Chapter 49: Into the Abyss

The aftermath of the Nexus compound's destruction was barely settling when Ethan Carter reconvened his core team in Zenith Tower's war room. The message extracted from Project Echelon's files hung heavy in the air: "You've won this battle, but the war is far from over." It wasn't bravado—it was a calculated promise. Somewhere out there, the remnants of the shadow network were regrouping, preparing to strike back. And they wouldn't wait long.

Ethan stood at the head of the room, his figure framed by the dim light of the holographic display that showed a vast map of northern Canada, now centered on the obliterated Nexus compound. The snow-covered landscape had been a fortress of shadows. Now it was nothing more than a charred scar on the Earth, but it hadn't given up all its secrets.