Chapter: Chapter 305: SilenceThe pull was strong and magnetic. Kyle felt himself sliding across the smooth, featureless floor, Natalie clinging desperately to his arm, Arachne tumbling past them, her earlier composure shattered by primal terror.The black cube in the center of the chamber pulsed with an anti-light, a void that drank everything, pulling them towards an unknown, terrifying fate.’No!’ The thought roared through Kyle's mind, a desperate defiance against the overwhelming power. He couldn’t end here. Not like this. Not after everything.He slammed his free hand against the floor, trying to find a grip, but the surface was too smooth, the pull too strong. He felt the Mana Cell within him flare, fighting against the oppressive energy of the Entity, but it was like a candle against a hurricane. His Silver Core, Franca’s core, pulsed weakly, overwhelmed.Then, instinct took over. Not the cold logic, not the calculated rage, but something deeper, something primal. His third, hidden core – the one he’d bare
Last Updated: 2025-11-17
Chapter: Chapter 304: Gina's Intel IIThey encountered no more Vipers as they went on, but the silence felt heavy, expectant. Twice, Arachne signaled them to halt, her head tilted, listening to sounds Kyle couldn’t quite discern – faint scuttling, distant clicks. Each time, the sounds faded, and they pressed on.After what felt like hours, but was probably closer to one, Natalie stopped at a junction where three identical tunnels branched off. She frowned, looking down each one, then back at Kyle."I’m... not sure," she admitted, her voice low. "The layout down here, it’s not on any of Katherine’s schematics. This section must be ancient and undocumented. I can feel... faint energy traces down all three, but nothing distinct."Kyle stepped forward, placing a hand on the wall, closing his eyes, extending his own senses. The Mana Cell hummed faintly, amplifying his perception. He felt the faint thrum of the Spire above them, the distant rumble of city traffic filtered through layers of earth and stone. And... something else
Last Updated: 2025-11-17
Chapter: Chapter 303: Gina's IntelThey crossed the cavern floor, the ground uneven, littered with sharp volcanic rock and strange, crystalline formations that pulsed with a faint, sickly internal light. The groaning, hissing sounds of the ancient machinery grew louder as they approached the tunnel opening. The tunnel was narrow, barely wide enough for them to walk single file. It sloped steeply downwards, twisting and turning. The air grew hotter, the metallic taste stronger. Faint red light flickered from somewhere ahead, casting long, dancing shadows. After several minutes of claustrophobic descent, the tunnel opened into another vast chamber. But this one wasn’t natural. Massive, archaic machinery filled the space, pipes thick as tree trunks snaking across the floor and up the walls, glowing cherry-red in places. Pistons hissed, gears groaned, the entire chamber thrumming with barely contained power. The air was thick with the smell of ozone, superheated metal, and something else... something that made Kyle's s
Last Updated: 2025-11-16
Chapter: Chapter 302: Grand design? Kyle didn’t answer immediately. Grand design? His only design was to stop being hunted, to protect Natalie, to carve out a space where they could be safe. If that meant dismantling the Association brick by brick, so be it. If it meant confronting Kings... he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. "They started it," he said finally, the words simple, cold. Gina nodded slowly. "They often do. Power abhors a vacuum, and new power is always seen as a threat by the established. The Association, for all its talk of order, is merely another player seeking to maintain its dominance." She took a small, deliberate step closer. "But Valen is not Necrus. The Spire is the heart of their network. They will defend it fiercely. Director Luther is not a man to be trifled with, and he has... resources." "I’m aware," Kyle said. Katherine’s fear had been genuine. Luther, Unit 7... he wasn’t underestimating the opposition. "Are you?" Gina’s gaze sharpened. "Do you know that your domain, while potent
Last Updated: 2025-11-16
Chapter: Chapter 301: GinaArachne stood beside Natalie, occasionally offering quiet corrections or pointing out structural weak points in the Spire’s lower defenses that Natalie might have missed. Viv lounged in a chair, sharpening one of her daggers with a whetstone, occasionally interjecting with cynical comments about the Spire’s likely kill zones."They’ll have psionic dampeners around the divination sanctums," Viv said, not looking up from her blade. "And probably some nasty energy leeches in the conduit corridors. Standard high-security playbook. Try not to get your brain scrambled or your fancy powers sucked dry, Boss.""We won’t be there long enough for it to matter," Kyle stated, though he filed away Viv’s warning. Psionic interference was a concern.A faint chime echoed from the main hall. A soft, almost melodic sound, utterly out of place in the castle’s ancient stone silence.All four of them froze.Kyle's head snapped up, his eyes instantly alert. Arachne was already moving towards the war room do
Last Updated: 2025-11-16
Chapter: Chapter 300: A viable backupThe quiet hum of the castle was a stark contrast to the chaotic energy still thrumming through Kyle's veins. He sat at the massive stone table in what Arachne had designated the ’war room’ – a chamber smaller than the main hall, dominated by the table and several stark, uncomfortable-looking chairs. The datachip was slotted into a battered, Guild-issue reader he’d... acquired. Katherine had been surprisingly thorough.Holographic schematics of the Valen Spire floated above the table, a complex, multi-layered structure. Red markers pulsed over designated targets: divination chambers, psionic relay nodes, primary data archives for Hunter movements across multiple sectors.’Harder target,’ Kyle acknowledged internally. The Spire wasn’t just an office; it was a fortress, the heart of the Association’s information network in the region. ’More defenses. More personnel. Higher stakes.’He zoomed in on a section labeled ’Sub-level Psi-Corp Conduits’. Intricate networks of cabling and glowing
Last Updated: 2025-11-15
Chapter: Chapter 56: The Hacker WarCipher’s apartment was chaos made real. Wires dangled from every corner, screens flickered against the cracked walls, and the hum of machines filled the air like a restless heartbeat. He hadn’t slept in two days, surviving on instant noodles and coffee that had long gone cold. But his eyes stayed sharp, locked on the lines of code flooding his main monitor. The room smelled of burnt circuits and old ambition. His fingers flew across the keyboard, keys clattering in a rhythm that only hackers understood. “Come on,” he muttered under his breath. “Show me where you’re hiding.” A pulse blinked on the lower corner of the screen. Then another. Then three more. Cipher frowned. “That’s not right.” The pattern on the display was clean. Too clean. No real signal was ever that symmetrical. His eyes narrowed as realization set in. “This isn’t data,” he whispered. “It’s bait.” Before he could disconnect, his cursor froze. The speakers hissed. Every screen in front of him flickered from
Last Updated: 2025-10-27
Chapter: Chapter 55: The Lost PrototypeScreens glowed across the walls, lighting up William’s living room with lines of moving numbers. He sat in front of them, his shirt sleeves rolled, focus sharp as if the world outside had stopped existing. Mark sat opposite him, one arm hanging over the chair. “You know, I came here to talk about the company, not to watch you romance a computer.” William’s eyes stayed on the screen. “You mean Hudson Enterprises?” Mark raised a brow. “Of course. The investors have been asking when you plan to show your face again. You disappeared for almost a week. What’s going on?” William tapped the screen without answering right away. The soft hum of the tablet filled the silence before he finally said, “We’re expanding. I want a new branch. Something offshore. Separate from Hudson Enterprises.” Mark frowned. “Offshore? You mean under a fake name?” “Clean name,” William replied calmly. “That sounds like something people do when they’re hiding money.” William gave a half-smile that did
Last Updated: 2025-10-25
Chapter: Chapter 54: Selene’s ConfessionWilliam stood by the window, his reflection pale against the glass. He hadn’t changed since last night. His shirt hung open at the collar, sleeves still rolled, eyes shadowed from a night that had refused to end.He could see the faint glow of the city below, but he wasn’t looking at it. His thoughts were elsewhere, circling the system’s silence, the long hours without a single response. That quiet was never a good sign. It felt like something was watching him from behind the static.The phone on his desk buzzed once, a single alert, then went still. He didn’t bother checking.A knock followed soon after.“Come in,” he said.Selene stepped inside quietly, her presence filling the air before she spoke. Her hair was loosely tied, her coat unbuttoned, and her eyes looked like they hadn’t closed all night. She stopped near the desk and hesitated, her fingers tightening around each other.“You didn’t sleep,” she said.“Neither did you,” William replied without turning.She moved closer, s
Last Updated: 2025-10-24
Chapter: Chapter 53: The Silent ThreatThe night refused to end. It sat heavy over the city, pressing itself against the glass walls of William Hudson’s penthouse. From where he sat, the streets looked small, rivers of white headlights crossing each other like veins of light. The quiet inside was almost unnatural. He had shut off the music hours ago, but the echo of the last violin note still clung to the air.On the desk beside him, the phone lay dark. The call with Gregory Hamilton had ended two hours earlier, but the man’s words still hung in his head. Every victory has its price. It was a promise, not a warning.William picked up the mug that had gone cold and drank anyway. Bitter coffee grounded him more than warmth ever could. He set the cup down and turned toward the glass again. His reflection stared back. Calm eyes, relaxed shoulders, but tension hid just under the skin.The phone buzzed once. No ringtone. No name. Just a flash of light cutting through the stillness.He unlocked it.A single message glowed on the
Last Updated: 2025-10-24
Chapter: Chapter 52: Duel of TonguesThe next evening came quietly, but the storm hadn’t passed. Word from the dinner had spread faster than smoke. Every major investor was talking about how William Hudson had faced Gregory Hamilton and Adrian in one night and walked out untouched.Inside his penthouse, William sat by the glass window with a cup of black coffee. The city glowed far below him. He had barely slept, not because of worry, but because his mind wouldn’t stop turning. Gregory’s offer had been more than business — it was a test.The soft chime of the system echoed in his head.> New directive: Verbal engagement detected.Objective: Maintain dominance in the conversation.Reward: +10 Charisma Points.William smiled faintly. “So, it wasn’t just dinner after all.”The system never sent random alerts. Something was about to happen.Almost on cue, his phone buzzed. A private call came through — no name, no number. He let it ring twice before answering.“Mr. Hudson,” came Gregory’s calm voice. “I trust you had a good
Last Updated: 2025-10-23
Chapter: Chapter 51: The Dinner TrapWilliam sat in his study, staring at the silent glow of his computer screen. The night stretched quiet around him. News headlines from earlier still flashed through his mind, each one calling him by the same name — The Ghost of Wealth. The title sounded dramatic, but it served its purpose. People were talking again. He tried to focus on the market analysis open before him when a soft knock came from the main door. The housekeeper entered, holding a black envelope. “Sir, this just arrived. A man in a black suit said it was urgent.” William took it and turned it over. There was no sender’s name, just a gold seal with a crest he recognized. He broke it open and unfolded the card. > Dinner at La Maison. Seven o’clock tomorrow evening. I believe it is time we spoke properly. — Gregory Hamilton He read it again, slower this time. The handwriting was steady, confident, and old-fashioned. Gregory Hamilton never sent a message without purpose. The computer screen flickered, and a fa
Last Updated: 2025-10-23
