The night air over the Carter estate was quiet.
Too quiet.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting pale silver light across the gardens and tall outer walls.
Security lights illuminated the pathways, while armed guards continued their regular patrol routes.
To anyone observing from outside, the estate appeared perfectly secure.
But on the hill overlooking the property, five men dressed in dark tactical clothing moved silently through the trees.
The Black Serpent agents had begun their infiltration.
Their leader crouched behind a large rock, studying the estate through binoculars.
"All right," he whispered.
"Final check."
The men gathered around him.
"Communication devices are dead," one agent said.
"Electronic optics are offline," another added.
The leader nodded calmly.
"Then we operate the old way."
He unfolded a simple map of the Carter estate.
"Entry point here."
He pointed toward the northern wall.
"Blind spot between patrol rotations."
One of the agents frowned.
"You sure?"
The leader nodded.
"Watched it for two days."
Another man asked quietly,
"And the target?"
"Bruce Carter."
The leader's voice remained cold.
"Ten-year-old boy."
One of the agents smirked.
"This will be easy."
The leader looked at him sharply.
"Never underestimate a mission."
The man shrugged.
"It's just a kid."
The leader folded the map.
"We move."
The five figures slipped silently down the hill.
Inside the Carter mansion, Bruce Carter sat calmly at his desk.
The drone feed inside his mind displayed the approaching agents.
Every step.
Every movement.
Every weapon.
Bruce's eyes remained focused.
"They're entering."
He quickly studied their path.
Northern wall.
Exactly where the patrol gap existed.
Bruce nodded slightly.
"Good observation."
But the agents didn't realise something important.
Bruce had already seen the same patrol pattern earlier.
And he had already adjusted the situation.
Through the drone camera, Bruce watched the agents reach the wall.
One of them pulled out a grappling hook.
He threw it upward.
The hook caught the top of the wall silently.
Another agent climbed first.
Then another.
Within seconds, all five men had crossed into the Carter estate.
Bruce leaned back in his chair.
"Step one complete."
The agents crouched inside the garden trees.
Their leader studied the mansion.
"Spread out."
Two agents moved toward the side garden.
Two others approached the back of the mansion.
The leader moved alone.
Straight toward Bruce's room.
Bruce noticed the change instantly.
"So you're coming personally."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Bruce opened the system interface again.
The black ring on his finger glowed faintly.
Inside the space world, a small container appeared.
Bruce selected a device from inside.
A compact sleep gas capsule.
Non-lethal.
But extremely effective.
Bruce returned to the real world.
The capsule appeared in his hand.
He walked quietly toward the hallway.
His movements were completely silent.
Years of underworld experience had trained Aron Turner to move like a shadow.
Bruce stopped near the staircase.
He listened carefully.
Footsteps.
Soft.
Careful.
One of the agents had already entered through a side window.
Bruce waited.
Three seconds.
Five seconds.
Then the man stepped into the hallway.
The agent froze.
He saw a small boy standing calmly at the end of the corridor.
Bruce Carter.
The target.
The man frowned slightly.
This wasn't what he expected.
The boy looked… calm.
Too calm.
Bruce tilted his head slightly.
"You're late."
The agent's eyes widened.
"What?"
Bruce rolled the capsule across the floor.
The small device released a silent burst of gas.
Within seconds, the agent staggered.
"What the—"
His vision blurred.
His knees collapsed.
The man fell unconscious on the floor.
Bruce caught him before his body hit the ground loudly.
"Good night."
Bruce dragged the unconscious man into a nearby storage room.
He closed the door quietly.
One down.
Four remaining.
Bruce returned to the hallway.
The drone cameras inside his mind tracked the other agents.
Two were approaching the back entrance.
One was climbing toward the balcony.
And the leader…
The leader was still moving toward Bruce's room.
Bruce smiled slightly.
"You really want to meet me."
He walked calmly back toward his bedroom.
Outside the mansion, the remaining agents moved through the shadows.
One of them whispered through a hand signal.
Something was wrong.
Their teammate had disappeared.
The leader noticed it too.
He frowned slightly.
Then he looked toward the mansion windows.
Someone inside had interfered.
The mission had changed.
The leader raised his hand.
New signal.
Speed up.
Inside his bedroom, Bruce sat calmly near the window again.
The drone feed displayed every movement outside.
Three agents are approaching the house.
The leader is climbing the balcony.
Bruce leaned back slightly.
"So impatient."
He picked up another capsule from the system storage.
This time…
A stronger one.
Bruce stood up.
His eyes were calm.
Cold.
Focused.
In his previous life, Aron Turner had faced far more dangerous enemies.
Tonight's opponents were barely a warm-up.
Bruce opened the balcony door quietly.
Cold night air entered the room.
He stepped outside.
The leader had just reached the balcony railing.
For the first time, the two of them saw each other clearly.
The man stared at the small boy standing there.
"You're Bruce Carter."
Bruce nodded.
"That's me."
The man's eyes narrowed.
"You knew we were coming."
Bruce smiled faintly.
"You took too long."
The agent raised his weapon.
But before he could aim—
Bruce tossed the capsule.
Gas exploded between them.
The man tried to step back.
Too late.
His vision spun.
The weapon dropped from his hand.
Within seconds, he collapsed.
Bruce caught him quietly before he fell.
Two down.
Three remaining.
Bruce dragged the unconscious man inside.
He closed the balcony door again.
Bruce looked at the drone feed.
The other agents had reached the garden entrance.
Bruce cracked his knuckles slightly.
"Let's finish this."