood stains scrubbed clean.But the silence remained.The kind of silence that sits on your chest.The kind that changes something.She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the cold settling into her bones. Every few seconds she replayed the moment Ethan walked away. The way he didn’t look back. The way he spoke as if he were someone else. Someone she didn’t know.Someone she might never have known at all.Riker cleared his throat behind her.“Ma’am,” he said gently, “the perimeter is secure.”She didn’t turn.She didn’t trust her voice yet.A moment passed, then another.“Ethan… he’s gone to fight that man, isn’t he?” Lila said softly.Riker hesitated.“Specialist Cole is responding to a breach. That’s all I can say.”“That’s not an answer,” she whispered.“It’s the safest one I can give.”Lila
Chapter Thirteen
The city lights of District 7 flashed beneath the aircraft as Ethan stepped onto the ramp, black coat whipping in the wind.Hale’s voice cut through the comms.“Sir, Central Vault security is collapsing. Slate deployed a Phantom Unit—full optical camouflage.”Ethan adjusted his gloves.“Phantom won’t stop me.”The strike craft dove lower, slicing through fog like a blade.Below, alarms wailed across District 7. Roads were blocked, drones spun out of control, and the entire security grid flickered as if something—or someone—had overwritten its core.Slate.He was already inside.Ethan exhaled once.Cold.Steady.Purposeful.“Open the hatch.”The ramp snapped downward.Ethan jumped.He landed on the rooftop of Central Vault—silent impact, controlled descent. The black monolith towered above him, its armored surface vibrating from internal shockwaves.Hale landed beside him, panting.“Sir, we can still intercept him if we move—”Ethan was already moving.THE FALL OF THE VAULTThey reache
Chapter Twelve
The garden was silent.Shattered wood, broken armor, and the crushed body of the Black Serpent scout lay at Ethan’s feet. The porch light flickered above him, casting jagged shadows across his face.Lila stared at him—eyes wide, chest rising and falling fast.This wasn’t the Ethan she knew.This wasn’t the quiet, obedient, overlooked husband.This man looked like a weapon.A storm.A warning.Her voice trembled.“Ethan… what… what did you just do?”Ethan didn’t answer.He turned instead—slowly, controlled—and locked eyes with Riker’s operative who had taken cover behind the torn doorframe.“Report.”The operative stood at once.“Sir! Two scouts down. One escaped toward the east block.”Hale’s voice burst from Ethan’s earpiece.“Sir! We have visual on the runner—Slate’s men are initiating Phase Two. They’re retreating to regroup.”Ethan’s eyes narrowed.“Not on my watch.”⸻THE ONE WHO ESCAPEDThree blocks away, the surviving Black Serpent scout sprinted across rooftops, armor sparking
Chapter Eleven
Ethan… someone is outside the house.”Lila’s whisper trembled through the phone.Ethan’s blood went cold, but his voice remained steady.“Where?”“By the gate. I—I think they’re watching the house. I saw shadows moving. And the lights flickered. I don’t know what’s happening.”Hale stiffened.“Slate’s already deployed. They’re targeting civilians.”Ethan pressed the phone closer.“Lila, listen to me carefully.”Her breathing was shaky.“Okay…”“Do not step outside. Stay away from the windows. And whatever you do—don’t open the door.”“O-okay. Ethan, what’s going on?”He didn’t answer.He couldn’t—not yet.Instead, he signaled sharply.“Riker. Full speed. Dawson residence.”“Yes, Young Master!”The convoy surged forward, engines howling as they tore through the streets.⸻OUTSIDE THE DAWSON HOUSEThe night was unnaturally quiet.Three figures in dark tactical suits crouched near the Dawson gate, their movements precise, their breathing controlled. Their visors glowed faint red—Black Se
Chapter Ten
The fog was clearing.The bodies of the Black Serpent operatives lay scattered across the street, armor cracked, visors shattered, their once-perfect formation now nothing more than broken metal.Ethan stood still.Only his eyes moved.Hale approached carefully.“Sir… did he say what I think he said?”Ethan didn’t respond immediately. His mind wasn’t on the dead soldier.It was on a memory he had buried years ago.A banquet hall.A glass of wine.A smile that wasn’t a smile.And a betrayal that nearly killed him.He exhaled slowly.“Yes,” Ethan finally said. “Someone in my family sold me out.”Hale stiffened.“The Cole family is huge… thousands of people have benefited from your downfall.”“No,” Ethan said quietly.“It wasn’t the outsiders.”His eyes hardened.“It was someone close.”⸻THE CONVOY ARRIVESEngines roared across the street.Three armored SUVs pulled up, headlights slicing through the fog. Ethan’s men emerged—silent, disciplined, dressed in matte black with the Cole insig
Chapter Nine
The street was silent.Too silent.A thin layer of fog drifted across the asphalt as Ethan moved to the center of the road—straight-backed, expression calm, hands loose at his sides.Hale stood behind him, tense but ready.“Sir… Black Serpent is sixty seconds away.”Ethan didn’t blink.“Good.”THE APPEARANCE OF DEATHThe fog shifted.The first figure stepped through—tall, armored in matte black, visor glowing faintly red.Then another.Then ten more.Twelve soldiers.Twelve lethal machines disguised as men.They formed a wide semicircle around Ethan, their synchronization disturbing.No breathing.No speaking.No hesitation.Their leader stepped forward.“TARGET CONFIRMED: ETHAN COLE.THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME.EXECUTION PROTOCOL: OMEGA.”Hale whispered,“They’re using Omega Protocol… sir, that’s kill-without-recovery.”Ethan stepped one inch forward.“Protocol won’t help them.”THE FIRST STRIKEThree Black Serpent operatives lunged at once—perfect formation, zero wasted movement.Ethan m
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