The plane incident spread like wildfire.
Though the government tried to bury the story under "technical failures" and "coincidences," the underworld had sharper eyes. Rumors carried faster than official reports ever could.
In the underground clubs, in boardroom banquets, and in the smoke-filled parlors of New Haven's elite, a single question echoed:
Who killed the hijackers?
---
The Four Major Families
New Haven City thrived not only on politics and business but also on power that hid behind curtains—the Four Major Families, ancient dynasties whose influence stretched from corporate towers to the back alleys.
1. The Voss Family – The Merchants of Shadows
Masters of trade, weapons, and black-market dealings. Every bullet that passed through the city carried their fingerprints.
2. The Liang Family – The Eastern Syndicate
An old bloodline from across the seas, rooted in discipline, martial arts, and silent assassins. Their reach extended through loyalty and fear.
3. The Moretti Family – The Iron Fangs
Brutal, loud, and unforgiving. They controlled construction, ports, and half the unions. Violence was their language.
4. The Kuroda Family – The Ghost Hands
Invisible puppeteers. Hackers, informants, spies. If knowledge was power, then the Kurodas were kings.
---
The Stirring
In a high-rise glass tower, Victor Voss swirled wine in his glass.
"A single man eliminated twelve armed hijackers on a moving plane, left no witnesses, and walked away unseen." He smirked. "That… is no ordinary soldier."
In a candlelit dojo, Elder Liang frowned as disciples knelt in silence.
"The passengers spoke of speed, precision, silence. These were not the acts of a thug. This was art." His voice grew colder. "Art I recognize."
Inside a marble estate, Dante Moretti slammed his fist on the table, shattering a whiskey bottle.
"One man humiliates armed men? On my turf? Whoever he is, he's a threat. And I don't like threats."
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit cyber-den, Yumi Kuroda typed rapidly, her screens flooding with hacked airport footage.
"I've seen that face before…" she whispered, enlarging a blurry still of Aiden at the gate. "So the Silent Blade walks New Haven again." Her lips curved into a dangerous smile.
---
The Hunt Begins
By the end of the week, the entire city had shifted.
Government officials searched in daylight.
The Four Families whispered in darkness.
And at the center of it all was Aiden Cross, sitting quietly in his apartment, unaware—or perhaps perfectly aware—that his return had stirred a storm no one could contain.
The underworld was not asking if they would find him.
They were deciding who would claim him first.