They don’t trust me.

The dim glow of a single bulb flickered overhead, casting jagged shadows across the cramped, mildew-stained walls of the safehouse. Sweat clung to Bintang’s skin as he peeled off his shirt, tossing it onto the rusted cot. His breathing was shallow, his mind racing. The shredded manifest lay in pieces at his feet.

“They knew I’d come,” he muttered, staring at the remnants. “They wanted me to.”

A sharp beep cut through the silence. The holoscreen crackled to life, static hissing before resolving into the spectral figure of Subianto. His avatar—a stoic Javanese silhouette—hovered in the dim light, unreadable as ever.

“You chased a scripted leak,” Subianto said, his voice as smooth as tempered steel. “Project Dominion isn’t a client—it’s the house. And the house always wins.”