CHAPTER 212: THE GETAWAY

The thick mist that perpetually veiled Blinding Town clung to the air like a silent guardian of secrets. It wrapped around the streets and alleys in swirling layers, muting sound and color alike. Only the faint hum of distant helicopters and the occasional flash of blue and red lights broke the monochrome gloom.

At the far eastern ridge — a forgotten sector of the town — lay the abandoned Hydro-tunnel, a massive underground passage that once channeled clean water through the region decades ago before industrial negligence sealed it off. Its rusted metal gates now hung loosely from their hinges, half-buried under vines and fog-dampened debris.

Hutton Maxwell, his hood drawn low, stood before the corroded gate with Bob, Boma, and Julian. The dim lamplight from a nearby post flickered weakly against his face, revealing eyes that gleamed with newfound power — sharp, steady, and faintly glowing with the calm brilliance of the Nascent Soul stage.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Julian asked quietly, scanning their surroundings.

"Yeah," Boma replied, his voice low but confident. "It seems like Mayor Everlyn’s evaluation of this place is pretty accurate. The tunnel’s cut off from all the scanners — even the military’s detection drones won’t find us here."

Bob exhaled, glancing around warily. "Still feels wrong sneakin’ through back alleys like we’re fugitives."

Hutton gave a faint, tired smile. "That’s because we are fugitives, Bob. But don’t worry. The moment we’re inside, we’ll regroup and—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

The faint hum of car engines echoed through the fog — multiple engines, approaching fast. The headlights cut through the mist like twin spears of light.

"Someone’s coming," Julian muttered, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his concealed dagger.

Boma tensed. "You think the police found us?"

But before anyone could draw a weapon, a familiar voice pierced through the fog.

"Hutton Maxwell!"

The group froze.

From the shadows emerged Ling Fei, her elegant figure illuminated by the headlights of two black SUVs that came to a halt behind her. Following close were Veronica, Vivian, and Kenneth — all stepping out into the mist, their expressions a mix of disbelief and relief.

"...Ling Fei?" Hutton murmured, lowering his hood slightly.

Ling Fei’s eyes softened, though her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "It really is you." She stepped closer, her gaze scanning his frame. "You’re alive... but what happened to you?"

Vivian’s tone was incredulous. "The military’s been all over the news, saying the energy reading from Blinding Town was unnatural — catastrophic. They said no one could’ve survived that!"

Kenneth stepped forward hesitantly. "You— You look different, sir... your aura— it’s almost unbearable."

Indeed, the air around Hutton pulsed faintly — not violently, but with an unrelenting density. The pressure wasn’t outward, yet even the experienced Veronica found herself instinctively tightening her stance. It was the oppressive stillness of someone who had crossed a line most cultivators feared to even dream of.

Hutton slowly met their eyes, his tone calm but resonant. "I’ve... changed. What happened in the cavern, in that fight — it pushed me to the edge. My body broke apart, and then it... rebuilt itself."

He glanced at his hands, flexing them slowly, the faint shimmer of qi dancing beneath his skin. "I broke through the Core Formation barrier. I’m now... in the Nascent Soul stage."

There was silence. The fog seemed to still, as if even the air itself hesitated to breathe.

Ling Fei was the first to recover. "So it’s true then," she said softly, eyes widening slightly. "You really did it. You advanced beyond the threshold. But... that kind of leap forward n such a short amount of time should have killed you."

Hutton gave a small, grim smile. "It almost did."

Vivian stepped closer, her expression unreadable. "And the young master you fought? The one responsible for all of this?"

Hutton’s gaze darkened, his voice dipping into something colder. "Dead."

"What?" Ling Fei muttered with a dumbfounded look on his face, while Vivian gasped as she exclaimed. "You do know that he is a member of a World Class Family!? The Dorne family in particular!?"

As for Veronica and Kenneth, they exchanged a look, both shaken by the bluntness of it.

Boma interjected, his tone quiet but firm. "We didn’t have a choice. The bastard pushed Hutton too far — if it wasn’t for his awakening, none of us would be standing here."

Ling Fei’s brow furrowed deeply. "You don’t understand, Hutton. The moment word spreads that someone killed a member of a World Class Family, the U.S. won’t be the only one coming for your head. The entire balance of power will start to shift."

"I know," Hutton replied softly. "That’s why we need to stay hidden. For now."

Before anyone else could talk further, Bob suddenly cleared his throat which caught the attention of the rest. "If we can finish talkin’, maybe we should actually get inside before someone spots us."

That snapped everyone back to reality.

Ling Fei nodded once, and they all moved toward the rusted entrance. Bob and Boma pried open the metallic gate while Julian kept watch. Hutton took the lead, ducking into the darkness of the old Hydro-tunnel, the damp air greeting them like an old ghost. One by one, the rest followed — Ling Fei, Veronica, Kenneth, and finally Vivian.

For a brief moment, silence reclaimed the area. The fog settled. The hum of the vehicles faded.

But from the roof of a nearby building, a lone figure watched them vanish into the tunnel. He was dressed in a sleek black coat that fluttered lightly in the night breeze. His eyes glowed faintly with a golden hue — the mark of a World Class cultivator. The one who who belongs to the Dorne family in particular.

Suddenly, a small communicator buzzed in his ear.

"Report, agent," came a deep voice — the unmistakable authority of the Dorne Family’s patriarch.

The man’s expression tightened. His voice was low and controlled when he answered.

"Sir... I found them. The one responsible for your son’s death."

A pause followed. Then: "Identify."

The agent’s gaze followed the tunnel’s shadowed mouth. "It’s Hutton Maxwell. The same man who disappeared after the Cornerstone chaos."

For a long, heavy moment, only static hummed through the communicator. Then the patriarch’s voice returned — calm, chilling, and final.

"Don’t engage. Not yet. Keep eyes on him. I will deal with this myself."

The line went dead.

The agent’s eyes flickered briefly with unease as he gazed at the tunnel’s entrance one last time.

"Enjoy your peace while you can, Maxwell," he murmured. "The Dorne Family never forgets."

And with that, he disappeared into the fog — just as the mist thickened once more, swallowing every trace of the night’s encounter.

-----

The night air inside the abandoned Hydro-tunnel was thick with moisture, heavy enough to dampen every breath. The distant sound of running water echoed faintly in the dark, bouncing off the metallic walls like whispers from another world. Their footsteps were the only thing keeping pace with that sound — soft, hurried, and deliberate.

Hutton led the group deeper through the tunnel, a faint blue glow emanating from his palm lighting the path ahead. The faint streaks of qi flickering around him subtly illuminated his newly sharpened features — he seemed more composed now, though the weight of what had just transpired lingered heavy behind his eyes.

Behind him followed Bob, Boma, Julian, Ling Fei, Veronica, Kenneth, and Vivian — all moving quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. The soft dripping of water from the ceiling punctuated the silence every few seconds.

"Keep going straight," Julian whispered after glancing at the faint map on his tablet. "This tunnel connects all the way to the old freight line. Once we cross that, we’ll be two miles clear of Blinding Town."

"Good," Hutton said simply. "Let’s make it quick."

For another twenty minutes, they moved without stopping. When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, the faint shimmer of dawn began to glow faintly on the other side — a pale orange line breaking through the cracks of a collapsed stone exit.

Bob and Boma worked together to clear the remaining rubble, grunting under the strain until the path opened just enough for them to slip through. The morning air outside was fresh and cold. The group stepped out into a quiet woodland slope overlooking a highway far below.

They were free.

For the first time in days, everyone allowed themselves a moment to breathe.

Veronica was the first to break the silence. "So... what now?"

Hutton didn’t answer right away. He looked out toward the distant road, the golden sunrise reflecting faintly in his calm eyes. Then he turned back to them.

"Now," he said slowly, "we separate."

The words hit harder than any of them expected.

"Separate?" Kenneth frowned. "We just got back together."

Hutton nodded. "Exactly why we can’t stay that way. We’ve caused too much noise already. The Dorne Family will definitely be coming for us — or, more precisely, for me. The only way we can stay ahead of them is to scatter, stay low, and avoid creating any trail that leads back here."

Bob’s jaw tightened. "You mean we just walk away from each other after all that’s happened?"

"It’s not forever," Hutton said firmly. "Just until I can clean up this mess and draw attention away from everyone else."

Ling Fei crossed her arms, studying him closely. "You already have something in mind, don’t you?"

Hutton nodded slightly. "I do."

He turned to each of them in turn, his tone becoming that of a commander giving final orders before deployment.

"Bob," Hutton said first. "You’re going back with Ling Fei to China. Protect her as her personal bodyguard again, just like before. The Ling Family might come under scrutiny once the Dorne Family starts sniffing around, and she’ll need you more than ever."

Bob hesitated, glancing at Hutton’s face. "You sure about this, Hutton?"

Hutton’s faint smile was enough of an answer. "Go where you’re needed, old friend. I think I can handle myself quite well now."

Bob clenched his fist and nodded once. "Understood."

"Vivian," Hutton continued, turning to the young woman leaning quietly against the tunnel wall. "Go stay with your father, Powell, at his hotel in Star City. He’s well-connected but not deeply involved with the cultivation world — it’ll be the safest place for you for now."

Vivian tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing in mild protest. "You’re just sending me home?"

Hutton’s voice softened. "For now, yes. It’s better that way. Besides," he added with a small grin, "Powell might actually appreciate having his daughter back for a bit."

That earned him a faint smirk from her before she turned away, arms crossed but no longer objecting.

"Boma, Julian," Hutton said, looking at the two men next. "You two head back to Star City as well. Resume your regular lives — keep your heads down. The less attention you attract, the better."

Julian sighed in mild annoyance. "Back to normal life, huh? Not exactly thrilling after everything that’s happened."

Boma clapped him on the shoulder with a small grin. "Normal’s good. Means we’re still alive."

"Fair point," Julian muttered.

Next, Hutton looked to Kenneth and Veronica. "You two go back to Cornerstone City. I need the Green Clover’s affairs kept quiet and running. Rebuild what we can. Make sure our assets don’t get frozen — we’ll need every resource once the heat dies down."

Veronica nodded immediately, ever the pragmatic one. "I’ll handle it. My father’s connections can help disguise your involvement for now."

Kenneth added, "I’ll see to the internal structure, sir. You can count on us."

"Good," Hutton said, satisfaction flickering briefly in his expression.

Finally, Ling Fei looked at him and asked quietly, "And you?"

Everyone turned to him.

Hutton’s gaze hardened slightly, a distant resolve flickering behind his eyes. "I’m heading to the east — to pay a visit to a certain Second-Class Family we all know."

It took a moment, but then Veronica’s eyes widened. "You mean... the Feng Family?"

Hutton nodded. "Their young mistress has been an ally to us before. If there’s anywhere left that’s neutral enough to give me cover — it’s there."

Silence lingered after that. Everyone knew the risks of what he was about to do, but no one could stop him.

Ling Fei finally sighed softly, her tone quiet but steady. "You really are reckless, Hutton Maxwell."

"Reckless keeps me alive," he replied with a faint smirk.

The wind blew gently through the trees, carrying the faint smell of wet earth and steel. Hutton took one final look at his team — his friends — each of them marked by exhaustion, fear, and unspoken respect.

"From here on out," he said, his tone commanding yet calm, "we move separately. But remember this — no matter how far apart we get, the Green Clover remains our root. Once this is over, we’ll regroup there."

One by one, they nodded.

Ling Fei was the first to turn away, Bob following silently at her side. Vivian gave a small wave before disappearing into the fog-covered path that led toward the highway. Boma and Julian followed the opposite trail, their footsteps echoing faintly until they were gone.

Kenneth and Veronica lingered last, exchanging a silent look with Hutton before nodding once and heading westward toward Cornerstone.

And soon, Hutton stood alone — the dawn painting his figure in muted gold.

He tightened his coat, exhaled slowly, and turned eastward.

The world around him was shifting again — quietly, dangerously. But this time, he was ready for it.

As he began walking, the faint glimmer of his qi flickered around him once more, the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator resonating in quiet defiance against the rising sun.

---

But unseen in the distance, a black drone hovered silently above the treeline — its lens focused sharply on Hutton’s retreating form. In a hidden control room far away, a man’s voice murmured into a comm line:

"Target confirmed. Hutton Maxwell is alive — and on the move east."

Then the feed cut to black.