The quarry.

  The morning wind blew past, swirling a few grains of sand and dust.

  Once the metal door, disguised as a rock face, had fully retracted and the auras of Kane and Crag had completely vanished into the depths of the underground—

  The kind, shrewd smile on Felix’s face vanished instantly, like smoke dispersed by the wind.

  In its place was a state of extreme calm and a hint of hawk-like sharpness hidden deep within his eyes.

  The atmosphere of the entire quarry seemed to drop several degrees along with the shift in his expression.

  "He refused."

  Shadow, who had remained silent as a specter, spoke up for the first time.

  His voice was still raspy, but it no longer carried that emotionless, mechanical quality from before; instead, it held a trace of gravity.

  "A stray dog driven to a dead end by Kunlun Corp—offered an olive branch by us, yet he actually chose to refuse."

  "Felix, was your judgment wrong? He is too difficult to control. Rather than a blade, he is more like a wolf that can never be tamed."

  Felix didn't answer immediately.

  He turned around, picked up the polished glass tumbler again, and squinted at it, scrutinizing the surface against the morning light.

  A long moment passed before he finally spoke, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

  "Wrong?"

  "No, Shadow. I have never been more certain that my judgment was correct."

  He set the glass down and looked at Shadow.

  "If he had been filled with gratitude just now and agreed to join us without hesitation, I would have actually lowered my evaluation of him."

  "That would only prove he was an ordinary revenger, blinded by hatred and desperate for a backer. Spark has plenty of people like that. We don't need another."

  "But he refused."

  The corner of Felix’s mouth curled into an arc of genuine admiration.

  "He saw through my 'interview.' In fact, he turned it around and set up a 'counter-interview' for me."

  "He used his actions to tell me that he isn't a piece of cargo waiting to be appraised, nor is he a refugee seeking asylum."

  "He is an equal 'partner.'"

  "He intends to use our resources to achieve his own goals. At the same time, he is using those vicious eyes of his to scrutinize us, judging whether we are truly worth his investment."

  "Shadow, don't you think... that makes this far more interesting?"

  Shadow fell silent.

  He had followed Felix for many years and understood the madness in this man's bones all too well.

  Felix wasn't a complacent manager; he was a top-tier gambler obsessed with high-risk investments.

  And Kane was the largest, most uncertain chip he had placed to date.

  "He is like a canister of unstable, high-energy explosives," Shadow finally evaluated. "He might blow open the enemy's gates, but it's more likely he'll blow us to pieces along with them."

  "So what?"

  Felix began to laugh, a laugh filled with the bold aura of a titan.

  "Aren't we 'Spark' just a bunch of lunatics clutching explosives, ready to perish together with this old world?"

  "Let him cause trouble."

  Felix looked back toward the horizon, his gaze becoming distant.

  "Let the fury of Kunlun, the madness of Andrew Zoe, and every pair of eyes hiding in the dark focus solely on him."

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  "The more noise he makes, the deeper our roots hidden in the shadows can grow."

  "He isn't a wolf, Shadow."

  "He is a young dragon that has just bared its fangs. You cannot use a collar to restrain a dragon. What you must do is give him a sky wide enough to fly, to grow, and to burn our enemies to ash, one by one!"

  After speaking, Felix pulled an ancient-looking communicator from his breast pocket. It wasn't a product of any known technology, appearing more like a handicraft polished from some special bone material.

  He pressed the switch.

  Beep...

  After a faint static hiss, an aged, calm voice—seemingly devoid of any human emotion—emanated from the device.

  The voice sounded as if it were coming from across a thousand mountains and rivers, yet also like a whisper right against the ear.

  "Felix."

  "Mr. Shepherd."

  Felix’s demeanor instantly shifted to one of profound reverence.

  "My spark... I’ve found it."

  "Oh?" A trace of imperceptible interest entered the voice on the other end.

  "I’ve seen the reports on him. A magnificent performance. Did he join?"

  "No," Felix answered truthfully. "He refused. He chose a... freer method of cooperation."

  A long silence fell over the other end of the line.

  Just as Felix began to think the signal had cut out, the aged voice suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

  The laugh sounded like dry leaves rubbing together in the wind—raspy, yet carrying a peculiar charm that seemed to see through everything.

  "Good."

  "An uncontrollable fire is the only kind capable of setting the entire prairie ablaze."

  "Do as he says. Give him what he wants—give him even more."

  "I am becoming more and more interested in him."

  "I truly want to see just how far this 'spark' we plucked from the dust... can ultimately burn."

  The transmission cut off.

  Felix stowed the communicator and let out a long, relieved breath.

  He looked up at the sky, now fully brightened, and murmured to himself.

  "Kane, oh Kane. The chessboard has been set for you."

  "Whatever you do... don't let me down."

  Kunlun Corp, Abandoned Military Base C-13, Independent Command Room.

  The air was dead.

  The only movement came from the cold, digital glow of data on the holographic screens.

  In the dead center of that light curtain, the signal representing Greg’s vital signs had completely flatlined.

  In its place was a row of crimson, massive English letters that looked as if they were dripping blood.

  TERMINATED.

  Commander Andrew Zoe stood there, staring fixedly at that word.

  On the back of the hand gripping the command console's metal railing, veins bulged like hideous earthworms. His knotted muscles spasmed continuously, producing the sound of metal groaning under unbearable strain.

  Creeeeak...

  Time seemed to stretch into infinity at this moment.

  One second.

  Ten seconds.

  One minute.

  He didn't move, like a volcanic statue gathering its fury.

  Suddenly.

  "Good."

  Andrew spoke, his voice as raspy as two rusted iron plates grinding together.

  "Very... good!"

  He abruptly slammed his other hand shut.

  The hand holding the whiskey tumbler.

  Crash!

  The hardened crystal glass was crushed into ten million glittering shards within his palm!

  The amber liquor, mixed with fine glass fragments, dripped through his fingers and pooled at his feet into a viscous, filthy puddle.

  He wasn't angry at his subordinates' incompetence.

  He was enraged that the "invincible net" he had personally woven—a net he thought was foolproof—had been torn to shreds by a "rat" he had despised from the very beginning, in the most brutal and humiliating way possible.

  His proudest "Sledgehammer," his most indestructible trump card, had been completely smashed by that rat in front of everyone—like someone cracking a walnut!

  This was a provocation!

  This was the most naked slap to the face for him, Andrew Zoe!

  Beep— Beep—

  Just as the fury in his chest was about to erupt completely, an encrypted communication request forced its way in.

  No portrait appeared on the screen.

  There was only a majestic, cold golden emblem representing the Kunlun Corp High Executive Committee.

  A voice spoke.

  It lacked any human emotional fluctuation, sounding like a standardized, hyper-efficient audio file generated after countless calculations.

  "Director Zoe, I require a detailed explanation regarding the combat loss of 'Sledgehammer' Greg."

  "The resources the company invested in him, converted by the latest standards, were sufficient to arm a full-strength heavy infantry company."

  Andrew took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the roar churning in his throat.

  In a tone bordering on calm, he reported in a low voice: "The combat evaluation of the target 'Ghost' contained severe errors. He hid—"

  "All I hear are excuses."

  The icy voice cut him off without mercy.

  "Captain Rennie’s report was submitted to the Committee database five minutes ago."

  "The report states that your personal reckless command, along with severely outdated intelligence updates, were the... direct causes for the total failure of this operation and the permanent combat loss of 'Sledgehammer' Greg."

  Andrew’s pupils constricted violently in that instant!

  Rennie!

  That silver-haired bastard with the permanent, hypocritical smile!

  He understood everything now.

  This crushing defeat was a supreme humiliation for him, but for Rennie and the faction behind him, it was the perfect weapon delivered right to their doorstep.

  Using his failure to attack him.

  Using the corpse of his trump card to pave their way to a promotion.

  "Director Zoe."

  The icy voice continued to issue instructions like a final judgment.

  "Until you capture 'Ghost' and rectify your mistake, all resource allocation authority under your name is hereby downgraded by thirty percent, effective immediately."

  "Furthermore, command over 'Viper' Ivy will be temporarily taken over by the Committee."

  "This is an order."

  Click.

  The transmission was cut unilaterally.

  Deathly silence returned to the command room.

  Andrew’s face was distorted beyond recognition by extreme rage and humiliation.

  Authority downgraded...

  Command over Ivy stripped away...

  This wasn't just a punishment!

  They were pulling the fangs of a predator! They were breaking his bones!

  "RENNIE!!!"

  A repressed, beast-like roar finally exploded from his chest!

  BOOM—!!!

  His fist, still clenched around the glass shards, slammed into the alloy wall beside him with terrifying force capable of tearing through armor!

  The special alloy wall, ten centimeters thick, was actually dented into a deep, twisted crater by his punch!

  Blood flowed slowly down the edges of the dent.

  But he felt no pain.

  Only a bone-deep hatred, burning with madness.

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