Chapter 102: Preparations Before the War

Morning sunlight cut through the thin fog, painting New York's concrete jungle with a brilliant golden edge.

Inside the bedroom of the Rosenberg Mansion, Chloe was still fast asleep in the soft king-sized bed.

Her long lashes cast faint shadows in the morning light, and a tired but satisfied smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

Last night's wild hours had completely drained her.

Leo quietly pulled back the covers without waking the sleeping woman.

"Leo..."

Chloe stirred half-awake, found the bed empty beside her, and propped herself up to look at the man standing by the window.

"Good morning."

Leo turned around, walked back to the bed, and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Go back to sleep. I have a meeting."

"Mm... be careful."

Chloe rubbed her drowsy eyes and lay back down.

He washed up, changed into a sharp black custom suit, threw on his signature black trench coat, and walked out of the main building with long strides.

A black armored Maybach was already waiting at the mansion gates.

"Boss, the people from Washington are already here. They're waiting for you in the special operations conference room."

Olivia handed him a hot coffee from the driver's seat and gave her report.

"Let's go." Leo took the coffee and leaned back in the rear seat, his eyes distant.

Half an hour later, the Maybach pulled into the underground garage of what looked like an ordinary high-rise office building in Manhattan.

This was one of the Pentagon's highest-level classified facilities in New York.

Lower Manhattan.

Three floors below the Federal Building.

This was the New York Special Operations Command Center, built exclusively for handling classified national-level operations.

The entire floor was constructed from a special alloy capable of withstanding conventional bomb blasts.

Electromagnetic shielding was built into the walls, making any listening device completely useless inside.

"Beep--"

Identity verification cleared.

The two-foot-thick alloy doors slowly swung open.

Leo walked into the conference room with both hands in his pockets.

Olivia followed close behind.

Inside the conference room.

General Vance and Lieutenant General Hayes had been waiting for some time.

Along with them were three middle-aged men in military uniforms.

All three wore brigadier general insignia on their shoulders.

"Leo."

General Vance stood up and extended his hand.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Leo shook his hand, then took the head seat at the conference table.

That move sparked a flash of irritation in the eyes of the three brigadier generals.

But they quickly covered it up.

"Let me introduce you."

Vance gestured toward the three men.

"This is Brigadier General Vinnie Parker, Director of the Logistics Division."

"This is Brigadier General Allen White, Deputy Director of Intelligence."

"This is Brigadier General Dwayne Smith, Chief of Staff of Operations."

All three stood and gave Leo a nod.

"Mr. Ashford."

"I've heard a lot about you."

"Good to meet you."

Leo gave a casual nod in return.

The three generals exchanged a glance and sat back down.

"Let's get straight to it."

Leo pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it with a click.

Hayes opened the tablet in front of him and projected a document onto the large screen.

"Washington has approved the operation."

On the screen was a top-secret authorization document stamped with the Secretary of Defense's seal.

"Code name: Abyss Blade."

"Objective: Complete destruction of the Nightfall organization's European headquarters."

"Operation lead: Leo."

"Authorization level: Top Secret."

"Operational authority: Unrestricted."

When they reached the last line, all three brigadier generals couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

Unrestricted.

That meant Leo could use any resource he needed.

Including military forces.

"However..."

Vinnie spoke up with a furrowed brow.

"Mr. Ashford, the situation in Europe is complicated."

"The Valois family standing behind Nightfall has deep roots across Europe."

"And our intelligence suggests that behind the Valois family, there may be covert backing from certain European governments."

"So what I'm saying is, for this operation, you'll need better equipment."

Leo exhaled a breath of smoke and fixed Vinnie with a sharp look.

"What are you getting at?"

"Your Shadow team has incredible combat capability."

Vinnie adjusted his glasses. "But they're built for taking down criminal organizations. If the enemy has state-level support behind them..."

"Conventional weapons might not be enough."

"So I'd recommend we coordinate between the Logistics Division and the garrison forces."

"And equip your team with the most advanced individual combat gear available."

"That includes, but isn't limited to: the latest exoskeleton combat systems, electromagnetic pulse weapons, micro drone swarms..."

"And if needed, we can even apply for authorization to use tactical missiles."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

Tactical missiles.

That was serious firepower.

"Not necessary."

Leo said flatly. "The exoskeleton systems and EMP weapons are worth considering."

"But forget the missiles."

"Understood."

Vinnie nodded. "I'll coordinate with the garrison forces right away and get the equipment to you as soon as possible."

The meeting ran for nearly two hours.

Every detail was hammered out one by one.

At the end, Vance stood up and looked at Leo with a serious expression.

"Leo."

"This operation isn't just about personal revenge."

"Washington's position is clear..."

"This has become a direct threat to national security."

Leo stood up and stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray. "I understand."

He turned and headed for the door.

"We move in three days."

"I want all equipment in place within three days."

"Yes, sir!"

The three brigadier generals answered in unison.

Leaving the Federal Building.

Leo sat in the back of the Maybach with his eyes closed, resting.

The car moved slowly through the streets of Manhattan.

Twenty minutes later, the Maybach stopped outside a hidden underground fight club in lower Manhattan.

Leo pushed open the VIP entrance, leaving the deafening heavy metal music and frenzied screaming behind the door.

The private cage arena was dimly lit.

Serafina wasn't wearing one of her usual eye-catching evening gowns today. Instead, she had on a black fitted tactical vest and cut-off shorts, with tactical boots on her feet.

The outfit showed off every curve of her body -- her hourglass figure, her slim waist, and those long, powerful legs.

"Reaper, let me see if you've gotten rusty before we head to Europe!"

The moment she saw Leo walk in, Serafina licked her red lips and launched a sharp kick that sliced through the air, aimed straight at his face.

The kick was fast and heavy. On an ordinary person, it would have snapped their neck on the spot.

But Leo didn't even take off his trench coat.

He stood perfectly still, and the instant Serafina's leg was about to connect, he snapped his left arm up.

Crack.

A dull thud.

Serafina's leg -- strong enough to break a steel pipe -- was stopped cold against his forearm. It didn't even make him flinch.

"Too slow." A smile tugged at the corner of Leo's mouth.

Catching her in the split second between moves, Leo's right hand shot out like lightning and locked around her slender ankle. He yanked her hard toward him.

Serafina let out a startled cry, lost her balance completely, and fell straight into Leo's broad, solid arms.

Leo twisted her arms behind her back and pinned her against the cold chain-link of the cage.

The position couldn't have been more charged.

Serafina's chest was pressed tight against Leo's, rising and falling sharply with her quick breaths.

"You lose."

Leo lowered his head until his nose nearly touched hers, close enough to catch the intoxicating mix of sweat and expensive perfume on her skin.

Rather than getting angry, Serafina pressed her cheek against his ear. "Reaper, you're still so strong... that hurt, you know..."

Leo gave a quiet laugh and let go, stepping back half a pace. "Talk. What did you want to see me about?"

Serafina rubbed her wrists, walked over to a nearby chair, picked up a bottle of water, and took a sip. "My intelligence network in Europe just sent back a top-level red alert. Leo, something big is happening over there."

"What's going on?" Leo sat down beside her and pulled out a cigar.

Serafina looked at his sharp, defined face.

She was quiet for a few seconds. "Leo. Take me with you."

"What?" Leo turned to look at her.

"This trip to Vienna -- take me along. I have a lot of contacts across Europe. And... I want to watch Nightfall burn with my own eyes."

Leo was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."