Adam pressed call.
The phone rang only twice before Gonda answered.
For a mont, there was only breathing from the other side.
Gonda had not always been like this.
Before, he could still ask questions. He could still test the other side a little. Even when he was afraid, he had tried to understand where the order ca from and how much danger stood behind it.
Now that space was gone.
He knew very clearly that his life was no longer fully in his own hands.
He could still sit in his own chair and give orders to his n. That was only the surface. If the hidden side wanted him to move, he had to move. If they wanted silence, he had to stay silent.
The unknown organization had pulled him into its shadow. It had shown him enough power to make him careful, and enough danger to make him obedient.
Gonda still rembered how easily his choices had been taken away. One order had pushed him here. One mistake could push him into a grave. The n under him still called him boss. Gonda knew the truth better than anyone.
There was another hand above his head now.
If he refused now, he did not know which side would kill him first.
So when he spoke, his voice was controlled.
"Tell , mister," Gonda said. "What work do you have for ?"
Adam did not waste ti.
"Gonda," he said, "give an order to every mber who is still in the alliance."
Gonda beca still.
Adam continued, "The companies from the list I gave you earlier are not to be touched."
Gonda listened carefully.
"Except those companies, every other company that brings material from outside must feel pressure," Adam said.
Gonda’s hand tightened around the phone.
Adam’s voice stayed flat.
"Use your workforce. Use every boy you can move. Every outside material route should feel pressure."
Gonda’s face changed.
The scale was bigger than what he had expected.
This was bigger than stopping one truck or troubling one warehouse.
This was wide.
If his n started touching materials coming from outside, companies would scream quickly. The police would not ignore it for long.
Gonda could already see the shape of the problem.
He imagined police stations receiving calls before the day ended. He imagined company managers shouting while his own n asked how much trouble they were allowed to create.
The answer from the phone was already clear.
"Mister," he said carefully, "if we do this, the police will co directly at us."
Adam’s reply ca at once.
"Gonda, I did not ask you about consequences."
Gonda’s mouth shut.
Adam continued, "I gave you work. That work should be done."
His voice beca colder.
"I do not want them to realize the pressure after a week. I want them to feel it after one day."
Gonda did not answer.
His throat tightened. The order was simple to hear. Carrying it out would shake the city’s supply side by morning. He still did not dare to argue again.
He wanted to say that this was madness. He wanted to say that pushing so many routes at once would pull heat on every side. The man on the phone was not asking for his opinion.
This was an order.
And Gonda was no longer in a place where he could refuse.
"Understood," Gonda said at last.
Adam cut the call without waiting for another word. On the other side, Adam put that phone away. He did not stay still for long.
He took out his real phone and called Bruno.
Bruno was still doing the work Adam had given him.
Gold and other materials were moving through the underworld because of him. At the sa ti, Bruno had started making his own small network, exactly as Adam had instructed him to do.
He was not free.
He knew that.
He was useful, and because he was useful, he was alive.
That was enough for Bruno right now.
Every ti he moved material, he rembered the old fear from that first eting. The organization behind the caller still had no face in his mind, and that made the fear worse. A man could hide from one enemy. He could not hide from a shadow that already knew his secrets.
When Adam’s call reached him, Bruno answered quickly.
"Sir," Bruno said. "Tell . What order do you have for ?"
Adam heard the quickness in his voice.
Bruno had learned.
Fear made him move faster now.
"Bruno," Adam said, "I am giving you an investigation."
Bruno’s expression changed on the other side. Adam’s voice sounded more serious than usual.
"Leave every other work for now," Adam said. "Focus on this."
Bruno straightened where he was standing.
"Tell who I have to investigate," he said.
Adam looked toward the road outside Aster Core.
"The mayor," he said.
Bruno beca silent.
For a street man, that na was too high.
Bruno had dealt with street people and dirty buyers before. The mayor was different. The mayor’s na moved through offices and police rooms.
Adam continued, "Find out how many contacts he has. Find his weak points if you can. But rember, do not co into his direct sight."
Bruno swallowed.
The mayor was not a street man.
Touching him was not like touching a dealer or a small gang leader. n like that had people around them on every side.
Adam did not stop.
"Do it quietly," Adam said. "Use whatever private network you have. Activate your people in Gonda’s city too."
Bruno listened without interrupting.
"I also want to know which officers are targeting Aster Core," Adam said.
This ti Bruno could not stop himself.
"Sir," he asked, "soone is targeting Aster Core?"
Adam’s voice turned colder.
"I did not call you for questions."
Bruno froze.
Adam continued, "I gave you work. I need results as fast as possible."
Bruno lowered his head even though Adam could not see him.
"Yes, sir," he said quickly. "I will do it."
The call ended there.
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