On the narrow path climbing up toward the Entresol, Jinx kept one hand on Isha and the other on a signal flare. The old-model flare had only sputtered for a moment before dying out, and Jinx shook it hard.
"Pfft—pfft—"
Two weak bursts of smoke coughed out. Jinx frowned, pissed, and whipped the flare away.
"I've been treasuring this thing for years!"
"And it's just a piece of junk!"
Isha looked up at the fuming Jinx, then shrank her neck instinctively and turned to the crowd blocking the way ahead.
They were holding weapons. And among them were two hulking figures wearing massive hoods—pipes embedded from the outside into their helmets, purple liquid flowing through the tubing, and a pair of terrifying violet eyes staring straight at them.
Isha felt her fear spike. Jinx, on the other hand, just spread her hands like she couldn't care less.
"Oh yeah? What, you wanna drag me back?"
She lifted the arm that had been shielding Isha, then pushed both hands forward together, wrists tipped upward. With an exaggerated eye-roll and an over-the-top expression, she said, "Come try?"
Someone in the crowd swallowed. Watching Jinx step forward, he actually took an unconscious step back.
Only the people who worked for her knew just how horrifying this woman—who looked crazy, small, and even kind of cute—really was.
"Don't scare them, Jinx. This is my call."
A voice cut in, followed by the sharp sound of dress shoes on the ground. The people surrounding Jinx and Isha split apart, making a path.
A man in a red-and-black coat walked out. Under it was a fitted vest. His hair was slicked back perfectly, not a strand out of place. He wasn't tall, and he was on the thin side, but his back was ramrod straight. Sevika followed behind him.
Silco stopped at the front of the crowd and looked at Jinx. His gaze was calm—until he noticed Isha at Jinx's side. He visibly froze for a second or two, then lifted his eyes from Isha and met Jinx's stare.
"Come back with me, Jinx," Silco said in a low voice. "You've played long enough. This is the first time you've been away from me this long."
Jinx saw him and pulled her hands back. Her momentum seemed to falter a little, but she still craned her neck forward as she snapped, "Go back? In your dreams. You lied to me, you know that? You lied to me!"
"I didn't lie to you." Silco shook his head. "I would never lie to you, Jinx."
"The one who lied to us was Marcus. I'll make him pay."
"Us?" Jinx scoffed. "Who the hell is 'us'?"
It was a familiar line—Silco had once said something like that to Sevika right in front of Jinx.
Now Jinx was throwing it back at him.
But Silco didn't get angry. He pinched the bridge of his nose, let out a quiet sigh, and then raised a hand, speaking softly. "Your rebellious phase is a bit late, but I understand. Fine. Go on."
Then his tone sharpened as he gave the final order: "Don't hurt her. Bring her back. Remember—don't hurt her."
Behind him, Sevika heard that and frowned at Silco's back, irritation flashing across her face before she forced it away again.
With Silco's command, the two Shimmer brutes moved—lunging straight at Jinx.
Jinx yanked out her pistol and fired three quick shots. The bullets drilled into the brutes' bodies, but they didn't even flinch. Like they couldn't feel pain, they kept coming.
"Fuck!" Jinx cursed.
If I'd known, I would've brought the machine gun—this little pistol can't do shit to these freaks!
"Isha, get over here—behind me!"
Isha bolted immediately. But when Silco saw Jinx glancing at Isha again and again, his brow furrowed. He lifted a hand and pointed at Isha.
Jinx watched as one of the brutes obeyed—charging for Isha.
These Shimmer-modified monsters were stronger than any normal person, and their speed was insane. Even though Isha was quick, small, and smart, she was still forced back step by step—driven into a corner.
Staring up at the enormous thing, Isha clenched her teeth, gathered her courage, and threw the stone she'd just picked up at it.
The moment Jinx saw Isha trapped, panic hit her like a jolt. She rolled across the ground, slipping past the brute that was moving slower only because it had orders not to harm her, and she screamed at Silco, "Silco—no! Don't hurt her!"
Silco ignored her and simply waved his hand.
The brute's massive palm closed around Isha and lifted her up.
Silco turned his back and said, "Bring them both back."
Sevika's annoyance spiked even higher. Dragging back the big one wasn't enough—now they had to haul the kid too?
More trouble. Always more trouble.
If it were the old days, Silco would've had the brute crush that child's throat on the spot.
Silco lifted his leg, about to leave.
But he'd barely taken one step when—
BOOM!
A horrifying blast thundered through the air. A shockwave, dust, and gravel surged outward. Silco felt his body jolt so hard it was like he floated for a split second. When he snapped back to himself, his ears were ringing nonstop—and Sevika was already in front of him, shielding him as smoke and grit swallowed up his view, hiding what was happening inside.
Between that explosion and the fact that Jinx still hadn't been brought out, Silco lost control in an instant.
He shoved Sevika aside with both hands—not the elegant, cool Silco from moments ago, but a man stumbling forward in panic as he charged into the smoke, shouting hoarsely, "No—no—no! Don't fucking do this!"
"Jinx! Jinx!"
"Can you hear me?! Jinx!"
Clang—
The only answer was the sound of metal striking the ground.
As the dust cleared, Silco saw a metal hood rolling to a stop at his feet, with a head still inside it.
That thing… he knew it all too well.
It belonged to a Shimmer brute.
A sharp cracking sound followed. Silco looked up—and everyone behind him stared into the clearing.
Purple blood was splattered across the wall. Glowing Shimmer fluid poured from the severed pipes of the headless body, pooling on the ground. At the center, the floor had been smashed to pieces—fractures spreading in a two-meter radius, spiderweb cracks even climbing the wall.
A black-haired young man stood there.
One foot was planted on the brute's back—the same brute that no longer had a head. The head was still at Silco's feet.
The young man's arms were wrapped around a little brown-haired girl. He held her carefully, protectively, one hand pressing down on the top of her head so she wouldn't look at the ground. Calm-faced, he looked straight at Silco.
Silco's pupils tightened, but he ignored the young man completely, searching frantically—until he spotted Jinx sitting on the ground, mouth hanging open, looking like she'd been scared half to death.
Only then did Silco seem to finally breathe again.
Then he looked back at the young man.
Logan was looking at him too, smiling.
"Morning, Silco."
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