Chapter 36: The Weakest Link

Ethan Carter was reviewing the intercepted communication logs in his office when a message from Jessica came through his private line. The data fragments from the false endpoints had just been decrypted, yielding new leads. Among them was a coded conversation implicating Thomas Ng in transactions far deeper than previously suspected. It wasn't just gambling debts—Ng had ties to a high-level operative within the shadow network, someone referred to only as "The Broker."

Ethan's eyes narrowed as he absorbed the information. If "The Broker" was the brains behind the shadow network's operations, then Ng was the closest link to pulling him into the light. Ethan didn't need to destroy Ng—he needed to use him. Carefully.