로그인Agent Reed snatched the warm printout, slapping it hard down onto the scratched steel desk. "Look at this, Moss. Look at the fire team he's putting together."Moss leaned over the table, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the high-resolution shot. The photograph showed the concrete courtyard of the Nova Steelworks factory. Shinjiro Takahashi was standing dead center, surrounded by a dozen heavy-set guys in full tactical gear."I count at least thirty operators in the other frames," Reed said, sliding a second photograph right next to the first. "They're packing suppressed hardware and military-grade plating. They aren't looking to shake hands.""Shinjiro's getting ready to move.""And we got 'em," Reed tapped his knuckle against the audio recorder on the table. "We got the photos, the audio files, and the exact coordinates. It's a slam dunk."Moss picked up the digital recorder, rolling the cold metal casing between her fingers. Her face stayed completely blank."I'm opening a case f
Shinjiro checked his heavy tactical watch, the glowing green hands aligning right at three in the morning.Inside the damp, cavernous hull of the abandoned Nova Steelworks factory, Kato stood by a rusty metal table, his radio crackling with static."My boys are late, Shinjiro," Kato said, his face dark. "They missed the check-in.""Alexei bagged 'em at the pier. I know it," Shinjiro growled, his hand tightening around the strap of his tactical vest."Should we call the tower? Get Ichiro to pull some strings?" Kato suggested."Forget the old man," Shinjiro said, turning sharply toward the gun rack. "He's probably reading spreadsheets in his sleep up in his glass box. While he's waiting, we're losing ground and we're losing soldiers. Get the Vanguard units ready.""Shinjiro, if you go out there with heavy rifles, Ichiro's gonna find out," Kato warned, stepping into his path. "You're blowing the whole cover.""I'm getting my shooters back," Shinjiro said, yanking a heavy black assault ri
Alexei sat heavily on a wooden crate near the chain-link fence, his stiff shoulders rolling as he rested a thick, dented steel pipe across his shoulder.Ivan walked up from the southern loading bay, a massive iron wrench gripped tight in his greasy hand."What's the word, Ivan?" Alexei said, not moving his head."Boys just finished the midnight shift, boss," Ivan said, spitting tobacco onto the gravel. "Main gates are chained up. Nothing's moving.""Double the patrols on the outer fence," Alexei instructed, his jaw tightening. "Somebody's buying up our suppliers downtown, trying to freeze us out with cash. You can bet your ass they're gonna send eyes to look at our yards."Yuri suddenly pushed through the breakroom door, carrying a buzzing portable radio. His face was tense. "Boss, the boys on the north fence just called it in. They spotted moving shadows near the stacked shipping containers."Alexei didn't say a word. He stood up straight, his hand tightening around the cold steel pi
Sophia been staring at the same scrolling market feed for three hours, tracking commodity prices across the region's construction sector. Most of it was noise — seasonal fluctuations, routine fuel surcharges, nothing that mattered.Then a number jumped.Sophia sat up straight, her chair creaking against the concrete floor. A massive spike had just hit the regional cement futures market, a volume so large it skewed the entire sector's pricing curve in a matter of seconds."That's not a normal trade," Sophia muttered to herself, pulling the data closer.She typed fast, cross-referencing the spike against public filings. The trail led to a heavy industrial concrete supplier just across the state line — the exact same backup yard Dominic had been routing his trucks through since the East Pier mess began."No," Sophia breathed, her stomach dropping. "No, no, no."She pulled up the ownership registry. The supplier had changed hands less than an hour ago. New ownership filed under a holding
Shinjiro sat dead still in the passenger seat, his dark eyes staring through the cracked glass. A mile away, the massive halogen floodlights of the private airfield cut through the pitch-black night, lighting up the two dark gray transport planes resting on the tarmac.The driver, a young Vanguard scout named Kato, twisted the steering wheel with one hand, slipping the vehicle smoothly into the deep shadows of an abandoned iron hangar. He reached into the center console, grabbed a glowing digital tablet, and shoved it into Shinjiro's lap."I've been sitting on this airport for two weeks, boss," Kato said, wiping a line of fog off his window. "I got everything."Shinjiro picked up the tablet, the bright blue light from the screen cutting across his scarred face. "Talk to me.""Moretti changes his perimeter guards every six hours," Kato explained, leaning closer. "Midnight, six AM, noon, six PM. The swap takes four minutes flat, and they leave a massive blind spot right by the south fen
Lina leaned against the edge of the metal table, her jaw tight. "The screens are dead, Dom. Somebody's got the whole network blocked. That silver Mercedes vanished into the financial district and we can't trace a single wire."Dominic walked into the room, stepping up behind Sophia's chair. "Then turn 'em off. We're done staring at glass.""But they're buying up our cement suppliers, Dominic," Lina turned around, her voice sharp with anger. "They're erasing their plates. Somebody's freezing us out with a mountain of cash.""Cash needs a guy to carry the bag, Lina," Dominic said, resting his heavy hands on the back of Sophia's chair. "A real man drives that car. A real man signs those contracts. We stop hunting the numbers and we go hunt the flesh."The heavy steel door groaned open, and Hugo stepped inside, shaking the rain off his shoulders."What's the play, Dom?" Hugo asked, unbuttoning his dark coat."We throw 'em a rat," Dominic said, looking straight at his enforcer. "I want you
Rain lished the cobblestones of the Old Town. Inside the corner teahouse, steam rose from cheap porcelain cups, mixing with the stench of wet canvas. Alexei sat at the wooden table.Six local gang leaders sat packed around him, sweat coating their foreheads despite the chill. They stared at their t
Bernardo stared at the bank check, his hands shaking so hard the paper rattled. Carmine slowly traced the fresh black ink with his thumb, while Sal let out a long, shaky breath."This amount... it’s enough to buy an island, Dominic," Bernardo whispered, his voice cracking. "You really just handing
Rain lashed the tin roof of the abandoned clock tower.Hugo crouched in the shadows, his massive hands gripping an old mechanical camera. Next to him, an Iron Anchor dockworker huddled in a soaked canvas jacket."Look down the alley," the worker whispered. "Right by the iron gate."Hugo raised the
Alexei slammed his fist onto the table. Glass shattered against the brick wall with a deafening crash, showering the floorboards.The union boss stood there breathing heavily, glaring at the scattered termination letters."Every supplier is dumping the East Pier," Alexei spat, his voice tight.His







