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**Chapter 164: "The Shadow in the Night"**

I slammed my fist on the table, making the glassware tremble. "You're saying you're innocent?" Rachel's calm demeanor only fueled my rage. "You're telling me that some unknown third party is behind this whole mess?"

Rachel's smile never wavered. "That's what I'm saying. And I have proof."

I raised an eyebrow. "Proof? You expect me to believe that?"

Rachel pulled out a small USB drive from her pocket. "This contains a recording of our conversation three months ago. You'll see that I warned you about the potential threat, and you dismissed me."

I felt a cold sweat trickle down my spine. That was a lie. I remembered the conversation vividly, and Rachel had never mentioned any threat. But the voice in my head whispered, "What if I was wrong? What if Rachel was telling the truth?"

I snatched the USB drive from her hand. "I need to review this."

Rachel nodded. "I thought you would. Just be careful, 'Shadow.' The truth can be a deadly thing."

I glared at her. "Don't call me that. Not now."

As I left the room, I couldn't shake off the feeling that Rachel was playing me once again. I inserted the USB drive into my computer and watched the recording, my mind racing with possibilities.

But just as I was about to confront Rachel again, my phone buzzed with an encrypted message from Night Hawk.

"Shadow, you're getting close to the truth. Be careful. The net is closing in around you."

I felt a shiver run down my spine. Night Hawk was warning me, but about what? And what did he know that I didn't?

As I stared at the screen, a figure loomed in the shadows outside my window. I recognized the silhouette – it was the same assassin who had tried to kill me six months ago.

My heart racing, I knew I had to act fast. I whispered into my phone, "Night Hawk, this is Shadow. I need backup. Now."

The screen flickered, and Night Hawk's voice whispered back, "I'm on my way, Shadow. But you're running out of time. The darkness is closing in..."