The blazing sun bore down from the sky, its rays creating shimmering waves of heat that danced in the distance like snakes. The road stretched vast and empty as far as the eye could see beyond the horizon. The sun illuminated a particular figure, walking alone on the endless asphalt. There were no houses, cars, or people in sight, only this mysterious traveler.
He moved with regal bearing, his posture straight as a blade. His strides carried purpose and power, as if he could see his destination despite the barren landscape stretching endlessly before him. That was because he could, in fact, see his destination in his mind's eye. He clearly envisioned the path of revenge he had crafted, and now? He would achieve it.
The figure wore simple clothing: short pants with flip-flops and a plain shirt that couldn't conceal his muscular frame. Sunglasses shielded his blue eyes, and a stubborn strand of hair fell across his face. He looked as if he was going on a beach rather than on a life-and-death mission.
The silence was broken by the sharp ring of a phone.
"Ring! Ring!"
The figure pulled out a disposable burner phone, a device that could be destroyed after a single call, leaving no trace behind.
"Hello, Albert. I'm in," the figure's husky voice emerged.
An elderly voice responded from the other end.
"Copy that, sir. I'll begin sending the signal on their radar, I hope your mission goes smoothly."
The figure laughed, a sound devoid of warmth, as if he had practiced his laugh countless times, it wasn't natural, just perfect.
This was F1 Fredrick Xavier, the man nicknamed the death god in the United Federation.
"Are you doubting my skills, Albert? Do I need to show you my résumé?"
"No, no, sir. I'm just concerned about your well-being. As you know, you're in another country and undercover. There's no way to order your forces to support you. And your influence is limited."
Fredrick's laughter held an edge of menace this time.
"You know I don't need an army, Albert. I can handle myself."
"But I must confess, sir. I am not quite comfortable with the first step of the plan, seducing the enemy's daughters? I don't think it would work. I just dont see howthe both of you would go from enemies-to-lovers."
"Pff! What would you know about seduction? You're just an old man, Albert. Leave it to the youngsters."
With that, Fredrick crushed the burner phone in his iron grip. His arms squeezed for only a second. When he opened his palms, the phone had been reduced to nothing but pieces of metal and glass. An unnatural, fierce, and incredible display of strength. This was just the tip of the iceberg.
Near Fredrick's location, alarms began wailing. Guards rushed around in panic, unable to understand what was happening.
The Kanadian border patrol was in chaos. The head of security answered his phone as his superior called.
"What's going on down there? How did you let something sneak past the border? For all we know, that could be a bomb!"
The guard stumbled over his words, confused about how to tell his boss that the "thing" that had suddenly appeared at the border was actually a person.
"Uh... sir, it's actually a person. We dont know how but he just suddenly appeared on the radar before the guards at the watch tower even could spot him."
"A what? Who dares illegally enter our border?"
"Send the special unit to capture this individual. Make sure to search him thoroughly. We don't want a bomb suddenly going off and tearing down the whole border facility!"
"Right away, sir."
The head of border security immediately dispatched the special unit to investigate the situation.
Security vehicles with mounted machine guns and patrol cars raced toward the location, escorted by a helicopter. Nearly ten percent of the border force mobilized to capture one person/anomaly.
Fredrick stood casually, observing the scene that would make most people lose control of their bladder. However, he wore a smile at this moment.
"Aren't they overreacting a bit? A chopper and more than a dozen vehicles just to find me. I suppose they're confused."
"Perplexed" was an understatement. The Kanadian border security was in complete shock.
Looking at this scene, one would wonder just who Fedrick actually was. Who was a F1 General? And what was someone from another country doing within Kanada's borders without any official alert?
Fedrick was once called Damien; at that time he was the son of a wealthy businessman in Kanada. His family was called the Rosemonts. But his father was betrayed, and his whole family was destroyed by the Carpenters.
The vehicles arrived quickly, tires screeching as they surrounded the calm Frederick. Assault rifles and sniper scopes targeted him from every angle.
"Raise your hands in the air and drop to your knees now, or we will shoot!"
Fredrick's eyes flashed with cold light. Normally, there was no one he would kneel for, but he needed to swallow his pride for this mission to succeed. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his back.
A black patrol vehicle that appeared bulletproof opened its doors. Lana Carpenter stepped out, her long black hair flowing in the wind generated by the helicopter. Beautiful, stunning, fierce. These words perfectly described her presence. Her SWAT uniform, emblazoned with "Special Unit" across the chest, hugged her petite figure.
Fredrick smiled as he knelt, his calculations proven accurate. This woman was his target.
"Finally, I have met one of the Carpenters. You all might have forgotten the boy whose family you destroyed back then. But I will never forget. I will destroy you!"