Chapter 398: Villian

Jayden rubbed his temples, a headache forming behind his eyes. He had given Fred his word that he wouldn't harm Jenny. But tonight, he had butchered her entire team right in front of her eyes. She wouldn't just be hunting a criminal anymore; she would be hunting a monster with personal, vengeful fury. Neutralizing a Level 71 tactical genius without using lethal force was going to be an absolute nightmare.

And then there was Silas.

A burning, lethal rage ignited in Jayden's chest at the mere thought of the S-rank Pioneer. He had actually considered sparing the man's life during their initial martial arts exchange, thinking he might be a valuable asset or a rogue element worth turning. Instead, the coward had sold his soul to the EVA for a government pension and a witness protection clause, using himself as bait to lure Jayden into a slaughterhouse.

Silas was currently kept away deep within an EVA maximum-security transit network, heavily guarded by the elite agents. Finding him through normal underworld channels would take weeks. And Jayden didn't have the patience or quite frankly the time to wait.

He picked up his tab, his fingers flying across the dark screen as he patched a direct message through to Fred:

[Hey, Fred. I need your help with something]

The response came almost instantly, the text glowing sharply against the dark room.

[Fred: I heard what happened tonight, Jayden. I know what you did]

Jayden's eyes narrowed. He typed back.

[That was fast]

[Fred: Jenny came home just a few minutes ago. She walked past me without saying a single word. She's been in the shower for the last thirty minutes, and she won't come out. She told me what happened before she locked the door. She told me the Hunter massacred her entire frontline vanguard. Twenty-four agents, Jayden. All dead. And the Turbo Twins are currently in the ICU]

Jayden read the message and replied with a cold statement:

[What I did was necessary]

[Fred: Necessary?! Those people had families, Jayden! They had parents, spouses, children waiting for them to come home from a mission! They might have worn the EVA's uniform, but they were good people doing what they believed was right. Where they work doesn't make them any less human]

Jayden stared at the screen, a cold, bitter smile touching his lips as he typed his reply.

[I had a family once too, Fred. And they were good people too. But fate doesn't exactly give us a choice in these matters, does it?]

The text screen remained silent for a long, agonizing minute. The ellipsis flickered continuously before disappearing, then reappearing.

Finally, Fred's block of text materialized.

[Fred: Fine. I won't waste my breath trying to talk sense into you or stop you. But I can't walk down this path with you anymore, kid. I promised Kate I would look after you, that I would help you navigate this underworld... but you are taking things way too far. You're starting to transform into something else entirely. Something terrifying. And I don't want to be a part of it]

[Jayden: Fine. I won't bother you after tonight. But I have one last request to ask of you. I need the coordinates of Silas's exact location. The EVA has him locked down under their protection grid, and I need to find him]

[Fred: You mean to kill him]

[Jayden: Yes]

[Fred: ...I will get you the data files and the transfer schedule. But it comes with a non-negotiable condition, Jayden. You do not touch Jenny. Ever. Even if she backs you into a corner, even if she has a weapon to your throat and you are at a critical breaking point... you do not harm her. Do you understand me?]

[Jayden: You're asking me to stand down and not fight back against a Level 71 Commander who wants my head on a spike?]

[Fred: I am asking you to find another way. A way that does not endanger my wife's life. If you can't promise me that, the deal is dead and we are officially enemies]

[Jayden: Fine. Just get me the coordinates for Silas. I won't hurt your wife]

[Fred: I'll send the file through the secure drop within the hour. But Jayden... you have to rethink what you're doing here. Look at yourself in the mirror. You're starting to be less of a hero protecting the weak, and more of a cold-blooded murderer]

Jayden let out a harsh, silent breath, his thumbs pressing firmly against the glass screen as he sent his final transmission of the night:

[I was never a hero to begin with, Fred. And if killing every single person in this world means I get to protect the few people I care about, then so be it. I will gladly be the villain my family needs.]

He cut the transmission, powered down the tab, and threw it onto the desk.

The room returned to absolute, suffocating silence. Jayden walked over to his bed, collapsing backward onto the mattress without removing his blood-stained clothes. He stared blankly up at the dark ceiling, the heavy words of the night echoing in the chambers of his mind.

Was he truly slipping away? Was the power of the system and the primal instinct of the Lycan core slowly eroding whatever humanity he had left, forging him into a monster?

He closed his eyes, a heavy, exhaustion settling deep into his bones. But as he looked at the massive, sprawling mental checklist of his grand objective, he realized the terrifying truth: He wasn't even halfway to his main goal yet. The real monsters were still sitting on their high thrones in the upper echelons of the world, untouched and smiling. If he had to become a demon to drag them down into hell, he would do it without a single tear.

He sighed heavily, pulling the dark blankets over his chest, asking his mind for a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

But as the hours ticked away toward dawn, the sleep never came.