Ethan:
The room was dim, lit only by a long strip of yellow light that cut across the table like a blade. Papers were spread everywhere—maps, photographs, weapon layouts, entry points, exit routes. The air itself felt heavy, like it was already carrying the weight of what was about to happen.
Ethan stood at the head of the table, his black shirt slightly unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled just enough to show the tension in his arms. His expression was calm—but not soft. Focused. Cold. Controlled.
Luca leaned against the edge of the table, arms crossed, eyes scanning the documents, while Kai stood on the other side with a tablet in his hand, pulling up surveillance images.
"The target," Kai said, tapping the screen lightly, "is Viktor Dragunov."
The name settled in the room like something poisonous.
Ethan's gaze didn't shift.
He already knew.
But hearing it again—
Made everything sharper.
---
Viktor Dragunov.
A man who didn't just deal in illegal trades—
He built empires out of destruction.
Drugs.
Arms.
Human trafficking.
Every piece of his network was rooted in something rotten.
And worse—
He didn't hide it.
He thrived in it.
---
Kai slid a photo forward.
A man in his late forties.
Sharp features.
Cold eyes.
The kind that didn't blink when making decisions.
---
"He's currently operating from this location," Kai continued, switching the screen.
An image appeared.
An old factory.
Abandoned.
Rust covering its exterior, broken windows, shattered walls.
---
"Not used for years," Luca muttered.
Kai nodded.
"Which makes it perfect."
---
Ethan finally moved.
Stepping closer to the table.
His fingers resting on the edge as his eyes studied the layout.
---
"Three entry points," he said quietly.
Kai nodded again.
"Front gate—heavily guarded."
"Side entrance—partially blocked, but accessible."
"Back loading area—least guarded, but monitored."
---
Ethan's jaw tightened slightly.
"…And inside?"
Kai zoomed in.
"Main floor is open. Old machinery still there. Visibility is low because of structural damage."
"Second level—overlook. Snipers."
"Basement—unknown activity. Possibly storage or holding area."
---
Luca exhaled slowly.
"…So it's a trap."
---
Ethan's lips curved faintly.
"Of course it is."
---
Silence followed.
But it wasn't hesitation.
It was calculation.
---
Ethan straightened slightly.
His voice calm.
Clear.
---
"We split into three units."
---
Kai and Luca both looked at him.
---
"Unit one—front," Ethan continued. "Create noise. Draw attention."
Luca nodded slightly.
"I'll take that."
---
Ethan glanced at him.
"No."
Luca frowned.
"…Why?"
---
"Because I need you alive longer than five minutes," Ethan replied flatly.
---
Kai let out a quiet breath, hiding a smirk.
---
Ethan continued.
"Kai, you lead the front."
Kai nodded immediately.
"Understood."
---
"Unit two—side entrance," Ethan said, pointing to the map. "Silent entry. Clear path."
Luca straightened.
"That's mine."
---
Ethan looked at him for a second.
Then nodded.
"Don't rush."
Luca scoffed lightly.
"You say that every time."
---
Ethan ignored that.
---
"Unit three," he said.
His voice dropped slightly.
"I go through the back."
---
Both Luca and Kai looked at him.
---
"Alone?" Luca asked.
---
"Yes."
---
"That's stupid," Luca replied immediately.
---
Ethan's eyes flicked to him.
Cold.
Sharp.
---
"It's efficient."
---
Luca pushed himself off the table.
"Or suicidal."
---
Ethan didn't react.
---
"Viktor will be expecting an attack," he said. "But he won't expect precision."
---
Kai stepped in.
"He'll have guards on rotation. At least twenty inside. Maybe more."
---
Ethan nodded.
"I don't need all of them."
---
A pause.
---
"I just need him."
---
Silence filled the room again.
---
Because they all understood what that meant.
---
This wasn't just an attack.
This was execution.
---
Ethan picked up a marker.
Drawing quick lines across the map.
---
"Timing," he said.
"Front attack begins first. Loud. Aggressive."
Kai nodded.
"Draw their attention."
---
"Side enters thirty seconds later," Ethan continued. "Clear path to second level. Take out snipers."
Luca cracked his neck slightly.
"Done."
---
"Back entry," Ethan said, circling the loading area.
"I move in during the chaos."
---
Kai leaned forward.
"…And Viktor?"
---
Ethan's eyes darkened slightly.
---
"He won't run."
---
Luca frowned.
"…You're sure?"
---
Ethan nodded once.
"Men like him don't run."
---
A pause.
---
"They wait."
---
The weight of that statement lingered.
---
Kai spoke again.
"What about extraction?"
---
Ethan didn't hesitate.
"No extraction."
---
Luca looked at him sharply.
"…Ethan."
---
"We finish it there," Ethan said. "No loose ends."
---
Silence.
---
Because they all knew what that meant.
---
Everything.
Destroyed.
Burned.
Erased.
---
Kai nodded slowly.
"I'll prepare the explosives."
---
Luca exhaled.
"…You really plan to erase the entire place."
---
Ethan's voice was calm.
Almost emotionless.
---
"He built his empire there."
---
A pause.
---
"So he can be buried with it."
---
The room fell silent again.
---
Then—
Ethan stepped back.
---
"Tomorrow," he said.
---
Kai straightened.
Luca rolled his shoulders.
---
Everything was set.
---
But as Ethan turned slightly—
His mind flickered.
---
A face.
A voice.
---
Yuna.
---
His jaw tightened just slightly.
---
He had told her—
Three to four days.
---
And he would keep that promise.
---
Because by tomorrow—
It would be over.
---
One way or another.
The silence that followed his last words wasn't empty—
It was heavy with understanding.
Everyone in that room knew exactly what tomorrow meant.
Not just another operation.
Not just another target.
---
This was war.
---
Ethan's fingers tapped once against the table before he straightened fully, his posture returning to that calm, untouchable composure he carried like armor.
"Security layers," he said suddenly, shifting the focus again.
Kai responded immediately, pulling up another set of visuals.
"Outer perimeter—eight guards rotating every ten minutes. Armed."
"Inner layer—heavier weapons. Close protection units."
"Snipers positioned here and here," he added, pointing to the broken upper windows.
---
Ethan studied it for a moment.
Then spoke—
"Cut the lights."
---
Luca looked up.
"…What?"
---
Ethan's eyes stayed on the map.
"Factory runs on a backup generator."
Kai nodded slowly.
"Yes… hidden in the rear section."
---
"Take it down first," Ethan said.
---
A pause.
Then realization crossed Kai's face.
"…You want darkness."
---
Ethan finally looked up.
"And confusion."
---
Luca smirked slightly.
"Nice."
---
"In the dark," Ethan continued, "they lose coordination."
Another pause.
"We don't."
---
Kai nodded, already making notes.
"I'll assign two men for that."
---
Ethan shook his head.
"No."
---
Both of them looked at him again.
---
"I'll do it."
---
Luca sighed, clearly irritated now.
"Of course you will."
---
Ethan ignored the tone.
---
"If the lights go out," he continued, "that's the signal."
---
Kai added, "Front team attacks immediately after."
---
Ethan nodded once.
---
"Chaos starts outside," he said.
"I finish it inside."
---
The room felt colder.
More precise.
More dangerous.
---
Luca leaned forward slightly.
"And if Viktor tries to escape through the basement?"
---
Ethan's expression didn't change.
---
"He won't."
---
That confidence—
It wasn't arrogance.
It was certainty.
---
"But if he does," Ethan added calmly, "you cut him off."
---
Luca cracked a small grin.
"Gladly."
---
Kai looked between them.
"…And after?"
---
Ethan's gaze dropped briefly to the map again.
---
"After," he said quietly,
"We burn everything."
---
No hesitation.
No doubt.
---
The factory.
The evidence.
The network.
The past.
---
Gone.
---
Kai closed the tablet slowly.
"I'll get everything ready."
---
Luca pushed himself upright.
"Same."
---
But before they could move—
Ethan spoke again.
---
"One more thing."
---
They both stopped.
---
"No mistakes."
---
His voice was low.
But firm.
---
"Not this time."
---
Luca's expression softened just slightly.
"…We know."
---
Kai nodded.
"Everything will be clean."
---
Ethan didn't respond.
---
Because his mind—
Was somewhere else for just a second.
---
Yuna.
---
Her voice.
Her eyes.
The way she looked at him—
Like she was trying to understand.
---
His jaw tightened.
---
He couldn't afford mistakes.
Not now.
---
Not when everything was about to end.
---
"Go," he said finally.
---
They both left the room.
---
And Ethan stood there alone.
---
The map still in front of him.
The plan set.
The outcome decided.
---
He reached out and tapped once on the location—
The center of the factory.
---
"Tomorrow," he murmured.
---
And his eyes darkened slightly.
---
Because Viktor Dragunov—
Would not see another day.