Chapter 4
"Where's your network now?" he asked, cutting right to the chase.
I looked him in the eye and replied, slow and deliberate. "It's everywhere."
Dereck's brows furrowed, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
Clearly, he wasn't catching my drift.
"My network isn't a bunch of people. It's a program.
"A digital wraith I spent ten years and a fortune forging."
I explained it all with a calm detachment, like I was talking about someone else's story.
"This program lurks in every shadowy corner of the internet.
"It holds countless hidden identities and digital assets.
"It's like a virus, able to infiltrate nearly every financial and information system in the world without leaving a trace.
"I gave it a single activation command.
"That is to confirm my death."
Dereck's eyes narrowed in shock.
He understood immediately.
"Your execution..." Dereck murmured, realization dawning in his eyes.
"Yeah." I nodded. "The execution Phantom arranged was supposed to be where my story ended.
"But he never realized it would also become the trigger for my revenge.
"The moment my death was confirmed, my digital wraith was unleashed.
"It immediately started executing the orders I'd programmed.
"It'll clean out every overseas asset connected to the Black Lotus Cartel, trace every flow of money tied to my death, and gather any intel that could be related to Phantom.
"It's the big gift I prepared for Phantom, a death notice made of data and cash."
Dereck stared at me, stunned, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.
He clearly never imagined that after surviving fifteen years inside the Black Lotus Cartel, I'd still have a high-tech trump card hidden up my sleeve.
"Just what kind of person are you?" he muttered.
"A devil who clawed his way out of hell to settle the score," I replied coldly.
The room fell silent again, the quiet stretching on.
Dereck was still digesting the flood of information I'd just unloaded on him.
And I was waiting for his decision.
My plan was already in motion, but I needed a legitimate identity.
I needed official clearance to operate freely within this country.
I needed the nation's resources backing me up.
There was no way I could bring down the massive web behind Phantom on my own.
"I need a computer that can access the outside internet and can't be traced," I said, making my first request.
Dereck looked at me, his expression unreadable, a storm of emotions flickering in his eyes.
He knew that giving me that computer was like letting a tiger out of its cage.
That tiger might tear the enemy to shreds.
But it could just as easily turn on itself.
"Do you know what you're asking for?" His tone was deadly serious.
"I know," I replied, looking him straight in the eye. "And I know exactly what you guys are worried about.
"But you don't have a choice.
"Phantom is a cancer that's gone deep into the marrow.
"If you don't cut it out, you'll just slowly rot away.
"And I'm the only one who can do the surgery."
My words hit Dereck hard, like a hammer blow to his heart.
He closed his eyes, weighing the pros and cons.
After a long moment, he opened his eyes.
He said, "Alright. I'll give you the clearance. But everything you do will be under our surveillance."
"Deal." I agreed without hesitation.
Surveillance was pointless as far as I was concerned.
My digital wraith had a thousand ways to evade their surveillance.
All I needed was a window to reach out and make my move.
Soon enough, a military-grade encrypted laptop was delivered to me.
Dereck stayed put.
He stood right behind me, watching my every move.
I booted up the laptop, fingers dancing across the keyboard.
I didn't log into any hacker sites, nor did I type out any complex scripts.
Instead, I pulled up a niche forum for antique pocket watch collectors.
Then, using a brand-new account, I left a comment on an ignored thread.
[That Patek Philippe that's been stopped for fifteen years needs a little oil.]
With that, I closed the laptop.
"That's it?" Dereck asked, looking baffled.
"That's it," I nodded.
"That's all it takes?"
"My agents have already received my orders. They'll uncover Phantom's hideouts, one by one."