Chapter 37: The Silent War

The silence in Zenith Tower's war room was deafening as Ethan Carter and his team observed the aftermath of the transmitted message to The Broker's villa in Prague. The shadow network's operatives were scrambling, their composure shattered by Ethan's calculated move. The cryptic message "We see you" wasn't just a taunt—it was a declaration of intent, a reminder that Ethan was always several steps ahead.

Sophia's voice broke the silence, calm but heavy with tension. "The Broker's gone dark. No communications in or out of the villa since the message was sent."

Jessica scanned the live feed from the surveillance drones, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "Ng's still inside, but he's visibly panicking. The Broker's team is either regrouping or preparing to cut their losses."

Ethan leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the monitors. "They're weighing their options. The Broker's not stupid—he knows this wasn't a bluff. He's trying to decide whether to abandon Ng or use him to counterattack."

Mark Zhou crossed his arms. "If they think we can see everything, they'll assume Ng is compromised. That makes him expendable."

Ethan smirked. "Exactly. And expendable people make the best leverage."

Inside the villa, Thomas Ng's fear was palpable. He paced the room, wringing his hands as The Broker's operatives whispered among themselves. The Broker had disappeared into a secure room, leaving Ng to stew in his anxiety. His every movement was captured by Zenith's surveillance, each nervous tic analyzed by Ethan and his team.

Sophia glanced at Ethan. "What's the next move? Do we let this play out or force their hand?"

Ethan's eyes never left the screen. "We let Ng do the work for us. Fear makes people unpredictable, and unpredictable people are easier to manipulate. Ng will either crack under the pressure or make a desperate move to save himself."

As if on cue, Ng reached for his phone—a secondary device Zenith's team had already flagged. He dialed a number, his voice shaking as he spoke. "I need an exit. Now. They're onto me, and The Broker... he's going to cut me loose."

The person on the other end of the call was calm, almost detached. "Stay where you are. We'll handle it."

Ethan's smirk widened. "He just signed his death warrant."

Minutes later, a black SUV arrived at the villa. Two men in tactical gear stepped out, their movements precise and deliberate. They weren't part of The Broker's usual team—mercenaries, most likely. Ethan's team tracked their arrival with growing interest.

Jessica frowned. "They're here to extract Ng, but they're not shadow network operatives. Outsourced muscle?"

Mark nodded. "Probably hired to clean up loose ends. If The Broker thinks Ng is a liability, he'll make sure Ng doesn't leave that villa alive."

Sophia turned to Ethan. "Do we intervene?"

Ethan considered the question for a moment, then shook his head. "Not yet. Let them make their move. We'll intervene when it matters most."

Inside the villa, Ng's panic reached a fever pitch as the mercenaries entered the room. They spoke briefly with The Broker's second-in-command before approaching Ng. Their intent was clear from the cold efficiency of their movements.

Ng backed away, his voice rising. "Wait! I can fix this! I have information—valuable information! You don't need to do this!"

The lead mercenary pulled out a suppressed pistol, his expression unreadable. "This isn't personal."

Before he could pull the trigger, the lights in the villa flickered and died. The room plunged into darkness, and chaos erupted.

Back at Zenith Tower, Sophia's voice was sharp. "What just happened?"

Jessica's fingers flew over her keyboard. "We triggered the EMP as planned. The villa's systems are offline, and their comms are dead. They're blind and deaf."

Ethan stood, his presence commanding. "Good. Deploy the team. I want Ng alive, and I want The Broker rattled."

On the ground in Prague, a team of Zenith's operatives moved swiftly under the cover of darkness. They breached the villa's perimeter with surgical precision, neutralizing guards with non-lethal methods. The objective wasn't to kill—it was to destabilize.

Inside, the mercenaries were disoriented, their equipment useless without power. Ng cowered in a corner, screaming as the chaos unfolded around him. One of Zenith's operatives reached him first, securing him and guiding him out of the villa while the rest of the team created a distraction.

The Broker's second-in-command attempted to rally his men, but the suddenness of the attack left them floundering. By the time they regrouped, Zenith's team had extracted Ng and vanished into the night.

Hours later, Ng sat in a secure interrogation room at Zenith Tower. His disheveled appearance and wild eyes betrayed the full extent of his ordeal. Ethan entered the room, his demeanor calm but intimidating. He took a seat across from Ng, placing a folder on the table between them.

"You're lucky to be alive," Ethan said, his voice cold. "The Broker was ready to kill you, and if we hadn't intervened, you'd be dead right now."

Ng stared at him, his voice trembling. "Why... why did you save me?"

"Because you have something I need," Ethan replied. He opened the folder, revealing a series of documents and photos. "These are the accounts you managed for The Broker. These are the shell companies you used to move his money. And these..."

He slid a photo across the table, showing a man in his late fifties with sharp features and cold eyes. "...are the meetings you facilitated with this man. The Broker."

Ng recoiled as if the photo itself was dangerous. "I—I don't know his name. I've never met him in person. All communication was encrypted."

Ethan's gaze hardened. "You know enough. I want locations, patterns, anything that can lead me to him."

Ng hesitated, his fear warring with his survival instincts. "If I tell you... he'll find me. He'll kill me."

Ethan leaned forward, his voice low and menacing. "If you don't tell me, you'll wish he had. The Broker isn't your problem anymore. I am."

Ng broke. Over the next hour, he revealed everything he knew—meeting locations, transaction patterns, and encrypted communication channels. It wasn't enough to dismantle the network, but it was a start.

Later, in the war room, Ethan reviewed the new intel with his team. Jessica pointed to a map showing multiple locations across Europe and Asia. "These are the meeting sites Ng mentioned. If we hit these, we can disrupt The Broker's operations and force him into the open."

Mark added, "But if we're too aggressive, he'll just disappear. We need to coordinate carefully."

Sophia studied Ethan, her expression unreadable. "What's the play?"

Ethan's smirk returned, cold and calculated. "We hit him where it hurts—his resources, his operatives, his reputation. We make it impossible for him to trust anyone. And when he's at his most vulnerable, we take him down."

The team nodded, their resolve clear. The shadow network had drawn first blood, but Ethan was turning the tide. The war was far from over, but for the first time, The Broker was on the defensive.

And Ethan Carter never lost when the enemy was forced to play his game.