The guards uncuffed Ethan at his cell door. Ethan rubbed his wrists and stretched his arms with a pleasant sigh.

"That was a good pass, thanks, guys," said Ethan, referring to the guards as he straightened up.

"You're welcome, sir. We are here to serve," said one of the guards, as he and his partner quickly retreated, maintaining formality without losing their haste.

Ethan rubbed his hands together. Faint red marks were visible on his wrists, a fleeting side effect from having deactivated his Harder than Steel ability.

Ethan wanted to appear completely human, even in the most trivial details, and thus avoid raising any suspicion about his abilities.

Jason was standing by the cot. "I was talking to Lena and Davies. They're furious, Boss," said Jason, frowning. "This Mr. Stone, the Master's lawyer, is taking over everything.

They feel we are sidelining them and stripping them of authority."

"I just met Stone. He seemed like a good guy, and he clearly knows his stuff," said Ethan, sitting down on the edge of the cot. "Besides, and I know this is tough to hear, right now we need lawyers with experience at the highest level."

"And what about Davies? Don't you trust him fully?" asked Jason directly.

"Davies is competent at his level, I won't deny that, but his contacts and experience fall short for the magnitude of this matter. His loyalty is not in question, but his capacity is," said Ethan, shaking his head.

"Stone has the influence and the track record we need to navigate these murky waters. Tell Lena and Davies to ignore the drama. Tell them not to take it personally. They have real work to do. They need to keep handling the current situations on our other fronts, and let Stone deal with the legal politics and high-caliber negotiations."

Jason nodded sharply. "Understood. I'll let them know their focus needs to be on fieldwork, not the chain of command. What happened with the visit? Are we okay? Is there any immediate danger?"

"Everything is fine. We'll be out unharmed soon," said Ethan, smiling confidently. "I'm going to use this time to keep training and catch up. If there's nothing else crucial that requires my immediate attention, please don't interrupt me."

Ethan began his exercise routine, doing push-ups and squats until his muscles burned, focusing on active meditation to clear his mind.

Finally, he settled into the lotus position. Minutes later, the notification appeared in his vision.

[Daily Routine Completed. Receiving rewards]

[5k dls + 1 Lux point]

Ethan checked the figures, and a wry expression crossed his face. Five thousand. It seems quite little now, actually.

[You used to think that 0was a great prize, and now you complain, ungrateful] said the System, with a light jab.

"That just means I'm getting better, doesn't it?" replied Ethan with a smirk. "Let's keep training."

Despite the curiosity to test the lightning attribute with the [Basic Elemental Control (Lightning)] skill, he dared not.

The risk of being discovered with lightning crackling in his cell was far too high. So he concentrated on meditation training, strenuous physical exercise, and the silent practice of the Martial Dao Fist Technique.

Jason watched him, intrigued. He had never seen anyone train with such intensity and mental focus. He started working out too.

José and Antonio, seeing their Boss and the lieutenant training relentlessly, immediately ordered all their members to do the same.

They didn't want to fall behind their new chief or be considered weak by Royal's upper command. The cell block quickly turned into a clandestine gym.

The rest of the inmates stared at them like they were crazy for punishing their bodies this way; confinement was supposed to be a vacation for the muscles, not a boot camp.

However, their perspective changed quickly when, later that night, the same guards who had uncuffed Ethan brought in several new sets of specialized gym equipment, ranging from adjustable dumbbells to resistance bands and even a high-quality yoga mat for Ethan.

The prisoners, who were now men under the direct command of Royal's higher-ups, began to train with renewed, ferocious intensity, determined to meet the standard set by their new Boss.

-----------------

Thousands of miles from the grime of Lexington, in a corporate office overlooking the city skyline, Vincent Halbert, Ethan's father's killer and the current CEO of the company, was reviewing financial documents.

The door burst open, and Lucas, his son, ran in, looking euphoric and breathless.

"Father! I've found out something hugely important! We finally tracked him down!" exclaimed Lucas, leaning on the doorframe as he struggled to catch his breath. "It's about Ethan! He's in prison! He's locked up in Lexington. That's why we couldn't find him, all this time!"

Vincent, a ruthless businessman who expertly maintained a façade of benevolence and control, sat up straighter, his eyes narrowing slightly—the only outward sign of his internal interest.

He recalled his recent conversation with Lucas, where he had chillingly confessed his crimes. His motive was always simple and singular: as long as Ethan was alive and a shareholder, the entire company wasn't solely his. He needed to force him to sign the cession documents, no matter the cost.

"We should go and force him, Father!" Lucas said, slamming his fist on the desk. "We should take advantage of him being in prison. He has no escape. We can mess with him easily."

"It's never that simple, son. You need to think before you act. Read this first. The situation has already changed," said Vincent, his tone grave and measured.

Vincent slid a thick, beige folder across the mahogany surface. Inside were grainy photos of Ethan in the prison yard alongside José and Jason, and a detailed, red-inked handwritten report. Lucas eagerly pulled the folder open and began to scan the contents.

"This is great! We have clear, recent information on his activities and his location. The timing is perfect!" said Lucas, already planning his next move. "Let's go for him now. We need to secure those documents while he's vulnerable..."

"Don't be so impatient, Lucas. Keep reading, all of it," commanded Vincent, his voice dropping to a low, warning register. "If you rush into this, you will ruin everything. You need to understand who he is working with now."

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