He could feel it now—whatever had been hiding was directly ahead. A force that dwarfed the low-level trash they’d been fighting.

He was already preparing to move—he would go in first, take it down before it could react, then let the troops mop up.

But Barrett had had enough.

“Keep chasing!”

Boom, boom, boom—

A wave of boots hit the ground as the Ministry of Defense surged forward like a dam breaking. They were sick of waiting, sick of being told to hold back.

Silas jogged up beside Axel, trying to play peacemaker. “Mr. Axel, please don’t take offense… they’re just anxious to resolve the refugee crisis. Tensions are high—”

Axel didn’t answer.

He just sighed, low and sharp—and sprinted after them.

Silas blinked. In a flash, Axel had vanished down the road ahead.

“Shit, he’s fast,” Silas muttered, breaking into a jog himself. Could he have been right this whole time?

Up front, the chase had devolved into chaos.

The beasts were running wild through the alleys, and blood painted the walls as soldiers tore through the weakest ones. Bodies hit the ground in twisted heaps, but the kill-high was already in full effect.

“Don’t stop! Run ’em down!”

Barrett’s voice boomed over the chaos. He could see Blake nearby and took comfort in that—if things really went south, Blake could clean up. As for Axel? Whatever. Let him watch from the back and take notes.

The squad pushed deeper into the alleys of Zone E, navigating the crumbling ruins in tight formation. Blake stayed at the front, leading with sharp eyes and steady steps.

But after just a few dozen meters, an ominous feeling twisted in his gut.

He moved on instinct—ducking to the side just as a deafening *boom* shattered the air.

A dilapidated building exploded beside him, bricks and debris raining down as a massive creature burst through the wall.

It was over four meters long, its fur jagged like iron thorns, and its crimson eyes glowed with a feral intelligence.

“What the hell is that thing?!” someone shouted.

The beast—a red-eyed blood wolf—lunged, flinging a chunk of concrete into two soldiers and sending them flying like rag dolls.

Barrett’s face turned pale as the ground shook. They were barely ten meters away from it, and he could feel his heart hammering against his ribs.

Then another explosion erupted from the opposite side. A second, even larger blood wolf came crashing out of the ruins, howling with a bone-chilling roar before charging the team from the flank.

“Retreat! Fall back!” Barrett screamed.

In an alley this narrow, the wolves could leap between buildings like predators in a cage—and the soldiers couldn’t form a solid firing line. They were sitting ducks.

“Move it! That’s a goddamn Level 3 mutant!”

Up ahead, Blake was already engaged, exchanging blows with the first wolf. He was a melee-type awakener, but even with all his power, he could barely block its strike. The impact numbed his arms and sent a jolt of dread through his spine.

Shit… I can’t beat it. This thing’s too strong. And there were two of them.

“This doesn’t make sense!” he growled. “They shouldn’t still be here!”

After a beast tide retreated, high-level mutants were supposed to be long gone.

“Captain, we’re surrounded!”

The cry came from behind—panicked, desperate.

The wolves that had been “fleeing” earlier now emerged from every direction—from alleyways, from half-destroyed buildings, from the shadows themselves.

Dozens of them, circling, pushing the squad toward the center of the kill zone.

“They’re hunting us…” Barrett’s voice was shaking now. “This is… a trap.”

Axel. He tried to warn us. And they’d walked right into it.

“Signal the mayor! Tell him not to come any closer! Call for backup!” Barrett shouted. “NOW—”

But it was too late.

Axel’s hands blazed with fire as he sprinted toward the battlefield, heat shimmering in his wake.

Mutant beasts lunged at him along the way—but he didn’t even slow down. He snatched them from the air like squawking chickens and hurled them aside like sacks of meat.

“What the *hell* is that strength?!” Blake’s voice cracked with disbelief.

He wasn’t the only one.

Barrett and Kieran both stood frozen, eyes wide as Axel tore through the horde. In minutes, he had carved a clean, burning path through the alley, leaving nothing but smoldering corpses in his wake.

“Commander Axel!” shouted one of the Ministry of Defense soldiers. The others echoed him with cheers and awe.

The same soldiers who had just been on the edge of collapse now looked at Axel like he was a war god.

But Axel didn’t bask in the praise—his expression darkened as he scanned the scene. “What are you standing around for? Fall back. Now.”

Barrett snapped out of his daze. “Get your asses back behind the line—move it!”

“Axel, perfect timing,” Blake said, stepping forward. “Let’s finish those two wolves together—”

He turned to point them out, but stopped mid-sentence.

His face froze. “What the…?”

The two red-eyed blood wolves now let out low whines of fear. Then they turned and bolted.

The two massive wolves leapt from the rooftops at once, landing in a blur of muscle and fury. Bullets hammered into their thick hides like pebbles against steel—loud, hollow thuds—but nothing penetrated.

Blake felt the cold truth settle in his bones. If he’d bolted the moment things went south, maybe he could’ve gotten away. But he’d stayed. And now he was the prime target.

Dozens of beasts encircled them. The soldiers were panicking. The line was falling apart.

He gritted his teeth and met the wolves head-on, fists colliding with claws in a flurry of blows. Pain bloomed in his ribs, blood spilled from his lips.

The wolves didn’t let up.

“Blake, go! Don’t worry about us!” Barrett’s voice cracked. “Tell Axel I’m sorry. Just—go!”

But Blake barely heard him over the chaos. His vision was blurring.

This is my fault. He hadn’t fought Axel’s plan—but he hadn’t supported it, either.

“Barrett…” he gasped, staggering. “It’s too late. We—”

And then, suddenly, the wolves stopped. They froze, ears twitching.

A deep rumble echoed through the alley. And then chaos exploded.

Flames roared through the air as mutant beasts were hurled skyward like rag dolls, their bodies trailing smoke. They hit the ground in flaming heaps, twitching, shrieking—dead before they could rise.

“What the—?!”

“Axel… AXEL’S HERE!”

“Commander’s here! Commander’s here!”

A surge of adrenaline swept through the soldiers as hope returned like a lightning bolt from the sky.

Bolted.

Blake’s mouth dropped open. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he muttered. They ganged up on him, but run the second Axel showed up? Do he had no dignity left?!

Axel ignored him. He was already in pursuit, fire trailing behind him as he took off like a missile.

Blake whispered, watching in disbelief. “Is this guy even human?”

Axel shot through the debris-strewn alleyways, gaining ground fast. He was about to close the distance when suddenly—he stopped.

His eyes narrowed. That feeling again. Danger wasn’t in front of him—it was behind.

He turned, staring back toward the slums. The slums were technically outside the city's fortified zone. If something slipped past, the unprotected soldiers would be sitting ducks.

Shit. He clenched his fists.

“Forget it.”

As much as he wanted to take down the blood wolves, he couldn't risk the rest of the squad getting ambushed from behind.

He turned and raced back.

“You’re back,” Blake said with obvious relief as Axel reappeared. Seeing Axel return empty-handed helped him save face—barely.

“We’ll finish sweeping the area,” Axel said calmly. “That’s enough for today.”

Barrett stepped forward, shoulders tense but voice steady. “Captain Axel... I owe you an apology. I didn’t listen. I’ll accept whatever punishment you think I deserve.”

Axel looked at him and cracked a faint smile. “No need. I get it. But next time, slow down. Look twice.”