Ten bodies lay scattered across the hardwood floor, the kitchen counters, and the living room carpet. Mark walked slowly into the room, his boots crunching against shattered glass. He knelt beside the first body, a heavy, muscular man with his neck snapped at an impossible angle.

Mark pulled back the man's tactical vest, inspecting the unmarked black gear, the high-grade silencers, and the specialized close-quarters Karambit blade lying near his outstretched hand.

These were not street thugs or low-level house robbers. These were top-tier, highly paid elite mercenaries.

Mark reached into the lead operative’s pocket, pulling out a encrypted burner phone. He powered it on, scanning the brief transaction history...