The white-haired man spoke angrily: “If bribery is off the table, there’s only one possibility left: the team you sent was taken out by the opposition. Weren’t they supposed to be top-tier assassins? And weren’t they working with Japanese ninjas? With so much firepower and the advantage of surprise, how could such a colossal failure happen?”


    The other three men began to sweat. The blond man, struggling to maintain hisposure, replied cautiously: “Chairman, we don’t have all the details yet. All we can do is specte. It’s possible there’s an unknown top-tier protector around Tawanna. It’s also possible that the Mitsui family noticed something unusual and set a trap. The main issue is that our entire team has vanished. We can only guess what happened.”


    The white-haired man’s tone grew harsher. “I don’t care for guesses! What I do know is this: Tawanna must die. To win her over, those idiots gave her ess to sensitive information—secrets no outsider should know. Now, their chosen n haspletely failed. Once the power shift is finalized, our enemies will stop at nothing to investigate. Tawanna will be their key target.


    “You all know what she’s like. Tawanna may be talented, but she’s just a young woman from a middle-ss background. She doesn’t have the skills to handle a real crisis. If the FBI interrogates her, she’ll crack and spill everything she knows.”


    He paused, then added, “Her influence is massive. At least two billion people worldwide know her name. The opposition will use her as their most significant leverage. If they manage to turn her against us, it will make global headlines—and a disaster for us. Before that happens, those in charge will do everything in their power to contain the risk. If they seed, we’re all as good as dead!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    The blond man, rmed, asked quickly, “Chairman, what are your orders? What should we do now?”


    The white-haired man spoke coldly: “When hunting in Africa, local organizers provide you with specialized tools—a pistol, a dagger, and a double-barreled shotgun. The shotgun has two triggers and independent firing systems to ensure a second shot if the first misses. If both fail, you switch to the pistol, and if that still doesn’t end the threat, the dagger bes yourst resort. In the end, only one of you or the prey can survive.”


    He paused, scanning the room before continuing. “In my view, Tawanna must die—and the sooner, the better. I don’t care how it’s done or who you involve, but you mustunch a second, even third, assassination attempt immediately. She must not return to the United States alive. As long as she stays outside the U.S., we have a chance to recover. But once she steps back onto American soil, we’ll be cornered, no matter where we run.”


    The blond man frowned. “Chairman, most of our key operatives in Japan have gone missing. The rest are support personnel with limitedbat capabilities. If we’re to attempt another assassination on Tawanna, we’ll need to bring in strong external reinforcements.”


    The white-haired man’s expression didn’t waver. “Then find the right foreign aid immediately. There’s a saying: <i>Under a heavy reward lies a brave man.</i> Offer enough, and someone will take the risk. Contact thergest ninja n or underworld organization in Japan. I’m unfamiliar with ninjas, but for the underworld, what about the Yamaguchi-gumi? They’re reputed to be powerful. Tell them this—if they can eliminate Tawanna, I’ll pay them one billion U.S. dors.”<fnfd9f> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? Find[?]ovel</fnfd9f>