The crowd was in an uproar, the tension palpable in the air.Whispers rippled through the sea of people, their eyes darting between James and Senator Richard Hayward. James stood at the center of the stage, the documents he’d exposed still flickering on the screen for all to see. They were damning, clear evidence of Hayward’s deep involvement with the Syndicate. The air crackled with disbelief, the public shocked to their core by the revelation.But Hayward, ever the politician, was not about to go down without a fight. He straightened his posture, forced a smile, and raised a hand to silence the crowd. The man had lost none of his composure, his voice still carrying an air of arrogance as he addressed the growing chaos."Everyone, please, calm down," he said smoothly, his voice loud and commanding. "This is a misunderstanding, a malicious smear campaign, engineered by none other than Mr. Reed himself."James’s eyes never left Hayward, his expression cold, unwavering. He knew wh

James stood at the edge of the underground arena, watching as the crowd roared with excitement. This was no ordinary fight—it was a battleground where Syndicate leaders placed their bets, watched in silence, and reveled in the violence. Here, survival was the only rule. And James was about to make his presence felt.His eyes locked onto the center of the arena, where a hulking figure stood, muscles rippling beneath his dark, tattooed skin. The Executioner. The Syndicate’s top fighter. He was a legend among the criminal underworld, feared by even the most hardened of men. And tonight, he would face James Black.“Is this really the fight you want, James?” Kael’s voice cut through the noise, his tone laced with concern. “The Executioner is no joke. You’ve seen the footage. He’s killed men in seconds.”James didn’t flinch, his gaze unwavering as he surveyed the arena. “I didn’t come here to play games. The Syndicate needs to know that there are consequences for what they’ve done.”Winter

James sat in his study, the flickering screen illuminating the hardened lines of his face.On the monitor, Zhao’s smirk filled every corner of the frame, a reminder that the Syndicate’s reach was limitless.Behind Zhao, Syndicate operatives were shown infiltrating one of Emily’s most vital factories, moving with surgical precision. The broadcast ended with a chilling threat: surrender within 24 hours, or everything James and Emily had built would burn.“Is this live footage?” Kael asked, eyes riveted on the final frozen image of the Syndicate operatives.“Yes,” James replied evenly. “Zhao wants us to watch every second.”“Then he’s taunting us,” Winter interjected. “He knows we won’t just stand by.”Emily paced the room, fingers trembling around the phone clutched in her hand. “He’s not bluffing, James. My people are texting me in real time—they’re seeing unknown personnel breach the loading docks.”“We have 24 hours,” James said quietly. “He wants a total surrender, or he’ll destroy

They clashed, fists meeting flesh in a blur of movement.James drove a punch into Marcus’s ribs, feeling resistance like iron.Marcus retaliated with a well-placed kick, sending James staggering back.“I expected more,” Marcus taunted, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip.James steadied himself.“Don’t worry, I’m just warming up.”Marcus feinted left and aimed a strike at James’s jaw. James caught Marcus’s arm, twisting it behind the captain’s back.The Syndicate fighter grimaced but stomped down on James’s foot, causing him to release the hold.“Not bad,” Marcus admitted through gritted teeth.James circled, inhaling the searing air.Sweat beaded on his forehead.“This ends now.”In one swift motion, James closed the distance, slamming an elbow into Marcus’s solar plexus.Marcus gasped, staggering.James followed with a roundhouse punch that sent him crashing into a row of smoldering crates.Marcus coughed, struggling to rise.“You’re... stronger than I thought.”James stepped clo

Emily squared her shoulders.“I’m not implying anything. I’m stating facts. You, and a few others, have been sending reports to Zhao for months. You’ve shared financial data, production schedules, and more.”The silver-haired woman turned pale.“That’s... that’s impossible.”Emily’s gaze was cold.“I have proof. Bank transactions, messages, even recorded calls.”The older woman slammed her hands on the table.“You’ve been spying on us?”“I have been protecting this company,” Emily said.“James and I suspected there were leaks. We set up traps in our data streams. We traced who accessed sensitive files.”The man who had yelled earlier glared, sweat beading on his forehead.“You have no right to spy on board members!”Emily stared at him.“I have every right to keep my company safe.”A wave of murmurs spread around the table. One board member shook her head in disbelief.“This is bigger than we thought.”Emily pointed to the names on the screen.“These individuals have helped Zhao plan