The thug nodded frantically as he got no other options. Even the other thugs knew that fighting Dylan was like committing suicide. “We got a message... earlier this evening. Just the location and target, and the target is your friend, Austin. But your name was there… with a warning attached to your name.”“What kind of warning?” Dylan's tone darkened as he was already on the verge of losing patience.The cold fury in his chest wasn’t from the thugs in front of him. It was from whoever had dared to target his friends while hiding behind shadows. A coward, bold enough to pull strings from safety, but too weak to face him directly.They didn’t just pick the wrong target.They stepped into a territory they had no business entering, a line that once crossed, could never be undone.Now, there was no going back. Not for them. Not after targeting someone Dylan cared about. They hadn't just made a mistake, they have declared war...!“Start talking...!” Dylan ordered, and one doesn't need

He reflectively caught the chain mid-air with one hand, his grip was so firm and unshakable. It was right in this moment they knew that strength isn't measured by physique.Without a moment's hesitation, Dylan yanked it with brutal force.The thug attached to the other end was ripped off his feet and flung violently forward.... Crashing straight into two of his approaching comrades.Their bodies collided violently with their skulls cracking together as the three of them dropped helplessly to the ground.And the half-smashed thug, the one who got his face compressed from Dylan's punch earlier was now the only one left standing."How did a 21-year old knock down everyone? Who the hell are you?" The half-smashed thug just couldn't keep his voice down. He was so annoyed on why Dylan didn't even give them breathing space to fight him. He literally took them out in just a few seconds.Dylan wasn't ready for those stupid talks at the moment. He gave him enough time to make his decision, but

Just when Dylan thought the questions had ended and Austin was finally going to let things slide, it hit him like a punch to the face when the most inquisitive person he knew was sitting right next to him, and was demanding answers Dylan didn’t even have.His carefully built cover story had held up for a while. Just enough to keep Austin’s suspicions in check. But now? Driving a limited edition Lamborghini through the streets in the middle of the night, after fighting off a group of armed thugs like some trained operative didn't really make up for his cover up story.Despite his mentally keen mind, Dylan was struggling to scramble an answer. Saying something that is contracting to all he had told his friends before now will only jeopardize the trust they all had in each other.'I should have told them the truth from the beginning...! Damnit...' Dylan was so frustrated with himself on why he even had to lie to them from the onset of things. Now he's faced with a difficult decision to

Austin kept rambling, throwing question after question at Dylan the entire way. Dylan had no choice but to nod along and agree with every theory Austin came up with. It was the only way to keep him calm and it worked. Austin slowly relaxed, reassured by his own conclusions, unaware that Dylan was carefully guiding the conversation. Not once did he sense the lies beneath Dylan’s steady voice, nor did he realize how far off he was from the truth. Dylan had successfully made him think he had connected the whole dots. But everything Austin thought he knew crumbled in his head again when he saw an erect mansion standing right in front of them. He had to rub his face with both hands to see if it was just his thought process that was imagining things. What shocked him the most was when Dylan hit a button on his wrist watch and the high towering gate swung open. With Austin's mouth still wide open, Dylan drove in and parked the car. But Austin's eyes and mouth were still wide open. It

“Yes...? Are you seriously just going to stand there and say nothing?” Austin raised an eyebrow, half-laughing in disbelief. “Come on, man… spill it already.”His mind was already racing, practically begging Dylan to just confirm what he had started to suspect about him having an origin of some insanely rich, secretive and aristocratic family with connections all over the world. That would at least explain the mansion, the car, the fighting skills, and the mysterious aura he constantly gave off.“I mean, at this point, you could tell me you run the country and I wouldn’t even flinch,” Austin added, folding his arms. “So what’s the truth? Who are you really?” Austin pressed on.Dylan had made up his mind to tell him and only him. But it's not possible to tell Austin and Barry doesn't get to know in the end. They tell one another things and whatever he says now will be circulated through the Tripods.The thought crushed on him.No....Not yet...!Some truths are too heavy and too dang