{300 Power Stones bonus chapter }
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOM.
Through the surveillance feed, Alex watched as Duggan cleanly dispatched the final Enforcer.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Duggan was best known for distance work—precision rifles, long-range executions.
But his recent performance told a different story.
Up close, with firearms, he was just as deadly.
His reflexes, agility, and ability to melt into the shadows… world-class.
It was almost a shame.
Such a powerful assassin—
yet impossible to send on independent contracts.
Duggan's flaw was simple: people loved to stiff him on payment.
Alex shook his head.
At that moment, Ramsay's voice cut in beside him.
"Mr. Cross… the High Table just published an open contract."
On the screen, lines of digital bounty notices began to scroll:
[Open Contract]
Target: Alex
Identity: Leader of the Lighthouse Syndicate
Reward: $15,000,000
Time Limit: 47 hours
Location: Lighthouse (live update)
Not just Alex—
Anna, Duggan, Caine, even John Wick.
Every assassin inside the Lighthouse was tagged.
Anna Poliatova – $10,000,000
John Wick – $10,000,000
Caine – $10,000,000
The Jackal – $10,000,000
And the catch-all clause:
"Any assassin within the Lighthouse killed within 47 hours earns $1,000,000."
Alex's expression didn't change.
Exactly as he expected.
Even if they doubled the payout,
he knew fewer than a hundred assassins in New York would dare enter this place.
History had a long memory.
When the Lighthouse was still the Santos Hotel,
he'd led thirty men against the Camorra.
Wiped out their entire New York faction.
Took down more than a hundred bounty hunters in the process.
The underworld called that night one thing:
The Manhattan Meat Grinder.
That reputation still stood.
Money was one thing.
Walking into a death trap was another.
Underground Garage
Duggan discarded his empty Kel-Tec KSG—out of 12-gauge shells, it was useless now.
Nothing more than dead weight.
He popped the trunk of his nondescript car,
pulled out a CA-415 assault rifle,
and clipped spare mags to his belt.
His sidearm reloaded, chamber checked.
He moved into the stairwell.
Above—
BANG! BANG! BANG! RAT-TAT-TAT!
Gunfire hammered back and forth.
Duggan didn't hesitate.
He swept upward, rifle at the ready, until he reached the landing between the second and third floors.
A squad of High Table Enforcers had their backs to him.
He raised the rifle.
RAT-TAT-TAT!
Bullets tore into them from behind, chaos erupting instantly.
The CA-415 didn't have the raw stopping power of a shotgun,
but it was more than enough to cripple.
Duggan closed in, finishing his work with precision knife strikes.
Steel to throat. Arteries cut. Silence followed.
Above, on the third floor—
Caine was a blur of steel and gunfire.
His sword-cane flashed,
the modified Glock barking between cuts.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Headshots and chest shots staggered his enemies,
and the blade did the rest.
Every stroke was a kill.
One from below.
One from above.
Duggan and Caine pressed the surviving Enforcers into a choke point on the stairwell.
No escape.
RAT-TAT-TAT!
BANG! BANG!
Almost in sync, they ended it.
Caine's blade opened a throat.
Duggan's knife buried itself in a chest.
Both men exhaled hard, dropping onto the steps.
An hour of unbroken fighting had drained them.
But the Lighthouse cards they carried pulsed with quiet power.
[Stamina Recovery Accelerated.]
Their strength began to return.
After a short breather,
they hauled each other to their feet and limped toward the third-floor supply station.
Top Floor – Alex's Suite
Alex watched them reappear on the cameras, stepping into the corridor.
Relief crossed his face—tempered by concern.
They were pushing themselves too far.
The plan would need an adjustment.
He pulled out his phone, dialing Anna.
"Mr. Cross," her voice came through. "What do you need?"
"You and Fox head to the third floor.
Relieve Caine and Duggan.
They need rest.
From here on out… you two take point."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
pat reon .com / Samorash
~> Bonus Chapter every 300PS!!