The penthouse sat silent at the top of the thirty-second floor, its luxury marred by the chaos below. Adrian stepped inside with urgency, barely sparing the lavish surroundings a glance before striding straight toward the towering glass wall that overlooked the city. He pressed a hand against the windowpane, cool to the touch, and peered down.What greeted him was no different from the horror he’d witnessed hours ago—only now, it seemed worse. Smoke drifted like tendrils through broken streets, fire flickered in alleys, and the agonizing screams of civilians were muffled by distance but ever present. The Pawns—those twisted, mindless vampires—still prowled the ground, chasing people like rabid dogs. He narrowed his eyes, scanning deeper.Odd. No sign of the mutated beasts from earlier. No towering brutes, no grotesque spider-limbed freaks.“Could they have migrated toward more populated areas?” he muttered.A noise behind him made him turn. One by one, the Knights entered the penthous

Several hours earlier...The sky outside had already begun to darken, a dusky purple bleeding through the clouds as evening crept across the city. The lights in the hallways flickered with inconsistent power, and the once-vibrant campus of the Technological Engineering Institute had become a place of fearful whispers and cold silence.Inside a third-floor classroom, the windows were barricaded with desks and metal chairs, and the doors were reinforced with what little furniture the students could find. The air was stale, thick with anxiety, sweat, and the quiet static of fear. A dozen university students, most still in uniform, clustered in uneasy silence around a single figure near the window.Raina stood tall, her long silver hair catching the weak light that filtered through the blinds. Her posture was graceful, though tense, like a dancer in the moment before a leap. She held her phone tightly to her chest after ending a call, her fingers trembling as she turned to face the others

Morning came with an unusual energy.Before sunrise had fully painted Alerion City gold, news alerts were already buzzing across phones, tablets, and office screens.Something big was happening.Inside Eden Royalty Headquarters, employees arrived earlier than usual, whispering among themselves as large digital displays in the lobby showed a countdown timer.02:14:36No explanation.No announcement.Just a ticking clock.Clarice stood near the reception desk, calmly directing staff despite the growing curiosity around her.“Yes, everyone will be informed soon,” she told a manager patiently. “Please proceed with normal duties.”“But Miss Woods,” the man insisted, lowering his voice, “investors are calling nonstop. They want to know what this countdown means.”Clarice gave a small professional smile.“Then tell them to keep watching.”The answer spread quickly through the building.Keep watching.Upstairs, Dean stood inside his office, jacket off, sleeves rolled slightly. Several documen

By 8 a.m., financial media across Alerion City carried the same headline:“Eden Royalty Under Federal Review — Is Rapid Expansion Too Good To Be True?”Inside Eden Royalty Headquarters, the energy had shifted completely from celebration to controlled urgency.Employees worked faster, voices lowered, footsteps sharper. Phones rang nonstop. Investor emails flooded inboxes faster than assistants could respond.Clarice Woods stood at the operations desk, issuing instructions one after another without pause.“Legal team to Conference Room B.”“Yes, confirm full cooperation with regulators.”“No speculation statements. Only verified responses.”Her calm voice became the anchor holding the building steady.Yet even she felt the pressure pressing down.An assistant approached nervously.“Miss Woods… reporters are asking if Eden Royalty is facing criminal investigation.”Clarice didn’t hesitate.“Tell them the company welcomes transparency.”The assistant blinked. “That’s it?”Clarice nodded.

The message arrived at exactly 8:10 a.m.Clarice noticed it first.Dean had barely stepped into his office at Eden Royalty when she followed him in, tablet clutched tightly against her chest, her expression unusually tense. She normally moved with calm efficiency, but today there was urgency in her steps.“Sir,” she said carefully, closing the door behind her. “You’ve been summoned.”Dean paused midway to his desk and slowly removed his suit jacket.“Summoned?” he repeated, amused. “I don’t remember joining the military again.”Clarice didn’t smile.“It’s from the Chamber of Commerce.”That made him stop.The room grew quiet.Dean turned fully toward her, eyes sharpening. “The COC?”She nodded and handed him the tablet.The official seal glowed on the screen — formal, polished, and unmistakably powerful.MANDATORY ATTENDANCE REQUESTCOC Executive Council Headquarters — 12:00 PMDean read it once.Then again.His jaw tightened slightly, though his expression remained calm.“So,” he mur