The presidential banquet was already in full swing by the time Adam and Mira entered the grand hall.The room was nothing short of extravagant. The crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, casting a soft golden glow across the polished marble floors. A live orchestra played softly in the background, and servers in crisp uniforms moved elegantly through the crowd, offering glasses of wine and hors d'oeuvres.Only the country’s top elites were present.Military generals, powerful politicians, corporate moguls, and foreign diplomats filled the room. Their tailored suits and glittering jewelry were a silent display of wealth and influence. Conversations buzzed around the hall, most of them carefully measured and polite.However, the moment Adam walked in beside Mira, the atmosphere shifted subtly.Many of the guests paused mid-sentence, their eyes drifting toward him. Some looked curious, a few frowned in confusion, while others quickly whispered among themselves.Unlike the others, Adam’s

The silence in the lab was deafening.Bodies of the experimented humans lay strewn across the floor—twitching, broken, gasping their final breaths. Their twisted forms contorted unnaturally, enhanced muscle tissue ruptured beyond repair.Adam stood in the middle of the carnage, untouched. His uniform remained spotless, his breathing steady, his expression unreadable.The Supreme General, in the flesh.To Draven, the sight was sickening.“You really don’t disappoint,” Draven sneered, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, eyes narrowing with cold malice. His smirk faltered as the reality sank in—the so-called legend was every bit the nightmare the stories whispered about.Draven’s fists clenched at his sides, frustration simmering beneath his skin.Adam didn’t speak.His sharp, hawk-like eyes remained locked on Draven, analyzing every twitch of muscle, every shift in posture.Then, Draven reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small metallic capsule, etched with Cross Blood’s

THE DIVINE HOSPITAL The emergency entrance of Divine Hospital buzzed with quiet urgency — the sterile white lights above buzzed faintly, the scent of antiseptic clung to the air.Adam pulled up with a screech.Before the car had even come to a full stop, Ava threw the door open and bolted out, her heels clacking violently against the pavement.“Dad!” she called out, voice tight with panic. “Where’s my father?!”Hope followed behind her, still visibly shaken, clutching her purse against her chest like a shield.Adam exited last, locking the car with a single tap. His eyes scanned the glass doors ahead. His mind wasn’t racing — it was calculating. Fast.They stormed through the sliding doors into the lobby.A young female doctor approached them immediately, clipboard in hand, wearing the standard Divine coat with a name tag that read: Dr. Lena Faye.“You’re the Langston family, correct?” she asked.“Yes,” Ava nodded breathlessly. “We’re here for my father, Bernard Langston.”Dr. Faye g

The room was tense, still echoing with the beeping machines and the fading pulse of Mr. Langston's near-death experience. Sweat clung to every brow, and hearts still raced from what they had just witnessed. Yet despite it all—despite the miracle they'd all seen with their own eyes—the snide remarks returned almost immediately.Dr. Ross adjusted his coat, sneering at Adam. "Even if you did something, you're still not qualified. You have no medical license. You don't belong here."Adam's jaw tightened, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. "I just brought a man back from the brink of death. While the rest of you stood around with your degrees and your arrogance, I saved him. And now you're questioning me?""You're nothing," Zayden interjected, stepping forward with that same smugness that had painted his face from the moment he walked in. His voice carried like he owned the hospital. "How dare you speak to us like that? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"Adam turned

Adam’s grip on Aria’s shoulders was firm but not aggressive—desperate, as if the last thread of his past had suddenly yanked him from the void. Behind her, the suited men stiffened like drawn bows, a single command away from unleashing force.But Aria raised her hand sharply. “Stand down.”Her voice was calm, yet held enough authority to snap the tension like brittle glass.She turned back to Adam, her eyes softening. “Mr. Manchester... our madam has been searching for your mother for years. Only recently, we uncovered something—new leads. There's a chance... your mother might still be alive.”Adam froze.His mind blanked for a heartbeat. His hands slowly released her shoulders. “Alive?” he whispered.Aria nodded. “We believe so.”For a man like Adam—who had faced down gun barrels, buried brothers-in-arms, and walked out of warzones soaked in blood—few things could still shake him. Tessa was one. The mysterious artifact was another. But his mother? That was sacred. Untouchable.“Take