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    Adrian rarely spent time contemplating his own life. It wasn''t in his nature. A man of action above all, he found his balance in movement, precision, and the accomplishment of missions. Yet today, he allowed himself a rare moment of respite. Sitting on a metal crate in an isolated warehouse, away from prying eyes, he watched his team train. The sounds of gunfire, the echoes of footsteps on concrete, and the orders shouted by his subordinates filled the space, but Adrian remained silent, motionless, almost contemplative.

    In this organized tumult, he remembered the day he had been summoned by Lassen, or the system. This was no ordinary encounter. Lassen, this man who seemed like an eccentric but terribly brilliant slacker, had asked him for two things: to lead and to protect. On paper, it was simple. But Adrian had quickly learned that nothing about Lassen was really that.

    The first time he had met his employer, the latter was lying on a couch, a half-empty cup of coffee on the table next to him. Lassen had looked up, a smirk on his face "Adrian, is that it? Good. I want you to do two things for me: drive me where I want to go, and make sure no one bothers me along the way. Maybe fling me food sometimes. Easy, right?"

    Adrian, with his usual pragmatism, had nodded, thinking that this job would be a mission like any other. But that illusion had quickly dissipated. Between the sudden trips to improbable places, the impromptu stops for Lassen''s crazy ideas, and the constant threats from his enemies, Adrian had quickly realized that this job was anything but ordinary.

    And the enemies of a man like Lassen are not ordinary enemies. So little by little, even if he seemed relaxed and took everything lightly from the outside, he was still vigilant and on his guard.

    The turning point was the assassination attempt orchestrated by Gueria. That day, Adrian had seen a side of Lassen he hadn''t suspected. Normally relaxed, almost lazy in his approach to life, Lassen had taken this incident with icy seriousness.

    "No one plays with my life with impunity. So if they wanna play, let''s play." he had said that night, his eyes shining with an unfamiliar gleam "Gueria thinks they can scare me? Fine. We''ll show them the cost of underestimating a man like me. I ll make them regret "

    "Gather around, we''re back at practice in an hour" he called to his team before walking away to answer.

    "Adrian, are you busy?" Lassen''s familiar voice asked, light and casual.

    "For you, never," Adrian replied with a sigh, already prepared for a completely off-the-wall request.

    "Good! I have an idea, and I''m going to need you. Come see me in an hour. Oh, and be patient. This might be... ambitious."

    Adrian closed his eyes, letting out a dry laugh "Ambitious you say ?"

    " I will tell you when you arrive. Come quick, I m waiting."

    As he hung up, he felt the curious gaze of his teammates. Mara, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow "What does he want this time?"

    Adrian shook his head with a wry smile "I don''t know yet. But get ready. With him, it''s always something big."

    A silence fell briefly, then Sasha said with a laugh: "This is going to be another thing where we wonder how we''re still alive, huh?"

    Adrian nodded, a smile playing on his lips "Most likely."

    The team burst out laughing before going back to their activities, while Adrian mentally prepared himself to find out what crazy idea Lassen had in mind next.