Chapter 236
Impressed
Thor had spotted the cluster of warehouses as the cars pulled closer. The dull metal rooftops were laid out like a tired maze, most of them rusted and dented with age. He could even make out his truck parked near the edge, right where the signal had led them.
Beside him, a high-ranking officer leaned forward from the driver seat, narrowing his eyes at the scene."This is the place the tracker pointed to?" he asked, his voice was clipped and formal.
Thor gave a small nod after checking the handheld tracker again."Yeah," he said, "this is the place."
The officer squinted at the back of the lot. "I see several people near the rear end of your truck. What's going on back there? Why are they all gathered in one spot?"
Thor smirked faintly, the corner of his mouth twitching as he leaned forward slightly in his seat."Well," he said with casually, "I think we're about to find out. The kid I mentioned—IAM—he's over there."
The vehicles rolled to a stop in smooth succession, the tyres crunching quietly over gravel. The moment they halted, Thor stepped out first, pushing the door open with one hand and planting his boots on the ground. His expression was caught between raised brows and mild amusement.
He looked at IAM and said in a dry voice,
"Tell me something… did my instructions go in one ear and get farted out the other? I'm pretty sure I said: don't engage—just monitor where they're going."
IAM had been crouched nearby, staring down at a group of marching ants, completely unbothered. At the sound of Thor's voice, he tilted his head up slowly to meet his gaze.
"Well," IAM said evenly, brushing some dirt from his trousers, "the thing about plans… is that they change."
Thor took a slow step toward the tied-up figures, his boots crunching against the gravel. His eyes scanned over each of them in silence—they were bloody, bruised with two with clear bullet wounds, one still unconscious with dried blood caked to the side of his face.
He didn't show it outwardly, but deep inside, he was… surprised.
Wasn't IAM supposed to still be a novice? And not even the kind of prodigy who showed freakish talent—just a tough kid who survived the Hold.
There had been no prior signs suggesting he could take on five people, even if they weren't trained fighters. It wasn't just about strength—it was the fact that he managed to do it alone, in enemy territory, without support, and under pressure.
Yet here they were. All five down. Thor's gaze lingered on the injuries— He raised an eyebrow slightly, almost amused.
This kid… is pretty scary.
Finally, he turned to IAM, taking in his ragged state—his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths,sweat dripping down his jaw, his clothes slightly torn, his face streaked with dirt and blood.
Thor gave a short sigh, crossing his arms.
"Care to explain," he said, tone dry but not unkind, "what exactly happened here?"
IAM took a moment before answering, his eyes drifting toward the tied-up figures as if he, too, was still wrapping his head around it.
He wiped the back of his hand across his face, smearing a bit of dried blood from his nose, then let his hand drop to his lap.
IAM exhaled slowly before speaking.
"I followed the car, just like you told me to," he said calmly. "They brought me here, stopped outside the warehouse. I waited for a while to see what they'd do."
He gestured loosely toward the truck. "Two of them started heading inside. Looked like they were planning to damage the truck—probably the tracker. I couldn't call you, and I wasn't sure how long you'd take to get here… so I made a decision."
Thor studied him, eyes narrowing slightly.
IAM continued, "They split up, so I used the opportunity. I got rid of the ones outside first. Quietly. Then I handled the rest."
Thor gave a slight nod, but glanced over at the unconscious bodies.
IAM followed his look but offered no further detail. "I was careful not to kill anyone. Just made sure they couldn't move."
Another pause.
"I didn't plan for any of this," IAM added. "But I dealt with it."
He looked at Thor now, more directly. "They're still breathing. If you want to know the full story, you can ask them."
There was a moment of silence before IAM added, "What about you? What took you so long?"
Thor cleared his throat and turned toward the officers stepping out of their vehicles. Without missing a beat, he gestured for them to begin securing the area.
"Get them patched up," he ordered. "We'll take them in for questioning."
Glancing at IAM, he also asked for someone to treat him."Someone treat him too—clean up those wounds."
Then, more quietly, to IAM, "Get yourself sorted. I'll fill you in afterwards."
IAM made a face but didn't argue, watching as Thor turned his attention toward the row of warehouses in the distance."There has to be a reason they brought you here, right?"
IAM nodded. "I think they were trying to lure me into a trap. I'm not certain, but I noticed something near that warehouse—might be a path formation, so watch your step."
Thor gave a short nod, eyes narrowing as he started walking in that direction.
Meanwhile, a medic approached IAM, crouching beside him with a cautious frown. He examined the minor cuts and bruises, but paused when he noticed the slow rate of recovery.
Apart from a few minor scratches and the backlash that had hit his insides, he was basically unharmed.
Since he had immediately turned off his Avien, the pain hadn't gone away and his healing had slowed down, but that was necessary—he had to hide his level.
"You're an ascender, aren't you?" the medic asked, puzzled. "Why not activate your avien? It'd make the healing much easier."
IAM looked at him and said, "But if I did that, you'd have nothing to do."
The medic's face twisted in disbelief,completely thrown off.
"…Right."
Meanwhile, Thor had already arrived at the warehouse IAM had pointed out, his expression unreadable.