Chapter 128: The agency makes its move 

For the next hour, Rico and Mia worked in tandem, trying every trick in their considerable arsenal to bypass the box’s security. The tension in the vault was thick; every 

failed attempt pushed up the stress. 

“Guys,” Leo’s voice came through their earpieces, “we’ve got movement. A car just pulled into the parking lot.” 

“Shit,” Jack hissed. “How many?” 

“Just one person. Looks like a cleaner.” 

Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, we’ve still got time. Rico, Mia, where are we at?” 

Mia looked up, frustration evident on her face. “We’ve bypassed the biometrics, but this voice recognition is killing us. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” 

“Wait a second,” Rico said, his eyes lighting up.” “What if we don’t need to bypass it? What if 

we could trick it instead?” 

“What do you mean?” Jack asked. 

Rico grinned. “Mia, pull up that voice modulation program you used on the Stephenson job. If we can get a sample of the right voice, we might be able to synthesize it.” 

Mia’s eyes widened. “That… that might actually work. But we’d need to know whose voice it’s looking for.” 

Jack thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, speaking quietly 

Chapter 128. The agency makes its thave 

when it connected. “Sir, we’re at the box, but we’re stuck on voice recognition. Any ideas. whose voice 

it might be keyed to?” 

He listened for a moment, then his face paled. “Are you sure? Alright, we’ll try it.” 

Hanging up, he turned to the team. “It’s keyed to Anya Shaw’s voice.” 

There was a moment of stunned silence. 

“Shaw?” Mia whispered. “As in, the actual Shaw?” 

Jack nodded grimly. “That’s the one. Can you do it, Mia?” 

Mia took a deep breath. “I think so. I’ve got some public speeches of his in my database, but nothing from his wife. Give me a few minutes.” 

As Mia worked furiously on her tablet, Leo’s voice came through again. “Guys, the cleaner’s inside the building. You’ve got maybe ten minutes before they reach the vault area.” 

“Hurry, Mia,” Jack urged. 

“Got it!” Mia exclaimed. She held up her tablet to the voice recognition panel. A slightly robotic but recognizable version of Anya’s voice emanated from the device. “What do you mean? Password: Dad,” the first sentence was pulled from the government archives of a cruise ship party. The password was produced by a deep fake AL. 

For a heartstopping moment, nothing happened. Then, with a soft click, the safe deposit box 

swung open. 

“We did it!” Rico exclaimed. 

“Good work, team,” Jack said, reaching into the box. “Now let’s see what all this fuss was about.” 

His hand groped inside the box, feeling around. His brow furrowed. “What the hell?” 

“What is it?” Mia asked. 

Jack pulled his hand out, empty. “It’s… There’s nothing here. The box is empty.” 

A stunned silence fell over the group. 

“That’s impossible,” Rico said. “After all that security? There’s got to be something.” 

Jack shook his head. “Nothing. Not a damn thing” 

“Guys,” Leo’s voice cut in urgently. “The cleaner’s almost at the vault. You need to get out now!” 

“Shit,” Jack cursed. “Alright, we’re leaving. Now 

They exited the vault quickly, their footsteps echoing in the empty bank as they made their way back to their entry point. As they slipped out into the night, they could hear the faint sound of a vacuum starting up inside. 

Once they were safely away from the bank, huddled in their getaway van, Jack pulled out his phone again. 

“Sir,” he said when the call connected, “we got into the box, but… it was empty. There was nothing there.” 

He listened for a moment, his face growing more concerned. “Yes, sir. I understand. We’re on our way.” 

Hanging up, he turned to the team. “Change of plans. We’re not going back to base. We’ve got a new destination.” 

As Rico started the van, the team exchanged worried glances. The night’s mission had raised far more questions than it had answered, and they all had a sinking feeling that their troubles. were only just beginning. 

The van pulled away from the curb, disappearing into the darkness. Behind them, the bank stood silent. 

They were oddly suspicious about how easy this was–no ordinary bank. This was a bank operated by the Mafia. Something was off. 

As they drove through the quiet streets, each member of the team was lost in thought, wondering what they had gotten themselves into. 

They did not have time to process what happened when a dark van slammed into their vehicle, flipping them several times and sending them into the sidewalk. 

Like a well–oiled machine, the Van withdrew and a row truck replaced it, and the entire crew was dragged away in the car and all into the night. 

The city began to wake around them, early risers starting their day, unaware of the drama that had unfolded in the heart of their financial district. 

The intelligence agency’s headquarters buzzed with an undercurrent of tension. Rumors of a major restructuring had been circulating for weeks, leaving agents and analysts alike on edge. Today, those rumors would come to fruition in ways no one could have anticipated. 

Chapter 128 The agency makes as move 

In a small conference room on the building’s top floor, six of the agency’s most capable operatives sat in uncomfortable silence. They had been summoned without explanation, their regular duties suspended indefinitely. 

The room was sparsely furnished, with a long table surrounded by chairs and a large screen on one wall. The blinds were drawn, adding to the atmosphere of secrecy. 

Agent Marco Rossi, a veteran field operative with salt and pepper hair, broke the silence.” Anyone know what this is about?” 

One of the agents, known for her analytical skills, shook her head. “Not a clue. But whatever it is, it’s big. I’ve never seen a team assembled like this before.” 

The others murmured in agreement. They were an eclectic group, each chosen for their unique skills and unquestionable loyalty to the agency and the country. 

The door opened, and everyone straightened in their seats as Director Alessandro Ricci, the head of Italian intelligence, entered the room. His face was a mask of seriousness, his eyes scanning each agent in turn as he took his place at the head of the table. 

“Thank you all for coming,” Director Ricci began, his voice crisp and authoritative. “What I’m about to tell you is classified at the highest level. Nothing–and I mean nothing–that is said in this room leaves these four walls. Is that understood?” 

A chorus of “Yes, Director” echoed around the table. 

Director Ricci nodded, seemingly satisfied. “As you may have heard, our agency is undergoing significant restructuring. What you don’t know is why.” He paused, his gaze intense. “We are forming a new team–a team with a single, critical mission: to preserve the integrity of the President.” 

The agents exchanged glances, confusion evident on their faces. 

Chapter 128 The agency makes its move 

Agent Luca Bianchi, the youngest of the group, leaned forward. “Director, forgive me, isn’t that the job of the presidential security detall?” 

“Under normal circumstances, yes,” Director Ricci replied. “But these are not normal 

circumstances.” 

but 

She pressed a button on a remote, and the screen on the wall flickered to life, displaying a photograph of a well–dressed man in his early forties. “This is Daniel Shaw, head of the Shaw crime family. Our intelligence suggests that his wife, Anya, is in possession of something that could potentially bring down the president.” 

The room fell silent as the agents processed this information. 

Agent Selene, an expert in organized crime, spoke up. “What exactly does she have, Director?” 

Director Ricci’s expression tightened. “That’s the problem. We don’t know exactly what it is. But we do know that a powerful criminal organization known as the Dark Hand is desperate to get their hands on it.”