Yi Seong-ryu found Nelson and Lily at the inn where they'd been staying, waiting anxiously for news about Laurel.
"Your brother is safe," the young prince told them. "He's waiting for you at the portal. You should go there by 6 PM."
Nelson's relief was palpable. "Thank you. Is he—is he alright?"
"See for yourself," Yi Seong-ryu said with a slight smile. "Just... be prepared. Things have gotten complicated."
When Nelson and Lily arrived at the portal site at the designated time, they found not just Laurel, but five others waiting: Beto, Itachi, Marvel, and a figure dressed in traditional Joseon male clothing with a plain black katana held in his arms.
The seventh person's face was hidden partially by the way he held himself, but something about his presence commanded attention.
"Laurel!" Lily rushed forward, relieved to see him alive despite the visible bruises and exhaustion on his face.
"We're leaving," Laurel said quietly. "All of us. Together."
Nelson looked at the assembled group with confusion and growing concern. "Where are we going?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Itachi said. "Come on. We don't have much time before the portal closes for the night."
The seven of them—Laurel, Nelson, Lily, Beto, Itachi, Marvel, and the mysterious figure—stepped through the portal together, leaving the Joseon Dynasty behind.
They emerged in a warehouse district in Lakemont, but they didn't stay long. The group moved quickly through the city streets, Marvel leading the way with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where he was going.
They stopped at a modest hotel—nothing fancy, but clean and anonymous. The kind of place that didn't ask questions.
"We'll stay here tonight," Itachi announced. "Change into normal clothing. We move to the base tomorrow morning."
In their rooms, the group shed their Joseon Dynasty outfits. Laurel, Nelson, and Lily changed back into their modern clothes with relief.
The mysterious figure emerged from his room dressed in contemporary clothing—dark jeans, a simple black shirt, practical boots. Still avoiding anything overtly feminine, but no longer bound by the strict masculine presentation of Joseon court dress. The katana remained at his side.
Nelson noticed something odd about the person but couldn't quite place it. There was something familiar in the way he moved, the set of his shoulders...
"Everyone get some rest," Marvel said. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
The next morning, Marvel pulled out a device that displayed a location map. He studied it for a moment, then nodded.
"This way."
He led them through industrial districts and back alleys until they reached a nondescript warehouse that looked abandoned from the outside. But when Marvel entered a code on a hidden panel, a door slid open to reveal a well-lit interior.
"Welcome to Night Wolf's current base," Itachi said. "We change locations regularly. Can't let the government track us."
Inside, four people were already waiting.
The first was a woman in her thirties with sharp eyes and an air of absolute authority. "I'm Alpha," she said. "Leader of Night Wolf."
Next to her stood three men:
"Lee," said a tall Asian man with calculating eyes.
"Luis," added a stocky Latino man with scarred knuckles.
"Pablo," finished a lean man with a slight accent.
The mysterious figure in black stepped forward. "I'm Ji-won," she said simply. Not Sun Hwa. Ji-won. The name of the twin brother who had died. The person called Sun Hwa was dead and buried with her past.
Alpha nodded at the introductions, then smiled slightly. "We'll be having a special guest today. Everyone take a seat."
The group settled around a large table in what appeared to be a meeting room. The tension was palpable—Nelson and Lily clearly had no idea what they'd gotten themselves into, and even Laurel looked uncertain about what was happening.
They waited in silence.
After twenty minutes, the warehouse door opened again.
A figure walked in, and the atmosphere in the room immediately changed.
He was dressed in the same dark tactical clothing he wore as a vigilante, with a posture that radiated controlled power.
X.
The vigilante hero of the UXA. The people's champion. The symbol of hope against government corruption and corporate tyranny.
He stood in the doorway with an almost heroic presence, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Nelson broke the silence. "Why is a hero allying himself with a bunch of criminals?"
X's expression didn't change. "What are you saying?" He walked further into the room, his voice calm but carrying weight. "I formed this organization."
Nelson's jaw dropped. "What?"
Beto, seeing the confusion on Nelson and Laurel's faces, decided to explain.
"X is a founding member of Night Wolf," he said. "More than that—he was once our leader. He created this organization for a specific purpose: to fight and avenge the government that killed his family."
X moved to stand near Alpha, his arms crossed. "I built Night Wolf from nothing. Recruited people who had been wronged by the system, who had nowhere else to turn, who wanted justice in a world that didn't offer it."
"But then what happened?" Nelson asked. "Why did you leave?"
"I hit a dead end," X replied. "My investigation into who killed my family, who was really pulling the strings in the government—it all led nowhere. I had names, but no proof. I had suspicions, but no evidence. So I stepped back. Let Alpha take over day-to-day operations."
Alpha nodded. "While X was pursuing his vendetta, Night Wolf evolved. We became a mercenary group—taking freelance jobs. Assassinations, theft, information gathering. Sometimes for clients who pay well. Sometimes for our own personal gain or principles."
"You're criminals," Nelson whispered, horrified.
"We're people who exist outside a system that failed us," Itachi corrected. "There's a difference."
X continued, "I took a break from active operations. Went solo for a while, continued my investigation quietly. My father, before he died, left me a message. It was encoded, cryptic—I spent years trying to decode it. It mentioned a document hidden in another dimension. The Joseon Dynasty."
Ji-won shifted slightly, understanding now why the sealed document had been so important.
"I finally cracked the code recently," X said. "That's why I needed that document. And when I will open it..." His expression darkened. "It will change everything."
X pulled out a journal, his father's journal that Itachi retrieved from joseon dynasty, and opened it on the table. Inside were photographs and names—eight individuals, each labeled with a title and what limited information was known about them.
"This is what was in the journal," X said. "Evidence of a secret cult embedded in the highest levels of world power. Eight members. They call themselves by sin names."
He read the journal to himself one by one:
**1. Master: Suzuki Tadashi**
"Chairman of the World Union. The most powerful political figure on the planet. He controls the rulers of the world, he is like the king of kings."
**2. Pride: Marcus Reid**
"Listed as the Number One adventurer in the world. No other information in the journal."
**3. Wrath: Tsubasa Rin**
"Unknown. No public profile. The journal has a photo but no other details."
**4. Greed: Mr. Z**
"The world's richest man. Real name unknown—everyone just calls him Mr. Z. Controls all of the global economy through shell corporations."
**5. Lust: Georgina Santos**
"The world's most influential woman. Runs the largest media conglomerate on the planet. She shapes public opinion globally."
**6. Envy: [No Photo]**
"No picture in the journal. Just the name 'Envy' and nothing else. Complete mystery."
**7. Sloth: Ethan Reynolds**
"Unknown. Photo provided but no public information available."
**8. Gluttony: Dylan Foster**
"One of the two favored candidates in the upcoming UXA presidential election. Currently running on an anti-corruption platform, ironically enough."
X looked around the table, letting the information sink in.
"I don't know what most of these people's positions are," he admitted. "Just names and faces. But I recognized a few—Suzuki Tadashi's face is everywhere as World Union Chairman. Georgina Santos is constantly in the media. Mr. Z is famous for being anonymous. And Dylan Foster... he's all over the election coverage."
"If he wins the presidency," Alpha added, "he'll control both the World Union through Suzuki and the UXA government. That's too much power concentrated in this cult."
X's expression hardened. "Which is why he can't win."
X turned to Alpha and Lily. "I need to speak with you two. Privately."
The three of them stepped into a side room, leaving the others waiting with tense silence.
After thirty minutes, X, Alpha, and Lily emerged from the side room.
X walked to the center of the room, his presence commanding everyone's attention.
"I've made a decision about Night Wolf's next operation," he announced. "This isn't a freelance job. This is a personal mission. But it affects all of you, so you deserve to know."
"Our target is Dylan Foster. Presidential nominee. Member of this secret cult. If he becomes president, he'll have access to military power, government resources, and the ability to shape policy to benefit this organization. We can't allow that."
"You're talking about assassination," Nelson said quietly, his voice shaking. "You're going to kill him."
"Yes," X said without hesitation. "Before the election. Before he can take power."
"And the other candidate?" Nelson asked. "Ronald Stone?"
"I'm going to endorse him publicly," X replied. "Make him my official selection. The people trust me. If I tell them to vote for Ronald Stone, enough will listen to swing the election."
Alpha nodded. "We'll begin planning immediately. The election is in two weeks. We need to move fast."
X looked at each person in the room. "This is what Night Wolf was always meant to do. Fight the powerful. Protect the powerless. Stop corruption at its source."
He turned to leave but paused at the door.
"I'm going to make my endorsement now. The rest of you—prepare for the mission. We'll meet again tomorrow to discuss operational details."
And with that, X walked out of the warehouse.
Outside, a crowd had already gathered. Word had spread through social media that X might appear in this district, and hundreds of people had converged, hoping to catch a glimpse of their hero.
When X emerged from the warehouse, the crowd erupted in cheers.
He climbed onto a raised platform—someone had already prepared one, as if knowing he would come—and raised his hand for silence.
"People of the UXA!" His voice carried across the crowd, and phones were immediately raised to record. "In two weeks, you'll choose your next president. This election will determine the future of our nation, the future of our children, the future of everything we've been fighting for!"
The crowd roared in agreement.
"I've watched both candidates carefully," X continued. "I've researched their policies, their records, their connections. And I've made my choice."
The crowd fell silent, hanging on every word.
"I am officially endorsing Ronald Stone for President of the UXA!"
The reaction was immediate—half the crowd cheered, half looked shocked, but everyone started talking at once.
"Ronald Stone has shown me that he understands what working people need," X said. "He's not perfect. No politician is. But he's not owned by the corporations. He's not in the pocket of the World Union. He will fight for you, the people, not for the powerful elites who've been crushing us for decades!"
He raised his fist, and the crowd mirrored the gesture.
"Vote for Ronald Stone! Vote for change! Vote for a future where we control our own destiny!"
The crowd's cheer was deafening.
Within minutes, the video was trending on every social media platform. News stations interrupted their regular programming to show the footage. Political analysts scrambled to understand what this meant.
X's endorsement would shift the entire election.
And in a warehouse not far from that crowd, Night Wolf began planning an assassination that would ensure Dylan Foster never got the chance to accept victory—or defeat.