After escaping the party, Oliver immediately moved toward the Merlyn Group building.
His target was the CEO himself, Malcolm Merlyn.
In Oliver's mind, as one of the major capitalists in the city, Malcolm was deeply tied to the corruption that had rotted it from within. Worse still, before his father's death, subtle hints had suggested Malcolm's connection to the yacht explosion mastermind, a betrayal hidden behind friendship and influence.
Now Malcolm had risen even further, openly aligning himself with Adrian's authoritarian rule, even becoming mayor under that same system of control.
To Oliver, that made him unforgivable.
Malcolm was the first name on his list.
A sharp sound cut through the night.
An alloy arrow struck the building wall and locked into place, its grappling mechanism snapping open.
In his hooded suit, Oliver Queen moved through the darkness, gliding into position with precision.
Once inside the building perimeter, he immediately disabled the power system.
Everything went black.
Emergency systems failed to fully recover the interior lighting, leaving corridors drowned in deep shadow.
Oliver advanced without hesitation. He already knew Malcolm's office location from prior surveillance. Malcolm had been working late nearly every night recently, a routine Oliver had studied carefully.
That pattern was why tonight mattered.
Security teams reacted instantly.
Flashlights cut through the darkness as armed guards moved to intercept him. Footsteps echoed through hallways as multiple units converged.
Oliver did not slow down.
He drew his bow.
The first arrow flew.
The building erupted into chaos.
Gunfire cracked through the dark corridors, followed by shouts and sudden silence as one guard after another dropped out of sight.
Oliver moved like a shadow between structural columns and office walls, never staying in one place long enough to be tracked. Each shot came from an unseen angle, each impact precise.
The security team tried to adapt, sweeping lights in wide arcs, but the darkness worked against them. Every attempt to locate him only exposed them further.
One by one, they fell.
Within minutes, the corridor outside Malcolm's office was cleared.
Oliver stepped forward.
He kicked the door open.
Inside, Malcolm Merlyn stood behind his desk, already aware of what was coming.
Malcolm Merlyn looked up calmly.
"Malcolm Merlyn, you have failed this city," Oliver said in a low, controlled voice.
Malcolm studied him without panic. "And how exactly have I failed it? A new city guardian?"
Oliver tightened his grip on his bow. "You already know what you have done. Every corruption, every hidden crime. Tonight, you will understand the consequences."
Without hesitation, he released the string.
The arrow shot forward like lightning.
It was not aimed to kill, but to disable.
Yet at the last possible moment, Malcolm moved.
The arrow struck the wall behind him instead.
Oliver's eyes narrowed slightly. The distance had been short, the reaction timing nearly impossible under normal conditions.
Malcolm exhaled lightly. "Surprised? Your aim is not as perfect as you believe."
Oliver did not respond.
He drew another arrow immediately.
Malcolm stepped forward first.
The shift in momentum was sudden.
He closed distance in two fast strides, then leapt.
His movement was controlled, trained, and far beyond what Oliver expected from a corporate figure.
Oliver raised his bow to block the incoming strike, but the impact forced him backward.
Malcolm pivoted mid-motion, rotating his body with precise balance, and drove another strike toward Oliver's head.
Oliver barely raised his arm in time to absorb it, but the force still pushed him off balance.
"That power," Oliver muttered under his breath.
He recovered quickly and fired again.
Malcolm dodged.
Again.
Each arrow missed by inches.
Oliver's expression hardened. He had not expected this level of combat ability.
Malcolm advanced again and struck, knocking the bow partially from Oliver's grip before following with a heavy punch to the chest.
Oliver staggered back, pain flashing across his expression.
He steadied himself, breathing controlled, then reached for another arrow.
Malcolm looked at him with faint disappointment. "So this is what years away from civilization created. I expected more."
Oliver narrowed his eyes. "You do not know anything about me."
"I know enough," Malcolm replied. "You were shaped somewhere far from here. A place meant to break men."
Oliver's grip tightened.
Malcolm continued, voice steady. "This city is no longer what you remember. Power defines order now. Adrian's rule proved that. Strength decides everything."
Oliver's expression darkened. "That is not order. That is submission."
He lunged forward.
The fight intensified.
Blade met movement.
Strike met counterstrike.
Oliver shifted tactics, drawing a dagger from his lower back, transitioning from ranged combat to close quarters.
He moved in fast, forcing Malcolm to react defensively.
Their exchange became tighter, more brutal, less about precision and more about survival.
Oliver managed to land a clean cut across Malcolm's chest.
Blood spread across the suit.
Malcolm staggered back, anger rising.
"You are making a mistake," he said coldly. "I know who you are. I know what you will become. And I know what will happen to the people you care about."
Oliver's eyes sharpened instantly.
"My girlfriend," he said sharply. "What did you say?"
Malcolm smiled faintly, despite the injury. "You still have attachments. That will be your weakness."
Before Oliver could press further, the building lights suddenly flared on.
The darkness vanished.
Footsteps flooded the corridors.
A wave of armed military police stormed inside, weapons raised and coordinated.
Oliver clicked his teeth in frustration and moved toward an exit, but a soldier intercepted him immediately.
He struck back, knocking one down, but another hit him hard with a rifle butt to the ribs.
Pain exploded through his side.
He staggered, breath tightening.
Malcolm's voice cut through the chaos.
"This city does not need your justice. It does not need your rebellion. It belongs to order now. And you, you will be buried with the old world you are trying to revive."
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