The night sky in the small village was crystal clear. Stars were scattered, and a cool breeze gently blew, carrying the scent of earth and wet leaves. After a dinner filled with laughter and warmth, one by one, they began to disperse to enjoy the tranquility of the night.

  Arga and Melisa sat together on a wooden bench in front of the old house. The dim light from inside illuminated their faces as they gazed at each other, filled with longing that had been suppressed for twenty years.

  Arga broke the silence.

  “I never thought… we would meet again like this,” he said softly.

  Melissa smiled faintly. “Me too. It feels like a dream. Twenty years have passed, but your face is still the same. Stubborn.”

  Arga chuckled softly. “And you’re still the same. Always calm, always gentle… always making me forget how to breathe.”

  Melisa lowered her head, her cheeks flushed. “You’re exaggerating.”

  Arga looked up at the sky. “No. For twenty years, I never stopped looking for you. Every mission, every country, every city… I always hoped that one day fate would bring us together again.”

  Melisa was silent for a long time, then said softly, “I was waiting for you too, Arga. But life took me down a different path.”

  Moments later, footsteps were heard approaching. Arman and Mahendra stood there awkwardly.

  "Sorry to interrupt your time," Arman said calmly. "But there's something important we need to discuss with Melisa."

  Melisa turned her head, then stared at Arga for a moment, before standing up. "What's really going on?"

  Mahendra reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, jet-black plastic disk. Its surface was covered in fine scratches, as if it had passed through many hands.

  “I’ve tried unlocking it countless times,” Mahendra said. “I’ve used every method I know. Quantum brute force, sandbox isolation, even AI simulations. But every time I unlock one layer, the next gets even more chaotic. The code… is like a living thing. It changes every second.”

  Melisa carefully accepted the plastic disk. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the small object.

  “This code… is no ordinary system,” he muttered.

  Arga looked at Melissa worriedly. “Can you open it?”

  Melisa shook her head slowly. “No. At least not me.”

  Mahendra was shocked. “Can’t? Not even you?”

  Melisa took a deep breath. “I’m not the hacker people think I am.”

  Arman and Arga were both silent.

  “I just work for a private company,” Melisa continued. “It's a cybersecurity company… but our focus is solely on server defense systems for online games and digital platforms. Our job is to prevent player data theft, DDoS attacks, and bug exploits. That's it.”

  Mahendra frowned. “But your name… is known as Anonymous.”

  Melisa smiled bitterly. “That’s too big a misunderstanding to fix.”

  He sat back, looking up at the night sky.

  “A few years ago,” he continued, “my office computer suddenly received a message. No return address. No return path. It contained just one line: ‘I’ve seen your problem.’ ”

  Arga and Mahendra looked at each other.

  “From then on,” Melisa says, “every time we faced a major issue—whether it was a server crash, a massive cyberattack, or a complex exploit—I simply responded with one short message. Within a minute, the problem was gone. It was as if it never existed.”

  Mahendra paused, his eyes gleaming. “One person… controlling such a large system?”

  Melisa nodded slowly. “I’ve never met him. I never knew who he was. But the way he works… it defies all logic I can fathom.”

  Arman interrupted softly, “And people think… you are him.”

  “Yes,” Melisa sighed. “The name just stuck. I never claimed it, but the world needs figures, not truths.”

  Mahendra stared at the plastic disk in Melisa's hand. "So, who can open it?"

  Melisa looked up, her eyes serious. “Him.”

  Silence fell instantly.

  “If the contents of this disk are important,” Melisa continued, “only he can open it. And if he sent me a message… that means this is a much bigger problem than you imagine.”

  Arga held Melissa's hand. "Is it safe to involve you?"

  Melisa smiled softly. “Ever since I received that first message, my life has been anything but normal.”

  Mahendra rose slowly. “Tomorrow we’ll meet your connecting route.”

  Melisa nodded. “I can’t promise results. But I’ll try.”

  Arman stared at the dark sky. An uneasy feeling welled up in his chest.

  The night wind rustled gently, as if carrying a sign that this calm… was just a brief respite before a great storm came.

  The next morning, the Los Angeles sun shone warmly, illuminating the old house, now alive with laughter and togetherness. After a simple breakfast, they agreed to return downtown. That day would be a turning point for all.

  Melisa had to return to work. Rapid had to pick up her mother, who had finally recovered. And Melisa's father decided to come along—to see his long-lost sister-in-law and start a new chapter in his life.

  In the front yard, the atmosphere felt different. There was warmth, hope, but also a hint of separation.

  Melisa's father handed over the house keys to the neighbor next door.

  “Look after my house, Mrs. Maria. It looks like I’ll be gone for quite a while.”

  The middle-aged woman smiled warmly. “Go in peace, sir. This house is finally alive again. May it always be so.”

  Melisa's father — nodded slowly.

  Shortly after, two cars moved towards downtown Los Angeles.

  the Silver Cross Medical Center hospital district , they stopped.

  Rapid and his uncle got off first.

  “Okay,” said Arman. “We’ll go straight to Melisa’s office.”

  Arga stepped forward, looked at Rapid with a serious look, then lightly punched the boy's chest.

  “Now you are strong enough to take care of this Old Man,” he said.

  Rapid stood tall, his chest puffed out. “Ready! I’ve been training with you for the past few days. You won’t disappoint!”

  Hearing that, Melissa's father snorted.

  “Hah! If I were your age, I’d guarantee you wouldn’t be able to walk by tomorrow,” he said sharply, but with a hint of a smile. “And with that attitude, you think you deserve my daughter?”

  Arga was silent.

  “If you don’t change your stubborn attitude,” he continued, glaring at me, “don’t expect me to approve of your relationship.”

  Hearing this, Melissa immediately covered her mouth to hold back her laughter. Arman and Mahendra burst out laughing.

  Arga took a deep breath. "I'm ready, sir. I'll try to be a normal person."

  They laughed.

  But suddenly Melissa's father turned to look at Arman and Mahendra.

  “And you two,” he said in a raised voice, “stupid tourists who set me up with kittens! Don’t do it again!”

  In an instant, Arman, Mahendra, and Arga stood straight together.

  “Okay, wrong, sir!”

  Perfect military reflexes.

  Melissa's father was silent for a moment, then laughed out loud. "You guys are crazy."

  The atmosphere was broken by hearty laughter.

  Before parting, Arman handed a black watch to Rapid, followed by Mahendra who gave him a small envelope.

  "This watch is an SOS signal," Arman said. "One press and we'll know where you are."

  Mahendra added, “And this is for your mother’s needs. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

  Rapid received both of them with trembling hands.

  "Ready... I will guard this trust with my life."

  Arga patted the boy on the shoulder. “Good.”

  Melisa hugged her father tightly.

  "Dad just stays at Rapid's house. It's closer to the hospital."

  Elias nodded, his eyes filled with tears. “Take good care of yourself, kid.”

  “Dad too.”

  The car started moving again, leaving Rapid in front of the hospital.

  Meanwhile, the car carrying Arman, Mahendra, Arga, and Melisa drove towards downtown Los Angeles.

  Skyscrapers stood majestically. The streets were busy. The bustling metropolis contrasted sharply with the quiet village they had just left.

  The car stopped in front of a thirty-story modern glass building, with a silvery blue logo:

  SENTINEL CYBER DYNAMICS

  An international class cybersecurity company engaged in server protection, global game data, and cloud infrastructure.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “This is where I work,” said Melisa.

  Mahendra eyed the building with interest. “A gaming company… but its security system is on par with a national defense agency.”

  "Because our clients are no joke," Melisa replied. "Global gaming giants, e-sports platforms, and even digital banks."

  Arman glanced around. “And all of this… thinking you were Anonymous.”

  Melisa smiled bitterly. “A mask I was forced to wear.”

  They got out of the car. The security guard immediately saluted politely.

  “Good morning, Melissa.”

  "Morning."

  Upon entering the lobby, a professional atmosphere is evident. Giant screens display global cyber traffic data, a digital attack map, and global security status.

  Melisa led them to a private elevator.

  “This is where it all began,” he said quietly.

  Arman looked at the reflection of their faces on the glass wall of the elevator.

  He felt something moving behind all this.

  Something big.

  Something dark.

  And very deadly.

  As soon as she entered Melisa's office, the atmosphere changed drastically.

  The room was silent, except for the steady hum of server coolers and the steady hum of electricity. The glass walls offered panoramic views of Los Angeles from above, but inside, the world seemed to have stopped.

  Melisa sat in her chair.

  His eyes changed.

  No longer the gentle woman who laughed with Arga, but a focused figure with a sharp gaze, like a battlefield operator.

  He turned on his computer.

  Six monitors active simultaneously.

  He immediately bypassed the internal security layer. He re-locked the company firewall to prevent any trace of his activity from being recorded.

  “If I want to summon him,” Melisa said quietly, “I have to make sure no system in the world knows I did it.”

  His fingers started dancing on the keyboard.

  Code after code appears on the screen.

  Multi-layer encryption.

  Reverse proxy.

  Random communication paths across dark servers.

  It splits data traffic into dozens of micropaths, bounces them to hundreds of nodes in different countries, reassembles them into a single signal packet.

  Arman and Mahendra looked on silently.

  Even Mahendra, a world-class analyst, sighed softly.

  “This isn’t just communication… it’s a digital summoning ritual,” he murmured.

  In a short time, the main screen turned dark.

  A line of white text appeared slowly:

  ACCESS GATE: OPEN

  Then, a name appeared in the middle of the screen.

  GHOST

  The cursor is blinking.

  The conversation began.

  Ghost:

  What is it.

  Melissa swallowed hard.

  Melissa:

  I need help.

  Several seconds passed. Lonely.

  Ghost:

  What kind of help.

  Melisa grabbed a black flash drive coated in titanium — a high-grade encrypted plastic.

  He connected it to a special cable that directly connected to a standalone encryption module, cutting off all access to the company's servers.

  One small mistake, and the system will burn the data itself.

  “There should be no power outages… there should be no signal spikes…” Melisa whispered.

  A progress bar appears.

  0%

  17%

  39%

  68%

  91%

  TRANSFER COMPLETE

  Melissa:

  I'll send it now.

  A few seconds passed.

  Ghost:

  Accept.

  The screen showed a wild stream of code, spinning rapidly like a digital hurricane.

  Ghost:

  I can open it. Wait two minutes.

  Those two minutes felt like two hours.

  No sound. No movement.

  Just the sound of the clock ticking and bated breath.

  Exactly at the second minute, the screen lights up again.

  DATA UNLOCKED

  But before the data is sent back, a warning message appears:

  Ghost:

  Do not open on corporate network.

  Go.

  Now.

  Melisa immediately unplugged the device.

  “We have to get out. Now.”

  They left the Sentinel Cyber Dynamics building without attracting any attention, then entered an electronics store downtown.

  Mahendra chose a plain laptop, without any identification, without a traceable serial number.

  “We need clean machines,” he said. "Without history. Without a trace."

  After the purchase, they headed to a small restaurant not far from the office — a quiet place, weak public connection, and not too crowded.

  They sat in the corner, Melisa immediately turned on the new laptop.

  Flash disk inserted.

  File after file opens.

  And their world suddenly collapsed.

  A digital map of the world appears.

  Red dots are flashing in various countries.

  Each point contains data.

  Mahendra opened one.

  DISEASE OUTBREAK — WEST AFRICA

  Engineering the spread of artificial viruses.

  Goal: economic instability.

  He opened another point.

  HUGE FLOOD — SOUTH ASIA

  Weather manipulation through ionospheric technology is illegal.

  FOREST FIRES — AMAZON

  Illegal logging operations + ecological sabotage.

  MASS HUNTING — AFRICA

  Arms syndicate funding + organ trafficking.

  ILLEGAL MINING — SOUTHEAST ASIA

  Resource exploitation + global money laundering.

  Arga clenched his fists.

  “Bastard…”

  Melisa covered her mouth, almost trembling.

  “All this… all this time…”

  Arman stared at the screen without blinking.

  “Obsidants don’t build power,” he said coldly. “They build destruction.”

  Mahendra opens the core folder.

  The label made their breath catch:

  PROJECT : TOKYO — 5 SEPTEMBER 1987

  The date seemed to explode in the room.

  Mahendra turned his head slowly.

  “September 5th…”

  Arga swallowed. “That day… Van to Tokyo.”

  The atmosphere immediately turned tense.

  Arman stood up.

  “He went there to propose to Hana.”

  Silence.

  Like a thunderbolt without sound.

  Mahendra revealed the details of the project.

  Infiltration plan.

  Troop movements.

  Logistics.

  Target capture coordinates.

  And one sentence that makes the blood freeze:

  PRIORITY TARGET: HANA

  Arga hit the table.

  “BASTARD!”

  Melisa stood trembling. “They… they know everything…”

  Arman closed his eyes for a moment.

  Van's face flashed.

  Her smile.

  What a stupid joke.

  His loyalty.

  “If they touch Hana,” Arman said quietly, his voice filled with fire, “the world will burn.”

  Mahendra sent all the data to NOX AEGIS headquarters using military-grade encrypted channels.

  A notification appears:

  UPLOAD COMPLETE

  But just then—

  Laptop screen flickers.

  Black.

  A bright red line appears:

  Self-destructive activated virus

  “Virus!” Mahendra exclaimed.

  He tried to cut off the power.

  Late.

  Laptop is completely dead.

  The flash disk data was also burned.

  Melisa sat down weakly.

  “They have planted a digital bomb…”

  Arman stared at the dead screen.

  “We've got enough.”

  He looked at the three of them.

  “This is no longer a mission.”

  “This is war.”

  In the midst of the tension that had not yet subsided, suddenly the sound of a car engine roared loudly on the road in front of the restaurant.

  One.

  Two.

  Three black cars stopped suddenly.

  The doors opened simultaneously.

  And-

  BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!

  A hail of bullets struck without warning.

  The window glass shattered and shattered.

  The tables are turned upside down.

  People screamed in panic.

  Arman immediately shouted,

  “TAKE POSITION!”

  In a split second, their combat reflexes kicked in.

  Arman, Mahendra, and Arga kicked tables, overturned chairs, created makeshift protection.

  They came to Los Angeles on a peace mission.

  Without vest.

  Without heavy weapons.

  Without war preparation.

  Bullets hit the walls, rained down on the floor, splattering shards of ceramic.

  Arman pulled Melisa behind the table, holding her head.

  Mahendra grabbed a metal chair, using it as a makeshift shield.

  Arga peeked through the small gap, his eyes burning.

  Outside, the sound of laughter echoed.

  Cold laughter.

  The main car door opened slowly.

  A tall figure stepped down leisurely, as if coming to a playground.

  Valen Kryos.

  His gaze was cold, a faint smile adorning his face.

  He patted the rifle in his hand.

  “A link to the ghost world…” he said casually.

  “My orders are clear. Delete.”

  One of his men fired a final barrage.

  BOOM!!

  The last bullet hit the table they were hiding behind.

  Then the guns fell silent.

  Valen lowered the muzzle of his gun, laughing softly.

  “You guys live… interesting lives.”

  He turned around, walking towards his car.

  “Greetings to death,” he said lightly before the car door closed.

  The engine roared.

  And they disappeared.

  Silence.

  A thin layer of smoke filled the room.

  The smell of gunpowder pierced the nose.

  The sound of crying and screaming could be heard faintly.

  Arga stood up slowly.

  “Melisa…”

  The world suddenly collapsed.

  Melisa slumped in his arms.

  Blood flowed profusely from his stomach, soaking his clothes, his hands, the floor.

  His body was cold.

  Her face was pale.

  Arga was shaking.

  "No, no, no…"

  He pressed the wound with his hand, but blood continued to flow between his fingers.

  “Hang in… please… hold on…”

  Melisa opened her eyes slowly.

  His breathing was heavy.

  Sick.

  But he smiled a little when he saw Arga.

  “Sorry…” he whispered softly.

  Arga shook his head in panic.

  “Don’t talk. Don’t talk. Please…”

  Her tears fell and wet Melisa's face.

  Mahendra froze for a moment, then came to his senses.

  “Taxi! Hurry!”

  He ran out, stopping the first vehicle that passed.

  Arman lifted Melisa's body, blood soaked his arm.

  “Hang in there…” he whispered, almost praying.

  In the taxi, Arga hugged Melisa tightly.

  His hands trembled as he pressed the wound.

  “Look at me… don't close your eyes…”

  Melisa smiled faintly.

  “I'm happy… finally we meet again…”

  His breath was ragged.

  Arga sobbed.

  “I haven't had time to make you happy…”

  Melisa shook her head weakly.

  “It’s done… for me… it’s done…”

  The hospital sirens sounded closer.

  Upon arrival at the hospital, the doctor immediately took over.

  “Gunshot trauma. Massive blood loss. Go to the operating room now!”

  The operating room door closed hard.

  Leaving the three men standing stiff.

  Arga sat on the floor.

  His clothes were covered in blood.

  His hands were still shaking.

  Seconds passed like hell.

  Suddenly Arga stood up.

  His eyes changed.

  Dark.

  Burning.

  “He is alive… and Valen is walking free.”

  He walked quickly towards the exit.

  “I will kill him.”

  Arman blocked.

  "Stop."

  “GET OUT OF THE WAY!”

  Arga pushed Arman hard.

  Mahendra also stepped forward.

  “Arga! Control yourself!”

  “He shot the woman I love!”

  Arga hit Mahendra.

  Mahendra was thrown, but immediately got up.

  In an instant, the three friends were involved in a fierce fight.

  Fists hit.

  Bodies collide with each other.

  Not because of hate.

  But because of despair.

  Arga roared angrily, hitting uncontrollably.

  Arman blocked the attack, then with one quick movement slammed Arga to the floor.

  He pressed his chest, eyes meeting hers.

  “If you come out now, you die.”

  Arga rebelled.

  "I don't care!"

  Arman growled.

  “I care!”

  Mahendra stood beside them, breathing heavily.

  “If you die now, who will avenge all this?”

  Arga was silent.

  His breath was ragged.

  Tears flowed freely.

  “I… I can't lose him…”

  Arman softened the pressure.

  “We will find him.”

  “We will hunt him down.”

  “But not with a hot head.”

  Arga sobbed, his body trembling.

  Arman hugged her shoulders tightly.

  “You are not alone.”

  Mahendra nodded.

  “This time… it's no longer a mission.”

  “This is a blood oath.”

  Six hours passed.

  The clock on the wall showed 19.00.

  The hospital hallway lights cast long shadows on the cold floor.

  Arman, Mahendra, and Arga were still standing in the waiting room.

  Nobody spoke.

  No one sat down.

  Their eyes were fixed on the still closed door of the operating room.

  Every second feels like hours.

  Every breath felt like torture.

  Arga stood frozen.

  His hands clenched into fists.

  Her clothes still had Melisa's blood stains on them.

  His eyes were red, empty, yet stormy.

  Finally…

  The door opened.

  A doctor came out, slowly removing the mask.

  The three of them immediately stood up straight.

  “How?” asked Arman, his voice tense.

  The doctor stared at them for a moment, then said,

  “Your friends… are safe.”

  It was as if the world stopped for a moment.

  Arga's breath hitched.

  Mahendra took a deep breath.

  Arman closed his eyes for a moment, grateful.

  “However…” the doctor continued.

  Their bodies tensed again.

  "The bleeding was very severe. We managed to stop it, but the patient lost a lot of blood. He's still unconscious. It will likely take a long time to recover."

  "Her condition is stable now, but she remains critical. We need additional blood and close observation."

  Arga nodded slowly.

  “Thank you, Doc.”

  The doctor left, leaving the three of them in heavy silence.

  For the first time since the shooting…

  They felt a little out of breath.

  Melissa is still alive.

  The night passed slowly.

  Neither of them slept.

  Just sitting, standing, walking back and forth.

  Wait.

  Pray.

  Until morning dawns.

  The sky began to whiten as hurried footsteps could be heard in the hallway.

  Arga turned his head.

  Rapid came with Melisa's father and her own mother who had just recovered.

  Their faces were tense.

  Eyes full of worry.

  Rapid immediately ran towards Arga.

  “Sis…”

  Arga nodded slowly.

  “He is still alive.”

  Rapid breathed a sigh of relief, almost crying.

  "I will donate blood. My group is the same."

  The doctor immediately took Rapid to the transfusion room.

  Meanwhile, Melisa's father stood silently staring at Arga.

  His gaze was sharp.

  In.

  Heavy.

  No smile.

  No anger exploded.

  There was only a silent, deadly fire.

  He stepped closer.

  Every step felt like a hammer hitting Arga's chest.

  When they were only an inch apart, the old man said in a low, pressing voice:

  “If you truly love my daughter…”

  Arga stared at him without blinking.

  “…make sure the person who shot him dies by your hands.”

  Arman and Mahendra tensed.

  The air around them felt frozen.

  “And bring the body before me.”

  The voice was cold.

  Without a doubt.

  Without mercy.

  Arga's gaze darkened.

  In an instant, flashes of his past appeared.

  Dark corridor.

  Rain of blood.

  Screams that drowned into the night.

  The image of himself as a Night Wolf, a silent killer who moves without a trace.

  He raised his head slowly.

  Arga's voice was calm.

  Too quiet.

  "I swear."

  “I will find him.”

  “I will hunt him down.”

  “And I will bring his body before you.”

  For the first time, Melisa's father nodded.

  “Then… I entrust that man’s life to you.”

  Without another word, he turned towards the doctor's room.

  Rapid turned his head towards them.

  His gaze was full of respect.

  “Thank you… for saving my mother and cousin.”

  He led his mother slowly.

  Before leaving, his mother held Arman, Mahendra and Arga's hands one by one.

  With a trembling voice:

  “You guys… are angels to our family.”

  No one answered.

  Just a small nod.

  Their footsteps disappeared at the end of the hallway.

  There were three men left.

  Lonely.

  Silence.

  But in their chests…

  The war has begun.

  Arga stared at the ICU door where Melisa was being treated.

  Behind the glass, he saw the weak body of the woman he loved.

  His heart felt like it was being squeezed.

  Mahendra stood beside him.

  “Valen Kryos…”

  Arman continued,

  “…has signed his own death warrant.”

  Arga clenched his fists.

  His voice was low, full of oath.

  “I'm no longer a soldier.”

  “I am no longer human.”

  “Until he dies… I am the Night Wolf.”