2025-09-16 23:07:04
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Chapter 162: Fugitive
The night was Kelvin’s only shield. He moved through the familiar back alleys of his neighborhood like a ghost, his heart hammering against his ribs. The sound of heavy boots and gruff voices echoed a street over Equalist patrols, already enacting their King’s decree. They weren't soldiers; they were neighbors with armbands and a license to hate, and that made them more terrifying than any monster. He pressed himself against a damp brick wall, holding his breath as a spotlight from a patrol vehicle swept the mouth of the alley. The light passed. He darted across the street and into the relative safety of the urban woods that bordered the district. Branches scratched his face, but he didn’t slow down. He ran until the sounds of the city faded, replaced by the eerie silence of the trees. He finally stopped, chest heaving, leaning against a tall pine. He was out. For now. Checking the cheap watch on his wrist, he saw he had time. He navigated by memory and faint moonlight, head
Chapter 161: The King's Decree
The base felt more like a tomb than a headquarters. The silence was thick, broken only by the low hum of computers and the heavy weight of failure. They had trained to fight monsters, not propaganda. They had prepared for alien invasions, not civil wars. The energy that usually crackled between them was gone, replaced by a bone deep exhaustion. Kyle broke the silence, his voice cutting through the gloom. "We're done playing defense. We're done letting him set the rules." He stood up, his gaze sweeping over his team. "The only way this ends is if we cut the head off the snake. We find the Equalist leader, and we take him down. Permanently." Rush was the first to object, his analytical mind recoiling from the brute force of the idea. "That's a rash and stupid idea, Kyle. A suicide mission. If we assassinate him, we become the villains in his story forever. We prove every lie he's ever told about us. We'd be handing his movement a martyr." "They already believe the lies, R
Chapter 160: The Gloves Come Off
The news played on a loop in the base common room, a grotesque carnival of tragedy and triumph. The same few seconds of chaos from the summit, the announcement of the president’s assassination, the Equalist leader’s hooded, victorious speech. Kyle stood before the screen, not seeing the images anymore, just feeling the cold, sharp edges of the trap they’d been herded into. “What exactly happened in there?” he muttered, more to himself than anyone. “Who shot first? Was it even the Equalists? Or did West have a trigger man to make them look like victims?” Rush was furiously typing at a terminal, his face illuminated by the frantic scroll of code. “I can’t get a clear picture. The internal CCTV feeds from the main hall were hit with a sophisticated scrambler right before the shooting started. It’s not just damaged; it’s wiped. Whatever happened, someone made sure there’d be no objective record. All we have is the aftermath and his version of events.” He slammed his fist on the
Chapter 159: A Perfect Distraction
The tension in the common room was a taut wire. The world leaders’ summit was the main event on every screen, a circus of forced smiles and hollow platitudes. Kyle paced, a caged tiger. “We need to be there,” he stated, for what felt like the tenth time. “Not watching it. There. Something is going to happen. I can feel it.” Carter nodded, her arms crossed. “The timing is too convenient. The portals go silent, the world explodes into chaos, and now they’re all gathering in one place? It’s a target.” Strawberry, perched on a table, gave a single, solemn nod. “It is a trap.” Johnny threw his hands up. “I’m all for crashing the party, but let’s be real! We have direct orders to stay put. If we break cover, command will have our heads. We’ll be benched for good.” “So we let them have our heads,” Axel countered, sharpening a knife with a rhythmic shhhhk shhhhk. “Better than sitting here while they set off a bomb.” “It’s not about getting caught,” Rush said, not looking up from his
Chapter 158: The Siege Within
The base had become a gilded cage. The high walls and security gates that were meant to keep threats out now served to pen them in. The constant hum of activity was replaced by a stagnant, frustrated silence. The team was grounded, forced to watch the world unravel on screens, their hands tied by political maneuvering and public hysteria. Kyle sat on a bench in a quiet corner of the barracks common area, staring at a wall but seeing nothing. The edited videos, the protests, the hatred directed at him personally it was a constant, grinding pressure. The desire to act, to smash something, to confront Derek West cause he knows somehow it's connected to him..and tear the mask off the whole operation, was a physical ache. A soft presence beside him broke his reverie. Carter sat down, not too close, but near enough to be a comfort. “You’re being awfully quiet,” she said, her voice gentle. Kyle let out a long, slow breath. “What is there to say? We’re sitting here while they
Chapter 157: The Web of Lies
The van was silent on the way back from the hospital. The girl’s parents had been hysterical with gratitude, but their relief was a small comfort against the looming consequences. They had saved one life, but at what cost? The confrontation in General Hernandez’s office was immediate and tense. She stood behind her desk, the live news feeds showing the aftermath of the “riot” at the Grand Theater playing on the screens behind her. “What part of ‘zero scene’ was unclear, Captain?” Her voice was dangerously quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos on the screens. Kyle stood at attention, but his eyes blazed. “With all due respect, General, the ‘scene’ was a public execution of a minor. Were we just supposed to take notes?” “Yes!” she snapped, slamming her hand on the desk. “That was exactly what you were supposed to do! Do you have any idea what you’ve handed them? They have video of a military team, led by a decorated captain, storming a political rally! They will cut, edit, and
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