In the quiet of the night, a small figure, carrying a weight far heavier than her own, moved swiftly and silently through the alley like a cat.

Meanwhile, Axel was leading Skye and Freya through the slums.

"It should be around here," Axel wasn’t giving them the exact location. If he took them directly to the bodies, that would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Of course, Skye and Freya weren’t relying solely on Axel’s guidance. They were moving cautiously, alert to every sound, every shift in the air.

“Hold on,” Freya said suddenly, her nose twitching as she looked toward the crumbling church ahead.

There, lying sprawled in front of the church, was a massive corpse—more than three meters tall. Axel’s heart skipped a beat as he felt a cold shiver run through him. The body had the outline of a human, but its head was unnaturally large. Its mouth was filled with sharp, bloody teeth, taking up half its face. Its limbs were twisted, covered in white barbs, with chunks of flesh and blood still hanging from them.

Skye frowned, instinctively stepping in front of Axel. But when he looked at him, Axel’s face was only slightly pale.

“Serious mental fortitude, kid,” Skye said with an approving pat on Axel’s shoulder. Axel forced a smile. “Do all infected look like this?” He took a few more steps forward.

“Be careful.”

“It’s fine,” Skye chuckled. “They’re dead. What’s there to be afraid of?”

“He’s not even flinching. And look at us—some of the new recruits at the War College would’ve fainted just seeing this.”

Axel’s heart skipped again when he heard the words War College. That was exactly where he wanted to go. To join the War College, a person needed a Force value of at least 100, which was also the entry point for those hoping to become awakened.

The War College wasn’t just a university. The instructors were all awakened, and the students who graduated could go on to defend entire small cities. It wasn’t just about combat either; there were fields of research focused on mutants, infected people, and even awakened individuals.

Axel had always dreamed of getting into the War College, the reason was simple: guaranteed job assignment and good treatment. As Skye and Freya chatted casually, Axel remained deep in thought.

Skye shrugged, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. “Those fresh recruits, though… once they go through the trials, they’ll get over it.”

He exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking around the ruined slums. “With infected #1 down, the rest should be a breeze.”

Seeing that neither Skye nor Freya had noticed his movements, Axel reached out carefully to touch the green light ball.

"Hey, be careful."

Freya’s sharp voice made Axel freeze for a moment, a cold sweat running down his forehead. But to his relief, Freya just gave a concerned frown.

“Being too bold isn’t a good thing,” she said, her voice laced with caution. “If too close, the infected could scratch you. That’d be a huge problem.”

She pulled him back to her side, her grip firm but not unkind. Axel exhaled a quiet sigh of relief and gave her a look. He had always thought that people in the law enforcement bureau were all dark and mysterious, with poker faces and trench coats, but Freya had the vibe of an older sister next door—stern, but caring.

Nodding, Axel quietly tucked the green crystal away.

Skye, who had been watching the exchange, tossed his cigarette butt to the ground. “What are you worried about? It’s not that easy to get infected.” He grinned. “Let me give you a little lesson.”

He turned to Axel. “When awakened people get infected, that’s when they turn into monsters. Their appearance can vary, but they’re usually... They keep their wits, but all that’s left is their killing instinct.”

“Regular people? More like zombies. Slow and mindless.”

Once Skye finished explaining, he and Freya collected some of the infected’s tissue samples, preparing to head back to base. They’d need to run some DNA tests and treat the body with the antidote.

Not long after, the body of the infected melted away into a thick, foul-smelling sludge.

The carefree look faded from Skye’s face, replaced by something more somber, a touch of sadness.

“You know,” he said quietly, “The infected.... every infected person we face could’ve once been an awakened human. They could’ve been someone who fought to protect humanity.”

A heavy silence fell over them. Just then, Skye’s walkie-talkie crackled to life.

"Captain, we’re on the north side of Area C. There’s a garbage heap here, and we found four bodies…"

Skye straightened up, his expression turning serious. “Infected No. 2?”

“No, it looks like poisoning.”

“Poisoning?” Skye’s brow furrowed. “Alright, leave it to the police for now..... Wait, I’ll head over and check it out.”

Axel, even from a distance, caught most of the conversation. His heart sank. The four bodies they’d discovered had to be the ones Annabelle had discarded in the garbage heap.

The garbage mountain in the northern part of the city was notorious, a dumping ground for the slums where the city’s unwanted trash and bodies alike were discarded. It sat outside the city walls, beyond the reach of the government, where no one came to clean or maintain it.

Now, though, the Law Enforcement Bureau had found those bodies. The only small comfort Axel had was that they hadn’t found Annabelle’s involvement. But that wouldn’t last. The police would eventually investigate the bodies, and the cause of death—poisoning—would point straight to the gas meters used in the building.

Once they got those records, it would be easy to trace the gas consumption to Axel and Annabelle’s house.

If the police sent their findings to Skye, everything about him and Annabelle would become the most suspicious thing about the case.

The more Axel thought about it, the colder he felt inside.

…….

Next to the massive heap of garbage, piled high with household waste and construction debris, two law enforcement officers were casually fanning the air in disgust.

“Why is the captain so worked up about this?” one of them asked, flicking his wrist.

“You don’t get it,” the other replied with a smirk. “That’s just Skye. Always wants to be in the thick of things. You know, a true criminal investigator.”

Their voices were light, playful—clearly, they had a comfortable rapport with Skye, or they wouldn’t dare speak so freely about their boss.

Nearby, four bodies lay scattered at the foot of the garbage mountain. In a small, inconspicuous pit, a fragile, tiny figure lay motionless, hidden among the debris.

It was Annabelle. Her eyes followed the two law enforcement officers warily. If I’d moved faster.... She had only just untied the ropes and sacks around the bodies when she heard voices in the distance. Then She had to hide, quickly.

But now, Skye was coming, and soon. She knew that if he arrived, she wouldn’t be able to stay hidden for long. Skye was an awakened.

Annabelle stiffened, suddenly hearing the softest sound from a few dozen meters away. She peeked over the edge of the pit, her heart nearly stopping when she saw it.

A creature crawled on all fours like a lizard. It was more than two meters long, its head grotesquely enlarged, mouth split wide across its face, yellow eyes gleaming in the dark. It was creeping toward the two law enforcers, who still hadn’t noticed.

Should I warn them? She hesitated. If she shouted a warning, her presence would be exposed. But if she stayed silent, these two men would die without even knowing what hit them.