"Who are you?" Max demanded in anger as he stepped through the broken glass. The shards crunched beneath his boots, the sound echoing through the now-silent bar as his sharp gaze swept across the room.

The entire place was built with thick, high-quality glass—even the walls which meant the owner was someone with serious money. The fake bartender, whose disguise had now shattered along with the bar's peace, slowly rose to his feet with a smug grin plastered on his face.

"I know you aren't the real bartender who made the call. You can't be dumb enough to snitch on yourself. So where's the real bartender?" Max demanded again, his eyes faintly glowing yellow with suppressed rage.

"Oh, that little snitch?" the fake bartender sneered, cracking his neck. "I sent him straight to the great beyond."

"Oh, so you're Bray huh?" Jake sighed as he stepped into the wrecked bar with the others.

"The one and only," Bray chuckled darkly, spreading his arms as though welcoming them into his domain.

"How dare you try to fool a smart woman like me?!" Lana thundered, her veins bulging in fury.

"Are you even smart though?" Max muttered under his breath.

"How dare…"

"Mission first, banter later," Jake cut in sharply before things got heated.

"But seriously, why would the association send all of us to deal with this weakling?" Jasmine frowned, folding her arms.

"I'm really not in the mood for games, so I'll ask this once." Jake stepped forward, his presence sharp like a blade. "Surrender now so this doesn't get messy. Because trust me, these guys will put you down in seconds if you try anything stupid."

"Put me down? Really? Kek, kek, kek!" Bray chuckled with a twisted smirk as he stared at the hunters surrounding him.

Jake sighed deeply, already losing patience. "I've had enough of this. Last chance—will you surrender or not?"

"I'll never surrender myself! Not until I take revenge on the gang that destroyed my life!" Bray's voice boomed through the glass room, his aura flaring violently. "I lost everything my men, my money, my authority, my power!"

"So that gives you the right to kill innocent civilians?" Jim stepped forward, his voice cold. "Why drag ordinary people into your personal revenge?"

"Huh? Kill innocent people?" Bray repeated, his tone laced with disbelief. "What do you take me for—a monster? I've only hunted those who betrayed me!"

"You want to be acting smart with us? The dead bodies found in several alleyways, are you saying it wasn't you who killed them? What kind of bullshit is that? You— a mindless hybrid who is just out for blood." Daki added with a deep frown on her face.

"I didn't kill innocent people. I never would unless they came for me first!" Bray said firmly, his eyes glowing with conviction.

"Then what about the bartender you admitted to killing?" Max asked, his brow furrowed.

"I killed him because he snitched. If he hadn't, he'd still be alive," Bray replied flatly.

"So we're supposed to believe it's all coincidence?" Lana barked, her tone sharp. "People start dying the moment your rampage begins and you expect us to buy that nonsense?!"

"Believe whatever you want to, I stand on my truth. I killed no innocent civilians. Yes, I was a gang boss, but we only extorted, not killed. We were forced to kill when the other gang decided to go to war with us. And even then, no innocent townspeople were dragged into our war," Bray added calmly, his tone carrying a hint of conviction despite the tension in the air.

"Alright, I've had enough of all this cock and bull story. We're bringing you in," Lana said as she began to step forward, her eyes narrowing.

"Bring me in? When I'm not done with my revenge? Ha! I want to see you all try," Bray spat—literally. "Catch me if you can."

In the next instant, Bray spun around, and in the blink of an eye, he crashed through the glass wall of the bar. Shards scattered everywhere, glittering under the dim lights before he darted off into the night like a shadow in motion.

Sigh!

"So this is what it has come to? A chase? Seriously?" Jake muttered as he shook his head in disbelief.

"I'll take the skies. We must get him no matter what!" Lana said as she bolted outside. Without hesitation, her wings burst open, glowing faintly under the moonlight as she took to the sky with immense speed, cutting through the wind like a blade.

"We need to stick close and not go too far away. Follow his trail," Jake ordered as he darted toward the shattered wall while the others followed closely behind.

Soon enough, the whole team was out in the streets, searching every nook and cranny for Bray. The quiet night had turned chaotic. Lana was high above, her sharp eyes scanning the streets as she dove and weaved through the air in search of the criminal.

Max, alongside the others on the ground, peered through obstacles—walls, houses, even cars using his dragon eyes to track the hybrid, yet he couldn't spot him anywhere.

"I don't understand. How could he have gone far in just a minute? Is his hybrid form based on speed?" Jim muttered as he huffed and panted, struggling to keep up with the pace of the others.

"You know what? Jim, head back to the bar and wait for us. We aren't hunting beasts, so there's no need for you to come. Just wait for us there," Jake said as he glanced over his shoulder.

"What do you mean? That I'm slowing you all down?" Jim asked with a huge frown plastered across his face.

"Yeah," Jasmine replied firmly. "And it's too dangerous at the moment, so just head back and wait for us."

"Tch! I'm going no…"

"Listen to them and head back now," Max ordered sternly, his tone brooking no argument.

"Sure thing." Jim instantly straightened up, causing the others to collectively facepalm. "Please be safe. I'll be back at the bar waiting for you all."

"Be going," Daki said bluntly, and the hunter spun around, heading back in the direction of the bar.

"Guys!" Lana's voice crackled through the comm device. "I have eyes on him—at one o'clock!"

"Bingo," Jake muttered as his calves bulged immensely before he shot off into the distance like a bullet fired from a gun.

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