Chapter 10 - The Neon Oasis Falls
Ethan shielded his eyes from the blinding flashlight and gave a slow, deeply exhausted nod.
"Yes," Ethan rasped, his throat incredibly raw from the toxic smoke and freezing cold.
"The owner of the house is lying right there."
Paramedics rushed hurriedly past Ethan to attend to Derrick, who was sobbing uncontrollably in the driveway gravel.
Within minutes, federal agents arrived on the chaotic scene, holding thick printouts of the massive data dump Marcus had initiated.
They didn't just put Derrick in a warm ambulance; they officially handcuffed him securely to the stretcher.
Derrick Vance was facing life in federal prison for massive corporate sabotage, embezzlement, and attempted murder.
The glamorous influencers and tech billionaires who had worshipped him just an hour ago now eagerly gave statements detailing his deep corruption.
The Neon Oasis, once the ultimate symbol of vanity and unchecked excess, was strictly cordoned off as a massive federal crime scene.
Ethan stood quietly at the edge of the police barricade, completely ignored by the media cameras focusing exclusively on the crying celebrities.
His faded t-shirt was torn, and his boots were ruined, but his spirit had never felt lighter.
He had stopped a terrible massacre, successfully brought a criminal to justice, and miraculously walked away with his life.
Though he currently had no money and no company to his name, he had his absolute freedom and his incredible, sharp mind.
He slung his battered leather backpack casually over his shoulder and began the long, quiet walk down the winding Hollywood Hills road.
The sun was just beginning to rise brightly over Los Angeles, painting the sky in beautiful, natural hues of pink and gold that put the mansion's artificial neon lights to profound shame.
Ethan smiled softly, feeling a profound sense of peace for the first time in many exhausting years.
He pulled a cheap, untraceable burner phone from his jeans pocket to call a local cab.
As the small screen lit up, a cryptic text message suddenly popped up from an unknown, heavily encrypted number.
It read: "You actually thought Marcus was acting alone tonight?"
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Ethan immediately stopped walking as a tiny, perfectly round red laser dot appeared directly on the center of his chest.
He slowly raised his tired eyes toward the thick tree line above the road, realizing the real, deadly game had just begun.
