In a blink, Annabelle moved. Her hand lashed out, grabbing the girl and yanking her out of the way just as the infected’s claws slashed through the air.

Riiip!

The sleeve of Annabelle’s new dress tore, but she’d made it. The infected missed.

The little girl fell into her father’s arms. Both were frozen in terror, eyes wide and unblinking, unable to move.

Carter clenched his fists. He wanted to help—really, he did—but the moment he took one step forward, fear clawed its way up his spine. His knees buckled. What the hell can I do against that?

“Annabelle, get out of there!”

Axel’s voice rang out, powerful and sharp like a gunshot.

The infected’s head snapped toward him just as he charged, a blur of motion cutting through the chaos.

“Is that… him?”

“Is he crazy?” one of the boys whispered.

No one answered. They were too stunned to speak. Even Carter—usually so loud—said nothing. His jaw clenched. His hands shook.

Annabelle took the chance to pull the little girl and her father to safety, quickly leading them away from the carnage. Only after they were out of immediate danger did she turn, eyes scanning the chaos, searching for Axel.

She wanted to help—but not....

Not only would exposing her power draw attention, she knew she wouldn’t make much of a difference against something like that. The infected just now was too strong.

Back near the center of the plaza, Axel squared off against the creature. Most of the tourists had already scattered far enough that the area was relatively clear.

Good. He wouldn’t have to hold back.

Then—thud, thud, thud—heavy footsteps echoed from another direction.

Another infected.

It crashed down from a rooftop nearby, its landing cracking the pavement beneath it. Blood dripped from its limbs, painting the ground with dark, wet streaks. The stench of blood thickened in the air.

“Roar!” The creature howled, its voice inhuman and guttural.

Axel didn’t move. In Everton, if he could hold out long enough, backup would always arrive. He just needed more time.

But the infected didn’t care about Axel’s strategy.

With the second one appearing, the first let out a screech and lunged, emboldened. Its jaw opened wide, revealing jagged yellow teeth dripping with gore, and a grotesque, muscular arm slammed down toward Axel’s skull.

Bang!

Axel didn’t dodge. He took the hit head-on. His body rocked under the impact, forced back several steps. But he kept his footing, then slipped sideways to evade the snapping jaws.

Physique’s about 600, Axel estimated, exhaling. Strong—but manageable.

Most infected were brute force and rage. No finesse. No tactics. Compared to Awakened fighters, they were pure muscle and chaos. He could handle this.

“What the hell are we doing standing around?! We can’t let him take all the glory!” Carter shouted from behind.

“I’m in,” Isla said, determination flaring in her eyes. She pushed forward without hesitation. The other War Academy students joined them, yelling as they charged. “Let’s go! Kill that thing!”

Axel glanced toward them—and in that instant, one of the infected lashed out with its tail. A bone-spiked whip, aimed to impale.

He caught it with one hand.

Axel’s body shifted instantly into a counter stance—feet firm, center of gravity dropped. He planted his left foot and spun on it, his right leg whipping outward.

CRACK!

The air exploded with the force of the kick. It connected cleanly with the infected’s calf, the impact sickening.

The monster screamed in pain—or rage—it was hard to tell. But its leg snapped like dry wood, folding underneath it.

The second infected was already closing in.

Axel shifted, grabbed its arm to redirect its momentum, dodging the blood-soaked jaws snapping for his face.

With his free hand, he summoned a sidearm—a sleek, compact pistol that shimmered faintly with a cold blue glow.

Bang. Bang. Bang!

Three shots rang out in rapid succession—straight down the creature’s throat.

Its head detonated. Blood, bone, and brain matter painted the air as it dropped lifelessly to the ground.

The first infected, the one with the shattered leg, growled low and dragged itself back, panic flashing in its blood-red eyes.

Too late.

Bang. Bang!

Two more shots finished the job, blowing its skull into mush.

Silence fell. Two monstrous corpses lay in pools of blood, twitching slightly as the last of their nerves misfired.

Carter and the others finally arrived—just in time to do absolutely nothing.

“What the—?” One of the students gasped, stunned. They were ready to risk their lives but… he already handled it?!

They stopped a few feet from Axel, expressions flickering between awe and disbelief. He didn’t look much older than them. Maybe not older at all. How the hell is someone our age this strong?

Axel didn’t acknowledge them. Instead, he called out, “Annabelle, you alright?”

Her voice came through a few seconds later, steady. “I’m fine. Just a scratch.”

She had a cut on her wrist—shallow, already clotting. The father and daughter she’d saved were now huddled together, crying softly, shaking uncontrollably from the near-death encounter.

Axel didn’t speak to them. He wasn’t ignoring them—he was just waiting.

And sure enough, after a few minutes, two faint pulses of energy shimmered into existence over the infected corpses.

Life crystals.

He walked over and picked them up, fingers closing around the warm, glowing shards. The data from the crystals flowed into his mind. He didn't know their names—

One had been at the peak of Level 2 before turning. The other... a low-tier Level 3.

Axel pocketed the crystals. He didn’t rush to leave. Sirens echoed faintly in the distance. The authorities were coming. And he’d have a lot to explain.

Several police cars tore down the street, sirens off but urgency in every wheel turn.

“Captain Knox! We just got word—the infected have been neutralized!”

Knox’s eyes widened in relief. His chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh.

Thank God.

This was a major tourist zone. If infected had broken loose here, they’d be cleaning up corpses for days.

“Who took them down? Was there a heavy-hitter nearby?”

“Yes, sir. One of the Whisper Syndicate.”

Knox and the other officers immediately went quiet.

The Whisper Syndicate. Every single cop present stood straighter.

“We got damn lucky,” Knox muttered under his breath. Then he turned to the officers behind him. “Watch yourselves. Be respectful. Especially you, Skye.”

Skye, sitting in the back seat, rolled his eyes. “Yes, Captain Knox,” he replied flatly.

Skye had been Knox’s trainee ever since the Wolfe case was closed and the old chief retired. With that chapter done, Skye had begun climbing the ranks—but first, he needed to spend some time in Everton, learning the ropes under Knox’s guidance.

He wasn’t thrilled about it. Everton was rules, regulations, and bureaucracy stacked to the ceiling. It didn’t suit his blunt, street-bred instincts.

The cars rolled to a stop near the scene. Knox was out the door before the engine even cooled, pushing past local security.

“Where’s the Syndicate member?” he asked sharply.

“Over there,” a guard pointed.

Knox followed the direction—and froze when he saw the young man staring back at him.

Suppressing his surprise, he approached with a smile. “Thank you. Seriously. If you hadn’t stepped in, this could’ve been a goddamn bloodbath.”

Around them, local officials and out-of-town observers came forward, offering greetings, handshakes, and words of gratitude.

But Skye… Skye just stared.

“…That’s—wait a second—”

Knox noticed and sighed. Here we go again. “What are you gawking at? Go say hello.”

“Axel?!” Skye’s voice cracked with disbelief as he jogged forward.

Axel turned at the sound and lit up. “Mr. Skye?”

The formal greetings melted instantly. The two hugged like long-lost brothers.

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