The van rumbled down the quiet road, its tires crunching against the gravel as the team made their way to the hidden facility Kade had mentioned. Seojin leaned back against the seat, her mind still racing with the revelation about the Council of Nine.
The Phoenix was just a puppet show. The real players were in the shadows, pulling the strings with a power that stretched across the globe. Choi's words had haunted her all night. If they didn't stop the Council, nothing they did to the Phoenix would matter.
"We're getting closer," Kade's voice broke through her thoughts.
Seojin nodded, not taking her eyes off the road ahead. "How do we even begin to fight an enemy we can't see?"
Kade glanced at her briefly. "We do what we've always done—we find them, and we expose them. They're not invincible."
Seojin wasn't so sure. The idea that a handful of people could have this much control over the world made her feel small. But she couldn't let that doubt show. They had a mission, and she was the one leading it.
"We have to get inside the system," Seojin said, her voice firm. "Find out who's connected to the Council. We start with their assets—money, connections, everything."
"Sounds simple enough," Dojin muttered, though there was no mistaking the sarcasm in his voice. "Just a tiny thing called the global elite standing between us and them."
"Exactly," Seojin replied, her eyes narrowing. "But we have to start somewhere."
The van slowed as they reached a secluded, abandoned warehouse just outside the city. Kade pulled the vehicle into the shadows, and the team quickly disembarked.
"Is this the place?" Minji asked, her tone skeptical.
Kade didn't reply immediately. He just led them inside. The building was cold, empty, and smelled of mildew, but it was secure. There were no windows, and the only entry was through a heavy steel door.
"This is where we're meeting an ally," Kade explained as he punched in the code on a hidden keypad. The door slid open with a heavy clank.
Seojin eyed him carefully. "Who exactly are we meeting?"
"You'll see," Kade said, his lips curling into a thin smile.
Inside, a man was sitting at a metal table, his face half-hidden by the shadows. He looked out of place, too clean, too composed for the abandoned warehouse.
Seojin didn't need to ask who he was.
"I hope you've brought what we need," the man said, his voice smooth and controlled. "Because the clock is ticking."
Seojin didn't wait for introductions. "We need everything you have on the Council of Nine. Names, connections, weaknesses. Anything that can give us a way in."
The man's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's not that simple."
Seojin didn't flinch. "It's the only way this ends."
The man stared at her for a long moment before standing. "Very well. But you'll need to prove you can handle it."
He moved to a nearby desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a file. As he placed it on the table in front of Seojin, she noticed the weight of it—the file was thick, too thick to be anything but important.
"This is the start," the man said, his voice low. "It's a list of assets tied to the Council. But it's incomplete. There's more to this network than I can give you in one sitting."
Seojin grabbed the file, flipping through the pages quickly. The names and organizations listed were astounding. Some were legitimate corporations, others—dark shadows in the criminal world. All had connections to the Council of Nine.
"We'll need more," she said, turning back to the man.
He shook his head, his eyes dark with warning. "I've already put you in danger by giving you this. The Council doesn't tolerate breaches. You'll need to work fast."
As Seojin and the team made their way out of the warehouse, the air outside felt heavy. The file in Seojin's hand was a treasure trove of secrets, but it was only the beginning. They had the names, but they needed more. They needed to find the Council's true influence.
"I don't trust him," Minji muttered, breaking the silence. "He's hiding something."
Seojin nodded. She agreed, but right now, they didn't have time to investigate the man's motives. They had a larger mission to focus on.
"Let's get back to the safe house," Seojin said, her voice low. "We'll go through this, and then we decide our next move."
They returned to their temporary safe house, a small apartment in the heart of the city. The file was spread across the table as Seojin, Kade, and the team sifted through it, looking for connections and patterns. But the more they uncovered, the darker the reality became.
The Council wasn't just a network of criminals. It was an entire system built on corruption, power, and control.
As Seojin's eyes scanned the names, something stopped her cold. A name she recognized.
Her father.
Seojin's breath caught in her throat. She felt the world tilt on its axis as her fingers trembled over the name.
"Seojin?" Kade's voice was tentative. "What's wrong?"
She didn't answer immediately. Her mind raced as she reread the name. There, at the top of the list, was her father's name.
"Impossible," she whispered under her breath.
She looked at Kade, her voice shaking. "This… this can't be right."
Kade stepped forward, his gaze softening when he saw her expression. "What is it?"
Seojin felt her world shatter. Her father, the one she'd believed to be an innocent bystander, was listed as one of the key figures tied to the Council of Nine. His name was linked to several of the largest corporations on the list, their influence spreading like a web through the country.
"I need to know what this means," Seojin said, her voice low, dangerous.
Minji looked at her with concern, but Seojin didn't meet her gaze. The betrayal—her father's betrayal—was too much to process.
Kade stood in silence, waiting for Seojin to make the next move.
After a long moment, Seojin took a deep breath. "We have to confront him."
End of Chapter 69