136 LANDER IS IN A COMA
Exoren considered Acyros' advice.
She does have a point but there was always a chance Lander would wake up soon, and he'll need the girl as hostage again.
Killing her now was premature.
"Keep her until he wakes, it's not hard to put soone to sleep," Exoren said, his decision brittle and decisive.
He strode out of the warehouse with Acyros, disappointnt coiling in his shoulders.
Unseen by them, they were watched from afar as they left. Fortress Myrone's ta soldiers held their positions in another building their sights trained on the warehouse.
------
[Hours before Lander's heart attack]
Dan slipped through the back entrance of Strong & West before dawn, every step asured. Kail's ntal nets lay over the district like a silent web making sure Dan's entrance would not be noticed.
Lander t him at the door, his eyes rimd with exhaustion. He didn't bother with pleasantries. "What's the situation? Where's Dorin?"
Dan moved close enough that his voice was low and calm. "We found her. She's being held in an abandoned warehouse. By the Zetheris family."
Lander's fists curled on the table. "Those conglorates never leave alone." He slamd his palm down. "When are you going to get her? Every minute she's there increases the risk."
"We've got the warehouse under surveillance," Dan said. "Dorin's unhard for now."
Lander's jaw worked. "So why haven't you moved in yet?"
Dan's eyes held his. "Because a Rank B ta is guarding her. A frontal rescue would be suicide at the mont. For Dorin's safety, we need to neutralize that threat first."
Lander's throat tightened. "They'll use her to make talk. If I continue to refuse they'll kill her to force my hand. We don't have the luxury of ti."
Dan gave the smallest, assured smile. "Which is why we won't give them a chance."
He reached into his satchel and produced a slim vial wrapped in dark cloth. Lander stared at it.
"What is that?" he asked.
"A hibernation serum." Dan's voice was steady. "It is a custom formulation from GenSyn. It triggers a heart-attack-like episode, then followed by deep hibernation. You appear comatose until we administer the antidote."
Lander let out a humorless laugh that didn't reach his eyes.
"You want to fake being in a coma so they can't question . So, you can buy ti for a safe extraction?" he asked smiling before adding, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Dan nodded. "Exactly. While they think you're out, they'll leave Dorin alone in the anti. There's no point in killing Dorin before they got information from you."
"You have a point", he agreed.
"anwhile we dismantle their defenses and get her back intact, once their diligence lapses. When you wake, she'll be the first face you see. I promise," Dan added.
Lander looked at the vial, then at Dan, then set his shoulders as if buckling for a fall. "Do it."
Dan handed him the syringe. "Breathe slow. I'll be outside when you go under. Don't panic — this works."
He watched Lander inject the serum and felt the familiar, clinical calm settle over the room.
Lander quickly dialed an ambulance before his breath hitched. Then his body dropped to the ground stilled, pale and convincingly lifeless.
Dan stepped back, closing his eyes for a mont. "Hold on, Lander," he whispered. "We're coming for her."
-----
Dan ensured that Lander was transferred to a hospital under the Aukouma family's control. He's already had an ambulance roaming nearby before Lander's ergency call.
He also stationed several ta soldiers and a squadron of security drones to guard the hospital around the clock, so that nobody could get to Lander.
Over the next two weeks, Dan launched a series of precision raids against the Zetheris family—striking their warehouses, sabotaging their manufacturing lines, and intercepting their shipnts.
Each ti, he left behind carefully planted evidence implicating the Veyran and Snow families, fanning the flas of distrust between the corporate giants.
At last, Garius Zetheris's composure broke. He began mobilizing his forces.
"What do you think he's planning with that many people? Is he going to war?" Zairgid asked, watching the live drone feed on Kail's monitor.
"This ti he's serious," Kail replied grimly. "He's summoned every ta under his command—including their only Rank B operative."
"Who's he targeting?" Dan asked.
"What if it's the Aukouma family auction?" Zairgid asked, worry creeping into his voice. "We couldn't hold out against a Rank B."
"Yes, from their preparations, they could be targeting Aukouma Industry's HQ. They have many siege class equipnt", Kail added.
Dan thought for a mont, then smirked. "Get Fortress Myrone."
Minutes later, after the call ended, Zairgid frowned. "Why did you tell Fortress Myrone to sell ta-artifacts to Valtor Veyran? He's on the blacklist."
Dan leaned back, a faint grin on his lips. "Because once Garius learns that Valtor Veyran is buying directly from Fortress Myrone, what do you think he'll do?"
Realization dawned on Zairgid, and he stood abruptly.
"He'll be furious. After the raids these past weeks, he'll assu the Veyrans were behind everything and launch an all-out assault on them. But… there's still a chance they'll target us too," he added.
Dan's grin widened. "Not if you're the one bringing him the news."
Zairgid froze. "What?"
"The enemy of your enemy is your friend," Dan said coolly. "And in this world, there are no permanent friends—or enemies."
-----
"Who did you say is in our lobby?" Garius snapped.
"It's CEO Zairgid Aukouma, sir—he's ca to see you," the secretary reported.
Garius laughed, his laugh sharp and incredulous. "Zairgid? I couldn't kill him before—did he co here to die?"
Exoren Atheris, perched in the chairman's seat behind them, only smiled. "Bring him up. Let's see what he wants."
Zairgid was escorted into Zetheris Industry's conference room. Garius sat flanked by his directors while Exoren watched quietly from behind, seated anonymously with the assistants.
"Why have you co, Zairgid Aukouma? Do you think we won't dare kill you in our own building?" Garius demanded.
Zairgid returned with a calm smile. "If you could kill , I'd already be dead. Don't forget I have a Rank B ta watching my back."
Garius barked, "What do you want?"
"I ca with news." Zairgid tapped a control and several holographic feeds blood in the air:
Soldiers loaded crates of ta materials onto trucks stamped with Veyran Industries' insignia. Valtor Veyran was there physically to accept the shipnt.
Garius stared. "What is this?"
"Sadly, our exclusive arrangent with Fortress Myrone is over," Zairgid said. "Valtor Veyran convinced Lord Nicaesa to sell directly to him."
Garius's face hardened with recognition.
"Valtor… always had an angle. He told everyone he was going to the space rift to retrieve his wife's body—who knew he was negotiating with Lord Nicaesa the whole ti," he said.
Exoren's voice cut through from the back. "So why tell us this now?"
Zairgid folded his hands. "It's just business. A new competitor has erged. We're just sharing intelligence. There are no permanent enemies in business…" He let the phrase hang, then added, "…and no permanent friends."
He left the eting without harm; no security halted him, no ta heroes interfered.
Garius watched him go, then turned to Exoren. "What do you make of this?"
"I'm thinking. There is an angle to this", he replied.
Garius frowned. "What about our assembled forces? We were planning to hit the Aukouma auction center. Everything is ready we even got the plasma cannons to raze their HQ."
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