Once Garrick and the others finished absorbing their crystal cores, Ethan and Chris sat down cross-legged and began refining theirs.
Ethan was pushing for Tier 10.
Chris—for Tier 9.
Breakthroughs like this took several minutes and couldn't be interrupted under any circumstances. So the rest of the squad immediately formed a defensive ring around them, weapons ready, eyes scanning the trees.
Elsewhere—just a few miles away, deep in a narrow valley…
Hundreds of Titan Apes crowded together in a massive circle. Packed into the middle of them, a bunch of trembling humans huddled close like cornered prey—every one of them pale-eyed and terrified.
These were the last surviving members of the Silverfox Squad.
After fleeing to this remote town to hide from Ethan's wrath, they'd hoped to lay low and rebuild—stay completely off the radar. But they'd stumbled onto something they shouldn't have.
A spatial rift.
