The ship groaned ominously beneath Malik’s boots as he moved through the dimly lit corridors, water sloshing around his ankles with every step. The ship was sinking, slowly, but surely. The others had already evacuated, but Malik wasn’t leaving without one last sweep. If there was any intel left behind, it would be here, in the belly of this dying beast. He kicked open the door to what had once been the gang’s command center. Monitors flickered weakly, their screens cracked and glitching. Papers floated in the rising water, ink bleeding into illegibility. Malik waded forward, his massive fan humming at his back, ready to unleash a gale at the first sign of trouble. Then he heard it, a sharp, panicked breath from the shadows. Malik turned just in time to see the blade. A young man, no, a boy, barely in his late teens, lunged at him with a serrated knife. His movements were frantic, untrained, but desperate enough to be dangerous. Malik sidestepped easily, catching the boy’s wri

The Knights of Askalan headquarters was chaotic as Hadi spread the police interrogation reports across the central table. Haitham was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Ali was scrolling through data on his wrist display, and Malik sitting with his head in his hands. The only one missing was Marwan, who had stormed out an hour earlier after another argument about their next move. Hadi tapped the first file. "Fahid and Bella both insist they don’t know Walid’s current location. Only that he left the country weeks ago." Ali frowned. "And the bunker?" "Guarded by a separate faction, some mercenary group called the Iron Vultures. According to Bella, they don’t even communicate directly with Walid’s inner circle. Just take orders through encrypted channels." Haitham’s jaw tightened. "So we’re chasing ghosts." "Not necessarily." Hadi pulled up a map, highlighting a rugged mountain range north of the city. "Fahid gave us coordinates. Even if Walid isn’t there, the bunk

The multiple holographic screens glowed across Ali's room as he hunched over his workstation, the quiet sound of cooling fans and the tap of his fingers against the keyboard were the only sounds in the house. Outside, the city slept, unaware of the disturbing discovery unfolding in his small bedroom. Ali's eyes darted across the decrypted files from the recovered chip he found, his brow furrowing deeper with each passing minute. The database was far more extensive than they'd anticipated , it was not information about mission logs or tactical assessments, but comprehensive files on every Knight in the city. Hadi's file contained security footage of his mom shopping for groceries , timestamps of his daily routines, even the passcodes to his home security system from six months ago. Haitham's profile showed blueprints of his office, records of his daughters' extracurricular activities, and shockingly details about his family's medical history. Laith's records included his frie

The van rolled to a silent stop half a kilometer from the bunker’s outer perimeter. The Knights disembarked, their armored boots crunching softly on the gravel as they moved into position. The bunker loomed ahead, a brutal, concrete structure embedded into the side of a rocky hill, its entrance barely visible behind layers of rusted fencing and overgrown brush. Ali’s visor flickered as his system scanned the area. "No movement at the entrance," he murmured. "Too quiet."Hazim nodded. "Malik, take point. Ali, jam any signals the moment we breach. We move fast." A high-pitched whine cut through the air. "Drone!" Laith shouted, just as a sleek, black machine zipped out from behind a cluster of boulders, its red sensor locking onto them. Then another. And another. Within seconds, a dozen drones swarmed overhead, their rotors buzzing like angry hornets. From the shadows of the bunker’s perimeter, mechanical dogs emerged, sleek, quadrupedal hunters with glowing red eyes and jagged

The moment Marwan wrenched the hybrid weapon from Harith's grip, the tide of battle shifted. The blue-armored warrior staggered back, his movements no longer fluid, his confidence fractured. Marwan didn't hesitate. He raised the stolen weapon, took aim, and fired. The rubber round struck Harith square in the chest. For a second, nothing happened. Then Harith's limbs locked up, his muscles seizing as the same paralyzing agent he had used on Marwan now coursed through his own veins. His knees hit the dirt, his breathing labored, his visor flickering as systems inside his armor misfired. Marwan loomed over him, his own body still trembling from the lingering effects of the drug, his movements sluggish but fueled by sheer will. He reached down, gripping Harith's helmet and wrenching it off with a sharp twist. Harith's face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead, his dark eyes wide with disbelief. "You little..." he choked out, his voice strained. "Who's laughing now?," Marwan