Cursed to death. The phrase sounded ridiculous, something out of a fairy tale. But no one was laughing anymore.

  Axel swallowed hard. He had seen strong Awakened before—Skye was impressive. Then he met Vince and realized there were levels to this shit.

  But this? This was beyond human.

  Then, all at once, things started clicking into place. Morris had to be at least an eighth or ninth-level Awakened. Krythos wasn’t allowing Sin City to exist out of mercy or pragmatism. They were afraid of him.

  Wesley moved on without waiting for reactions. “You’ll each be issued a phone. One-way communication only. If you’re in serious danger, press ‘0’ and an extraction team will come to get you. That said—” his voice sharpened “—if things are already critical, don’t expect us to arrive in time. If you know you’re in over your head, get the hell out early.”

  He let the words hang for a moment. “At the end of twenty days, you’ll be picked up. Any questions?”

  The room was dead silent for a few beats. Then, a man in his thirties, scruffy and unshaven, hesitantly raised his hand. “If we get into real danger,” he started, “and Whisper Syndicate can’t save us in time… Can we reveal our identity to stay alive? That should be fine, right?”

  It was a simple idea. The name Whisper Syndicate carried weight. Even the most bloodthirsty criminals had to think twice before killing one of their people. The risk of retaliation was too high.

  But the second he finished speaking, Wesley gave him a look like he had just asked if fire was wet. “…Are today’s candidates always this stupid?”

  The man’s face turned bright red.

  “Sin City has laws,” Wesley continued. “Rules. But those rules do not apply to Whisper Syndicate members.”

  “There are plenty of ordinary people living in Sin City. But most of the criminals there? We were the ones who hunted them down. When they escaped past the Wall, they settled in Sin City. And guess what? "

  "They hate us. Even Morris won’t interfere if they decide to put you in the ground. So if you try to use the Syndicate’s name as a shield—” Wesley’s gaze darkened— “you’ll just die faster.”

  A thick silence fell over the room. This wasn’t just a dangerous mission. This was a death trap.

  The extraction button was there, sure. But who the hell would tap out before it was absolutely necessary? And by the time they finally accepted that they couldn’t survive… it’d be too late.

  Wesley wasn’t done. “One last thing,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “This mission is classified. If you reveal anything about the Whisper Syndicate or our objectives—even if you survive Sin City—” his gaze swept over them, cold and unyielding, “we will personally hunt you down and kill you.”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  No one said a word. The man who had asked the previous question shrank back, his face still burning with embarrassment.

  “…Any other questions?” Wesley prompted, scanning the crowd.

  Axel could see it—half the people here were probably rethinking their decisions. But no one wanted to be the first to speak up.

  Then, unexpectedly, a small, hesitant voice broke the silence.

  “Uh… can we form teams? Like… find someone strong and stick with them?”

  Every head in the room whipped around to stare at the speaker. Axel groaned internally. He didn’t even have to look. Of course it was Gabriel.

  Gabriel flinched at all the attention but quickly defended himself. “I mean, isn’t it normal to team up? There’s strength in numbers.”

  Most just gave him a look of pure pity. That question was even dumber than the last one. Wesley eyed Gabriel, and for the first time, a flicker of something else passed through his expression. “…Fine,” he said at last. “But remember this—you’re still competitors.”

  Gabriel blinked. Then, after a moment, his face lit up with sudden realization. “Oh shit. If I survive until the end, my own teammates might kill me. That’d be a huge loss.”

  Nobody knew what to say to that.

  Wesley, instead of exploding with rage, just sighed. People thought maybe Gabriel was too stupid to bother yelling at. But his question gave them new ideas, and some people were already looking for teammates.

  What the hell? The way Wesley had been acting, he should’ve torn Gabriel apart for that question. Instead, he let it go?

  Axel narrowed his eyes. Is this guy… connected?

  The mission was officially declared complete, but nobody looked like they were celebrating.

  Axel stepped out of the venue and immediately spotted Vince and the others waiting near the hotel entrance. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about them felt… off. Had they gotten more worn down in just a short time?

  Before he could dwell on it, a voice called out behind him.

  "Rosaline!"

  Axel turned and saw Wesley—the captain from Gray Wolf Squad—grinning as he approached.

  "What a coincidence," Wesley said, his sharp tone from earlier completely gone. Now, in front of Rosaline, he was all smiles. "Our teams ended up on the same mission together."

  But Rosaline? She wasn’t having it.

  "Coincidence?" she scoffed, arms crossed. "We’re in the same Action Division. This is completely normal."

  Vince and Kaia exchanged looks, clearly enjoying the show. It was no secret that Wesley had a thing for Rosaline.

  Yet, despite the clear rejection, Wesley didn’t look the least bit discouraged. He just laughed. "Rosaline, sooner or later, you’ll see that I’m the most suitable man for you."

  Damn, that’s some thick skin. Axel held back a snort and wisely stepped to the side, staying out of it.

  Behind Wesley, six of his teammates had followed over and were now greeting Vince and the others. It seemed like their groups were at least familiar with each other.

  That’s when Wesley’s gaze finally landed on Axel. His brows **knitted together slightly.

  As the captain, Wesley’s strength was on par with Vince’s. And from a single glance, he could tell—Axel didn’t belong here.

  "Rosaline," Wesley said casually, scanning Axel with obvious doubt. "If you were short on people, you could’ve just told me. I’ve got a few solid candidates you could’ve picked from."

  The words were meant to be helpful, but the tone? It was a clear insult—Why the hell is this guy here? Wesley didn’t give a damn if Axel felt embarrassed.

  Axel’s eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, someone stepped in front of him.

  Rosaline. Her expression was ice-cold. "You think I need you to tell me how to choose my people?" Her voice was sharp, every word laced with irritation. "Who the hell said he’s not a good candidate?"

  Her sudden anger threw Wesley off. Sure, Rosaline had always been indifferent to his advances, but this? She wasn’t just dismissing him—she was pissed.

  A heavy silence settled over the group, thick with tension. Then, just when things were at their most awkward, a sultry voice broke the moment.

  "That’s hilarious." A woman from Wesley’s team stepped forward, her curves accentuated by the way she carried herself. Her gaze landed on Axel, unimpressed.