Project Thanatos.
A name buried in digital ash, protected by quantum encryptions, erased from every government registry—except one.
Hiroshi Kurogane leaned back in the shadows of the underground war room. The cold glow of the monitors reflected in his eyes, sharp and unreadable. Around him, the rest of the core members of SPECTER sat in silence.
"Thanatos..." SPARK whispered, her fingers flying across the interface. "It's not just a hit contract. It's a death sentence. A black-tier purge order, typically used to eliminate rogue world leaders."
"And now," WRAITH said, her voice like broken glass, "they're aiming it at a high schooler."
"No," Hiroshi corrected. "They're aiming it at me. Yuki is just the excuse."
He pointed to the data on-screen: intercepted files from Zenith Global, encrypted transmissions traced to abandoned research facilities, and worst of all—facial recognition logs tracking Hiroshi's movements for the past two years.
"They knew I survived," he muttered. "They just didn't think I was a threat. Not until now."
VEGA stepped forward, arms crossed. "So what do we do? Hide Yuki? Relocate the Foundation's assets?"
"No," Hiroshi said calmly. "We strike first."
---
The Gravemind Syndicate wasn't just a black-market intelligence ring. It was a hydra—a network of assassins, corrupt generals, rogue AIs, and failed experiments stitched together by money and hatred. They'd once worked for the government. Now, they sold death to the highest bidder.
And now, they'd painted a target on his back.
Hiroshi didn't flinch.
He welcomed it.
---
Later that night, while the city buzzed with rumors of the Unity Gala blackout, Hiroshi made a silent move.
He donned a dark civilian hoodie, slipped past biometric locks, and entered the secure archives beneath the Kurogane Foundation's tower.
He activated Protocol Zero—a deadman's switch left by his father.
The terminal glowed. A holographic AI appeared—a replica of his father's voice.
"If you're hearing this, Hiroshi… you're walking the path I feared you would. I built this empire to protect the world. But if the world turns against you, then take this... and burn it down."
The system opened.
And with it, a vault of information the world was never meant to see: records of deep corruption in the International Peace Board, AI war drones hidden under civilian power plants, contracts to destabilize Tōriku's districts by flooding them with black-tech weaponry.
At the center of it all? Gravemind.
And their next objective: complete political collapse of East Asia using fabricated terrorism.
Hiroshi smiled coldly.
"So this is the war they wanted."
---
At school, Yuki noticed Hiroshi's gaze had changed. He was always calm, always precise. But now he carried something more.
A quiet fury.
"Hiroshi," she said after class, pulling him aside, "you look like someone preparing to bury the world."
"I might be," he said honestly.
She didn't laugh.
"Then bury it," she said. "I'll stand beside you."
He looked at her for a long moment. Then he nodded once.
"Then let's begin."
---
Three days later, Gravemind's second strike team entered Tōriku City disguised as UN delegates. They had security clearance, diplomatic immunity, and a secondary kill order if the first failed.
They didn't make it past the airport.
SPECTER triggered a false chemical alert. Airport security quarantined them.
Then ECHO, in a stolen hazmat suit, delivered their meal—spiked with a neural toxin that erased 12 hours of memory.
When they woke up, they were stripped, chained, and floating in the middle of Tokyo Bay in a fake lifeboat with nothing but a note.
> "The Kurogane Empire doesn't forgive trespassers.
Try again, and you'll wake up in a grave."
---
That night, Gravemind's inner council panicked.
"How is a teenager outplaying us?" one growled.
"He's not just a teenager," another whispered. "He's a ghost."
They ordered the final measure.
PROJECT THANATOS – PHASE 2: Deploy SHADES
---
Back at the war room, Hiroshi watched as new red dots appeared on the city map.
"SHADES..." WRAITH muttered. "They're real?"
Hiroshi nodded.
"Seven elite enforcers. Each one surgically enhanced. Cloned from battlefield legends. Trained since birth to erase threats."
SPARK cursed. "They're overkill."
"They're terrified," Hiroshi said.
"Good."
He turned to his team.
"Now we begin Phase Zero."
"What's that?" VEGA asked.
Hiroshi stepped forward, eyes burning.
"We hit them where they sleep."