2024-12-23 17:39:48If there's anything more terrifying than a crime, it's the West Line.
That sentence was always drilled into the heads of every law enforcement officer and government official.
So, it was clear—Samuel’s request to go to West Line was the most insane idea they had ever heard.
"I’m sure you’re fully aware of how West Line operates, Mr. Hayes, and it’s not a good idea!"
Joey clenched his fists, his expression filled with unease. He ruffled his hair in frustration.
"The largest supplier of every kind of drug is there! It’s the hub!"
"And that’s not even mentioning the weapons assembly distributed on a massive scale, or the human trafficking! Oh, my God!"
Douglaz, who had been sitting silently with his head bowed, took a deep breath. He looked up, raising one hand.
"Permission to add, Chief—one of my friends died when he entered West Line."
"His body was never found. All that was sent to his house was a small box."
"That box contained... his finger bone."
Joey slammed the table, shouting, "It’s just a fucking thumb, Mr. Hayes!"
Samuel remained unshaken, his gaze deep and resolute.
"I’ll make it work, don’t worry."
"My goal is just to make my presence known."
"Or would you rather I stay here and play along with their game?"
A dilemma indeed.
Following Madaline’s demands was not an option Joey was willing to entertain.
But allowing Samuel to go to the most dangerous place wasn’t wise either.
"J&S wouldn’t last long without you. It may affect the city! Everything that’s happened is under your control!"
Samuel stood firm, shaking his head slightly—a clear answer to the plea.
He had always believed in not sharing his plans until they were successful.
The name West Line had long been embedded in his mind.
It was on his list of crucial sites.
Beneath the desolate and dangerous West Line lay abundant resources; lithium, cobalt, and copper—three vital elements buried in the land.
Arthur had a great ambition to conquer it—a perfect move to turn the tables.
"You only need to do one thing: issue a special statement about me now."
"Say that I’m uncontrollable, that I’ve yelled, raged, attacked—whatever you like!"
"Describe how you’ve taken strict actions, and finally, I’ve been exiled to the most terrifying isolation cell in this city, Chief Joey Gunther."
Samuel raised his eyebrows, his eyes sparkling.
Silence fell.
Joey felt helpless. He couldn’t force Samuel to reveal anything about his plan.
"Alright, I guess everything’s clear. I have to leave now!" Samuel declared.
Joey swallowed hard, bowing his head slightly before replying,
“Wait! Mr. Hayes. At least let me I prepare a special vehicle to take you!"
He signaled Douglaz and the two younger officers to approach, handing them his car keys.
"Take my car home and exchange it for another one. Just tell the guards there—it’s ‘The 12.’"
"Y—Yes, Chief!"
Joey then turned his gaze back to Samuel.
It weighed heavily on his heart to let his lifesaver venture into such a terrifying place.
Joey extended his hand toward Samuel. "Call me whenever you need, Mr. Hayes."
Samuel didn’t say a word. He simply smiled.
As Samuel’s steps brought him closer to the vehicle, Joey felt a weight lift from his chest.
"My task now is just to find out who’s behind all this. It must be Arthur Brooks," Joey murmured.
“Good luck, Samuel Hayes.”
--
9 AM
“So, for the time being, Mr. Hayes is forced to—”
“Hey, you, turn up the radio!”
Madaline kicked the back of the driver's seat as the radio broadcast about Samuel caught her attention.
A sly grin spread across her face as she reached for her phone and dialed Arthur.
“Hello, Dad, have you heard the news yet?”
“Yes, I’m quite concerned. But people who belong below will always return to where they came from, right?”
“Sure, Daddy, life always serves justice. By the way, I arrived at the airport now..”
Madaline took out her lipstick and reapplied it while glancing outside.
“Great, give him a warm welcome. I’ll be holding a press conference about Samuel’s arrest.”
“He’s moody, so make sure to keep him in a good mood, Madaline.”
“Oh, that’s easy. Leave it to me!”
She hung up and stepped out of the car, dressed to the nines. A tight red dress, perfectly styled hair, and an intoxicating fragrance surrounded her.
She walked briskly toward the VVIP area, where Gideon’s private jet had landed.
“Ah, Gideon!”
Madaline raised her hand toward a man with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes.
“Madaline, you’re as stunning as the last time I saw you five years ago.”
Gideon kissed her. To the Hawthorne heir, Madaline was nothing more than a tool. The J&S fortune, now valued at $15 trillion, made Gideon impatient to lead the company.
Madaline had no idea.
Looking at Gideon, who exuded wealth from head to toe, she felt only relief.
Relief that she had left that useless loser behind!
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
284
The wind that swept through the valley was no longer laced with ash or whispers from the Veil. For the first time in what felt like centuries, sunlight poured cleanly over the fractured lands. No crackling distortions in the air, no looming shadows. Just warmth.Yet, despite the clarity of the skies, the earth still bore the scars of war.Samuel stood atop the jagged remnants of what used to be the Unity Tower, his cloak fluttering around his legs, gaze focused on the horizon where the new settlement was beginning to take shape. In the fields below, hundreds of veterans moved like ants—rebuilding tents, raising wooden frames, and dragging supply crates from broken vaults. Children, those rare few born during the years of chaos, played near the edges, their laughter unfamiliar, almost foreign. But it was real.Joey joined him, wiping sweat from his brow and carrying a rolled-up map. “They're calling it the Sanctuary now,” he said, gesturing to the settlement. “Guess the name stuck.”Sa
283
Where once rifts tore the heavens asunder and poured chaos into the world, now gentle light spilled across the wreckage like a balm. The ground remained cracked in places, darkened by ash and battle, but small signs of life were beginning to return—sprigs of green pushing defiantly through the blackened soil.Joey stood at the edge of what was once their central outpost, now reduced to rubble and scorched foundation stones. Around him, survivors moved slowly—rebuilding tents, salvaging supplies, carrying the wounded. The air still buzzed with the remnants of supernatural energy, warping the edges of reality like heat haze, but the worst had passed.Samuel hadn’t spoken since the sealing. Not since Ilyra and Marie vanished into light.He sat alone beneath the scorched remains of the unity tree—what once had been the symbolic center of the community. His eyes were open, glowing faintly with that strange silver light, but his thoughts were clearly far, far away.“Still no change?” Joey a
282
The battlefield was still trembling. The skies, though calmer than before, remained torn at the seams—revealing the scars of war between dimensions. Dust and arcane fire clouded the horizon, and energy from both Veil and Light shimmered in unstable equilibrium.Samuel stood at the eye of the storm, his body surrounded by a radiant spiral of opposing forces. He was no longer just a man—he was the fulcrum upon which the balance of the world now teetered.But the equilibrium was not enough.Despite the unity of the dimensions he had nearly achieved, the wound that Veil’s final assault had left across the world continued to spread—slowly but surely consuming existence from the inside.“The fracture is healing,” Joey said, his voice hoarse as he arrived beside Samuel, “but not fast enough.”Samuel nodded. “The energies are still too unstable. If we don’t anchor them soon... everything we saved will burn.”Suddenly, from within the ranks of exhausted veterans and survivors, a presence emerg
281
The sky above cracked open like shattered obsidian glass, revealing a vortex of burning violet and ink-black tendrils. Veil’s voice thundered across the dimensions—ancient, cold, and inescapable."You rejected me, Samuel. You defied balance. Now the world will break with me."A dome of shadow erupted from the center of the battlefield, swallowing light itself. The remaining lines between realities bled into each other. Mountains trembled. Oceans boiled.The final gambit had begun.The battlefield was chaos. Veterans from all divisions stood together, shoulder to shoulder—some injured, some barely able to hold their stance, but none willing to retreat.Joey screamed orders, his eyes scanning the unraveling sky. “Hold the lines! Focus your energy on protecting the inner circle! We cannot let Veil reach Samuel!”Dozens of veteran warriors raised shimmering barriers of flame, light, wind, and steel. Powers clashed in luminous bursts, countering the tide of writhing shadows surging toward
280
The battlefield was a canvas of chaos—ashen skies torn by lightning, the ground trembling with every pulse of Veil’s creatures. Shadowbeasts surged from ruptures in the earth, their snarls echoing like a chorus of nightmares. Joey stood at the front lines, covered in grime and sweat, slashing through one after another with barely a second to breathe. But it wasn’t enough.They were losing.And Samuel was still unconscious."Fall back to the ridge!" Joey shouted over the din, dragging a wounded veteran with one arm while fending off an attacker with the other. “We hold the line until—”A sudden tremor silenced everything.From the center of the field—where Samuel lay beneath layers of debris—a golden ripple spread outward, smooth and silent like sunlight breaking through a storm.Everyone froze.Then the debris exploded.Light surged upward like a geyser, searing white laced with streaks of celestial blue, blinding and radiant. The battlefield hushed as a figure rose from the core—Samu
279
The storm inside Samuel had long stopped roaring. Now it whimpered.He sat in the heart of the shattered sanctuary, its ancient walls scorched with dark runes from the last Veil assault. Shattered pillars, broken statues, and the scent of burnt air were all that remained of a place once devoted to healing. His shoulders hunched as if gravity had finally claimed its due, and his hands trembled over his knees. The once-brilliant markings of light along his arms had dulled to a dim shimmer, like coals clinging to dying embers.A breeze passed through the broken ceiling above—carrying ash, not hope.“Is this all I’ve become?” Samuel murmured, his voice hoarse, his eyes hollow. “A bridge that cracked in half before it could be walked.”He couldn’t feel the fracture anymore. Not because it had healed—no. Because his connection to both the Light and the Veil was thinning, fraying like a worn tapestry at the edge. His body, pushed too far by the ritual and the battles, was failing. But worse,
You may also like
The Hidden Successor In Disguise
SHIROE75.1K viewsUnexpected Trillionaire.
Max Luthor79.9K viewsTHE RICH GUY IN DISGUISE
Poen Konnet64.2K viewsThe Return of the War Legate
Celestial Clouds655.0K viewsThe Unstoppable Jack Bolton
AUTHOR C41.9K viewsThe Hidden Heir
ariendranazril979 viewsI AM COMMANDER ZANDER: Your Good Villain
Calendula4.5K views"The games of kings: Rise of the underdog"
Mydas241 views