Chapter 8 - The Decryption
Leo locked himself inside an abandoned auto shop two blocks from the pier, hooking the USB drive to an old diagnostic terminal. The bypass software opened instantly, revealing Elena’s terminal logs. She hadn't died; she had documented Mercer’s entire offshore distribution network, linking county judges, shipping manifests, and federal kickbacks directly to Mercer's campaign chest. But at the very bottom of the directory was a video log dated forty-eight hours prior. Elena’s face appeared on screen, bruised and exhausted, speaking in a frantic whisper from a small, windowless concrete room: ""Leo, if you're watching this, Clara sold Toby out. Mercer threatened her family. They're holding us aboard the cargo freighter Titan Star. They're moving the final shipment at dawn, and they won't leave any witnesses behind. If you come, don't trust the harbor patrol—Mercer owns the entire dock."" The video abruptly cut out to the sound of an iron latch opening, followed by Elena screaming Toby’s name.
