Michael’s eyes flickered blue as he bent down and gripped the edges of a heavy steel crate that two soldiers had been struggling to lift. The metal groaned faintly as he raised it with ease and carried it across the loading area. Dust swirled around his boots while engines idled nearby, waiting for the final signal. He placed the crate carefully onto the back of the transport truck and gave the side of the vehicle two firm taps. “You can go ahead.” The soldier behind the wheel nodded once, clearly relieved, and drove out of the military base toward the distribution zone. More weapons had just arrived from a neighboring city, and they had made it through the border only hours before the checkpoint restrictions tightened again. Timing was everything now, and for once, it had worked in their favor. Michael exhaled slowly and leaned against a concrete wall, sweat rolled down his temple and disappeared into his collar. Around him, soldiers hurried back and forth, checking manifests and

The screen flickered to life fully, revealing Kade in a brightly lit office that looked more like a war room disguised as luxury. He was not seated properly like a president taking an official call. Instead, he sat casually on the edge of the desk behind him, long legs swinging back and forth like a bored teenager. An apple rested in his hand, and he took a loud bite from it as if this were some harmless social call. “Isaac!” He greeted loudly, grinning wide. “It’s been a while, friend. Please tell me you have my money.” Isaac opened his mouth, but Michael leaned forward first, “We do.” He said calmly, “We just won’t give it to you.” Kade blinked once, then burst into laughter. It was long and loud, echoing slightly in the room behind him. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb, clearly entertained. “Oh, you’re serious. Oh, sorry.” He tossed the apple aside carelessly and crossed his legs, his eyes sharpened as he leaned closer to the camera. “Can you please tell me why

Mira tightened her boots and rose to her feet. The room was quiet, but beyond the glass walls of her luxury hotel suite, the world was already shifting. The sun had barely climbed above the horizon, yet she could hear it clearly now. Engines rumbling, doors slamming, orders being shouted, soldiers were leaving for the battlefield or getting ready to. She walked toward the open balcony and rested her hands on the railing. Below, armored vehicles rolled out in formation as lines of both old and hired soldiers moved with purpose. So many new lives were about to be thrown into something irreversible. She let out a slow breath. “I guess this is really happening…” Her thoughts drifted to Jace, “At least I don’t have to worry too much about you dying in this exchange, right?” She murmured to herself. She headed back in, grabbed a band from the table and tied her hair into a tight knot, then walked towards the door, “Pushing you away was the right call after all.” The hotel lobby was e

More and more Nabarian soldiers kept coming from the water, turned out there was a whole submarine tank centered somewhere in the sea. This made it hard for Adrian and the unit to load up the valuables in peace. Mira took care of them with ease at first, then some of the soldiers began showing up with enhanced weapons that when they hit her, her abilities would flicker on and off before stabilizing again. She did not like it. “You should learn to dodge more often.” Adrian told her as he took cover on a vehicle beside her, he managed to get his hands on one of the enhanced weapons, “Just because you're almost indestructible doesn't make you completely indestructible. Didn't you recover from brain damage a while back?” She shot him a glare just after snapping the neck of a Nabarian soldier, “Don't tell me what to do.” She sprinted forward and took out three more soldiers with insane speed. However, before she could say anything, a soldier who was on the floor threw a dagger at her a

The rendezvous point was tense but organized. Smoke drifted from the horizon where the battlefield raged, and the air carried faint echoes of explosions. Adrian’s convoy rolled in fast, engines growling as soldiers jumped down from the trucks. The metal containers filled with the 100 trillion fortune sat heavy in the truck beds. The soldiers were about to start unloading when Adrian suddenly raised his hand. “Stop.” He ordered firmly. They froze mid-motion, confusion flickering across their faces. “We take it all back to the government building.” Adrian continued, stepping down from the truck. “No unloading here.” A murmur spread through the unit. “We can’t just stop here.” He added, scanning the surrounding tree line. “What if they attack like they did on the way?” Mira turned sharply toward him. Dust clung to her boots, and there was still dried blood near her collar from earlier. “We’re wasting time, Blackwood.” She challenged, “We can’t stray off the main plan which is to