The near-total wipeout of the snipers left Frank's face dark as thunder.

He hadn't expected the enemy to have someone lurking in the shadows.

But now, he had a pretty good idea who it was—one of them had to be an Awakened with invisibility.

Not that it helped. Knowing didn't mean he could do anything about it. The guy was invisible. Untouchable.

Hell, even the ones he could see, he couldn't deal with.

They were like cockroaches—relentless, impossible to kill. Even surrounded by thousands, they just kept fighting.

What really made Frank's skin crawl, though, was how they kept using their abilities nonstop, like they had infinite energy.

He'd met Awakened before. Two of them. Both could only use their powers a few times before burning out.

But these freaks? They were spamming abilities like they were on cheat mode.

Was it just because they were Tier 6?

Frank's expression shifted between frustration and disbelief. In the end, he clenched his jaw and made a decision.

"Bring Gale here."

"Yes, sir." The subordinate nodded and quickly left.

A few minutes later, he returned with a pale young man in tow.

"Boss Frank," Gale greeted, his voice respectful but eager.

Frank gave him a nod. "Gale, if I let you ascend to Tier 6, do you think you can assassinate them?"

The moment Gale heard "Tier 6," his eyes lit up.

"Boss Frank, if I hit Tier 6? Forget assassinate—I'll take them head-on and crush them!"

"I don't need you to fight them head-on," Frank said coldly. "I need you to kill them from the shadows. Can you do that?"

"No problem!" Gale thumped his chest with confidence. "Leave it to me!"

"Good. Come with me."

Frank turned and walked into the building behind him. Gale followed quickly, practically buzzing with anticipation.

Up on the rooftop, Chris had been watching Frank through his scope for a while now, but the guy just wouldn't stay still long enough for a clean shot.

Chris was still new to sniping. Stationary targets were fine, but Frank kept moving around like he knew someone had a bead on him.

"Holy shit," Chris muttered, annoyed. "If I can't snipe you, I'll just slit your damn throat."

He'd already figured out that Frank was the one running this place. Take him out, and half the compound would collapse.

Without wasting time, Chris slipped off the rooftop and began stealthily making his way toward the building Frank had entered.

Inside, Frank hesitated for a moment, then finally pulled a crystal core from inside his coat.

This was the Tier 6 core harvested from the zombie they'd cultivated the night before.

It was supposed to be for his older brother. But given how things were going, he had no choice. If they didn't use it now, the compound was finished.

"Take it. Don't let me down," Frank said, handing the core to Gale.

Gale's hands trembled as he accepted it, his face lit up with barely contained excitement.

"Tier 6… I'll be the first in the entire compound to reach it. I can't believe it's really happening." He looked up, eyes blazing. "Boss Frank, don't worry. Once I ascend, every last one of them is dead!"

"Good. Then hurry up and take it."

"Thank you, Boss Frank!" Gale nodded hard, then immediately raised the crystal core toward his mouth.

Just then, a sharp pain shot through Gale's hand.

He looked down—his entire palm, along with the crystal core, was gone.

"Heh, giving this thing to you would've been a waste," a cheerful voice rang out from nowhere.

A figure shimmered into view inside the room, holding the crystal core in his hand, grinning like he'd just won the lottery.

Total surprise bonus.

"Y-You…!"

All three men in the room froze, eyes wide in shock.

They hadn't even noticed anyone following them in.

"You bastard! You're dead!"

The chance to ascend to Tier 6 had been right there—snatched away at the last second. Gale's fury exploded.

With a wave of his hand, a transparent Wind Cutter sliced through the air straight at Chris.

"Holy shit!"

Chris wasn't Ethan—he hadn't expected this guy to be an Awakened. That half-second delay in reaction cost him.

The Wind Cutter was too fast. By the time he moved, it was already on him.

Shhk!

The blade slammed into his chest, carving a deep gash across his torso.

"Goddamn, that hurts!"

Chris hissed through his teeth, staggering back. He hadn't expected to get wounded here of all places.

Good thing this guy was only peak Tier 5. If he'd already hit Tier 6, that hit might've been fatal.

Lesson learned—never underestimate anyone.

Chris immediately vanished into stealth.

But the blood dripping from his wound betrayed his position.

Gale launched another Wind Cutter, aiming where the blood trail led.

Chris dodged to the side just in time. The blade sliced past him and slammed into the wall behind, carving a deep crack straight through it.

"Okay, that's got some punch. No wonder it hurt like hell," Chris muttered, then darted toward Gale.

"Get in here, now!" Frank shouted, drawing his weapon. He and his aide lunged at Chris together.

He knew if they didn't fight back, they were dead.

Both of them were peak Tier 5. Add in Gale, a peak Tier 5 Awakened, and maybe—just maybe—they could hold their own.

After all, Chris's ability was just invisibility. And now that he was bleeding, it wasn't even working properly. Should be manageable, right?

Wrong.

They had no idea who they were dealing with.

Chris wasn't just some stealthy punk—he was Ethan's right-hand man. And when it came to the art of killing, he was a damn master.

In stealth, Chris moved like a ghost. Their attacks hit nothing but air.

Then, the aide felt a sting on his neck—followed by the world spinning.

His head hit the floor before his body did.

Chris had only brought a dagger, but that was all he needed. Short blade, sure. Still lethal.

He was a shadow in the dark. When he struck, it was always fatal.

Frank and Gale froze, staring at the headless corpse. Then they bolted for the door.

Chris moved to chase, but another Wind Cutter came flying at him. He had to dodge again.

"Man, this bleeding's a pain in the ass."

He tore a strip from his shirt and quickly wrapped the wound, just enough to stop the blood from dripping.

With Henry not around, this was the best he could do.

Then he took off after them again.

"If I let you two get away, Ethan's never gonna let me hear the end of it."

Chris scowled. Getting wounded by a Tier 5 Awakened? Yeah, Ethan would roast him for weeks.

In stealth, Chris moved fast—faster than either of them could run.

Frank and Gale had barely made it outside when Chris caught up.

But just then, reinforcements arrived.

Over a hundred men swarmed in, surrounding the area.

"He's inside! Light him up with rifles—force him out!" Frank shouted.

The group raised their rifles and unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the doorway.

They kept firing for a solid minute—but no one came out.

"Nothing? Did he already escape?" Frank frowned.

"Escape? I haven't even killed you yet. Where would I go?"

The voice came from right beside him.

Frank's eyes went wide. He turned to speak—but a sharp pain bloomed in his neck, and everything went black.

"Boss Frank!"

The soldiers panicked as Frank's body hit the ground.

Gale's face went pale. He turned and tried to slip into the crowd.

But he only made it two steps before something jabbed the back of his neck.

His vision went dark.

"I told you," Chris said coldly, standing over the bodies. "Aside from Ethan, I kill whoever I want. You hit me and thought you could run? Dream on."

...

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