Thomas’s eyes widened in complete shock, his mouth dropping open. "Wait... what the hell happened out there?"Valthera stepped into the center of the room, cutting off the conversation with her usual commanding tone. "We don't have time for details. We need to break someone out of an Obsidian Syndicate prison transport tomorrow morning.""What?!" Thomas blurted out, taking a step back. "Are you out of your mind? That is a total suicide mission!""Oh, well, we have absolutely no other choice," Valthera said calmly, walking over to a large wooden table and unrolling a map of the city’s outer roads. "But don't worry. I have already drawn up a complete plan. We will wear full-face masks so our faces are never seen, but we leave no survivors on that transport."Dorian and Thomas leaned over the map, listening intently as Valthera pointed to a narrow, isolated stretch of road surrounded by thick trees."Thomas, you will start the operation," Valthera commanded. "The team will stage a massi

The sound of gunfire quickly faded. Every single Syndicate guard lay dead on the ground.Alberto’s partner, staring out from the back of the van with wide, bloodshot eyes, was shaking uncontrollably. The dead bodies of his captors surrounded him. As Valthera stepped into the vehicle, her dark mask casting a shadow in the dim light, the frightened man shouted at the top of his lungs, "Who the hell are you guys?!""Just shut up and come with us before I change my mind and shoot you myself," Valthera snapped, her voice cutting through the smoke like ice. She pulled out a tactical blade, sliced his ropes in one swift motion, and aggressively shoved him toward the open doors.Suddenly, the loud, familiar wail of a police siren shattered the silence.A lone police cruiser, which had been attending to a completely separate, minor incident just a few blocks away, came tearing down. The tires screeched to a halt right behind Dorian's truck. The doors flew open, and Detective Ashley and Henry

Clara held her hands up slightly, trying to stay calm. "Dorian, listen to me—""I found your old tracking earpiece back at the warehouse," Dorian interrupted, his hand shaking slightly with rage. "I knew you were hiding something, so I followed you all the way here tonight. I can't believe this.""It is not what you think, Dorian! Please, just put the gun down," Clara said, her voice urgent."No!" Dorian shouted. "You know the rules of the underworld, Clara. The penalty for working with the cops is death!"Without another word, Dorian pulled the trigger.BANG!But Clara’s survival instincts were far too fast. In a fraction of a second, she drew her own pistol from her waistband and fired back. The two gunshots went off almost simultaneously, echoing loudly off the rooftop walls. In a spectacular, impossible moment of pure chance, the two flying bullets collided directly in mid-air between them, shattering into a spray of hot metal sparks.A sharp fragment of the shattered bullets sli

Valthera let out a cold, confident chuckle. "We don't need to see his face. All we have to do is tightly follow Butcher. Butcher is the King's most loyal executioner. He is the one coordinating the King's arrival and securing the meeting locations. Wherever Butcher goes, the King will be right behind him. He will lead us directly to our target."Clara felt a cold knot form in her stomach. "Butcher?" she said, her voice filled with genuine dread. "Mom, that guy is completely paranoid and insane. He is a psychopath. He would literally stab someone to death just for staring at him for a second too long. Following him is an absolute death sentence."Nothing gets by Butcher."Well, luckily for us, he seems to have taken a very specific liking to you, Clara," Valthera stated coldly, staring directly at her daughter. "Ever since you handled yourself at the church, he respects your fearlessness. All you have to do is get close to him. Play completely loyal to the Syndicate, feed him false inf

Marcus didn't give her a second to breathe. He grabbed a heavy wooden chair and swung it with all his might, crushing it against Clara's side. She flew across the room, crashing heavily into a glass coffee table. Sharp shards of glass shattered everywhere, cutting through her tactical gear and slicing her skin.Gasping for air in the thick chemical fumes, Clara tried to scramble to her feet. But Marcus was already on top of her. He dropped his knees onto her chest, pinning her down against the broken glass. His massive hands wrapped tightly around her throat, cutting off her oxygen completely.Marcus laughed maniacally, his face just inches from hers as he squeezed harder. "I can just spark my baton right now and kill us both! I don't care! I'm taking you to hell with me!"Clara’s vision began to blur. She couldn't breathe, and the toxic gas was burning her lungs. But her superior survival training kicked in. She stopped fighting his hands and instead used her boots to drive a powerf