章 75: Chapter 75

"Romano's men have taken the body." 

The words hung in the air like poison gas, each syllable a potential detonator in the oppressive silence of Pavel Putin's office. The leather of his chair creaked as he leaned forward, his weathered hands splayed across the polished mahogany desk. The statement should have shattered him, should have brought the mighty Pavel Putin to his knees, but decades of violence and power had forged him into something harder than mere emotion could break.

"Say that again," Pavel commanded, his voice carrying the chill of a Siberian winter. "And choose your words carefully, Nikolay."

Nikolay shifted his weight, aware that even the slightest misstep could cost him his life. "Our sources confirm it, sir. Romano's men intercepted the transport team. They..." he hesitated, then forced himself to continue, "They left our men alive. Deliberately."

"Deliberately?" Pavel's eyebrow arched. "Explain."