The Questioner System (Ask Me Anything)

Chapter 13: The Article Drops

Night descended on the city like a shroud, and Adam sat in the safehouse, his nerves taut as Karen's article went live. The ticking clock on the wall seemed deafening, each second dragging on as if time itself was reluctant to advance.

Victor sat across the room, cleaning a pistol. He looked up occasionally, his sharp eyes scanning Adam like a hawk watching its prey. "You look like you're about to puke," he remarked.

"I might," Adam admitted. "This is big. Jared's going to lose his mind."

Victor smirked. "Good. The more off-balance he is, the easier it'll be for us to hit him where it hurts."

Adam didn't respond. He refreshed Karen's news site on his laptop, his heart racing when the headline appeared at the top of the page:

"Criminal Empire Exposed: Jared Mercer's Network of Corruption and Crime"

The article was thorough, detailing Jared's operations with damning evidence. Karen had even included screenshots of texts from Jared's phone, redacting sensitive parts to protect Adam's identity.

Comments flooded in almost immediately. Some readers expressed shock, while others claimed they'd always suspected something was amiss in the city's underbelly.

Adam closed his laptop, leaning back in his chair. It was done. The world now knew what Jared had been hiding in the shadows.

---

Within an hour, the fallout began. Victor's phone buzzed constantly as reports came in from Leon Vargas's network.

"Cops are raiding Jared's fronts," Victor said, grinning. "Couple of his boys got picked up. Looks like your little article stirred the pot."

Adam didn't share Victor's amusement. He knew Jared wouldn't go down quietly.

Adam's stomach tightened as he read the system's message. "Victor," he said, his voice low. "We need to move. Jared's coming for me."

Victor didn't seem fazed. "Let him come. This place is fortified. They'd be idiots to try anything here."

Adam wasn't so sure. Jared wasn't the type to care about risks when he was backed into a corner.

---

As midnight approached, the tension in the safehouse became palpable. Victor had stationed two of Leon's men outside as lookouts, and the rest of the team was armed and ready.

Adam sat in the corner of the room, the system's glowing text his only comfort.

He wasted no time.

Adam's heart sank. Twelve men—and two assassins? They were outnumbered and outgunned.

"Victor," Adam said, standing quickly. "Jared's sending a dozen men here. Two of them are professionals."

Victor raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. He grabbed a radio and barked orders to the lookouts. "Eyes open. We've got incoming."

The safehouse erupted into activity. Victor's men took up defensive positions, weapons drawn and faces grim.

"Secret tunnel?" Adam muttered. He turned to Victor. "Is there a way out of here besides the front door?"

Victor hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, but we don't use it unless it's life or death. Leads to an alley a few blocks away."

"This is life or death," Adam insisted.

---

The attack came swiftly. The first sign was the muffled sound of gunfire outside, followed by the crash of a door being forced open.

"Move!" Victor shouted, firing at the intruders as Adam bolted for the basement.

He found the hidden door quickly, a reinforced hatch concealed beneath a pile of crates. With a grunt, he shoved the crates aside and opened the hatch.

"Down here!" he yelled to the others.

Victor and two of his men joined him, the sound of gunfire and shouting growing louder above them.

As they descended into the tunnel, Victor threw a smoke grenade back toward the entrance, filling the space with a thick, choking cloud.

"Go, go, go!" Victor urged.

---

The tunnel was cramped and dark, lit only by dim emergency lights. The air was damp and musty, the walls lined with old brick.

"What's the plan?" Adam asked, his voice echoing slightly.

"We get to the other end and regroup," Victor said, his tone clipped. "Leon's got another safehouse nearby. We'll figure out our next move from there."

Adam didn't argue. He followed Victor through the twisting passage, the sound of chaos fading behind them.

---

They emerged in a deserted alley, the city's neon lights casting eerie shadows on the wet pavement. Victor checked his surroundings before motioning for the group to move.

"We're clear," he said.

Adam exhaled, relief washing over him. But he knew this wasn't over. Jared wouldn't stop until he was taken down completely.

The system's glowing text appeared once more, its message both a warning and a challenge:

Adam squared his shoulders, his resolve hardening. He had started this fight, and he wasn't going to back down now.