Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

"They don't know where the drops happen," he explained, bowing his head. "Last time, I got too caught up in revenge. I'll send someone quiet this time. It won't happen again."

Caroline gave a slow nod, accepting the answer for now. Truthfully, she couldn't stand this old freak. But she couldn't deny the value of the pills he cooked up. As long as Crowe kept delivering, her power would only grow — faster than any of Morris's other subordinates.

She turned, ready to leave. Then paused.

Her eyes locked onto one of the men still watching her.

"You."

Axel froze. Shit. He didn't expect this woman to be so sensitive.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice now sharp and suspicious.

Feeling her gaze cut through him like a knife, Axel stammered, "I... I'm Axel." Then he dropped his eyes like a scared rookie.

Caroline snorted. Once she was gone, Crowe let out a breath and shuffled back to his research lab, muttering under his breath and eager to bury himself in his work.

Only Axel and two others were left standing in the yard.

"So that was Lady Caroline," one of them breathed out in awe. "She's just as stunning as the rumors say."

"Keep your damn voice down," the other muttered, glancing around nervously. "She's not far yet. Caroline isn't just eye candy—she's one of Morris's top enforcers. She could crush us like ants without blinking."

Hearing that, Axel's expression shifted slightly. So she's with Morris… That explains why Crowe practically grovels in front of her.

Out of all the women Axel had ever met, only Rosaline could match her in beauty. But while Rosaline carried a cold, untouchable grace, Caroline had something different—a dangerous allure, like poison wrapped in silk.

"Let's just get some rest," Axel said casually, turning to leave.

He didn't expect anyone to care, but a voice cut in, sharp with contempt.

"Wow, already giving orders, huh?" A tall, thin man with shoulder-length hair sneered. "You got lucky and survived one trip. Mr. Crowe tosses you a bone, and now you think you're in charge?"

The man looked him up and down like he was something stuck to the bottom of his boot. "You're Declan's errand boy, right? If I remember right, you're just a Level 1 awakener. Let me give you some advice—don't let that little bump in status go to your head. You start barking orders at me, and I won't be so polite."

His name was Beau. He'd already broken into Level 2 and clearly thought Axel wasn't worth the dirt under his nails. Being ordered around by someone weaker than him? That didn't sit well.

Axel didn't even flinch. "Whatever," he said flatly, then turned and walked away.

Beau blinked, caught off guard by how easily Axel brushed him off.

After he left, the other two exchanged looks—and figured it was safer to stay on Beau's good side. Better to stick with the stronger dog.

Working for Crowe turned out to be pretty straightforward.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Over the next few days, Axel and Beau followed his orders, helping the robots with various tasks—mostly logistics and simple production. Tedious, but not difficult.

Axel had been keeping track of the days. Only two more before the end of the selection. With time to spare, he went to check in on Gabriel.

The chubby kid was living like a king.

Declan, still riding high off Axel's success, had upgraded Gabriel's room and amenities. The kid was lounging around all day watching dramas and stuffing his face with every local snack Sin City had to offer. In just a few days, he'd gotten even rounder.

Seeing that he was safe and happy, Axel returned to Crowe's base without much worry.

That night, at exactly 9 PM, just as Axel and the others were about to settle in—

Awooo~

A long, eerie howl echoed through Sin City.

Everyone heard it. All across the city, strong Awakeners stepped out of their rooms and into the streets, their faces tense and confused. Heads turned north.

The sound didn't just carry across distance—it carried into the soul. Something primal stirred, something ancient and terrible. Even seasoned fighters felt their legs weaken and their teeth chatter.

Axel stood frozen, staring toward the northern horizon, heart pounding.

The fear was immediate and instinctual. He knew what lay to the north of Sin City—vast open plains, where a monster from the textbooks ruled.

The Grassland Wolf King, north of Krythos.

Far away, in the heart of the city, the massive, iron-reinforced doors of the City Lord's Mansion creaked open without a sound. A single figure floated out like a shadow, unseen by the public.

In the outskirts, deep within a hidden compound, members of the Whisper Syndicate opened their eyes mid-meditation.

"That sound…"

"There's no mistaking it."

"The Wolf King is awake."

"Notify headquarters. Now."

It was destined to be a sleepless night.

Across Sin City, people moved in silence, trembling as they packed their essentials, prepared to flee at the first sign of chaos.

The Wolf King—an apex-tier mutant beast—was not some bedtime story. In the past, it had razed over a dozen cities to the ground, leaving nothing but ashes and screams. Krythos had only survived by walling off its core territory and surrendering nearly half of its land in a bitter truce.

For decades, the Beast Kings and human strongholds had shared an uneasy understanding. Massive-scale assaults had stopped, replaced by occasional beast tides—dangerous, but manageable.

But tonight was different.

If the Wolf King moved south, the first to fall… would be Sin City.

Fortunately, one terrifying deterrent still resided here: Morris, known as the Cursed Eye.

The city held its breath in a tense, eerie quiet. Most stayed up through the night, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

Well—most.

In a run-down corner of the Steel Serpents' base, a little chubby guy cracked open a window, stretched, and yawned. He grabbed an old bottle of Coke from the table, took a swig, then grinned.

"Damn, beautiful day for TV."

Elsewhere, in a dim hotel room on the east side of the city, Wesley and his team had gathered again.

They too had heard the howling the night before—an echo so powerful it rattled the bones.

The Prairie Wolf King hadn't been seen in Krythos territory for years… and now he was right on Sin City's doorstep.

"He's here," Wesley said grimly.

Just then, the light on his wristwatch lit up. Xander's ever-stern face flickered into view via the hologram.

"I've confirmed it," Xander said. "Morris has left the city. He's headed north to confront the Wolf King. There was a pulse—some kind of high-level combat wave—about thirty minutes ago."

The entire room went still. Millers ran a hand through his hair.

"This… this is the window we've been waiting for," Xander continued. "Morris's six remaining lieutenants are still in the city, but with Morris gone, it's now or never."

"Bring him back—alive."

The team stared at the fading holo as it blinked out. Morris was powerful. If he could go head-to-head with a Beast King, that meant he was basically a human equivalent of a ninth-level awakener.

And now he was out there. Wesley turned to the others. "Vince, you and Rosaline stay back—"

"No," Millers interrupted calmly, standing up.

Rosaline stood too, casually adjusting her gloves.

"This is a gamble," Vince said. "And we're all in. We've already accepted the risk. If we hold back now, all our planning could be for nothing."

Wesley hesitated, surprised—then smiled faintly.

Kaia unwrapped a lollipop and grinned. "Yeah. What kind of fun would it be without me?"

Even the quieter members of Wesley's squad stood up one by one, nodding.

"If we're doing this, we're doing it together," someone said.

Wesley looked at them, then finally nodded. "Alright. No holding back."

He pointed to Kaia first. "Mental network—link everyone in. We move as one. Millers, you're on external suppression. If Morris's men show up, greet them with hellfire."