Seeing Axel wasn’t in the mood for jokes, Drayke quickly said. "Okay, okay, seriously though, I’ve heard some stuff."

"Wolfe’s one of the top ten entrepreneurs in the city, runs the sanitation company, and pretty much controls the underground. I mean, the guy’s got nightclubs, casinos, black-market boxing rings, you name it."

"You know all this?"

"Of course, I know! This stuff isn’t even secret anymore. Wolfe couldn’t care less about hiding it. His underground boxing ring alone brings in billions in tax revenue every year for Dune."

"Hold on, anything else?"

"Well, there’s one more thing I’ve heard," Drayke said, lowering his voice. "It’s said that Wolfe runs a water prison—a place for debtors. The life there is worse than death. That’s why no one dares owe him money."

Axel hung up, his heart sinking. Damn... Wolfe's background was a hell of a lot bigger and darker than Axel had expected.

What were they really after?

Axel didn’t waste another moment. He started tearing through the house, checking every corner, from the floorboards to the seams of the sofa cushions. Nothing was going to be left unchecked.

......

"Boss, I've finished questioning him. That guy doesn't know anything."

"Alright, I used memory interrogation..... Got it."

Outside the slums, Frost and Cross stood by the roadside, speaking with Wolfe on the phone.

Cross let out a relieved breath and flashed a smile. "So, does that mean we’re done?"

Frost stared into the dimly lit slums with an emotionless gaze. "Is it hard to make him disappear?"

Cross froze, his smile faltering."Didn’t we confirm he didn’t take anything?"

"Make sure it's foolproof."

Cross’s expression turned pale, then a deep shade of blue. Though he was getting paid well by Wolfe for the job, the casual talk about murder in front of him left a sour taste in his mouth.

"We can’t do that now. He just made the newspaper and got into the special training class at Brookhaven High."

"The timing’s too sensitive."

"After this is dealt with, I...," Cross started.

"We will handle it...."

Cross nodded, his smile returning. Then he leaned in and whispered, "What is Wolfe actually after? It won’t end up in the hands of law enforcement, right?"

"You don’t need to know." He looked into the slums and checked Axel's home address again before turning and walking away.

"Such a cold bastard," Cross muttered under his breath.

.....

Axel had searched everywhere but nothing. If whatever they were looking for had been in the house, Annabelle would’ve found it before. She was obsessed with cleanliness.

"Annabelle, pack up your things. We need to leave for a while." Leaving would make them look strange, but staying here? It was too dangerous. Living in the city, even if they had to sleep under a bridge, would be safer. Cameras were everywhere.

"Bro, are we in danger?" Annabelle asked, still wearing the new dress Axel had bought her.

Axel's heart softened, he forced a smile. "It’s just so it’s easier to get to school. Soon, I’ll be admitted to the War Academy."

Annabelle nodded, then went to pack her things. Axel decided to check again. If the item wasn’t on the body, it had to be somewhere along the path Annabelle had taken to the garbage dump.

Taking advantage of the night, Axel went back out to search again. But he found nothing.

When he returned home, Annabelle had packed two suitcases and several small bags. She was dragging a large suitcase and carrying a smaller bag.

"Bro, it's packed." Annabelle smiled warmly, her small hands gently holding Axel’s cold ones.

Axel was about to head out the door when something caught his eye—something in the corner of the sofa. A pile of old linen sheets stacked haphazardly. It was the same pile they had used to wrap the body that day... They hadn’t thrown it out yet, figuring they could wash it and use it again later.

Axel walked over, unfolded the sheets, and shook them out. A black card fell to the ground.

His heart skipped. He bent down to pick it up, and the two of them stared at the small memory card inside. It wouldn’t be readable on a regular phone, but Axel’s old phone was just right for the job.

He slotted the card into the phone, and the screen blinked to life. It displayed a table, listing several names and their profiles:

"Bloodworth, 69-year-old male, early-stage first-level awakening, right leg shattered and fractured. Current residence..."

"Reid, 72-year-old male..."

There were over a dozen names. All were older awakened individuals, most of them disabled or seriously ill.

At the bottom of the list, there were small notes written in red: Rejected or Accepted.

Axel’s mind raced as he quickly copied the table to his phone and backed it up, then sat back to think.

Old, disabled, or sick... awakeners? The list felt important, but what the hell were these people tied to?

“Wait... these two names look familiar,” Axel muttered, scanning the list again.

Phoenix, Quinn.

He had seen those names before, but couldn’t place them. It was a fleeting feeling, but it nagged at him.

“What now...?” Axel thought, staring at his phone. He quickly discarded the idea of taking it to the police. They’d chew him up and spit him out.

His thoughts were racing when his phone rang, cutting through the silence of the dark room. The ringtone felt jarring against the stillness of the night.

"Hello?"

"It's Skye," came the voice on the other end. "Did someone named Wolfe send people after you today?"

Skye. The captain of the law enforcement team. Axel’s feelings about him were complicated. On the one hand, he had fought beside him against the infected. And he had paid Axel handsomely with rough stones and cash.

On the other hand, Axel knew Skye wasn’t just some careless grunt. The man was meticulous, calculating. And with Annabelle’s special identity, Axel had been avoiding dealing with him.

But now? Now, it seemed like he had no choice.

Axel briefed Skye on everything that had happened earlier.

“Damn it, I knew it. That bastard. Using awakening skills on kids... sickening.”

After venting, Skye’s tone softened, but there was a hard edge beneath it. “Listen, Axel. Don’t worry, I’ll have someone protect you.”

Axel hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Skye the truth right now. Axel had survived in the slums for so many years by keeping his wits sharp. Otherwise, he’d already be buried in some nameless grave.

“What are they after?” Axel asked, deciding to keep his cards close for now.

“Since you’re involved, I’ll tell you straight. I don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, but if you hear anything or find anything suspicious, you have to tell me immediately.”

“I suspect Wolfe’s linked to the two infected people we encountered that day.”

The infected? This is an absolute taboo of the entire official at present, whoever touches it will die!

“We’ve been investigating the source of the infection. Finally tracked down a lead—two maniacs were seen running out of Wolfe’s underground casino that day. They hurt a few people before disappearing.”

“Before fully infected, they start showing signs of madness, losing control.” Skye continued. "Their identities are also in doubt. Otherwise, by comparing the names and dna with the two infecteds, we can lock in Wolfe's suspicion."

Axel’s mind buzzed. He suddenly understood why the names Phoenix and Quinn sounded familiar. Those were the names of the infected he had seen in the reports.

Accepted. What the hell did “Accepted” mean? Did it mean those two were approved as infected?

Axel felt a chill run down his spine. If that was true, it was a death sentence in the making for him. Wolfe wouldn't forget about him.

"Axel, you still there?" Skye asked, his voice laced with concern. "Did I scare you?"