Chapter 22 - the black envelope
Caleb did not panic, nor did he scream for his heavily armed corporate guards. Inheriting the terrifyingly cold, calculating composure he had forged through years of survival, he immediately pulled an encrypted tactical sidearm from his mahogany desk.
Hannah moved right beside him, instantly activating the secondary analog security grid. They moved as a flawless, highly lethal unit, entirely prepared to execute any intruder who dared threaten their peace. But the grand hallway remained entirely empty.
Instead, a sleek, heavily encrypted drone hovered silently through the open doorway. It dropped a heavy, wax-sealed black envelope onto the pristine marble floor before instantly self-destructing into a pile of smoking ash.
Caleb approached cautiously, utilizing a specialized thermal scanner to ensure no explosives were present. He broke the ancient wax seal, pulling out a single piece of thick parchment.
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It contained an incredibly precise, horrifyingly detailed map of his highly classified overseas shipping routes, accompanied by a single, chilling sentence. The message demanded he surrender his automated fleet to the Cipher Syndicate immediately, or watch his legacy burn to the ground.
👉 read part 23 to witness the shadow offensive against the empire.
