Chapter 50: Allies and Enemies

The post had done its job. Ethan's bold decision to redirect the narrative had worked, but the real war was just beginning. While the public was on his side, The Council wasn't going to back down so easily. He had stirred the waters, and now, they would retaliate.

As Ethan sat in his living room, his phone buzzed with messages of support from fans and colleagues. But there was one message that caught his eye, one from an unknown number:

**Unknown:** 

*We need to talk. I know how to bring The Council down.*

Ethan's heart skipped a beat. Was this real, or was it another trap? He knew better than to trust a faceless message, but the temptation to follow the lead was too great to ignore. He had to find out more.

---

Later that night, Ethan found himself in a dimly lit bar at the edge of town, waiting. The air was thick with smoke, and the low murmur of conversation blended with the faint clink of glasses. His mind raced with thoughts of who this mysterious contact might be.

Then, a figure approached from the shadows. It was a woman, tall and confident, with dark sunglasses obscuring most of her face.

"You're Ethan Ward," she said, taking a seat across from him without waiting for an invitation.

"And you are?" Ethan asked cautiously.

"I go by a lot of names, but you can call me Victoria," she replied, leaning in slightly. "I used to work for The Council."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You worked for them?"

Victoria nodded. "I was one of their key players. I scouted talent, manipulated contracts, handled the dirty work. But I got out before they could bury me in it."

"Why are you coming to me now?" Ethan asked, his skepticism still present.

Victoria smirked. "Because you're the only one who's gotten this far. They're scared of you. They know you're close to figuring it out."

Ethan's curiosity deepened. "And what exactly am I close to?"

"The Council is more than just a group of influencers and shadowy executives," Victoria explained. "They control everything behind the scenes—careers, scandals, even lives. They've destroyed people who didn't play by their rules, and they'll do the same to you if you don't take them down first."

Ethan leaned forward. "So, how do I take them down?"

Victoria glanced around, lowering her voice. "You need leverage—something that makes them vulnerable. And I know where to find it."

---

**[Ding!]** 

*New Task: Uncover The Council's Weakness* 

- **Objective:** Retrieve the secret files that hold The Council's darkest secrets. 

- **Reward:** System Upgrade + Insider Access. 

- **Consequence:** Failure will result in permanent blacklisting from the industry.

---

Ethan's mind was spinning. A system task to uncover The Council's secrets? It was too good to be true. But if there was any chance of succeeding, he had to take the risk.

"Where are these files?" Ethan asked.

Victoria hesitated for a moment before speaking. "They're in a vault, hidden within one of their corporate buildings. It's heavily guarded, and access is restricted. But with the right plan, we can get in."

Ethan's heart raced at the thought. This was his shot to finally expose The Council for what they were, but it wouldn't be easy. If he failed, everything he had worked for would be destroyed.

---

As they left the bar, Victoria turned to Ethan. "One more thing. You can't trust anyone—not even those closest to you. The Council has spies everywhere."

Ethan nodded, his mind already running through the possibilities. Who could he trust? Was Claire involved? Could Max still be working for The Council behind his back?

The paranoia began to set in, but he couldn't afford to let it slow him down. If he was going to win this war, he had to play smarter than ever before.

---

Back at his apartment, Ethan sat in the darkness, staring at his phone. The system had given him the tools he needed to rise to the top, but now it was about survival. And the only way to survive was to destroy The Council from within.

He picked up the phone and sent a text to Claire, asking her to meet him the next day. If he was going to pull this off, he needed to find out where her loyalties lay.

As the minutes ticked by, Ethan's resolve hardened. He was no longer the underdog in this game. He was going to rise, no matter what it took. But with every move he made, the danger grew closer. The Council was watching, and one wrong step could mean the end.

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