Lukas got up from his bed and went to the side of the door.

His hands flickered with flashes of lightning as he got ready for whoever was coming.

Knock.

The creaking stopped outside his door, and he heard a soft knock.

"Who is it?" Lukas asked from behind the door.

A familiar voice replied, "It's me, Hazel."

Lukas frowned and asked, "What do you want at this hour?"

He didn't expect it to be Hazel.

"There are some complimentary drinks for you." Hazel said.

Lukas opened the door slightly and saw Hazel, holding a bottle of wine and now dressed differently.

He quickly closed the door and said, "Sorry, but I don't drink."

Lukas didn't expect someone to be so direct.

Maybe it was the norm in the East Battle Administration Area or it was due to the suffocating humid weather. Lukas thought.

But he wasn't one to take advantage and on top of that, he knew it was best for him to stay focused while on a mission.

"Good night." Hazel replied with a tinge of disappointment.

She quickly composed herself and left as if nothing had happened.

Lukas was glad when he heard the creaking sound of the wooden plank getting further away.

...

Next day.

Lukas got up and met up with the team for breakfast early in the morning.

They gathered in the dining room, sitting close together with elbows touching each other's.

It made them gobble up the food as fast as they could.

Being able to feel each other's breath wasn't pleasant.

And while they were eating, Hazel briefed them on how to get into the slum area without any hiccups.

"There is a gambling den operated by the Hong Men gang, just say that you are going in to try your luck and you were introduced to the place by Uncle Robin.

"Pay them some money and the gang members at the entrance will let you through without much fuss."

Lukas and the others nodded and took note of what Hazel had said.

Soon, they were done with their breakfast, and they left the hotel for the day.

While he was leaving, Hazel gave Lukas a smile, as if nothing had happened the night before.

It didn't take long for the van to reach the entrance of the slum area.

Harianto had to stop when the van got near, and a rock wall barrier rose from the ground.

Someone with Rock Ability had stopped them.

A few men then came out from the wooden huts on the side of the road.

They tapped on the windows, gesturing for Harianto to wind them down.

Harianto obliged and they asked, "Who are you? And where are you going?"

"We are going to the gambling den. Uncle Robin introduced us to it." He replied as Hazel had taught them.

"Uncle Robin eh. Then, you should know what to do next..." One of the men with curly hair said and lit a cigarette.

Harianto nodded and quickly took out a stash of cash, handing it over to the man with curly hair.

The man with curly hair took a puff of his cigarette and started counting the cash.

After he was satisfied with the amount, the rock barrier went back down into the ground, and he waved at Harianto.

Harianto changed gear and stepped on the pedal.

The van moved into the slum areas bumping as it went past bumps on the mud road.

Lukas glanced at the gang members from the window at the back of the van.

He noticed one of them picking up a radio and speaking into it.

Most likely informing others of their arrival.

These gangs were certainly more organized than he had thought.

Harianto drove the van slowly through the narrow and winding roads of the slum areas.

Initially, kids would dart out of nowhere and bang on the side of the van, trying to scare whoever was inside.

But after that, the kids would suddenly fall onto the ground before they could reach the van.

Lukas had used his Shadow Wielder ability to trip them off their feet.

With the 'obstacles' cleared by Lukas, the later journey was much smoother, and they finally arrived near Lin Fan's residence.

"Margaret, stay in the van with Rex and Emma.

"Lukas and Harianto move into the house with me to see if there are any clues left behind." Riley gave out his instructions, and they nodded.

When Lukas got out of the van and saw Lin Fan's residence he was surprised.

It was an ordinary wooden hut, looking the same as the other wooden huts that were beside it.

"That's odd, as an awakened he should have more than enough to move out of this place." Lukas frowned and said.

It made no sense to him.

Riley and Harianto also agreed with his assessment.

But that was not the reason they were here.

Lukas, Riley and Harianto walked towards the wooden hut.

Riley and Harianto stood beside Lukas while he walked towards the door.

Click.

He turned the doorknob and strangely enough, it unlocked without any effort.

Either Lin Fan didn't lock the door, or someone had broken into the wooden hut.

Lukas glanced at Riley and Harianto, and they nodded.

Flashes of lightning appeared in Riley's hands while Harianto got ready to unleash a plasma pulse at any moment.

Creak.

Lukas pushed the door, and he entered the hut.

The hut was stuffy and dusty.

A layer of dust had settled on the furniture and floor of the wooden hut.

Lukas went on high alert when he saw some of the dust on the floor was smudged away.

Thud.

Just as he was about to squat down to have a closer look, he heard a thud at the back of the wooden hut.

Lukas activated his Shadow Wielder ability, and his shadow broke off from his body.

It slipped past the walls and furniture blocking its way easily.

"Argh!" A kid's voice shouted after the kid fell to the ground.

Lukas frowned and went to the back of the wooden hut with Riley and Harianto following closely behind.

"Who are you?" The kid who was struggling to break free from Lukas's shadow, pointed at him and said.

"We are friends of Lin Fan, looking for him." Lukas gave him a smile and said.

He stretched out his hand, offering to help the kid get up.

The kid glanced at Lukas and hesitated.