From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 695

Chapter 695: Correction Facility

An underlying anxiety had settled over the inner circle of the Billion Bloodline group lately. It was a strange, suffocating kind of tension—not because an attack had launched, but precisely because nothing had happened yet, even as their home base transformed completely around them.

The headquarters had become a completely different environment now that the women of the Fallen Rose had moved their assets in. Every enforcer on the payroll was on a razor’s edge, expecting a violent catalyst to drop at any micro-second. Either the anonymous employer who originally commissioned the Fallen Rose was going to realize the betrayal and act, or Dud was going to orchestrate a devastating play for revenge. Both scenarios promised an immense body count.

To make matters worse, Max had far more than just a localized gang war resting on his plate. Sitting behind his desk in the quiet sanctuary of his office, he stared down at his notes, trying to mathematically categorize the core threats to decide which structural problem he needed to solve first.

"We have an unknown contractor trying to systematically eliminate the Billion Bloodline from the map," Max muttered to himself, his fingers rubbing his temples. "We have Dud acting as a rogue agent in the shadows, doing everything in his power to gather resources for a personal vendetta against us.

"Then there’s Randy Stern, whose operations Ramon wants me to infiltrate for the sake of the exoskeleton development. And now, according to Donto, Marsha Stern has emerged as a lethal variable. In the real world, there is a very high statistical probability that at least two of these variables are directly linked to each other."

Max leaned back in his leather chair, his sharp eyes scanning the whiteboard. "The most logical strategy is to find the common denominator and link as many of these things together as possible. But to be completely honest, I don’t even know how to initiate a secure investigation into Marsha. An asset like her is entirely insulated. To find a opening, I would practically have to run a comprehensive intelligence dragnet on the entire Stern dynasty and speak directly to Dennis."

He tapped his pen against the mahogany surface. "Dennis should be significantly more willing to grant me an audience now. Whether I intended to or not, my recent moves have positioned me as one of the front-runners for the position of Heir.

"But the next time I step foot inside the Stern manor or sit across from Dennis, my primary objective isn’t the inheritance. I need to uncover who within that house possesses a direct link to the White Tiger group. If we simply wait for our enemies to coordinate and launch a synchronized assault on our borders all at once, it will be catastrophic. I need to be proactive."

Driven by the necessity to seize the narrative, Max decided that finding the underlying connections behind the recent anomalies was his immediate priority. Which was exactly why he now found himself standing far outside the central core of the city.

"So, out of curiosity, why exactly did you decide to bring me along for this little field trip?" Wolf asked, taking a deep breath of the crisp, biting air. He adjusted the collar of his jacket against the wind. "Don’t get me wrong, I’m always happy to act as your muscle, but I’m entirely certain you had plenty of other choices among the rangers you could have brought along today."

"Aron is currently completely buried under a set of personal duties he needed to attend to immediately," Max explained as they walked along the perimeter fence. "Apparently, Mira managed to get into some serious trouble at her school. As her legal guardian, he had to drop everything to sort out the administrative fallout for her. Under normal circumstances, he’s always my first choice for an intelligence run like this."

"Ah, Mira," Wolf nodded, a look of understanding softening his features. "She’s the younger sister of your late friend, right? The one Aron swore to protect."

"Exactly. And even Aron understands the sheer ceiling of your physical strength, Wolf. The fact that you’re the one flanking me today is the only reason he felt entirely confident letting me walk into this sector without him," Max said. "As for why I chose you over the other rangers? I think you can answer that metric yourself. If you were in my shoes and needed a sharp mind who could analyze a combat situation instantly, who else would you have brought?"

Wolf let out a low chuckle, a flash of pride crossing his face. "Good answer, Boss."

He stepped ahead, his boots crunching against the gravel as he looked up at the old, rust-damaged metal sign hanging over the heavily fortified entrance. The fading letters read: Notting Hill Correctional Facility.

The reason they had traveled to the outskirts of the province was to run a forensic investigation into the recent prison break. Max had a sinking, instinctual feeling that the timing of the perimeter breach wasn’t a mere coincidence. In the Underworld, when a high-value asset like Dipter escapes custody exactly when a territory is destabilized, it’s a calculated play.

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