The world Noel had known for thirty years was scheduled for detonation at 3:00 AM.
For the preceding twenty-four hours, Noel worked with the cold focus of a surgeon. His office, located in a rented, anonymous commercial space far from the manor, was sterile and minimal. On the desk sat the encrypted laptop and the Operation Lighthouse drive—the weapon poised for delivery.
He wasn't preparing a press release; he was preparing a coordinated, multi-national data attack. Using Mr. Finch’s network of secure, encrypted dead drops and dark web relays, Noel bundled the entire Lighthouse master file into a single, massive, untraceable package.
The contents of the dump were comprehensive, leaving no room for denial:
The Master Ledger: The full financial record of the $780 million laundered
