The Fall Into Darkness
The failed ambush had only emboldened Jiang Han's enemies. The mercenaries had come close—too close—to taking him out, but the Aegis Sentinel Corps had intervened in time. Still, something about the attack gnawed at Jiang's instincts. The way the mercenaries retreated felt too controlled, too precise.
This wasn't a retreat. It was a recalibration.
And Jiang Han knew one thing with certainty: they would come again.
But this time, they would make sure they succeeded.
---
It had been two days since the attack, and in that time, the Aegis Sentinel Corps had reinforced security across all critical areas. Colonel Yusof had ordered 24-hour surveillance on Jiang Han and Mikhail Darmawan, rotating security details to ensure there were no weak spots.
Yet, despite the heightened precautions, Jiang couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
He stood in his office, gazing at the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Seladang City was deceptively peaceful at night, its skyline glowing under the moonlight. But beneath that façade, the city was still reeling from the downfall of the Apex Circle.
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
Mikhail entered a frown on his face. "Adrian just finished decrypting the intel we recovered from the last ambush. You need to see this."
Jiang turned, his expression unreadable. "What did he find?"
Mikhail exhaled sharply, tossing a tablet onto the desk. The screen displayed a series of encrypted messages, recently intercepted.
"They weren't trying to kill us that night," Mikhail said. "It was a test. A way to gauge our defences, our response time."
Jiang picked up the tablet and scanned the text. The messages detailed precise observations about Aegis Sentinel Corps' deployment patterns, Jiang's security rotations, and potential vulnerabilities.
"They were studying us," Jiang murmured.
Mikhail nodded grimly. "And now that they have the data, they'll move again. But this time, they won't fail."
Jiang set the tablet down, his jaw tightening. "Then we don't give them the opportunity."
---
The attack came faster than expected.
Jiang Han had insisted on continuing his daily operations as usual, not wanting to show weakness. It was a calculated risk, one that he believed would prevent unnecessary panic within the Corps.
That night, he was en route to a secure facility outside Seladang City, accompanied by an armoured convoy. The route had been cleared in advance, all vehicles checked, every security measure accounted for.
And still, they struck.
The first explosion hit just as they entered a deserted stretch of road through the industrial zone. A deafening blast rocked the convoy, flipping the lead vehicle onto its side. Smoke and fire filled the air as chaos erupted.
"AMBUSH!"
The warning came through the comms as gunfire erupted from the shadows. Jiang's vehicle swerved violently as his driver struggled to regain control. But before they could react further, a second explosion sent them careening into a barricade.
The impact rattled Jiang's skull as the car crunched against metal. He barely had time to recover before the doors were ripped open and masked figures swarmed in.
Jiang fought back, landing a vicious elbow into one attacker's throat while grabbing another by the wrist and twisting hard. Bones cracked, and the man screamed, but before Jiang could react further, something struck him hard in the ribs—then another blow to his temple.
Dizziness overtook him.
A blur of movement. Gunfire. The distant shouts of his men trying to hold the line.
And then—
Darkness.
---
The world returned in fragments.
A throbbing pain in his skull. The metallic taste of blood in his mouth. The faint hum of an engine beneath him.
Jiang forced his eyes open, blinking against the dim light. He was in the back of a moving vehicle, his hands bound behind his back, his ankles shackled. His head pounded, and he realised they had drugged him—just enough to weaken him without knocking him out entirely.
Across from him sat a man he didn't recognise. Dressed in tactical gear, his expression was unreadable.
"You made this harder than it needed to be," the man said, his voice even. "But in the end, we got what we came for."
Jiang ignored the pain and focused on his surroundings. The vehicle was heavily reinforced—likely a military-grade transport. The windows were blacked out, and there was no way to tell how long they had been driving.
"Who sent you?" Jiang asked, his voice hoarse.
The man smirked. "You already know the answer."
Jiang held his gaze. "If you were going to kill me, you'd have done it already."
The man tilted his head slightly. "True."
Silence stretched between them. Then, the man leaned forward.
"You're valuable, Jiang Han. Too valuable to waste. Our employers have plans for you."
Jiang's jaw clenched. "I don't cooperate."
The man chuckled. "You will."
The vehicle slowed, and Jiang braced himself as they came to a stop.
The doors opened, and harsh fluorescent light flooded in.
Four armed men waited outside, their weapons trained on him.
Jiang was dragged out of the vehicle and forced onto his knees. His surroundings were industrial—an abandoned warehouse, maybe. But something felt different.
This wasn't just a holding cell.
This was a staging ground.
For something far worse.
---
At Aegis Sentinel Corps headquarters, the air was thick with urgency.
Colonel Yusof stood at the centre of the command room, his voice cutting through the tension.
"We've lost contact with Jiang's convoy."
The room fell silent.
Mikhail clenched his fists. "What do you mean 'lost contact'?"
Adrian's expression was grim. "No signal. No GPS. No distress beacon. It's like they vanished."
Sophia Liew was already working at her station, pulling up surveillance feeds. "I'm scanning all traffic data within a 50-kilometre radius of the last known location. But if they've planned this right, they'll be using countermeasures."
Mikhail slammed a fist against the table. "We should've seen this coming."
Colonel Yusof's voice was firm. "What matters now is getting him back."
He turned to the assembled leaders of the Corps. "We mobilise every resource. Intelligence, Security, Bodyguards—I want every division working to track his location. They caught us off guard once. It won't happen again."
Mikhail's eyes burned with fury. "We find them." He turned to Adrian. "And when we do, we burn them to the ground."
Adrian nodded. "Agreed."
Sophia's fingers flew over her keyboard. "Give me a few hours. I'll find them."
Colonel Yusof exhaled slowly, then looked at the room. "We don't stop. We don't sleep. Not until Jiang Han is home."
---
Jiang sat in the cold steel chair, his breathing steady despite the pain.
The warehouse was silent, save for the occasional murmur of his captors.
He didn't know how long it would take, but he knew one thing with certainty.
His people would come.
And when they did—
He would be ready.
To be continued…