Viper leaned over the stone balcony ledge, the heavy iron bolt on his crossbow pointing straight at Jax's chest. His dark eyes glinted with pure greed as he stared at the clean gear Jax and Mia were wearing.Behind him, five gang members chuckled loudly, shifting their sharp iron spears and heavy axes. They looked down on the two young visitors like hawks watching helpless chicks in an open field."You heard me, boy!" Viper barked, his voice loud and rough against the quiet stone walls. "This entire museum is our personal house now. Every gold ring, every old statue, and every piece of metal inside this place belongs to the Black Viper Gang!"Jax did not even raise his hands to surrender. He stood near the chained iron gate, his posture relaxed, his dark eyes looking up at the gang leader with absolute calm."I am not here to take your building, Viper," Jax said, his voice smooth and completely unbothered by the loaded crossbow. "I only need access to the museum's storage basement. I

"Watch out!" Mia screamed, her voice cracking as a hail of ancient debris rained down on them.The massive gargoyle let out a low, rumbling growl that shook dust and loose stones down from the ancient ceiling. Its glowing red eyes snapped wide open, fixing a cold, hungry stare straight down at Jax and Mia. Thick grey skin covered its body like slabs of old granite, and its giant stone wings spread wide across the vault room, blocking the dim emergency lights. The air grew heavy, smelling of sulfur and wet earth.This was a Rank-3 mutated gargoyle. Its body was tougher than solid steel, and normal weapons could not even scratch its stone-hard hide. Every breath the beast took sounded like grinding boulders."Boss Jax, it's huge!" Mia whispered, her body staying low and balanced as her super-sharp reflexes locked onto the monster's movements. Her fingers tightened around a small metallic canister tucked inside her utility belt. Sweat dripped down the side of her face, catching the amber

The red emergency warning lights flashed rapidly inside Jax's mind, pulsing with a harsh sound that made his heart race.He looked down at the golden system badge pinned to his shirt collar. The timer was ticking down fast. He had only ten minutes left before his tether node power ran out and his walking invulnerability disappeared."Mia, we have a problem," Jax said, his voice turning hard and sharp as steel. "General Ironwood is attacking our store with heavy artillery shells right now."Mia gasped, her brown eyes widening in shock. "General Ironwood? But... how did he find enough heavy weapons after the red fog?""He took over the military base," Jax replied quickly. "He wants our food, and he wants our sanctuary. We need to get back there immediately."Without another second to waste, Jax turned around and sprinted out of the museum basement vault, with Mia following closely behind him. Her super-sharp reflexes and enhanced speed allowed her to move like a flying shadow across the

General Ironwood pressed his heavy palms against the stone pavement, his face turning dark red with anger and disbelief.He was a military warlord who commanded thousands of armed men and heavy tanks, yet he was kneeling in the dirt like a beaten dog."Get up!" Ironwood roared, spitting dust from his mouth as he glared at his men. "Shoot him! What are you all waiting for? Kill this insolent boy right now!"The fifty elite soldiers struggled against the crushing invisible weight. They raised their heavy assault rifles, fingers jammed hard against the triggers, trying to fire a hail of bullets at Jax.Nothing happened. The triggers were locked tight by the system domain authority.Jax didn't even slow his stride. He walked calmly through the middle of the kneeling soldiers, his dark eyes completely unbothered by the weapons pointed at his chest.The system floating interface flashed with a bright gold light near the top of the store sign.[Notice: Unauthorized Hostile Weapons Detected I

The slow, quiet footsteps stopped right outside the clean glass door of the Infinite Sanctuary.Jax stood behind the silver register, his dark eyes fixed on the entrance. Mia put her cleaning cloth down on the counter, her refined reflexes instantly tightening as she sensed a heavy, unusual pressure in the air.The heavy glass door slid open with a soft click, letting in a swirl of cold night wind.A tall figure stepped inside the bright, warm store. The visitor wore a long, dark travel cloak that completely covered their head and body, hiding their face deep in the shadows.In the gloved right hand of the messenger rested a dark black envelope, sealed tightly with a heavy drop of shining golden wax stamped with an eagle crest."Welcome to the Infinite Sanctuary," Jax said, his voice calm and steady. "If you are here to trade, bring your beast cores to the counter. If you are here to make trouble, I suggest you turn around."The hooded figure stopped three feet away from the counter.