Chris lowered the phone… and it slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a sharp crack. His heartbeat pounded in his skull. Breathing felt like swallowing broken glass. He whispered her name— “Eva…” like he was afraid it would crumble in his mouth. In the end, she was in danger all because of him. “Sir, was that truly ex captain Mason?” Ethan asked. “Yes, he was right under our nose all this time.” Chris slammed his fist on the table and the impact left a huge dent on it. The fury that surged through him was not human. It was something forged in war, honed on battlefields. Eva was in real danger because Mason was like the other thugs or spoiled rich brat who had caused eva problem in the past. He was a a trained fighter, sharp strategist and most of all a ruthless killer. “What are your orders sir?” Ethan asked. Chris didn't want to take any risk which could put Eva in more danger so he made the decision to comply with mason demands for now. “ I want you to rais

The skeletal frame of the construction tower jutted into the night like the exposed ribs of some fallen titan. Rusted beams crisscrossed overhead, serrated edges catching the moonlight like jagged teeth ready to swallow anyone who dared step inside. Shattered windows gaped open across the tower’s facade, black and hollow like the eye sockets of a long-dead corpse. Even before Chris entered, the building breathed dread. The faint, rhythmic drip of water echoed through the hollow interior—slow, deliberate, almost like the tower itself was counting down. The air was thick with rust, mildew, damp concrete, and the metallic stench of old machinery. It felt like walking into the rotting heart of a nightmare. Chris moved cautiously through the debris-strewn floor, boots crunching over broken glass and twisted metal. Every step was calculated. Every muscle ready to spring. His training sharpened his senses, widening them like the aperture of a camera. He scanned the shadows for pressure pla

Mason looked at eva direction with a look that showed no signs of remorse.“You want me to stop when I'm just beginning to catch some fun. You should enjoy the show too.” Again, the rod began its deadly arc downward. Mason’s shadow loomed larger. His manic grin widened even further.The rod arced down, a metallic predator intent on ending Chris in an instant. Pain had already lanced through his shoulder and back, but he remained rigid, Eva’s eyes locked on his. She gasped, terrified, trembling, yet her gaze carried trust—a fragile lifeline in the maelstrom of chaos. And then— Then—a sharp, deafening crack split the air. The pipe flew out of mason’s hands and in the next split second one of Mason’s lackeys guarding Eva crumpled to the floor, a dark spray blossoming across the concrete. “Sniper,” one of the soldiers yelled. Chris’s head snapped toward the direction the bullet came from and allowed himself a brief moment of gratitude, a spark of hope flaring in the storm of adre

Chris’s jaw clenched until his teeth ached. His shoulder throbbed violently, each heartbeat sending a hot spike of pain down his arm. Flesh, bone, and muscle screamed for him to stop. But no agony could override the fire burning inside his chest. Mason wasn’t escaping. Not while Chris still drew breath. He moved upward, one step at a time, methodically scanning the environment the way only a seasoned operative could. His gaze tracked every scrap of debris scattered along the stairwell. Twisted railings. Loose bolts. Shattered grates. Even shattered glass that crunching under his boots. All potential traps. All weapons that Mason could exploit. The air tasted metallic—like the inside of a dying machine. Halfway up, a hulking silhouette lunged out from behind a flight of stairs. A mercenary. The last one Mason had left behind to stall him. The brute swung a metal pipe with enough force to dent the wall. The air screamed as the weapon cut through it. Chris reacted on instinct—droppin

Mason’s body sprawled on the cold concrete floor, unmovingly as he was completely exhausted from the fight with Chris. Cara looked down on him with a scornful gaze, "Aren't you just so pathetic?” she remarked in a disdainful tone. “You were a once decorated soldier and now you have stooped so low as to kidnap a defenseless young woman just because of your vendetta for revenge..” “How dare you look down on me? I'm still an honorable member of the Crimson legion.” Mason retorted back,groaning in pain. Hearing Mason ‘s response, Cara couldn't help but scoff at his ridiculous statement. “You have lost that right ever since you betrayed the legion and master James.” “I was doing what was best for the legion.” Mason snapped back at cara “Cut the bullsh*t !....You were only doing it for yourself. Do you even realize how much trouble you caused the legion so far? I hate to think that we were once considered colleagues in the past and I wish I could just kill you right now but unfort