The moment Alex's car pulled away from the industrial district, Viktor finally allowed himself to breathe.
He and his team had been holding position in the shadows between abandoned warehouses for the past ten minutes, hands locked on weapons with white-knuckled grips, every muscle coiled and ready to intervene.
When Alex had first stepped out of the car to face Adrian Blackwell, Viktor's pulse had quickened with a mix of anticipation and concern.
He knew Adrian Blackwell. Not personally, but by reputation... the kind that circulated through hidden networks and cultivator circles with consistent details.
Peak Enhanced. Less than a year from Apex breakthrough according to multiple sources. Combat-trained since childhood by some of the best instructors money could buy. Heir to one of the most prestigious vassal families in the region, with all the resources and refinement that lineage provided.
A genuine threat by any professional assessment.
And Alex...
