"Everything was truly swallowed by the earth. Disgusting and relieving at the same time."Mei Lin's voice, hoarse from dust and exhaustion, broke the silence of the dawn. The warrior woman sat catching her breath, staring straight down the hill.The long rumble that had been tearing the earth apart finally subsided. Below the hill where the five of them took shelter, the magnificent AgriGen facility had vanished without a trace. There was no more glass tower to be Chancellor Vane's pride. There was no more underground laboratory where Arthur was tortured. All that remained was a giant, gaping crater, swallowing all the corporate concrete, steel, and deadly technology into a black mud that still emitted hot steam.Morning began to break the night on the eastern horizon. The first rays of sunlight pierced the low-hanging grey clouds, illuminating the dew clinging to the tips of the wild grass where they lay helpless.There was no victory music playing from

"Thank you very much for the ride, Sir. Please keep the change to buy coffee on the road."An incredibly familiar woman's voice broke the tension that had been choking the afternoon air. The passenger door of the black sedan was pulled open slowly.David Vexley exhaled the breath he had been holding in his throat. The tense, stiff muscles of his body slowly relaxed. The grip of his right hand on the handle of the fruit-peeling knife loosened instantly. The small knife fell clattering onto the wooden floorboards of the caravan porch.It was not a secret agent from the remnants of the corporation stepping out of the luxury car. Nor was it an assassin sent to collect his family's lives.The person who stepped down carrying a tote bag filled with food boxes was Elena. His wife had just returned from her job as a convenience store manager in the city center. The shiny black car was merely a premium-class ride-hailing vehicle that happened to pass by on the app because regular transport car