Chapter 21
The Azure Tower was a monument of glass and steel, bathed in the crisp, non-yellowing light of the afternoon sun. Julian Vance, a wealthy corporate warlord funding the Chicago remnants, sat in his opulent penthouse, believing his high-tech security and private army made him untouchable. He was profoundly mistaken. Ethan did not execute a frontal assault. He utilized the stealth infiltration tactics that made him the apex predator of the underworld. Flanked by Silas and a squad of elite operators, Ethan breached the building through the subterranean maintenance shafts. They moved through the pristine corridors like phantoms, their suppressed weapons raised. They reached the top floor. The heavy, reinforced mahogany doors of the penthouse stood before them. "Breach," Ethan commanded quietly. The doors blew inward with a deafening, concussive roar. Ethan stepped through the smoke, his tailored suit completely unhindered by the violence. The private military contractors inside scrambled to draw their weapons, but they were instantly neutralized by the devastating, surgical crossfire of the Blackwell team. Ethan moved relentlessly, an immovable object of sociopathic determination, dropping hostiles with flawless precision.
