January 1, 2026 – Chicago Cook County Police Department Time: 9:15 PM
Chief Miller dropped the gun as if his hand were on fire and fled the cell without looking back. Fear is the most naked state of a human being, and Miller was not only naked at that moment, but defenseless. The mechanical voice from the speaker in the corner of the cell continued to slice through the silence like a knife.
"Miller was a pawn, Michael," said Asher Burke. "And pawns are sacrificed to clear the way. But you... you could be a queen in my game."
I straightened up, brushing the dust off me. The cuffs on my wrists were still there, but my mind was freer than ever. "Why did you save me, Asher? Wasn't I just a 'collector's item' to you?"
"Collectors only love dead objects, Michael. I, however, am interested in living, breathing, and destructive things. Luca D'Angelo is outside the building. When Miller realizes he's failed, he'll turn this place into a slaughterhouse. If you want to live, use the gift I left you."
The speaker fell silent. Seconds later, all the lights in the building went out simultaneously. The emergency generators didn't kick in. The Chicago Police Department surrendered to the pitch black and the digital chaos Asher had created.
The electronic lock on the cell door released with a high-pitched sound.
Time: 9:30 PM
Police Hallways
Darkness was my ally. The night vision tactics my father taught me formed a map in my mind. My footsteps were silent. At the end of the hallway, I could hear the voices of panicked police officers shouting at each other.
"Damn it! Why isn't the power coming back on?" "The cells! Check on Michael Hale!"
When I turned the corner, I found Natalia. She was scanning the corridor with her flashlight. When the light hit my face, she reflexively raised her gun, but when she saw me, she lowered the barrel.
"Michael! What are you doing here? Where's Miller?"
"Miller's a coward, Natalia. He tried to kill me but failed," I said, approaching her. I grabbed Natalia's arm. "Listen, Luca's men are about to enter the building. This isn't a police station anymore, it's a death trap. You need to leave."
"I won't leave you here!" Natalia said, her voice firm. "If you run, I can't protect you."
"No one can protect me, Natalia. I'm no longer part of this system. I'm the poison within the system."
Just then, there was a massive explosion at the building's entrance. As the building's windows shattered, gunfire began to tear through the darkness. Luca's men had entered. Now it was all-out war.
Time: 10:00 PM
Police Parking Lot – Front Line
Luca's men were raining bullets on every cop who got in their way. For these monsters raised on the streets of Chicago, a badge was just a target on a shooting range.
When Natalia and I reached the door leading to the rear parking lot, three of Luca's most trusted hitmen stood in our way.
"Hale!" one of them yelled. "Mr. D'Angelo offered a fortune for your head!"
Natalia moved to fire, but I beat her to it. I grabbed the spare magazine from Natalia's waist and, with that flawless timing my father taught me, threw a smoke grenade to the ground.
In the smoke, I moved with the mind of a psychologist. I knew where they would look, where they would panic. I grabbed the first man by the throat and used him as a shield for Natalia's gun. When Natalia pulled the trigger, the bullet lodged in the man's chest. The other two men were confused; they couldn't tell who was who in the darkness.
Within seconds, I plunged the knife in my hand into the second man's neck. As the third tried to run, Natalia shot him in the leg.
When we reached the parking lot exit, Ivy's black minivan pulled up beside us, tires screeching.
"Get in, quick!" Ivy yelled.
Natalia looked at me. There was great disappointment in her eyes, and still an unquenchable love. "If you go, this time you'll really die, Michael."
"I already died at Dawson Bridge, Natalia," I said as I got into the van. "Everything else is just an illusion."
Time: 11:00 PM
Safe House – Secret Shelter
Ivy didn't look at my face as she bandaged my wounds. "Chicago is hell for you now, Hale. Luca stormed the building, the cops are dead. Tomorrow morning, the whole world will be talking about you escaping and attacking the police. Asher has brought you exactly where he wanted you."
"To loneliness?"
"No," Ivy said, looking into my eyes. "To that darkness where you set your own rules. Now tell me, what will Luca's next move be?"
Michael stabbed a knife into the Chicago map on the table. The tip of the knife was in the old port area where Luca managed all his illegal shipments.
"Luca wants to kill me. But he still doesn't understand that he's just Asher's puppet. Tomorrow night, we'll burn that port, Ivy. And the smoke from that fire will reach Asher Burke's nose."
Michael looked at himself in the mirror. He wiped the blood from his face. The victim was gone. Now there was the man who created his own storm.
"I am not the one who hides in the shadows anymore,"Michael murmured."I am the shadow itself."