The car rolled to a stop, silence pressing heavier with each passing second. Smoke from the earlier fight still clung to the night air, drifting through the cracked windows.
David's grip on the wheel was iron-tight. "If we go in now, Nathan… this is war."
Nathan didn't move his eyes from the road ahead. His voice was calm, cold.
"They touched my family. If war is the price… then let it burn."
The road ended at a towering white spire. Ten-meter walls loomed, the emblem of a serpent coiled around a spear etched across a black iron gate. Torchlight revealed ranks of armed guards, runes faintly glowing across the stonework.
Sophia's breath caught. "That's WhiteSnake headquarters…"
Validia's smile was faint, unreadable. "Their welcome won't be warm."
The woman they had captured suddenly raised her head, desperation cracking her voice.
"You idiots… if you go in like this, you'll die! The Division Head already knows. She's been waiting for you!"
