The heavy steel door swung inward with a low groan.Every guard in the corridor stiffened, rifles lifting as Adrian strode past them.Not one dared move. The quiet weight of his presence pressed like a storm.At the far end of the hall, a second door stood ajar. Harsh light spilled across the concrete.Adrian stepped inside.He saw the warrior, with a naked woman in front of him doing the unthinkable, and she was shaking, showing that she didn't want to be here at all.Behind a massive desk, Ethan—the Warrior of Silver City sat, broad shoulders filling the room. He shoved the woman aside with a casual flick, like brushing away a piece of dirt. She scrambled behind a chair, trembling.Adrian’s jaw tightened, a cold disgust flashing in his eyes.This must be one of the women that Victor trafficked... That meant the warrior was aware of the entire network and even facilitated it. Ethan finally turned to face him. His scarred face twisted into a sneer.He looked at Adrain from head to to

Adrian advanced, slow and deliberate, each step echoing like a drumbeat.The blood on his knuckles gleamed black-red under the overhead light.Ethan tried to race for the rear doorBut Adrian was faster.One hand clamped Ethan’s collar, the other wrenched him sideways.The desk cracked down the center as Ethan crashed across it with a howl.“I warned you,” Adrian said, voice like thunder, “I told you that if I walked in here, I'm going to kill you.”Ethan flailed, but Adrian bound his wrists with a length of heavy cable torn from the shattered desk, and he anchored him to an exposed beam.The warrior who had boasted of armies now dangled helplessly from the ceiling.The room was heavy with his ragged breathing.Adrian turned toward a shadowed doorway at the back.“Come out,” he called, steady but gentle.They hesitated at first, but Adrian insisted that he was not going to hurt them.One by one, frightened women stepped into the light.They had heard the noises, and they could not bel

Adrian lifted his glass slightly, deflecting with practiced ease. “The congratulations are yours. This achievement is the result of your work, your vision. I’m just glad to witness it.”The evening swelled with music and laughter.Rowan Aldridge stepped forward, his smile wide and full of quiet pride.He tapped the rim of his glass with a fork...Ting, ting, ting... The room softened to a hush.“Ladies and gentlemen,” Rowan began, his voice carrying over the hush of the crowd, “thank you for being here tonight to celebrate with my family.”He paused, eyes sweeping the sea of faces: investors in sleek suits, city officials, friends who had known the family for a very long time.“I am,” he continued, his tone filled with emotion, “the happiest man alive. Years ago this company was nothing but a small dream. And now… look how far we have come.”Polite applause rippled through the hall.Rowan raised a hand for quiet. “I must give thanks first to my family, who stood by me, especially my

Mr. Liu’s hands gripped the arms of his chair until the wood creaked.Adrian’s gaze lingered on Meiling, then on the intricate dragon sigils carved into the pillars... a symbol of a legend whispered across the centuries.The Dragon Clan, saviors of a wounded dragon long ago, were said to carry a fragment of its fire.That flame could burn cities to ash.The dragon clan was a peaceful people and they had never used their powers for centuries. However, the gift can be passed through a sacred Dragon Ritual led by the clan's headman.Meling was the only heir to the throne; if her father were gone, she would be the only one who could perform the ritual.Adrian exhaled and he sat in silence.The chamber doors burst open and every head snapped toward the sound.A tall figure strode in, his dark robes whispering across the floor.Moon-white hair crowned a face lined with pride and years of study.A hush fell over the crowd.It was Elder Yun.The name rippled through the hall in awed murmurs.

Adrian didn’t even glance his way.He knelt beside Meiling. Her life was hanging by a thread.“Golden needles,” he said quietly.A servant hesitated, caught between awe and fear, then hurried forward with it.The crowd leaned forward as one, held in a spell of disbelief.Adrian’s fingers moved with precision.One by one, the needles sank into precise points along Meiling’s heart line, throat, and crown.A faint thrum filled the chamber as each needle locked into place, humming like a bell.Adrian closed his eyes and exhaled.From his palms flared a soft light— an energy unlike anything the Liu clan had ever witnessed.It pulsed once, twice, then streamed into the golden needles.A low murmur rippled through the hall.Elder Yun stiffened. His eyes widened.“The… Nine-Needle Revival Art?” he breathed, the words trembling out of him.“That technique was lost a thousand years ago…”How did he know of this technique?His disbelief twisted into bitter laughter.“Even if you know the patter