"Last case file… done!" Danny exhaled hard, stretching his aching arms behind his back. "Six days straight. Three years' worth of archived cases. Artifacts cataloged. Records restored."

He turned to Samuel, palm up for a high-five. "Kudos to the D.O.P.E."

They slapped hands, then sagged against the evidence room wall like overcooked noodles. Both had pronounced dark circles beneath their eyes. Six days. Eighteen hours a day.

The evidence room had become their warzone—and they had conquered it.

Samuel stood, rotating his shoulder. "Let's go report in. Hopefully Agent Vick finally gives us something with teeth. I'm starving for a action packed mission."

"Or a nap," Danny muttered, dragging his feet behind him.

Agent Vick's Office

The boys stood proudly—albeit sleep-deprived—before Agent Vick, who was scrolling through case data they'd uploaded to the server.

After a beat, he looked up and chuckled.

"You two look like zombies."

They grinned.

"To recognize your effort," he continued, "I'm giving you a late check-in tomorrow. 2 p.m. You're excused from morning training. And honestly, we're skipping this week's drills anyway. Most of the agents are deployed on field ops. Right now, it's just you two… and Nick."

Samuel lit up. "Finally. Field work?"

Vick held up a finger.

"Not yet. You'll be assigned to store duty. Think of it as... transitional field prep."

Both boys stared at him.

"Wait. Store work? Like shelf-stocking?" Danny blurted out.

Vick raised a brow. "Don't underestimate it. Those operating here undercover include personnel from national intelligence, main HQ, and police task forces. You're not allowed to share P&C info—this is a trust trial. One slip, and the game ends. Pretend like normal civilians working together and take it is going under cover training. Once Zack or Michael is back, they will train you on field S.O.P modules."

He waved them off. "Now go get some rest. And do not mess this up."

The boys left looking like someone stole their last energy drink.

As the door clicked shut behind them, Vick leaned back with a smirk.

"They bought it. Honestly, personally training those two would shave years off my lifespan. Let's wait until Zack or Michael return to toss them to the wolves…"

He sighed, rubbing his temples.

"And HQ better send help soon. The serial killer case and gang issues in East Walaysia's drained our entire top line."

Hostel Block – 4:00 AM

The room was finally clean after one week. Laundry folded. Beds made. The boys had collapsed by 10 p.m.—snoring by 10:01.

Then it happened.

ZAAAPP!

"ARGHHHH! Hell Order! We're off duty today!" Danny yelped, clutching his spine as he bolted upright.

Samuel sat up slowly, rubbing his neck. "I swear these 'zaps' get worse every time…"

"Wake up. Enforcers have rested sufficiently. Body systems at peak. This is the optimal moment to initiate your next upgrade. Do you wish to proceed?"

Danny groaned. "Damn it… You've been pestering us about this upgrade all week. Can't even sleep in peace."

Samuel blinked, then grinned. "Hey. We've got time. Let's just do it."

Danny, face buried in his pillow: "Fine. But give me 90 seconds." He shot out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom.

Two minutes later, both boys lay flat on their beds, arms outstretched, eyes closed.

"Let's begin," they whispered telepathically—together.

ZAAAAAP!!!

A surge ten times stronger than usual raged through their bodies. Muscles convulsed. Skin seared. Bones cracked and reset.

Hell Order wasn't gentle. Full 30min of painful process.

Oily black residue began to ooze from their pores—thick, foul-smelling toxins, a byproduct of the cellular purge. Their bedsheets stained dark. The air grew unbearable.

"OH MY GOD—Samuel this is your fault!" Danny shouted, half-gagging.

"Me?! You were the one who said just do it!" Samuel choked, waving the stench away.

They scrambled toward the bathroom and slammed the door behind them.

Ten minutes later, both emerged freshly scrubbed, holding up their bed linens like contaminated biohazards.

"This is toxic waste," Danny muttered, hauling his sheets to the laundry.

Samuel nodded solemnly. "Hell Order better warn us next time…"

"Feedback noted. ."

"Yeah, maybe forecast my puke schedule too," Danny grumbled while spraying his body spray around like air freshener.

Finally, they stood side by side, towels over their heads, hair still dripping.

Samuel exhaled. "Alright. Let's see what changed."

They gave the signal in sync.

"Initiating Personal State Analysis…"

Strength: 4.1x baseline

Stamina: 4.8x baseline

Speed: 5.5x baseline

Aura Resistance: 4.0x baseline

Emotional Stability: Under continuous review

Subclass: Upgraded to C-tier Hell-Blessed Operative.

The room went still.

Danny's eyes widened. "Wait… we're C-Class now?"

Samuel clenched his fist, watching veins pulse just beneath the skin—his body more defined, muscles leaner, stronger. He flexed once and felt power ripple like static under his skin.

"We're leveling up fast…" he murmured.

They turned toward each other, suddenly noticing the changes—leaner muscle, clearer eyes, brighter skin with a subtle glow like it'd just been scrubbed by lightning and reborn.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Dude, I feel like one punch could wreck a wall."

"Correction: You can now destroy reinforced steel doors with a single blow. D-Class demons and below no longer pose a viable threat. Recommend immediate demon combat engagement to accelerate further power gain—and assist Maya's recovery."**

Both boys, in unison: "We will."

Then Samuel cracked a grin. "Let's go full ninja mode, bruh."

They didn't wait.

Within seconds, they were suited up and rushing toward the jungle track behind the division grounds.

"Hell Order, record and analyze run-time."

WHOOSH—

They vanished into the trees—barely more than a blur on the cameras.

Exactly seven minutes later, they reappeared at the start line—barely winded, grinning like maniacs.

"Haha! Seven minutes!" Danny laughed, tossing a leaf from his shoulder. "If the agents saw this, they'd pee themselves!"

He paused. "Though... kinda feels too easy now."

Samuel nodded, stretching his arms. "Yeah. Feels like jogging on beginner mode. We need… more challenge."

"Challenge Mode Initiated. Gravity Resistance x10 applied. Track Objective: Complete in 60 minutes or less.

Warning: Failure to meet objective will result in punishment."

Danny staggered as his legs suddenly felt twenty times heavier. "WHAT THE—why do I feel like I just put on a planet?!"

"Adaptive training has been activated to match your upgraded physiology. Track challenge must be completed under 10x gravity within assigned parameters. Timer begins— now."

Both boys froze.

Then:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!"

Their screams echoed into the jungle as they took off again—this time, feet digging deeper, sweat pouring faster, lungs burning with every uphill step.

To Be Continued.