The rain lashed against the armor-plated hull of the Escalade.
Ryan slid into the back seat, the heavy door slamming shut behind him.
The instant the vehicle cleared the EMP shadow of the Sovereign Club, his burner phone vibrated violently against his thigh.
A cascading waterfall of delayed notifications flooded the screen.
[WARLORD PROTOCOL: ACTIVE] [Expenditure Recognized: Strategic Annihilation / Automated Syndicate Assault]
[Base Amount: $10,000,000]
[Bold Action Multiplier Applied: 5x]
[Return Deposited: $50,000,000]
[POWER: 32 → 45]
Ryan stared at the glowing digits.
Fifty million dollars.
It was a staggering, incomprehensible sum of liquid capital for a single night.
A month ago, it would have been the endgame. It would have been the moment he cashed out, bought an island, and disappeared into a life of absolute luxury.
