A lawless ocean. Missing cargo. A weapon that could kill millions.

When former Delta operator Ian Hale accepts a contract to provide armed security for a small shipping company, it sounds straightforward—train the crew, deter pirates, and get paid. But in the unpredictable waters of the southern Philippines, nothing ever goes as planned.

As the freighter cuts through the Sulu Sea, a swarm of pirate boats launches a midnight assault. Hale leads the defense from the deck, trading gunfire in a brutal, close-quarters fight. When the smoke clears, the ship is still afloat and the attackers are either dead or gone—but one lifeboat is missing, and with it, a single crate from the manifest.

The company calls it an accounting error. Hale calls it a setup.

With the help of his partner Laney Shaw, Hale follows the trail deep into Southeast Asia, where every lead points to a terrifying truth: the missing cargo holds a weapon capable of turning a city into a graveyard.

Now, across jungles and open seas, Hale must hunt it down before it’s unleashed.

He’s faced soldiers, assassins, and governments. But this time, the clock itself is the enemy.

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November 3, 2026
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Ian Hale

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