Puff—
Donald, with a long blade lodged in his head, slowly collapsed to the ground.
His eyes remained wide open, frozen in a lifeless stare.
Yet, the remote projection device continued running steadily, maintained by automated systems.
"This... this is impossible!"
"Donald was assassinated in the headquarters conference room?"
"Check everything—now! Who managed to breach our most secure location?!"
"Activate maximum alert! Mobilize all units!"
In a hidden conference room elsewhere, the old men viewing the projection of Donald's death immediately tensed.
Although Militech primarily focused on personal weaponry, military vehicles, and equipment, its reach also extended to security, surveillance, and a dominant stake in the mercenary market.
The assassination of the Militech CEO, right inside their own headquarters, would have devastating implications for their market value once it became public knowledge.
The board's orders were instantly relayed back to the headquarters.
Within moments, the entire industrial complex was in chaos.
Armored units, elite troops, attack choppers, and tactical vehicles swarmed toward the central tower.
Meanwhile, inside the top-floor office, a man disguised as a security guard casually stepped forward and smashed the projection device, severing the live feed.
Then, he slowly approached Donald's corpse.
Gurgle...
A grotesque squelching sound echoed as the man's features morphed—his appearance shifting into a tall, handsome Eastern man.
It was Lin Carter.
"Made it just in time," Lin muttered, pulling the claw-like blade from Donald's skull.
He'd learned from his infiltration the day prior that Kansas had sent a video directly to Donald—footage that could easily jeopardize him.
So before dawn, Lin had booked a flight to Washington under a false identity.
Utilizing the powers of the Blacklight Virus, he infiltrated Militech HQ undetected.
Honestly, the shapeshifting and stealth abilities granted by the virus were borderline unfair in this world.
As long as no one requested personal identity validation, it was nearly impossible to expose him.
He eliminated and absorbed several guards across different levels of the building and eventually gained access to the executive conference room.
Once Donald prepared to leak the footage—stab—problem solved.
But Lin wasn't ready to leave just yet.
He didn't come all the way to Militech HQ just to assassinate Donald...
"Team A, reporting in position!"
"Team B, ready for breach!"
Whirr! Boom!
The noise outside intensified—choppers circling, vehicles revving, and combat boots storming up stairwells.
But Lin, the very man who caused the chaos, remained cool and unshaken.
He casually hacked into Militech's internal comms system, then sauntered over to the executive wine cabinet.
He pulled out a bottle worth tens of thousands of euros, poured himself a glass, and walked to the window.
A new connection blinked to life on the conference room's communication panel.
Caller: Lisa Hartman.
"Mr. Donald, I didn't expect—wait... Lin? Lin Carter?!"
Lisa stared at the feed, stunned.
She double-checked the source tag: [Militech Central Conference Room]
It was correct. But why was Lin there?
"Good evening, Lisa," Lin said, raising his glass. "Recognize the room?"
Lisa's brow furrowed. As one of Arasaka's executive strategists, she'd only seen that conference room on confidential calls—but it was unmistakable.
Could it be… Lin switched sides?
Her blood ran cold.
Not only was Lin a shareholder of Arasaka, but if he defected to Militech—their fiercest rival—it could prove catastrophic.
"How could you betray us, Lin?" Lisa said sharply. "You've turned on me, on Harlan, and on the entire Arasaka board!"
"Whoa, whoa. Chill." Lin cut her off, rolling his eyes. "Let me show you something."
He turned the conference camera toward Donald's corpse on the floor.
Lisa blinked. Then froze.
That unmistakable face—
"Donald... you killed Donald?!"
"Yep."
Johnny Silver, now leaning against the balcony rail, let out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be damned. You just straight-up offed the Militech top dog."
He smirked. "What's next? Blow up the stock market?"
Lin ignored him, sipping his wine.
Lisa snapped back to attention. "Lin, you... you need extraction?"
"Exactly. Mind calling in your Arasaka team?"
"I'll handle it. Hang tight," Lisa replied, snapping into action.
As the call ended, Lin cracked his knuckles.
He synchronized a hijacked drone feed with the conference room display.
Johnny shook his head. "You really think you're walking out of here alive?"
"I don't just think it—I know it," Lin grinned.
"Let's just say... I have a plan."
"You're insane," Johnny said flatly. "But hey, maybe insanity's what it takes."
Soon, the drone feed synced successfully, just as another call came through.
This time, three people appeared on screen: Lisa again, joined by a middle-aged man and a silver-haired elder.
The man introduced himself: "Good evening, Mr. Lin. I'm Mitchell Sanders. It seems your situation is... urgent. Let's get straight to the point."
Lin nodded. "Nothing major. Just a minor development."
"I killed Donald. You might wanna call your brokers and dump Militech stock."
The three on the other end blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
"Oh, and don't forget to buy firecrackers," Lin added with a sly grin.
Then he turned, kicked open the shattered windowpane, and leaped out of the top-floor conference room—hundreds of meters above the ground.
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Advance chapter in PATREON
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