The sea wind blew harder, carrying a sharp, salty scent that stung the nose.
The night sky above the old port was dark and starless.
Only the dim glow of broken lamps flickered in the distance.
But no one paid attention to the atmosphere.
Everyone was focused on one thing.
Marcus Sterling's final words.
"The person you think you understand."
Ethan stood a few steps in front of him.
His eyes were sharp.
"Stop playing riddles."
His voice was flat.
Yet there was pressure behind it.
Marcus took a slow breath.
"I don't have time for games."
Leonard Graves crossed his arms.
"That's what people always say when they're playing games."
Daniel stared at Marcus with deep suspicion.
"If it's not you… and it's not Richard Blackwood giving direct orders…"
he paused.
"Then who is it?"
Marcus didn't answer right away.
He glanced around the port as if confirming something.
The small movement didn't escape Leonard's notice.
"You're scared."
Marcus smiled slightly.
"I'm realistic."
Victor Hale wasn't there, but the tension still felt as thick as when they were all together.
Ethan stepped closer.
"You said you don't have much time."
He stared at Marcus without blinking.
"Use it wisely."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"Alright."
He took a deep breath.
"The name you're looking for… is someone from within Project Helios."
Daniel furrowed his brow.
"That doesn't narrow things down at all."
Marcus continued,
"He's not an investor."
"Not a politician either."
Leonard said quietly,
"So… a scientist."
Marcus looked at him.
"Yes."
Ethan felt something shift in his mind.
Pieces starting to fit together.
"Who is he?"
Marcus opened his mouth
but suddenly stopped.
His eyes shifted to the left.
Leonard immediately turned his head.
A small movement.
Almost imperceptible.
But enough.
"We're not alone," he whispered.
Daniel tensed instantly.
"Where?"
Leonard replied quietly,
"On the roof of the next warehouse."
Ethan didn't turn around.
But his body tensed up at once.
Marcus muttered softly.
"I told you I don't have much time."
Soft footsteps sounded from the darkness.
Then
click.
The sound of a gun being cocked.
Several shadows appeared on the warehouse roof.
And at the end of the back alley.
They were surrounded.
Daniel whispered,
"How many?"
Leonard estimated quickly.
"Eight… maybe ten."
Ethan kept his focus on Marcus.
"Did you bring them?"
Marcus shook his head.
"I'm not stupid."
Leonard smiled slightly.
"Convincing answer."
One of the armed men stepped forward from the shadows.
His face was partially covered.
But his demeanor was clear.
Trained.
Dangerous.
"The conversation is over," he said coldly.
Daniel muttered under his breath.
Leonard sighed.
"It's always like this."
Ethan said quietly,
"We're not finished yet."
The man didn't reply.
He raised his gun.
But before he could shoot—
Marcus moved suddenly.
He pulled something from inside his jacket.
A small pistol.
BANG!
The shot rang out into the night.
Not toward Ethan.
Not toward Daniel.
But toward the armed man in front of them.
The man fell immediately.
Everyone froze for a split second.
Leonard smiled.
"Finally."
Chaos erupted at once.
Shots rang out from all directions.
Daniel pulled Ethan to the side.
"We need to move!"
Leonard returned fire quickly.
Marcus took cover behind an old wooden crate.
"To the pier!" he shouted.
Ethan looked at him for a moment.
Just one second.
But enough to make a decision.
"Go!"
They moved together.
Bullets struck the ground and walls around them.
Small sparks flew from the old metal surfaces.
Daniel ran on the right side.
Leonard at the back, holding off the gunfire.
Marcus moved with them.
Ethan in front.
They emerged from the narrow alley into the open area near the pier.
The sea wind hit their faces at once.
But it wasn't over yet.
Two armed men were already waiting there.
"Get down!" Daniel shouted.
They all dropped to the ground as shots rang out again.
Leonard returned fire quickly.
One man fell.
The other retreated.
Marcus shouted,
"The boat!"
At the end of the pier, a small boat was visible, tied to the dock.
Ethan ran toward it immediately.
Daniel and Leonard followed.
Marcus was almost there
but a bullet hit his shoulder.
He fell to his knees.
Ethan turned around.
Their eyes met.
Marcus spoke with labored breath,
"Go…"
Ethan didn't move.
Leonard shouted,
"We don't have time!"
The enemy's footsteps grew closer.
Marcus smiled slightly despite the pain.
"He… Dr. Arman Virelli…"
Ethan froze.
The name struck like lightning.
Marcus continued in a weak voice,
"He's the one who started everything…"
Shots rang out again.
Closer this time.
Marcus pushed himself backward.
"Now go!"
Ethan took a sharp breath.
Then leaped onto the boat.
Leonard started the engine immediately.
The boat pulled away from the pier.
Shots still rang out from behind.
But they grew farther away with each passing moment.
Daniel looked back toward the pier.
Marcus's silhouette was still visible there.
Surrounded by enemies.
Then.
He disappeared into the darkness.
Silence fell over the sea.
Only the sound of the boat's engine remained.
Daniel said quietly,
"He just saved us."
Leonard nodded.
"And probably sacrificed himself."
Ethan stood at the bow of the boat.
The sea wind whipped at his face.
But his mind was elsewhere.
Only one name kept repeating itself.
Dr. Arman Virelli.
Daniel approached.
"Have you heard of him?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Leonard raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
Ethan stared at the dark sea ahead of them.
His voice was low.
"He was the lead scientist of Project Helios…"
he paused for a moment.
"…and the person my mother trusted most once."
The night wind blew again.
But this time it felt far colder.
Because they had finally found a name.
A truth.
And a new enemy.
one who might be far more dangerous than the rest.
The boat's engine rumbled steadily as they pulled away from the pier.
Waves crashed against the hull, creating a constant rhythm.
But there was no peace among them.
The name still hung in the air.
Dr. Arman Virelli.
Daniel sat on the wooden bench, his breathing still not fully steady.
"A scientist," he said quietly. "Always a scientist."
Leonard Graves stood near the wheel, his eyes scanning the receding shoreline.
"Not just any scientist," he said calmly. "If he was the head of Helios, that means he wasn't just the brain… but the foundation too."
Ethan didn't reply.
He stood at the bow, staring at the dark sea ahead.
But his thoughts were far away.
The name had unlocked something.
An old memory.
A blurry face.
Someone who had once stood in his mother's workshop.
Calm.
Smart.
And far too quiet to be trusted.
Daniel finally stood up and approached.
"You said he was your mother's trusted person."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Once."
Leonard glanced over.
"Interesting keyword."
Ethan continued,
"He used to come to our house often."
His voice remained flat, but deeper now.
"They worked together on energy research."
Daniel furrowed his brow.
"Energy… like Helios?"
Ethan replied,
"Helios wasn't just a business project."
He paused for a moment.
"It was a research project."
Leonard smiled slightly.
"And research always has a dark side."
The sea wind grew stronger, making their jackets flap.
Daniel asked again,
"Why did your mother trust him?"
Ethan closed his eyes for a moment.
As if pulling something from the past.
"Because he was a genius."
He opened his eyes again.
"And because he knew how to make people trust him."
Leonard nodded.
"High-level manipulation."
Daniel said quietly,
"If he's the one who started everything…"
he looked at Ethan.
"…that means your mother wasn't just killed to cover up a secret."
Ethan finished the sentence without emotion.
"She was killed because she knew too much."
Silence fell again.
Only the sound of the engine and waves remained.
Several minutes passed before Leonard spoke again.
"The question now…"
he looked at Ethan.
"…where is Dr. Arman Virelli?"
Daniel sighed.
"If he's really the mastermind behind Helios, he must have been in hiding for a long time."
Ethan shook his head slightly.
"No."
The two men looked at him.
Ethan continued,
"People like him don't hide."
Leonard raised an eyebrow.
"Then what?"
Ethan replied quietly,
"He stays close to the system."
Daniel understood what he meant.
"Close to power."
Leonard smiled.
"The safest place to hide."
Their boat began to approach the other side of the city.
Lights came into view again.
But there was no sense of safety.
Daniel sat back down.
"We need data."
Leonard said casually,
"Always."
Ethan finally turned to face them.
"Tomorrow morning."
He said firmly.
"We find everything about Arman Virelli."
Daniel nodded.
"I can access some databases."
Leonard added,
"I have some old connections."
Ethan looked at the sea one more time before speaking,
"We're no longer chasing shadows."
He paused for a moment.
"We're chasing the source."
The night wind blew colder.
Their path was clear.
A few hours later.
Daniel's apartment was once again a hub of activity.
Lights burned bright.
Computer screens glowed.
No one slept.
Daniel sat in front of his system.
Data began to appear on the screen.
Name.
Background.
Old photos.
He zoomed in on one file.
"It's him…"
Leonard approached.
A man's face appeared on the screen.
Dark hair starting to turn gray.
Sharp eyes behind thin-rimmed glasses.
A faint, unreadable smile.
Ethan stood behind them.
His gaze hardened.
"It's him."
Daniel began reading through the data quickly.
"Dr. Arman Virelli…"
He paused.
"Specialist in experimental energy."
Leonard added,
"And clearly not the type to think small."
Daniel continued,
"He disappeared from public view about ten years ago."
Victor, who had just woken up from the couch, stared at the screen with half-open eyes.
"This guy looks like a regular professor."
Leonard smiled.
"That's what makes him dangerous."
Daniel scrolled further down the screen.
"His last recorded entry…"
he paused for a moment.
"…relates to a joint research project with Elena Ward."
The room fell silent again.
Ethan stared at the screen without blinking.
Pieces were starting to come together.
His mother.
Helios.
Marcus.
And now.
Arman Virelli.
Daniel said quietly,
"There's something else…"
He opened another file.
"Last detected location."
Everyone moved closer.
An address appeared on the screen.
Not an office.
Not an official laboratory.
But rather.
a private research facility on the outskirts of the city.
Leonard smiled slightly.
"He's not hiding."
Ethan said quietly,
"He's waiting."
Victor swallowed hard.
"Waiting for what?"
Ethan stared at the screen.
His eyes were cold.
"Waiting for us."
The morning breeze began to touch the apartment windows.
The sky slowly brightened.
But for them
this wasn't the end of the night.
It was the beginning of something far bigger.
Because now they knew.
who was really pulling all the strings.
And the next step…
would take them straight into the enemy's lair.