In Everton, Xander set down the phone, sitting in silence for a moment. Then, he pulled out a cigar, lit it, and took a slow drag.

“That brat didn’t let me down,” he muttered with a satisfied smirk.

It wasn’t just about Axel taking out two infected. More importantly, it shut up those arrogant bastards from the Havoc Division—at least for now.

Xander had already decided: he’d push for Axel to get additional commendations.

“Now it all depends on how he performs in Shiverstone,” Xander said to himself, straightening up. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

The Whisper Syndicate’s recruitment expansion wasn’t some casual move. Things were about to get ugly out there in the wilderness beyond the wall. The Syndicate needed real talent—fast.

......

“Skye, what’re you doing heading to the institute this late?” Knox called out as he noticed the man getting into his car.

The evening meeting had just wrapped up, tasks assigned and plans in motion. Most people were winding down. Not Skye.

“The test results are in. I can’t sit still until I see them,” Skye said, handing over a cigarette. “Captain Knox, you should get some rest.”

Knox sighed as the car pulled away. “That guy…” he muttered. Now he understood why Skye had been promoted so late in life. The man worked harder than anyone, but he didn’t play the political game. A true workaholic through and through.

.....

Skye arrived at the research institute not long after.

“Mr. Skye, here’s the lab report,” a technician greeted him, handing over the data and a cup of coffee.

Skye took both and crossed his legs, skimming through the papers as he sipped. The two infected had appeared out of nowhere. That nagging familiarity… it reminded him of the Dune case.

“Huh?” Skye’s eyes narrowed, his finger pointing to a specific line in the report. “Is this a typo? It says there were three infected DNA traces at the scene?”

The researcher shook his head. “No mistake, sir. We double-checked—same results every time. Could it be there’s another infected out there that wasn’t recovered?”

Skye frowned. The moment they arrived at the scene, they’d locked it down and done a thorough sweep. There hadn’t been any sign of a third body. What’s more, the report only used samples from the two recovered corpses. If a third infected had been hiding somewhere else, its DNA shouldn’t have been in the sample at all.

“…Weird,” Skye muttered, but set the puzzle aside for now. Top priority was still identifying the two infected and tracing the infection source.

He flipped to the background data.

Autumn, female, 57. Lived alone. Reported missing long before the infection.

Peter, male, 52. Had a son at War Academy. Estranged—hadn’t been home in years.

“These two were both third-level Awakeners,” the technician added. “But here’s the strange part: we couldn’t match the third DNA to anyone in the national database.”

“No match at all?” Skye echoed, leaning forward.

That was a red flag. All citizens were registered in the system with blood records—unless they were born in the wilderness or off the grid in slums. For someone to leave no trace… that was rare. Dangerous, too.

He studied the file more carefully, sipping the now-lukewarm coffee, filtering possibilities in his mind.

These infected that appeared out of nowhere had some common traits. Elderly. Isolated. Sometimes injured. Simple social ties—or none at all.

The Wolfe case had similar patterns. If Wolfe hadn’t offed himself in prison, maybe they’d have uncovered the truth behind these mysterious infections. And now, something disturbingly familiar was happening again… this time in Everton.

The report detailed not just the physical state of the infected but a breakdown of components found in their blood—chemical traces, genetic degradation, viral anomalies.

The technician saw Skye’s intense focus and quietly excused himself.

Left alone, Skye pulled out a worn notebook. The synthetic leather was cracked, and the pages warped from years of use. He scribbled down crooked notes in shorthand only he could decipher:

“At Everton Universal Studios, DNA from three infected was detected. Only two bodies recovered. The third identity is unknown—no records in the national system.”

“Both recovered subjects were elderly. Blood shows…”

His pen paused for a moment, then scratched again.

......

Mid-October, the expansion of the Whisper Syndicate had officially begun. Four elite teams made up of the Syndicate’s youngest rising talents were preparing to head out—each to one of the four major war academies.

Axel was up early, waiting outside the hotel. This time, he’d decided to bring Annabelle along.

The mission wasn’t dangerous, and he wasn’t expected to be on the front line. No harm in letting her tag along and explore a bit—maybe even enjoy herself for once.

One by one, several black, heavily modified Hummers pulled up outside the hotel. One of them stopped directly in front of Axel.

A familiar voice called out in surprise. “Axel? You’re coming on this mission too?”

Axel turned and saw Luke, the captain of the Black Talon team, stepping out of the vehicle.

“Captain Luke,” Axel greeted him with a nod.

Luke grinned, waving off the formality. “You’re one hell of a find. Vince really struck gold with you. Come on, get in—we’re on a tight schedule.”

A few Whisper Syndicate logistics staff helped load Axel’s luggage into the vehicle while Luke ushered him inside.

As Axel climbed in, he saw four other young operatives already seated. One of them was familiar—Zara, from the Black Talon team.

“Alright, everyone’s here,” Luke called out. “This is Axel. He’s a beast—trust me. If he speaks, you’d better listen.”

With that, Luke shut the door and moved on to another vehicle, leaving a wave of curious eyes now turned toward Axel.

Zara’s eyes lit up when she saw him. “You’re here too? Nice.” She shifted in her seat to make room. “Sit here.”

Axel gave a polite nod and settled in beside her, with Annabelle leaning against him quietly.

Across from them, a sharply dressed young man with neatly styled hair raised an eyebrow. Zara wasn’t known for being friendly—and now here she was, practically inviting Axel to sit next to her? Interesting.

And then there was what Luke said—“trust Axel’s opinion”—as if he were the leader or something. That rubbed the guy the wrong way.

The man cleared his throat and said in a self-assured tone, “Might as well introduce ourselves. I’m Quade, from Virelia. Stormfang team. Level three, mid-grade.”

Barely had he finished when the guy next to him jumped in.

“Mr. Quade! I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Colt, same year as you. Level three, lower grade.”

Quade’s smile turned smug. “You know me?”

“Of course! You were this year’s ring champion. Everyone knows you.”

Axel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Never heard of him, he thought.

“Oh wow, that’s amazing!” A girl in a preppy academy-style outfit joined in, eyes bright. “Mr. Quade, we’re counting on you to carry us! I’m Juno—only level two, upper grade, so I’m still catching up.”

Zara’s introduction, in contrast, was brief. “Zara. Level three, lower grade.”

Axel was just about to speak when Quade cut in, voice loaded with casual arrogance. “So, Captain Luke’s hyping you up. I assume that means you’re stronger than the rest of us?”

Axel scratched the back of his neck. “Not really. I only just hit level two recently. Still figuring things out.”

Quade frowned. Colt and Juno exchanged glances, clearly surprised.

The top talent in their generation had already hit the peak of level two by now. Since this was a mission involving war academy elites, they’d expected Axel to be on that same tier. But from the sound of it, he was barely qualifying.

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