Ali and Laith were heading down because it was Ali’s turn for surveillance, and Laith tagged along to keep him company. Ali asked Laith, “Don’t you have studying to do?” Laith replied, “Nah, it’s fine. I finished all my assignments. My brother is busy with Hadi and doesn’t have time for me. Yesterday, Hazim woke up early and went to the headquarters to finish paperwork, trying to take some load off Hadi and figure out what to do with the professor.” Ali then asked Laith, “What do you think they’ll do with the professor?” Laith said, “I heard my brother say they’ll probably hand him over to the court after getting the information they need. Most likely, he’ll be imprisoned for kidnapping and carrying out dangerous, suspicious activities, something like that.” Ali fell silent. Laith asked him, “What’s wrong? Why’d you go quiet? Isn’t this what you wanted?” Ali replied, “Of course, I believe he should be held accountable. What bothers me is that his justifications made sens

The afternoon sun cast long shadows as Nawras stepped out of his house, his muscles aching from another grueling training session. Before he could take a second breath, his phone buzzed. It was Hamza. "How are you?" Hamza’s voice crackled through the speaker. Nawras rolled his shoulders, wincing. "Exhausted. And you?" "Mission time. Surveillance on Hazim’s crew. Get your gear we’re moving in ten." Nawras frowned. "Since when do we get field assignments? Hazim didn’t want us anywhere near ops after the hospital incident." Hamza chuckled. "Yeah, well, we’re not ‘injured trainees’ anymore. The only way to get better is to dive in. Unless you’re scared?" Nawras exhaled sharply. "I’m not scared. But we don’t even have armor." "Already handled. I’ll talk to Hadi. If he says no, Marwan will convince him." The smirk in Hamza’s voice was audible. Nawras hesitated, then nodded to himself. "Fine. I’m in." As Nawras slung his pack over his shoulder and headed for the door, his f

Ali walked through the quiet halls of the university where he used to study, his footsteps echoing as he searched for one of his professors. When he finally found Dr. Khamis in his office, he knocked lightly on the open door. "Come in," Dr. Khamis said, looking up from his papers. Dr. Khamis welcomed Ali and invited him in. Ali stepped inside. He went and told him what he needed "Doctor, do you know anyone working in the Barrier Technology Center? I’d like to contact them because I want to work with them and learn from their expertise." Dr. Khamis leaned back in his chair, considering the question. "Actually, I have a relative, his name is Professor Hasan Jumaa. He works there." He scribbled a number on a piece of paper and handed it to Ali. "Here’s his contact. Tell him I referred you." Ali took the paper gratefully. "Thank you, Doctor." Dr. Khamis hesitated before speaking again. "By the way, I heard about Fadi and Karim. That they were attacked by a powerful ghoul. I wan

For days, Haitham had been investigating the mysterious liquid Malik and Marwan discovered during their patrol. But after hitting a dead end, he decided to consult Hadi. Following a long session with one of his patients, he made his way to headquarters to meet with him. Haitham leaned forward, his expression grim as he addressed Hadi. "Dr. Abo Jumana admitted in the past that he conducted experiments to modify ghouls because Walid asked him to do so," he said. "It was part of an agreement with the ghouls, their cooperation in exchange for Walid’s help and they allowed him to run experiments." He paused, shaking his head. "But he doesn't know why those two men, that Malik and Marwan captured had the liquid or what they were doing there." Hadi listened intently, his jaw tightening as Haitham continued. "Abo Jumana was the only one running these experiments," Haitham added. "I don’t know if Walid has someone else who could continue the work now that Abo Jumana’s been caught." Haith

Haitham and his wife returned home. His daughters ran to him, worried and scared for him. He told them, "It’s okay, my dear, don’t be afraid," and stayed with them for a while before saying, "Alright, go to sleep now."Once the girls were asleep, Haitham tried to joke with his wife, only to find her upset. He asked her, "What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly mad at me?" She replied, "I’m not mad at you, but I can’t help it. What happened broke my heart, and I can’t go back to normal as if nothing happened." He said, "It’s not the first time. Haven't you gotten used to it by now?" She answered, "No, I haven’t. And no one could ever get used to this kind of life! One day, your office explodes; the next, a car blows up near you, only Allah knows what’s next!" He told her, "I understand your fear, and I know this is hard. But when we got married, my life was already like this, even before we met." She replied, "I know. I know I agreed to this, and I was aware of everything. Yes,