The delivery van tore through the outskirts of the city and finally reached a dense, forested area. The arrow on the Jealous Girlfriend Tracker clearly pointed off the main road and deep into the woods.

Ethan grabbed his phone, taking advantage of the fleeting signal. He called Jason, who answered immediately.

"Jason, I'm going to stop," Ethan informed him. "The convoy is going into the woods, off the road. We can't take the van there. I'll leave the delivery van hidden among some trees, right at the edge of the woods. Use it as a landmark when you approach

"Understood, Boss," Jason confirmed. "We are having trouble getting out of the city. Since there are so many of us and we've been posted as wanted, the police are running checks everywhere. There's no way to leave directly, so we are exiting in smaller groups. Santiago and some of his men are already en route, but I'm having a bit of trouble moving."

"It's fine," Ethan said. "Try to get here safely. I will try to wait for you, but be careful."

Ethan hung up and turned to Sarah.

"Are we going in?" Sarah asked, her eyes alight with anticipation.

"Yes, we are going," Ethan confirmed. "We'll take the trail."

"What should we do with Officer Sparks?" Sarah asked, nodding toward the back of the van.

Ethan glanced back at the handcuffed officer. "We'll take her with us," Ethan decided. "She will serve as a witness in case something goes wrong."

Sarah and Ethan helped the still-handcuffed Officer Sparks out of the van. Ethan quickly concealed the conspicuous vehicle among a thicket of trees. They began walking into the woods, following the insistent arrow of the tracker.

They walked for about thirty minutes until the trees suddenly broke. Before them, nestled in the clearing, was a rustic cabin. In front of it, the black armored vans were parked, dozens of heavily armed guards patrolled the perimeter, and the specific van where Cassandra had been placed was clearly visible.

Officer Sparks looked around the heavily guarded clearing, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"How did you know this place?" Sparks asked, her voice barely a whisper. "I saw no tire tracks, nothing to indicate a hidden cabin like this."

"I told you," Ethan replied with a cryptic smirk. "I just got lucky."

Sparks wanted to question him further about the impossibility of his tracking ability, but she stopped herself, choosing silence over disbelief.

Ethan observed the heavily guarded perimeter, knowing a frontal assault would be a death sentence for Cassandra.

"System, do you happen to have any item that can make me invisible? Unless I start World War III, I don't think we can get through without them assassinating Cassandra or me, haha."

[Of course, Champion, I do,] the System said, in a condescending tone. [But you are so poor, I don't think anything would work for you. Oh, wait, I know! This was in the trash, but it serves its purpose.]

A new notification appeared in Ethan's vision:

[Dressing Room Spy - Enjoy spying on pretty braless girls in a dressing room for 10 minutes - 100 Lux points]

Ethan read the name and description, bursting out laughing. Ethan thought: That's awesome! Why is it so cheap? Based on your comments, that 100 Lux is nothing but trash to you.

[Yes, basically it's nothing more than cents,] the System confirmed. [But for you, it's a fortune. And as for why it's so cheap, that's even simpler: its duration is crap. If you receive any damage, the invisibility is instantly lifted. It does not cancel noise, much less. It is absolute shit.]

Ethan was taken aback. Ethan thought: It sounds really awesome, and you call it shit?

[Let me show you true power. That which this tool was designed for:]

[Mantle of the Emperor of Nihility - Combines your presence with the void. Allows you to be invisible, intangible, and undetectable - 10,000,000,000 Lux points]

[Now do you see what true power means?]

Ethan was completely astonished upon seeing the number of zeros after the one. However, upon reading the description, he thought it sounded quite reasonable for that price.

Ethan looked at the absurd price tag on the disposable invisibility item. "I'll buy two," Ethan decided internally. "One for the entry, and let's hope I don't need the one for the exit."

Two small, brightly glowing blue spheres appeared in his inventory, but he didn't pull them out immediately. He turned to Sarah. "Stay here. I'll circle around and look for a way to get in without being seen."

"What will I do," Sarah asked, then looked sideways, hesitating to mention the officer, "and... what about her?"

Ethan addressed the officer directly. "I hope you don't try to escape," Ethan told her. "Just wait for me. When I'm done with this, I will accompany you to the station to finish this mess."

"I'm intrigued," Sparks replied, her handcuffs still dangling. "I'll wait. I'm too curious about the large number of armed people in a remote location kidnapping a woman."

"Excellent," Ethan said. "Go to the van and wait there. I'll try to be quick; I just need to handle a small matter."

Ethan turned and took a few steps toward the tree line, then paused and looked back. "I almost forgot," Ethan said. He walked back and handed the pistol to Agent Sparks. "If anything happens to me, you two run like hell. My escorts are on their way; they might be able to protect you. Be very careful."

Ethan leaned down and gave Sarah a final, urgent kiss. "I'm sorry this isn't what I promised you," he murmured against her lips. "But things went a bit to hell with this situation."

"I know, but it's okay," Sarah whispered back, her excitement still palpable. "It's been a great afternoon. Just be careful."

The light was failing, and the forest was growing dark. "That's the plan," Ethan said, smiling faintly. "The night will help us this time."

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