The man darted his eyes around the empty hallway. “Bring your ear closer.”Dane leaned in, expression unreadable.“I don’t know everything,” the man whispered, “but I think all this… is because of you. Leo hasn’t attacked yet, but Paul’s been acting strange since you showed up.”Dane’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”“The original order,” the man continued, pointing toward the row of buildings across the water, “was for us to move out there. Butcher bought those buildings, cleared out the people, and told us to keep watch. The plan was simple: when Leo’s men showed up, we’d ambush them before they reached the ship.”He swallowed hard, lowering his voice. “But Paul changed the orders. He said we should all stay inside the ship instead. His idea is to fight from within—guns ready, holding the ship at all costs. If it gets too bad, then we blow the whole thing and take Leo’s men with us. But if Paul manages to defend the ship without it taking damage, he thinks Butcher will reward him… maybe eve

“Who the hell is who? What are you even trying to say?” Paul barked. He held up the package. “That’s my delivery, my guy. I told him to bring more bombs in case something went wrong.”Dane’s jaw clenched. “Are you out of your damn mind? Butcher already stocked the ship with bombs from his personal dealer. That was enough. We didn’t need your side deals.”Paul scoffed, puffing his chest. “Yeah? Well I told myself I could handle this on my own. I don’t need anyone holding my hand.”Dane’s voice cut through him like a blade. “Do you know who that man was? He wasn’t your guy. He was one of Leo’s men.”Paul froze. His face drained of color. “What did you just say?”“I’m not guessing,” Dane said coldly. “I can tell a killer when I see one. The way he walked, the way he carried himself—he’s an assassin. And he’s not alone. I saw more of them on deck. Their positions, their stance… their eyes. Those weren’t the eyes of men doing business. Those were eyes dripping with bloodlust. Ready to kill

The man smiled, then bit down on something in his mouth—and died instantly.“That strange?” Dane said as he walked over to Paul. “Is he pretending to be asleep or what?”Dane bent down, opened the man’s mouth, and saw it. A capsule. He had bitten into poison. The man had killed himself.By his side, Dane noticed a small phone on the ground. A recorder. It looked like Leo had been listening to everything through it. Dane smashed it hard against the floor, shattering it to pieces.That was when it happened. About seven bikes roared to life, speeding toward the ship. Three men were on each bike, one of them shirtless with a gun in his hand, shouting as they advanced.As they approached the ship, Paul shouted, “Everyone who is still able to move, pick up your gun and start shooting before they get up here! Don’t give them space to get down from the bikes—start shooting!”The men obeyed, raising their weapons. Bullets flew. One of them aimed at the lead driver. The bike swerved, toppled, a

“Then you are crazy. You’re actually nuts in the head,” Paul said.“Yeah, you’ve been nuts ever since the day I was on that farm,” Dane shot back.They stared at each other. Paul stepped closer, voice low. “Well, I won’t do that. I won’t risk my life knowing I’m going to lose. The only thing I can do now is stay with Butcher.”“Yeah, it’s true,” Dane said coldly. “That’s the only way. Because you won’t win—even if you die.”Dane turned away. “I think it’s about time we leave this ship. I don’t want your presence here. And you know what? I still don’t like you.”“I never liked your ugly face either,” Paul spat.Dane grabbed his ski mask, walked down the ship’s ramp, and headed to where his bike was parked. His words echoed in his own head: Butcher’s gone too far… poison in his circle… he’s in trouble, and he doesn’t even realize it.He started the engine, the roar cutting through the night. Without another word, he drove off, leaving the ship and the bloodshed behind.When he reached t

The room was silent as Jane finished wiping the injury. She put a plaster over the wound to stop the bleeding and cover it.“All done. Let’s go ask Butcher,” Jane said.Then she paused and added, “Wait…” She turned to Dane. “What’s wrong?”“Well… never mind,” Dane muttered as he left her side. But a thought had just crossed his mind at that moment. He shook it off, feeling relieved, and stood up from the bed.They walked out of the room and headed toward Butcher’s office. Jane knocked on the door.“Come in,” Butcher said.As they entered, they saw him sitting in his chair, with his aura of authority surrounding him. His aura seemed to fill the room, making the space feel heavier.“I want to talk to you,” Butcher said. “Since the ship incident…”Jane stepped forward. “I don’t want to say it myself. It’s better if Paul explains it.”“Okay, fine. If you don’t answer… did everything go as planned? Did the ship explode when Leomay entered?” Butcher asked.“No, that didn’t happen,” they rep