CHAPTER 143

The following morning brought a sense of urgency that hung thick in the air. Jessica, Phillip, Clara, and Greene gathered around the conference table in the operations base, the remnants of the previous night’s work scattered across the surface—printed reports, charts, and highlighted documents. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, illuminating the tension in the room, a stark contrast to the dark undertones of their discussion.

“We need to act fast,” Phillip said, his voice steady but firm as he laid out the plan. “Clara, can you present the findings you uncovered last night?”

Clara nodded, flipping her laptop open and connecting it to the projector. The screen flickered to life, displaying a series of graphs and spreadsheets detailing the financial transactions they had discovered. “As you can see, these transactions between Martinez and Lane’s offshore accounts are significant. They’re using a shell corporation, Phoenix Global, as a front for illegal arms dealing. If we can