Kaiden let out a low chuckle even as the pressure in the room thickened, his stance shifting slightly as he wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth and said calmly, almost mockingly, “The General already ordered me to eliminate the target and secure Julie Rift for extraction, so I’m not retreating… and I’m definitely not aborting this mission,” then his eyes sharpened as he tilted his head toward the Mask Demon and added, “Have you forgotten protocol, Hope? We never abandon objectives. We never abort mid-operation. Or did you skip that lesson?”The Mask Demon paused for half a second, then threw his head back and laughed, a dry twisted sound that echoed through the chamber as he slowly raised his hand and gestured forward, “Bravery? Or stupidity? Let’s find out,” and the moment he finished speaking, the bio-soldiers moved.Dozens of them surged forward at once, their movements coordinated, inhumanly fast, their bodies armored and enhanced, rushing Kaiden like a living wave

The Mask Demon slowly pushed himself up from the cracked floor, rolling his shoulders as dust slid off his suit in thin layers. He stood upright, letting the silence settle properly around him before speaking, his voice no longer just distorted menace but something calmer and controlled.“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “Jaden Rift… the Northern General.”Jaden stood a few meters away, completely still, eyes locked on him. Then he exhaled lightly and smiled—not amused, but faintly entertained, like someone recognizing a name they hear too often.“So you know me,” Jaden said calmly.His voice carried a quiet edge of superiority.“Of course you do. Everyone does.” His eyes sharpened slightly. “That’s the problem with people like you… even random thugs end up knowing my name.”A faint pause.Then his gaze turned colder.“But I don’t know you.”The Mask Demon’s expression tightened slightly at that.Jaden tilted his head just a fraction.“So tell me,” he continued, voice steady, “who

Jaden still didn’t respond.A soldier lunged at his side.Jaden grabbed its face mid-charge and slammed it downward into the floor with enough force to crack the reinforced concrete beneath. Without hesitation, he pulled its weapon free and spun, firing a precise strike that dropped two more advancing units in a single motion.The gas cloud thickened.Visibility dropped further.Jaden’s breath still held.Thirty seconds gone.Michael’s expression finally changed slightly.“…He’s calculating it.”Jaden was no longer reacting like a man fighting for survival.He was treating the battlefield like a countdown.The remaining soldiers adjusted their tactics, spreading out to force him into longer engagements, attempting to drain his oxygen faster. One of them feinted a strike while another came in low for a sweep.Jaden stepped over the sweep, crushed the feinting arm with a downward stomp, and used the falling body as a pivot to spin into the next attacker.CRACK.Another head snapped side

After everything inside the facility finally went quiet, Jaden stepped out through the broken exit, the cold air of the outside corridor hitting him immediately like a reset. Dust still clung faintly to his coat, but his breathing was already steady again, his body recovering with unnatural discipline as if nothing had just happened.Outside, Kaiden was leaning slightly against a damaged pillar, bow resting across his shoulder, while Julie stood close by wrapped in a thick jacket that clearly didn’t belong to her originally. The fabric was oversized, zipped all the way up, and still she held it tightly around herself like a shield against everything she had just witnessed.Kaiden straightened the moment he saw movement.“…Wait,” he blinked once, then fully looked at Jaden stepping out. “You’re… already done?”Jaden gave a simple nod.“Yes.”There was a beat of silence.Kaiden actually laughed once in disbelief, pushing himself off the pillar. “Already? Within five minutes?” He shook h

The journey back to Special Force Headquarters was anything but peaceful.Julie had spent almost the entire ride talking nonstop while Jaden sat beside her with the patience of a saint and Kaiden laughed whenever she found something new to complain about.The argument continued all the way until their convoy finally entered the heavily guarded gates of Special Force Headquarters.The moment the vehicles stopped, Julie jumped out first.“I’m finally free!”Several soldiers nearby couldn’t help smiling as they watched her energy-filled entrance.Meanwhile Jaden calmly stepped out behind her while Kaiden stretched his shoulders.The trio walked into the headquarters together.The moment they entered the main hall, Julie suddenly froze.Her eyes widened.“DAD!”She immediately broke into a run.Across the hall, Marvin Hale was seated near a security desk speaking with two officers when he heard the familiar voice.He looked up.The next second Julie crashed into him.“Julie!”Marvin stood