The Surcharge of Silence

In the fractured republic of Valdoria, journalist Elias Voss uncovers a vast conspiracy linking the nation's largest financial cartel to a law banning credit surcharges—a law designed not to protect consumers, but to conceal systemic money laundering. When Elias publishes his findings, his wife is murdered and his daughter vanishes. Destroyed yet unbroken, he crafts one final broadcast from a clandestine radio station, exposing how some kill to protect their empires, while others kill simply because they can.