SWNOVELXO Chapter 11: The Mastermind Revealed
The battle in the Abyss proved to be only a skirmish, albeit a decisive one. Griggs' death triggered a series of events—an unraveling of the empire that stretched all the way to the government's core.
As they sifted through the intel they retrieved from the Abyss hideout, Alicia discovered something that stunned her to the core: the Vortex network was linked to the highest levels of government. Some of Metronight's most powerful politicians, military leaders, and corporate tycoons were all involved—each playing their part in laundering money, facilitating trade deals, and ensuring that the syndicate thrived, all while pretending to serve the city's best interests.
"The mastermind... it's not just one person," Alicia muttered. "It's an entire establishment. They're untouchable because they've embedded themselves into everything."
The walls of their reality came crashing down. What began as a fight against one mafia syndicate had transformed into a war against corruption at the highest level of power. Every step forward seemed to reveal even more enemies, stretching them to their limits.
But Vinz was undeterred. "Alicia, we now know how deep this goes. But this isn't the end. This is just another beginning."
They gathered what allies they had left and planned the most daring move of their careers—a public exposé of the corruption they'd uncovered. Alicia reached out to a trusted journalist known for exposing high-profile scandals, while Ren initiated plans to hack into government archives and leak crucial documents to the press.
But before they could act, their plans were thrown into jeopardy. On the night of the planned leak, their headquarters was attacked yet again—but this time, it wasn't by Vortex. It was much worse.
Vinz and Alicia barely escaped with their lives, and the chilling realization dawned upon them that someone within their ranks—not just their former allies, but someone they had once trusted deeply—had turned against them, working for the true puppet masters who controlled Metronight from the shadows.