NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24: Chapter 24
Another piece on the board, he thought, his irritation stirring. Whoever he is, Kai could feel he didn't come here for nothing.
Kai didn't stop to investigate. It wasn't the time—yet. He tightened his grip on the strap of his bag and continued walking, his pace steady, his mind already spiraling with questions.
**
His apartment was still and silent when Kai arrived. Tossing his bag near the door, he peeled off his jacket and sank onto his bed.
He hasn't been home for days and the place was a mess but he didn't care, but the thought on his head fully Occupied to even think of anything else.
The springs creaked beneath him as he stared at the ceiling, the faint light from the street filtering through the blinds. For the first time in a while, there was nothing to do, no one to chase, no immediate problem to solve.
Yet his mind refused to settle.
Who pulled the strings on this transfer? The thought hung heavy in his head. Transfers were routine in the force, sure, but this wasn't routine. It was sudden, and Kai knew enough to recognize when something didn't add up and the version he saw confirmed everything. He'd just solved the abduction case, made progress where others had stalled. That didn't earn him praise—it earned him exile.
"Someone wanted me out of the way," he muttered under his breath, his brow furrowing. But why? What's in Apex Grove?
His eyes drifted to the corner of the room where his bag sat, half-zipped, as if mocking him. The system had been silent since earlier, leaving him hanging in uncertainty. He sighed, rubbing his temples.
If only the system would just pop out and give him something to do or uncovered something.
he would be the happiest guy today.
But still everything was silent which was driving him crazy.
"What task are you waiting for?" he whispered to himself.
The Nemesis System never wasted its time. If they are pushing him toward Apex Grove, there had to be something waiting for him there—something bigger than an abduction case. Or maybe… maybe someone higher up didn't trust him anymore and they decided to kick him out. The thought sat like a weight on his chest. Am I being tested? Or am I being discarded? But whatever it was when the system mission comes out he would be back for everyone if them.
At that moment Kai turned onto his side, his eyes narrowing as he pieced the fragments together.
The strange handshake with the chief, the vague vision of someone giving orders, and now the man in the black suit from earlier—none of it was coincidence.
His jaw tightened as a faint smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "Fine," he thought.
"If there's something waiting for me in Apex Grove, I'll handle it. And if someone doesn't trust me, I'll make them regret it."
With that thought, he let his body rest, but his mind remained alert, like a hunter waiting for the first flicker of movement in the dark.
Kai's body finally surrendered to exhaustion, his muscles sinking into the worn mattress as the weight of his thoughts slowly ebbed away. For the first time in hours, his mind fell silent, and sleep took him.
Outside, the streets were deathly quiet under the cover of night, the glow of streetlights casting lights on the street. But the silence didn't last.
At that moment Several cars, their headlights off, emerged like shadows from the darkness, engines purring low as they crept closer to Kai's apartment building. They came to a stop in unison, lining the street like predators encircling prey. The doors swung open, one after the other, without a single slam or misplaced sound.
From all the vehicles, over twenty men stepped out—dressed head to toe in tactical gear, their movements efficient and deadly. Black uniforms clung to their frames, and the gleam of weapons strapped to their bodies caught what little light the moon and light provided. They dressed like SWAT.
The men moved like shadows, fanning out as they encircled Kai's apartment building. Their weapons were raised, their positions secure. Not a single word passed between them, only subtle hand signals and quiet nods that communicated volumes.
It was the kind of silence that sent chills down a spine—purposeful, and deadly.
At that moment the team leader, a man with sharp eyes and a hardened face, stepped up to the doorway, the muzzle of his rifle pointed downward but ready. He pressed his hand to the earpiece at his temple, his voice low but firm as he spoke into the walkie-talkie.
"We're in position. Perimeter secure. Permission to break in?"
For a moment, there was no response. The leader's gaze darted briefly to his men, who remained frozen, waiting for the go signal.
On the rooftop of a building far in the distance, the man in the black suit stood alone, one hand holding a sleek, high-tech camera.
The lens zoomed in on Kai's darkened window, perfectly still despite the slight night breeze swirling around him. Through the viewfinder, the faint outlines of the SWAT-like team came into focus as they surrounded the apartment.
At that moment The man's lips curled faintly as he muttered beneath his breath, almost as if speaking to the wind.
"Let's see if you're capable of such a thing."
The camera whirred softly as he adjusted the focus, his sharp eyes never leaving the building. Then, his earpiece crackled, the team leader's voice breaking through:
"Orders, sir?"
At that moment the man pressed a small button on his comm device. His response was calm, cold, and deliberate.
"Proceed."
From the rooftop, he watched as the team leader turned toward the door, raising his gloved hand in a silent signal.
Immediately the men shifted in unison, their boots whispering across the ground as they closed in. The leader reached for the handle, then nodded.
The operation had begun.