00:02:15
The timer glowed on every screen in the war room like a ticking heart.
Elena stared at it in horror.
"You're going to kill everyone out there."
Valentina didn't respond immediately.
Her fingers moved calmly across the keyboard, adjusting lines of code as if she were finishing a routine calculation rather than triggering a massacre.
Elena stepped closer.
"Valentina!"
Finally, her sister looked up.
"They chose this battlefield."
"No," Elena snapped. "You did."
The timer dropped.
00:01:58
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
Gunfire echoed endlessly as the three armies tore each other apart.
But none of them knew the truth.
None of them knew the ground beneath their feet had been turned into a bomb.
The Duel Continues
Outside the estate gates, Alessandro slid behind a shattered SUV as bullets ripped through the metal.
Orlov's men had retreated into cover, but the Russian himself had vanished into the smoke.
Adrian crouched behind a concrete barrier nearby.
"You still alive?" he shouted over the gunfire.
"Unfortunately," Alessandro answered dryly.
Adrian peeked around the barrier and immediately ducked as a sniper round slammed into the wall.
"Snipers on the east ridge."
Alessandro leaned out briefly, firing two precise shots.
A distant scream confirmed one of them had fallen.
Adrian glanced at his watch.
"Something feels wrong."
Alessandro's instincts had been screaming the same warning.
Battles were chaos.
But this chaos felt… orchestrated.
Like a trap closing.
Then his radio crackled.
"Elena?" Adrian called.
Static filled the line.
Then Elena's voice finally came through.
"Adrian… listen carefully."
Her voice sounded tight with urgency.
"Valentina planted explosives across the battlefield."
Adrian froze.
"What?"
"Everywhere."
Alessandro's expression darkened instantly.
"How long?" he asked into the radio.
There was a pause.
Then Elena answered.
"Less than two minutes."
Back in the War Room
Elena grabbed Valentina's arm.
"You have to stop this."
Valentina shook her head.
"No."
"Alessandro will die."
Valentina's voice was calm.
"He knew the risks."
Elena's anger exploded.
"You don't get to decide who lives and dies!"
Valentina's eyes hardened.
"That's exactly what the council has been doing for decades."
The timer dropped again.
00:01:12
Elena's voice trembled.
"You're becoming worse than them."
Valentina didn't look away.
"Maybe."
Then she said something that stunned Elena.
"But this was father's plan."
Elena blinked.
"What?"
"He didn't just want the council destroyed," Valentina continued quietly.
"He wanted the entire criminal network erased."
Elena shook her head.
"He wanted peace."
"Yes."
"And peace requires an ending."
Elena stared at the timer.
Less than a minute.
If this explosion happened…
Hundreds would die.
Including Alessandro.
The Wolf in the Smoke
Outside, Alessandro moved quickly through the burning battlefield.
Soldiers from every faction were retreating as the firefight intensified.
But he wasn't retreating.
He was hunting.
Orlov had disappeared into the smoke, but Alessandro could feel his presence somewhere nearby.
Predators recognized each other.
Then—
A shot rang out.
Alessandro twisted as the bullet grazed his shoulder.
Pain exploded through his arm.
He dropped behind a concrete wall just as Orlov stepped out of the smoke.
The Russian held a pistol now.
"You look tired," Orlov said calmly.
Blood soaked through Alessandro's sleeve.
But his voice remained steady.
"You talk too much."
Orlov glanced around the battlefield.
"You know something interesting?"
Alessandro didn't respond.
Orlov smiled faintly.
"This whole place feels like a trap."
Alessandro's eyes flickered slightly.
Orlov noticed.
Then his smile grew wider.
"Oh…"
"…so it is."
The Final Seconds
Inside the war room, Elena moved quickly to the keyboard.
Valentina blocked her path.
"Don't."
"I have to stop it."
"You'll ruin everything."
Elena's voice broke.
"I don't care!"
The timer dropped again.
00:00:35
Outside, Adrian grabbed Alessandro's arm.
"We need to move now."
"Why?"
Adrian spoke quickly.
"Elena says explosives are everywhere."
Orlov heard the words clearly.
He laughed.
"I knew it."
He stepped back slowly.
"You see, De Luca… that's the difference between us."
Alessandro raised his weapon again.
"What difference?"
Orlov's grin was cold.
"I expect betrayal."
He turned and sprinted toward one of the armored vehicles.
Adrian cursed.
"He's escaping!"
Alessandro fired twice.
One bullet shattered the vehicle's rear window.
But Orlov disappeared inside and slammed the door.
The engine roared.
The Decision
Back in the war room—
Elena shoved Valentina aside and slammed her hands onto the keyboard.
Valentina grabbed her wrist.
"If you stop this now, the council survives."
Elena's eyes burned with tears.
"And if I don't, Alessandro dies!"
The timer flashed.
00:00:12
Valentina's grip tightened.
"This is bigger than him."
Elena whispered,
"He's my husband."
For a moment—
Valentina hesitated.
The timer dropped again.
00:00:08
Elena typed furiously.
Valentina watched.
The countdown reached—
00:00:03
And then—
The screen went black.
Silence
For one terrifying moment…
Nothing happened.
The battlefield outside remained intact.
No explosion.
No firestorm.
Adrian slowly looked around.
"…did we just survive that?"
Alessandro exhaled quietly.
But far across the city—
In a hidden underground facility—
Another screen flickered to life.
The same countdown timer appeared.
But this one was still running.
00:00:45
And a single message flashed across the monitor:
PRIMARY TARGET RELOCATED