The sky over Shanghai was dark, even though it was morning. Thick clouds hung low like heavy curtains. Rain fell in soft sheets, soaking the busy streets. Neon lights flickered in the mist, painting the puddles with red and green reflections.From above, the city looked alive, crowded, noisy, endless. But deep below, far beneath the crowded streets, something else moved. Something hidden. Something dangerous.Kai Everhart stepped out of the armored van and pulled his coat tighter. The air smelled like wet concrete and oil. Nova stood beside him, holding her bag close to her chest. Her eyes kept scanning the streets, watching every shadow, every stranger.Thorne followed behind them, silent and focused, wearing dark glasses despite the clouds.None of them spoke. They didn’t need to. They were heading into a place called The Underline.It wasn’t on any map. It wasn’t in any government record. But it existed. Hidden beneath the city. A black market built by Lazarus long ago, where se

The sky above the Everhart estate was dark with clouds. Rain fell in slow drops, soaking the marble terrace where Kai stood alone.His coat clung to his back. His hair was wet. But he didn’t care. He stared out at the trees, barely hearing the storm. His mind was louder.Ash was moving. Subject Zero had almost killed them in the Black Ring. Iris, his own sister, had unknowingly led them into the trap. And now the last keystone was still out there.He clenched his fists. One more key. One final piece. And then… the choice.Behind him, the glass door opened with a soft click. Nova stepped outside, holding a towel and a datapad. “You’ve been out here an hour.”Kai didn’t answer.xShe wrapped the towel around his shoulders. “Oracle found something.”He turned slowly. “The last vault?” She nodded.“Where?”Nova hesitated. “It’s not where we thought.”He raised an eyebrow. She handed him the datapad. On the screen, a location blinked red. Coordinates. Deep in the ocean.Kai’s voice was quiet

The stars were closer than ever. Outside the shuttle window, Earth curved in deep blue and white. It looked peaceful. Quiet. Beautiful.But inside Kai’s chest, there was no peace. Only war.The Everhart shuttle soared toward the satellite like a black arrow through space. It moved fast, silent and sleek. The engines were quiet now, running on minimal power to avoid detection. Inside the cockpit, Nova gripped the edge of her seat. She had flown jets. Flown drones. But nothing like this.No air. No sky. No room for mistakes. “We’re almost there,” she said, voice tense.Kai stood behind her, wearing his pressure suit, helmet clipped to his side. His eyes were fixed on the screen. EXODUS grew larger with every second. It was shaped like a cross, four arms stretching from a central tower. Lights blinked across its surface like veins. “I see the docking port,” Nova said. “Looks stable.”“Let’s hope Ash left the door open,” Thorne muttered from the back, loading the last rifle.Iris sat b

The wind was warm again. Birds sang in the trees. The Everhart Estate stood tall, clean, peaceful. The sky stretched wide above it, blue and perfect. It looked like a world reborn.But Kai Everhart didn’t feel peace. Not yet. Not completely.He sat on the edge of the courtyard fountain, his sleeves rolled up, hands wet from helping Iris fix the garden pumps. They had been broken for years. Small things Lucian never bothered with. But now… it mattered. Little things mattered.Iris laughed as the water finally burst through the pipe. “We did it!”Kai smiled, wiping sweat from his brow. “You did it,” he said.She looked up at him. “You used to never say that.” He chuckled. “I used to be a lot of things.”Then he looked toward the east wall. Where a black stone plaque had been placed days ago.Carved into it were four names. Lucian Everhart. Ash. Subject Zero. The Forgotten One. Iris followed his gaze. “Do you miss them?”Kai didn’t answer right away. “Sometimes,” he said. “But mostly…

The jet cut through the night sky, clouds curling like smoke around its wings. Inside, the hum of the engines was steady, but the cabin air felt tense.Kai sat near the front, staring at the scrolling data on the tablet in his hands. The heir’s name glowed at the top of the file: Linh Vu.Twenty-two years old. Born in Hanoi. No record of parents. Raised in a monastery outside the city. Disappeared from public records five years ago.“Oracle,” Kai said quietly, “how solid is the location?”Oracle’s voice crackled softly through the cabin speakers. “The Genesis marker inside her DNA is broadcasting faintly. I’ve traced it to an old quarter on the western side of Hanoi. But… the signal isn’t steady. It flickers. Like something is interfering.”Nova, seated across from Kai, looked up from cleaning her sidearm. “You think the sixth signal is messing with it?”Kai’s jaw tightened. “I think someone doesn’t want us to find her.”Dax leaned forward from his seat behind them. “Could she be hidi