The Carter estate looked peaceful under the afternoon sun.
Tall trees swayed gently in the wind, and the fountain in the garden produced a soft, rhythmic sound.
But far away on the hill overlooking the estate, frustration was growing.
Inside the parked vehicles, the Black Serpent agents were struggling with their equipment.
"Still nothing?" the team leader asked.
The man working on the communication console shook his head.
"No signal. Satellite uplink is completely blocked."
Another agent frowned.
"That's impossible. We checked the equipment before leaving headquarters."
The leader stared toward the Carter estate.
His instincts told him something was wrong.
"Try switching frequencies."
The technician adjusted the device again.
The screen flickered.
Static filled the monitor.
Then it went completely black.
"No response."
The leader crossed his arms.
"Someone is interfering with us."
One of the men laughed quietly.
"You think the Carter family knows we're here?"
The leader shook his head slowly.
"If they knew, we wouldn't still be sitting here."
He looked toward the mansion again.
"Something else is happening."
Inside the Carter mansion, Bruce Carter stood near his bedroom window.
The signal jammer rested quietly on the desk behind him.
Through the drone camera feed inside his mind, Bruce watched the agents on the hill.
Their confusion was obvious.
Their equipment was useless.
Their communications were down.
Bruce crossed his arms calmly.
"Step one complete."
Cutting their communication forced them to operate blindly.
And blind enemies made mistakes.
Bruce focused on the drone camera again.
He studied the agents carefully.
Their movements.
Their body language.
Their weapons.
Five agents.
All trained.
All experienced.
But not elite.
Bruce's eyes narrowed slightly.
"In my previous life, they wouldn't even qualify as mid-level operatives."
But even average operatives could still cause trouble.
Especially if they managed to enter the estate.
Bruce couldn't allow that.
Not yet.
Not until he was stronger.
Bruce turned away from the window.
He closed his eyes again.
His consciousness slipped back into the space world.
The familiar landscape appeared instantly.
Green fields.
The glowing river.
The towering castle.
Bruce walked quickly toward the castle entrance.
Inside, the system interface activated automatically.
Bruce walked into the archive room again.
The holographic world map appeared above the central console.
The Black Serpent marker still blinked faintly.
Bruce zoomed in on the organisation data.
More information appeared.
Hierarchy.
Operational structure.
Known bases.
Bruce scanned the information carefully.
Then one name caught his attention.
Victor Hale.
Bruce's expression hardened slightly.
"So it's him."
Victor Hale was one of the rising leaders inside Black Serpent.
In Bruce's previous life, that man had eventually become one of the most dangerous figures in the global underworld.
Cold.
Strategic.
Patient.
If Victor Hale was involved in this mission, it meant the situation was more serious than expected.
Bruce leaned against the console.
"So you're the one targeting me."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Bruce closed the archive interface.
Then he walked toward another system console.
The black ring glowed faintly again.
A new system menu appeared.
Defence Systems.
Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds useful."
He opened the menu.
Several options appeared.
Automated drones.
Perimeter sensors.
Security monitoring.
Electronic warfare tools.
Bruce studied the list carefully.
Then he selected a small device.
Micro reconnaissance drones.
Smaller.
Faster.
Harder to detect.
Bruce activated the system.
Three tiny drones appeared beside him.
Each one is no larger than a coin.
Bruce smiled slightly.
"These will work perfectly."
Back in the real world, Bruce opened his eyes.
The small drones rested quietly on the desk beside him.
He activated them.
The tiny machines lifted silently into the air.
Bruce guided them through the open window.
They disappeared into the sky.
Within minutes, the drones reached the hill where the Black Serpent agents were positioned.
Bruce now had multiple camera angles.
He could see everything.
One of the agents slammed his fist against the car door.
"This is ridiculous."
The leader remained calm.
"Relax."
The technician spoke again.
"If the signal doesn't return soon, we may need to relocate."
The leader shook his head.
"No."
He looked toward the Carter estate again.
"We stay."
Another agent frowned.
"Without communication?"
The leader smiled faintly.
"We don't need communication to complete the mission."
Bruce's eyes narrowed.
"So they're planning to move."
That confirmed his suspicion.
The observation phase was ending.
The action phase was coming.
Bruce activated another drone function.
The devices scanned the agents' equipment.
Weapons appeared on the system display.
Two rifles.
Three pistols.
Explosive charges.
Bruce frowned slightly.
"Explosives?"
That complicated things.
An attack on the estate could endanger his family.
Bruce couldn't allow that.
He leaned back in his chair slowly.
His mind began calculating dozens of possibilities.
Confrontation wasn't possible yet.
But disruption was.
Bruce looked at the drone controls again.
Then a new idea appeared.
He selected another device from the system storage.
Portable electromagnetic pulse device.
Bruce smiled faintly.
"Let's see how well your equipment works after this."
On the hill, the Black Serpent agents continued preparing their gear.
The leader looked toward the estate again.
"Tonight."
The others nodded.
But suddenly—
All their equipment shut down.
Screens went dark.
Rifles with electronic optics flickered.
Communication devices died instantly.
"What the hell?"
The technician stared at the console.
"Everything just fried!"
The leader looked around sharply.
"EMP attack."
The other agents looked shocked.
"Who did it?"
The leader stared toward the Carter estate again.
His eyes became serious.
"This mission just became very interesting."
Inside his room, Bruce watched the chaos through the drones.
Their equipment was useless now.
Their plan was delayed again.
Bruce leaned back in his chair.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Let's see how patient you are."
But deep inside his mind, Aron Turner knew something important.
Victor Hale wouldn't give up easily.
This was only the beginning.