Zane nodded, then suddenly spoke up. "There are still a few guys from the Ironfang Syndicate in the car. They’re Orion’s direct subordinates. They’re all still asleep, but if they wake up, we’re screwed. What do we do?"

  Axel sighed, sounding annoyed. "You’re a gang member, I’m a student. Do I really have to teach you how to handle this?"

  Click. The phone call ended, and Zane’s face shifted, his expression darkening. Axel’s last words cut deeper than he expected.

  The conversation with Axel made him realize something—his recent coldness, the ruthlessness he’d been wearing like armor, was just a mask. Deep down, he was still that rebellious kid caught between kindness and cruelty. But Axel… Axel had long since become immune to the cold-bloodedness of this life. He was a different breed altogether.

  "Acting..." Zane muttered to himself, a grin creeping up his face. Despite the shame of it, there was something oddly satisfying about the plan. A wild thought flashed in his mind—if Axel ever took over the Ironfang Syndicate, he'd probably be willing to follow him.

  After hanging up, Axel prepared to head back to his room. The call had been long enough, but as he stepped out, he found Drayke and Storm waiting for him at the door, both looking less than pleased.

  "Cassia called. She was reluctant to leave," Axel lied smoothly. He could easily get involved in all of this, but there was no need to drag them into it. Especially not with the risks that were on the table.

  Drayke raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "So, you two in love or what?"

  Axel's eyes flickered as he kept his expression neutral. Storm, on the other hand, didn’t smile. He leaned in, his gaze intense as he stared Axel down. “Axel, tell the truth. I heard everything. I get what you’re trying to do, but don’t think I’m an idiot.”

  Drayke was still clueless, looking between them with confusion. "What are you guys talking about?"

  “Shut up,” Storm snapped, cutting Drayke off before Axel could say anything.

  Axel sighed, feeling a wave of helplessness. It wasn’t that he thought less of Drayke and Storm—they just weren’t cut out for this kind of fight. Their level of strength wasn’t enough for what was coming. Still... Axel couldn’t ignore the fact that maybe, just maybe, there was a way they could be useful.

  The problem Axel was focused on now wasn’t so much how to kill Orion, but how they would get the hell out of there if things went south. Zane’s task was the first part of the plan, but Axel had a backup in mind.

  Turning to Storm, Axel asked again, his tone measured, “How’s your acting?”

  Storm paused, looking confused. He’d heard some parts of Axel’s phone call, but now, how did he get involved with acting?

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  Axel gave a slight smile. “Your mission is simple.” Pulling both of them aside, Axel laid out his plan in detail.

  Calling the police? Sure, it was the safest bet, but the reality was that there weren’t enough awakened people in Dune, and the local police were still working on a grassroots level. Even if they managed to show up on time, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Orion.

  And if Axel and his team actually managed to kill Orion? Well, calling the cops would turn into a nightmare.

  That’s why Axel needed a backup plan.

  “Play the role of Tyler’s friend,” Axel said, making sure they understood the key part of the mission.

  Storm watched Axel’s back as he left, deep in thought. Tyler’s friend... He muttered under his breath, running the task over in his mind.

  .......

  Axel pulled on a cheap windbreaker he bought at the train station entrance, pulled a fisherman’s hat low over his face, grabbed a newspaper, and sat down, waiting for the crowd to thin out.

  Dune was on the border of Krythos, a city near the city wall. While the area inside the wall was considered “safe,” mutant beasts often slipped through the gaps, and some still lived in the mountain fields that weren’t cleared.

  The only reliable way to get around in Dune was by train. As for the airport? Forget it, Dune didn’t have one.

  Places like Langford and Rutherford, which had been thriving before the mutation, were now more prosperous and safer than ever. But for Cassia to get back, she’d have to take the train.

  Axel checked the time, then scanned the area. He had to admit, the benefits of his enhanced Force and mental abilities were paying off. Before, he would’ve had to focus intensely just to track people, but now his vision and brain could process information in overdrive. The people moving through the station practically imprinted themselves in his mind.

  “The stronger the awakened, the more they stand apart from ordinary people.”

  After about 30 minutes, a familiar figure appeared.

  Though it had been less than two hours since they parted, Axel could already see it—the youthful fire Cassia once radiated had dimmed. She was no longer just a bright spark; now, there was a heaviness, a cold murderous intent, that didn’t fit in with the bustling crowd at the train station.

  She grabbed a taxi, and Axel followed.

  “Driver, follow that car,” he said.

  The driver gave him a skeptical look before answering, “Brother, I’m not doing that. I’m a good citizen… You have to pay more.”

  Axel waved it off. “Fine, just drive.”

  ......

  It wasn’t a long ride, but it took a solid 20 minutes. Axel had the driver drop him off a few hundred meters from where the taxi parked, paid his fare, and slipped into the shadows to continue his pursuit.

  Cassia moved fast, alert, her eyes darting around, scanning the surroundings.

  They were now on the outskirts of the city, just about to hit the bottom of the wall, and beyond that was the wilderness.

  The slums were further out but still densely populated and lower-lying. In the past sixty years, mutant beasts had rarely attacked there, and when they did, casualties were minimal.

  But this place? It was different. It was sparsely populated, and Axel knew it was a haven for wilderness hunters who had awakened. They used these areas to sneak in and out of the wall without paying taxes.

  The authorities turned a blind eye, after all—awakened people were valuable. As long as they weren’t causing major damage, the powers that be didn’t care much.

  Thankfully, Axel’s enhanced Force made following her easier. He had been tailing Cassia for a hundred meters now, and she still hadn’t noticed him.

  Five minutes later, a fortress-like manor came into view.

  Horses grazed in the fields, and in the center was a ring that looked like something out of an old martial arts arena, with cold weapons lining the perimeter.

  “It’s impressive. No wonder it’s one of the two biggest gangs in Dune,” Axel muttered to himself, feeling a surge of adrenaline. This place wasn’t just a hideout—it was a fortress.