Feynman snapped his laptop shut and spun a USB stick through the air.Whistling, he said, "Alright, I've picked out some real gems for you."
As the screen displayed a list, Vincent and Gabriel leaned in.It showed profiles of individuals scrubbed from government databases.
Name: Adrian VolkovOrigin: Former Russian Special Forces → Now a freelance mercenarySpecialty: High-grade explosives and structural demolitionsTraits:
Eccentric personality – views explosions as philosophical statements
Artistic impulse – doesn't just destroy, he aims for "perfect collapse"
Elite skill level – known for bringing down enemy bases through structural implosion
Black market activity – previously linked to rogue terrorist cells
Gabriel frowned."Adrian Volkov? Ex-Russian special ops?"
Vincent skimmed the profile."He's got a reputation. Unorthodox tactics."
Feynman leaned back with a grin."Unorthodox? Please. This guy didn't just blow up a PMC base—he calculated the load-bearing weaknesses and made it collapse 'naturally.'"
Gabriel smirked."So what is he, a demolition artist?"
"Exactly," Feynman shrugged. "You'll have to meet him yourselves."
Vincent and Gabriel exited the car, staring at a rust-red factory under moonlight.The skeletal metal beams looked like something out of a nightmare.Only the distant sound of a passing train broke the silence.
"He actually lives here?" Gabriel muttered.Vincent scanned the building. A faint light flickered from inside.
But his instincts were screaming."This isn't going to be a walk-in."
He examined the ground—thin wires, pressure sensors, and buried mines."It's rigged. Be careful, Gabriel."
"What?"
Vincent pointed to the trap.Gabriel crouched to disarm it while Vincent scaled the wall for a better view.
—
Ten minutes later.They made it inside untouched.
At a workbench sat Volkov, clapping slowly with a cigarette in hand.Surveillance footage of their approach played on his monitor.
"Madmen. You actually disarmed all of it."
He gestured lazily."Come on in. You're already here."
Vincent and Gabriel stepped forward.Volkov looked them over with a crooked grin.
"Heard of you. Vincent Kang… and Gabriel, the fixer for Dominic."
Gabriel bristled. "What did you just say?"
Vincent held him back. "Relax. We need this guy."
Volkov chuckled. "Didn't think your reputations had weight. Turns out you're worth something."
"So," he continued, rising from his chair, "you've come to recruit me?"
He picked up a compact explosive device, a black box tangled in wires.
"This isn't just a bomb. This is structured collapse."
He pointed at a support pillar."You'd think hitting the base would do the job, right?"
Boom.
The pillar blew—but the building didn't fall.
"I calibrated a balance point."
He tapped a button again.Boom. Boom.
A sequence of charges brought down one section, creating a clean exit tunnel.
"That's my style. Not reckless destruction. Elegant ruin."
Gabriel folded his arms. "Enough showing off. Join us. We've got real fun ahead."
Volkov raised an eyebrow."Sounds fun, but what's in it for me?"
Gabriel growled, but Vincent stepped in."We need firepower."
Volkov's eyes lit up."Firepower?"
Vincent tossed him a bone."The Crown Tower. Downtown."
Volkov froze."…The Crown Tower? That Crown Tower?"
"It's Dominic's new HQ," Vincent said. "We plan to bring it down."
Volkov tapped his fingers.A long pause.Then, a grin.
"Alright. Sounds like a game worth playing."He lit a cigarette.
"But remember—my explosions aren't just weapons.They're performance art."
****
"First Strike"
Location: Downtown NYC – IRON Organization Forward BaseTime: 5:00 AM
Volkov secured the final charge, hood pulled up.His tablet displayed a complete demolition simulation.
"You guys just want to blow this up?"Gabriel groaned. "We want to obliterate it."
Volkov smirked."Then you don't understand explosions."
Vincent asked, "What did you design, then?"
Flipping his tablet, Volkov explained:
Simple collapse? Boring.
The upper floors will fall like a staircase.
A domino collapse—chaotic in appearance, but precisely calculated.
Windows will shatter outward, creating a shockwave of glass.
The central structure implodes, compressing the building downward.
"It's art," he said. "Collapse the central columns first, then let the outer shell fold in stages."
Tick… tick… tick… (Timer active)
Volkov smiled and pressed the button.
BOOM!
Glass erupted like a wave.Pillars crumbled.The building bowed, sinking as if on its knees.Floor after floor pancaked:21st → 19th → 17th → 14th…
The structure collapsed like a monstrous domino set.
Volkov watched in ecstasy."This is demolition done right."
—
In the getaway car, the tremors were still felt.
Nick Carson checked the rearview mirror, awestruck."Holy hell… That wasn't a takedown. That was an art installation."
Volkov beamed."I don't just detonate. I direct."
Vincent, watching the smoke rise, spoke quietly:"Now they know—we've begun."
—
IRON's Base – Aftermath
Smoke. Rubble. Chaos.
Survivors staggered out from what remained.Among them: Marcus Lane, a key figure in IRON.
"Our tower… gone? Who the hell did this?!"
"We're still investigating, but… it's not one of our usual enemies."
"What do you mean?"
"Aiden's already pushed it to the news cycle. They're calling it an 'unknown explosion' in the heart of NYC."
Panic spread.
Emergency protocols activated.Investigations launched across the city.Dominic's former allies questioned for betrayal.
But no one had proof Vincent's crew was behind it.
Marcus clenched his fists.
"Whoever it was… they'll show themselves soon."
****
Night of Peril, Operation: Extraction"Angie Confronts a Shadow from Her Past
Angie sat alone in an upscale lounge in New York, her fingers gently tracing the rim of a cocktail glass.She wore an elegant smile, perfectly composed.
But her eyes were locked on a man across the room.He was laughing with a group of businessmen, completely unaware that she was watching him.
Angie exhaled softly."The things I've done… they always come back for me."
Just then, a quiet voice crackled through her earpiece.
Vincent: "Drinking in a fancy bar like this—part of the job now?"Angie: "You followed me?"Vincent: "More like a hunch. You walking into danger is kind of your thing."
Angie smirked faintly."I can handle this myself."
Vincent's tone sharpened."Can I trust that?"
She didn't answer.
Green Approaches
"Been a while, Angie," said Green, sliding into the seat across from her with a cold smile.
Angie's face hardened."Coincidence, huh?"
Green shook his head."Coincidence? The second you walked in, it stopped being that."
He lifted his glass slowly."Too bad. You used to be a useful asset. Now? You're a liability."
Angie took a measured breath.She knew exactly what he meant.
The Window Shatters — Vincent's Intervention
Glass exploded inward.
Vincent, silent and precise, entered the fray.
Suppressed handgun — clean, surgical execution
First shot: headshot — immediate neutralization
Second shot: vital point — target incapacitated
Angie: "Really? I was just about to wrap this up in style."Vincent: "You dying kind of ruins the point."
Green stumbled backward, shaken."I figured you wouldn't be alone."
Vincent lowered his weapon calmly."Walk away and you get to live."
Green chuckled bitterly."We'll meet again, Angie. You always end up being hunted by someone."