Location: A quiet restaurant in New YorkTime: 7:30 PM
Aiden wondered if coming here was the right choice.
He still had a journalist's instincts—but the incident this afternoon had left him shaken.
"Is this really a story worth dying for?"
As he sank into thought, the door opened.
Vincent Kang stepped in, followed closely by Angie. Aiden straightened his posture instinctively as they approached.
Vincent remained expressionless as he sat across from him. Angie casually poured wine and quipped,
"Hey, Mr. Journalist. Rough day? Bet you almost died."
Aiden offered a bitter smile.
"So it wasn't one of you who called the cops?"
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"You dragged the police into this. It nearly got messier than it needed to."
Aiden laughed faintly.
"But your pal Feynman was watching me, wasn't he?"
Angie sipped her wine, muttering,
"That's just Feynman being too damn curious."
Aiden locked eyes with Vincent.
"Who are you?"
Vincent said nothing, staring back. He'd expected this question. He had an answer ready—but Angie spoke first.
"It doesn't matter who he is. What do you want?"
Silence fell for a moment. Then Aiden finally said,
"I want to expose Dominic Scott. But I don't have enough. Not yet."
Vincent lifted his wine glass calmly.
"So you're saying you want to join us?"
Aiden nodded firmly.
"I don't know who you are, but it's clear you're fighting Dominic. And you know far more than I do."
Angie glanced at Vincent with a smirk.
"Looks like you're recruiting a journalist now."
Vincent considered his options.
Aiden was risking his life to dig into Dominic. He might know things they didn't. That made him useful.
Finally, Vincent spoke.
"Fine. But you'd better understand something."
He looked Aiden dead in the eye.
"We're not whistleblowers. This fight—might be more than you can handle."
Aiden chuckled softly.
"You think I came here without knowing that?"
Location: Feynman's hideoutTime: 9:00 PM
"Hmm. Just as expected."
Feynman raised an eyebrow, watching his monitors. He'd been tracking Aiden and Vincent's meeting from the beginning.
Dominic's PMC agents were still watching Aiden.
Which meant Dominic would act soon.
"If Aiden joins us, his network could be a real asset."
He knew full well—media could be just as powerful as code.
He shut his laptop with a grin.
"Alright, time for us to prep too."
He sent a quick message:
Feynman: "So? Had fun with our new journalist?"Vincent: "He's not a journalist anymore. He's an ally."Feynman: "Shit. That's serious."Vincent: "Get ready. Dominic's about to move."
Location: PMC Base, Gabriel's briefing roomTime: 10:30 PM
Gabriel finished the strategy briefing and scanned the room. His new PMC team—former special forces, battle-hardened and focused.
He knew Dominic wasn't just issuing a warning anymore.
This next phase would be an attack.
He muttered under his breath,
"They're all tough bastards. But Vincent won't go down easy."
He looked back at the operation map.
"Next step—put real pressure on them."
He smirked.
"And the first target… is Aiden Blake."
*****
The Hunter and the Hunted
Location: PMC Base, Gabriel's operation roomTime: 11:00 PM
Gabriel stood alone, staring at the screens.
New intelligence streamed in from Dominic:
Aiden Blake – Reporter, currently in contact with Vincent Kang
Vincent Kang – Ex-special forces, confirmed Red Eagles operative
Feynman – Anonymous hacker, cyberterror record
Angie – Master of disguise, multiple fake IDs
He smiled coldly.
"Let's begin for real."
Emily walked up beside him.
"The plan's simple. We leak the intel—let them think Aiden's the first target."
Gabriel nodded, flipping through documents:
Leak the hit order on Aiden
Let Vincent's team move to protect him
Strike them mid-action
"Let's make Vincent move first."
Location: Feynman's hideoutTime: 1:00 AM
Feynman typed across three screens.
He was monitoring Dominic's PMC chatter. But something felt… off.
"Huh. That's too clean."
A document showed "Eliminate Aiden Blake"
PMC troops were moving—but too visibly
"This is bait."
He pinged Vincent immediately.
Feynman: "Something smells fishy."Vincent: "Explain."Feynman: "They want us to see them moving. It's too obvious."Vincent: "So they're drawing us out…"
Vincent paused.
Maybe they could reverse the trap.
Location: New York outskirts, warehouse districtTime: 2:00 PM
Vincent hid in the shadows, watching the approaching PMC squad.
They looked like they were searching for Aiden—but this was a setup.
Gabriel was leading them, waiting for Vincent to act.
But Vincent had no intention of taking the bait.
He spoke quietly into his mic:
Aiden: "You're using me as bait, aren't you?"Vincent: "If your info can hurt Dominic, you're bait whether you like it or not."Aiden: "...Guess that's the job."
Just then—movement.
Vincent heard a familiar voice.
"Vincent Kang. Got you now."
Gabriel emerged.
Location: Inside the warehouseTime: 2:10 PM
Surrounded by PMC troops, Vincent stood with his back to the wall.
Gabriel smirked.
"Didn't think you'd be this easy to catch."
Vincent returned the smirk.
"I'm not here to get caught. I'm here to catch you."
BOOM!
A blast erupted from the opposite side. The PMC troops flinched.
"Shit—what was that?!"
Vincent rolled a small smoke grenade across the floor.
"Isn't this the part where you say 'fight like a man'?"
Gabriel frowned.
"What?"
"Fighting fair is for the weak."
Smoke filled the room. Chaos.
Vincent sprinted for the window—dove through, bullets flying.
"Surviving matters more than honor."
Gabriel clenched his fists.
"Damn it…"
Location: Outside the warehouseTime: 2:10 PM
Gabriel watched Vincent leap out the window.
His words echoed:
"Surviving matters more than honor."
Gabriel grabbed his radio.
Gabriel: "Target on the run. Prep the cars."PMC: "SUVs are ready. Helo too."Gabriel: "Intercept before he gets to the vehicle."
He landed hard and saw a black sedan waiting.
Angie shouted from the driver's seat.
"You're late! Get in!"
Bullets cracked the air as PMC vehicles closed in.
Vincent fired back, leapt into the car.
Vincent: "Drive!"Angie: "I'm already moving!"
Car Chase Begins
SUVs roared to life. Heavily armed, reinforced, and fast.
Angie: "They're really trying to kill us."Vincent: "Take the alleys. Narrower paths slow them down."
They swerved into tight residential roads.
One SUV clipped a barrier and fell behind.
Another kept up—too close.
Vincent: "They're about to fire."Angie: "Then hold on tight."
She jerked the wheel, forcing them too close for clean shots.
PMC: "Too close—we can't get a clear shot!"
Vincent leaned out, gun raised.
"Focus…"
BANG. BANG.
A direct hit to the tires.
One SUV spun out—slammed into a tree.
Gabriel (on comms): "Idiots!"
But the second vehicle was still behind.
Highway On-Ramp
PMC: "They're on the ramp. Block the exit."Angie: "We'll get boxed in."Vincent: "Then we jump before it happens."
Vincent pulled a remote detonator from his bag.
Angie: "You're kidding me."Vincent: "Nope."
He lobbed a small bomb onto the chasing SUV.
CLUNK. It stuck.
BOOM!
The SUV exploded in flames.
Angie grinned.
"That's how we do things."
Vincent exhaled.
"Don't get cocky. Gabriel's still out there."