The safe house kitchen smelled like jasmine tea and something Mei Lin called "comfort food for the damned."Damon found her there at 4 AM, stirring a pot of soup that steamed in the fluorescent lighting. She'd changed out of her waitress uniform into simple clothes that made her look younger, more vulnerable than the confident woman who navigated Manhattan's criminal underworld like it was her personal chess board."Can't sleep either?" she asked without turning around."Sleep feels like a luxury I can't afford." He leaned against the counter, studying her profile. "You should be in protective custody. Somewhere Kane and Dragon Fang can't reach you.""Should be, could be, would be." Mei Lin ladled soup into two bowls with practiced efficiency. "I've spent three years hiding from men who wanted to own me. I'm tired of running."She set one bowl in front of him, their fingers brushing as he accepted it. The contact was brief but electric, sending warmth through his enhanced nervous sys

The system's new quest appeared while Damon was still dripping river water in the emergency room.[PRIORITY QUEST ACTIVATED] [OBJECTIVE: PUNISH DRAGON FANG] [PARAMETERS: DEMONSTRATE CONSEQUENCES FOR CIVILIAN ENDANGERMENT] [REWARD: ENHANCED COMBAT PROTOCOLS] [TIME LIMIT: 48 HOURS] [WARNING: FAILURE TO RESPOND WILL BE INTERPRETED AS WEAKNESS]Mei Lin lay unconscious on a hospital bed three feet away, IV tubes snaking from her arms while machines monitored her vital signs. The doctors said she'd be fine…minor concussion, some bruised ribs, nothing that wouldn't heal with time and rest.But she'd almost died because Dragon Fang decided to use innocent people as pawns in whatever game he was playing."The quest is right," Damon said quietly to himself. "He needs to understand there are consequences."[ANALYZING TARGET LOCATIONS...] [DRAGON FANG PRIMARY OPERATIONS: THE JADE PALACE GAMBLING DEN] [SECURITY LEVEL: MAXIMUM] [ESTIMATED HOSTILE COUNT: 60+ ARMED PERSONNEL] [TACTICAL ASSE

"No."The word came out harder than Damon intended, but the system's quest interface flickered and died without argument.[ULTIMATE QUEST: DECLINED] [ALTERNATIVE PROGRESSION PATH: ACTIVATING] [NEW PARAMETERS: MAINTAINING HUMANITY WHILE GAINING POWER]Mei Lin looked up from adjusting his bandages. "No what?""Nothing. System gave me an ultimatum. I chose a different path."But before she could respond, a new interface materialized…simpler than the conquest quest, but somehow more ominous.[MANDATORY QUEST ACTIVATED] [OBJECTIVE: WIN THE UNDERGROUND BLOOD ARENA] [LOCATION: WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, PIER 72] [TIME LIMIT: 24 HOURS] [PARTICIPANTS: INVITATION ONLY] [WARNING: DECLINE RESULTS IN LOSS OF SYSTEM ACCESS]"This one isn't optional," Damon muttered.[EXPLANATION: BLOODLINE TRIALS ARE REQUIRED FOR POWER PROGRESSION] [PARTICIPATION DEMONSTRATES WORTHINESS TO INHERIT FULL CAPABILITIES] [PREVIOUS SUCCESSORS WHO DECLINED: 100% FATALITY RATE]The implications were clear. The system migh

The system's warning blazed across his vision like fire.[IMMEDIATE THREAT DETECTED] [SNIPER TARGETING: CONFIRMED] [TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS: FATAL HEADSHOT IMMINENT] [REACTION TIME: 0.3 SECONDS]Damon threw himself sideways just as the rifle cracked from the building across the street. The bullet carved through the air where his head had been, close enough that he felt the displacement of air against his cheek.The sniper's scope tracked his movement, already adjusting for a follow-up shot.But enhanced reflexes had turned those crucial microseconds into an eternity of tactical possibilities.[ENHANCED AGILITY: ACTIVE] [VERTICAL MOVEMENT OPTIONS: MULTIPLE] [TARGET LOCATION: IDENTIFIED]Damon launched himself at the nearest fire escape, enhanced strength carrying him up three stories in a single bound. Behind him, a second bullet sparked off the metal grating where he'd been climbing.Professional marksmanship, but not quite fast enough to track inhuman movement.The chase that foll

The Blackwood estate burned like a sacrificial altar against the midnight sky.Damon stood at the treeline watching three generations of family history devoured by flames that reached toward heaven . Orange light painted his face in hellish shadows while smoke carried the scent of burning memories across the Hudson Valley.His mother was in there. Had to be.[THERMAL IMAGING: MULTIPLE HEAT SIGNATURES DETECTED] [STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: COMPROMISED] [ESTIMATED COLLAPSE TIME: 8 MINUTES, 34 SECONDS]Eight minutes to find her. Eight minutes to search a twenty-room mansion that was actively trying to kill him.The system's calculations felt distant compared to the primal scream building in his chest. This wasn't tactical anymore. This was personal in ways that transcended enhanced abilities or divine inheritance."Beautiful, isn't it?"The voice came from behind him. Damon spun to find three men in Kane's colors, armed but relaxed. They'd been waiting for him to arrive, probably had camera