Bruised and battered, Tatiana parted her bloodied eyelids. The bright red light focused on her face made her immediately squint as her head throbbed in agony.“You…bitch,” she cursed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “I swear…you should have…ki…killed me. You will regret keeping me alive. You hear me, you skinny little cu—”In response, the loud intercom buzzed in her face.“Don’t make this more painful than it has to be. Your time will come soon. Until then, you need to wait,” a heavily distorted voice replied from the other end.Outside the room, Alex was standing with his two most trusted soldiers: Captain Williams and Raziya.“You did well, Raziya. Even though it was extremely reckless and impulsive,” Alex said, fixing his stern eyes on her.Raziya lowered her head and replied submissively, “I apologize, Commander. But I really couldn’t let you handle my mess all by yourself. I got caught at the Reddington Towers, and that led to this whole fiasco. You’ve already rescued me far t

Tatiana didn’t waste a single second. Clutching the knife in her right hand, she rushed at Alex, launching at him like a hungry Puma.“Hyargh!”A flurry of rapid slashes whizzed through the air as Alex dodged her blows effortlessly, stepping back with his hands in his pockets.“Not bad. Keep going, and maybe this will be entertaining at least.”Infuriated by the remark, Tatiana flipped the knife in a reverse grip and went in with a stabbing blow.But once more, Alex side-stepped the attack at the last moment, making her miss her mark completely.“Fight back, you coward!” she snapped back, rushing in with a loud grunt.This time, Alex didn’t move.The polished steel flashed in Tatiana’s hand as the sharp blade sliced through Alex’s loose black shirt, leaving it in tatters.“Not so fast now, are you?”Tatiana wiped the bloodstained blade on her left palm and grinned like a maniac.“The famous God of War, about to be killed by an unknown assassin. I can’t imagine what the citizens of Ale

As Vlad walked out the door, promising never to return to Alexandria, Captain Williams and Raziya stood beside Alex, watching him get into the car and drive away.“Vlad Karlenko, the man responsible for over 52 assassinations all across the world. The same cold-blooded killer who took out seven of your highly trained bodyguards and then tried to kill you as well,” Raziya droned, hands folded across her chest as she gazed outside. “Forgive me, Commander, but I don’t think we should have let him walk away.”“I agree with Raziya on this one,” Captain Williams added from the other side, his forehead already creased with terrible afterthoughts.But Alex stood there with his hands in his pockets, hardly bothered by it.“I understand your concerns. But this was necessary. Vlad proved to be a useful tool, and I say he earned his forgiveness.”“What if that bastard changes his mind midway?” Raziya cut in sharply. “What if he spills the truth to Major Monroe and discloses who you really are?”“

The following morning, Alex woke up to a message from the Governor himself, urgently requesting him for a private meeting at his old family mansion in Miller Grove.Alex arrived right as the clock struck ten and was escorted through the front by the Governor’s secretary.“Mr. Du Monte is waiting for you. Please come this way.”Alex was led to a spacious backyard where an intricately crafted whitewood table adorned a neatly trimmed lawn overlooking a small pond.Governor Du Monte didn’t get up from his chair, but guided Alex to his seat with a wave of his hand.“I am glad you are on time. Please have a seat, Mr. Verlaine. We have a lot to discuss.”Once the secretary left, the Governor got straight down to business.“Let me say this directly. I once trusted you to be a good friend and a resourceful ally, but you have made things very complicated for me. I no longer understand your motives, Mr. Verlaine.”“I will be more than happy to clarify them to you,” Alex replied, sharp and precis

Back in her secret medical research facility, high up in the Northern Mountains, Dr. Lucy was analyzing a new variant of the God Serum, carefully monitoring its effects on field mice and small birds, when the buzzing of rotor blades caught her attention.She removed her safety goggles and went up to her balcony, still dressed in her stained white lab coat and clean white gloves.Her eyes lit up at once as she spotted four transport choppers landing in the front yard.Captain Williams’ elite covert op team, the Phantom Squad, dropped down and set to work, opening wooden crates and large cardboard boxes.Dr. Lucy watched mesmerized as her snow-glazed front yard came to life with a massive 20-foot-tall Christmas tree decked with sparkling lights, golden bells, and a vibrant star twinkling on top.The men rushed in and out of the choppers like Santa’s elves, carrying colorful boxes wrapped in ribbons.Within minutes, they stacked up a hundred presents under the Christmas tree.Soon, anoth