CHAPTER 5 — The Man Everyone Thought Was Dead
Emma clutched the tiny memory chip so tightly her hands began to shake.
She had no idea what was stored inside it.
But judging by the panic spreading through the hospital...
It was worth killing for.
Meanwhile, Ethan fought his way through the attackers despite his injuries.
Every punch, every move, came back to him like instinct.
The years had stolen his memories...
But they hadn't stolen the soldier inside him.
Victor Kane watched with an amused smile.
"I trained you myself, Captain."
"And I also taught you one lesson..."
"No man can outrun his past."
Ethan glared at him.
"You murdered my team."
Victor shrugged.
"They were expendable."
Before Ethan could attack again, a sniper's laser appeared on his chest.
Then another.
And another.
Red dots covered him from every direction.
Victor chuckled.
"It's over."
"Drop to your knees."
Ethan slowly raised his hands.
For a brief second...
It looked like he had surrendered.
Then the hospital's power suddenly went out.
The entire building plunged into darkness.
Gunshots echoed through the corridors.
Screams filled the air.
When the emergency lights finally flickered back on...
Victor's men were unconscious.
The sniper teams had vanished.
Standing at the end of the hallway was a tall man dressed in black tactical gear.
His face was hidden beneath a mask.
He calmly lowered his rifle.
Victor's smile disappeared instantly.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
Ethan stared at the stranger.
Something about the way he stood...
The way he held his weapon...
Felt strangely familiar.
The masked man removed his helmet.
Every person in the hallway gasped.
It was Major Daniel Brooks...
Ethan's closest friend.
The man whose funeral Ethan himself had attended eight years ago.
Victor staggered backward.
"You died in the explosion!"
Daniel smiled coldly.
"That's exactly what I wanted you to believe."
He tossed Ethan another encrypted drive.
"The chip Lily carried is only half of the evidence."
"This contains the names."
"The judges."
"The senators."
"The generals."
"The billionaires."
"They're all connected."
Ethan looked at the drive in disbelief.
"How many people are involved?"
Daniel answered with one chilling sentence.
"Not dozens..."
"Hundreds."
Before anyone could react, Victor quietly pressed a hidden button inside his watch.
Thousands of miles away...
A satellite changed its target.
On a secure military monitor, a countdown began.
SELF-DESTRUCT PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
TARGET: PROJECT PHOENIX EVIDENCE
TIME REMAINING: 59:59
Daniel's face turned white.
"If that countdown reaches zero..."
"Every piece of evidence disappears..."
"And every witness..."
"You, Emma, Lily... and me..."
May you like
"Will be erased forever."
TO BE CONTINUED...
