The sound of engines filled the dockyard.
Dozens of black vehicles surrounded the warehouse like predators circling their prey.
Inside, the air became heavy with tension.
Brevis slowly lowered his gun and walked toward the entrance of the warehouse.
Adrian followed behind him.
For the first time since they met—
They were standing on the same side.
Not allies.
But not enemies either.
Luna remained upstairs, watching from the metal railing.
Her heart pounded hard.
The people from the list.
The ones who truly controlled the city.
She had hoped she would never see them.
But fate had other plans.
Outside, the car doors began opening.
One by one, armed men stepped out.
Black suits.
Cold eyes.
Professional killers.
They moved with terrifying discipline.
Brevis muttered quietly,
"That's a lot of guns."
Adrian crossed his arms.
"They're not here for a negotiation."
Brevis glanced at him.
"You seem familiar with them."
Adrian didn't answer directly.
"I warned you."
Brevis smirked slightly.
"Next time send a longer message."
The warehouse doors opened slowly.
And then—
One man walked inside.
Tall.
Gray hair.
Expensive suit.
His calm expression carried the authority of someone used to controlling entire cities.
Luna's breath caught in her throat.
She recognized him immediately.
Brevis noticed her reaction from upstairs.
"You know him."
Luna whispered,
"Yes."
The man stopped in the center of the warehouse.
His eyes moved calmly between Adrian and Brevis.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Well… this is unexpected."
Adrian's voice turned cold.
"Victor Salazar."
Brevis raised an eyebrow.
"Friend of yours?"
Adrian replied quietly,
"No."
Victor Salazar laughed softly.
"Oh Adrian… don't be like that."
His gaze shifted upward toward Luna.
"And Luna Vale."
Her name echoed through the warehouse.
Victor smiled wider.
"The most troublesome girl in the city."
Brevis stepped slightly forward.
"You've got about five seconds to explain why you're here."
Victor chuckled.
"You must be Brevis Draven."
Brevis didn't respond.
Victor nodded approvingly.
"I've heard interesting things about you."
Brevis shrugged.
"None of them matter right now."
Victor sighed dramatically.
"You young men are always so impatient."
Adrian stepped forward.
"You should leave."
Victor raised an eyebrow.
"You're not in a position to give orders anymore."
Adrian's voice became dangerous.
"You underestimate me."
Victor laughed again.
"No."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"I simply outgrew you."
The room fell silent.
Victor looked around the warehouse.
"You see… the list Luna stole was very inconvenient."
Brevis frowned.
"Inconvenient how?"
Victor smiled.
"It exposed certain… business arrangements."
Luna spoke from above.
"You mean corruption."
Victor looked up at her.
"Oh Luna."
His voice softened slightly.
"You always were too idealistic."
Luna's eyes burned with anger.
"You destroy cities just to keep power."
Victor shrugged.
"Someone has to run the world."
Brevis muttered,
"Yeah… definitely a villain."
Victor ignored him.
Instead, he turned back to Adrian.
"You were supposed to retrieve the list."
Adrian said calmly,
"I had a different plan."
Victor's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes."
"We noticed."
Several of Victor's men lifted their weapons slightly.
Brevis noticed immediately.
His hand moved closer to his gun.
Victor smiled calmly.
"You three have become a problem."
Brevis smirked.
"That's a compliment."
Victor ignored him.
"You see… the moment Luna exposed the list, everything became unstable."
He looked directly at Luna.
"You created chaos."
Luna replied coldly,
"I revealed the truth."
Victor sighed.
"Truth is overrated."
Adrian stepped slightly in front of Luna's staircase.
"You're not taking her."
Victor chuckled softly.
"Oh Adrian."
His voice turned colder.
"I'm not here for Luna."
Brevis frowned.
"Then what?"
Victor's eyes moved slowly between them.
"I'm here to clean the board."
Luna's heart dropped.
Brevis whispered,
"That doesn't sound good."
Victor lifted one hand.
Immediately—
All the armed men aimed their weapons.
At the same time.
At Adrian.
At Brevis.
At Luna.
Victor spoke calmly.
"You three know too much."
Brevis sighed.
"So that's the plan?"
Victor nodded.
"Yes."
Brevis glanced at Adrian.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Adrian's eyes remained locked on Victor.
"Yes."
Brevis smirked slightly.
"Good."
Victor frowned slightly.
"What's amusing?"
Brevis rolled his shoulders slowly.
"You brought an army."
"Yes."
Brevis's smile widened.
"Bad move."
Victor tilted his head.
"And why is that?"
Brevis's voice turned cold.
"Because now I don't have to hold back."
The warehouse exploded into chaos.
Brevis fired first.
Two of Victor's men dropped instantly.
Adrian moved just as fast.
His knife flashed through the air as he took down another attacker.
Gunfire filled the warehouse.
Bullets shattered metal crates.
Luna ran down the stairs and grabbed a fallen gun.
She joined the fight without hesitation.
Victor stepped back calmly while his soldiers rushed forward.
Brevis ducked behind a container.
"Adrian!"
"Yes?"
"You shoot better than you talk!"
Adrian fired twice.
Two more men fell.
"Focus."
Brevis grinned.
"I am!"
Another attacker rushed him.
Brevis slammed him into the wall and knocked him unconscious.
Meanwhile Luna moved through the chaos with deadly precision.
Every movement she made was controlled.
Every shot accurate.
Adrian noticed.
He smiled slightly.
"She's still perfect."
Brevis shouted from across the room.
"Stop flirting and shoot!"
Victor watched the fight with mild irritation.
He turned to one of his remaining men.
"Call the second team."
The man nodded and stepped outside.
But Adrian noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
"Brevis."
"What?"
"They brought backup."
Brevis groaned.
"Of course they did."
Luna shouted,
"We need to get out of here!"
Brevis shook his head.
"Not yet."
He pointed toward Victor.
"Not without him."
Victor's smile faded slightly.
"You're very persistent."
Brevis raised his gun.
"You're very annoying."
Adrian stepped beside him.
For a moment—
The two rivals stood shoulder to shoulder.
Victor sighed.
"This is becoming tedious."
He reached into his jacket.
Brevis immediately tensed.
"What is that?"
Victor pulled out a small device.
A remote.
Luna's eyes widened.
"Brevis—!"
But Victor had already pressed the button.
A loud mechanical sound echoed through the warehouse.
Brevis looked around quickly.
"What the hell was that?"
Adrian's expression suddenly turned serious.
Then he whispered something that made Luna's heart stop.
"The building…"
Brevis frowned.
"What about it?"
Adrian's voice was calm.
"It's rigged."
Luna's breath caught.
"Bombs."
Victor smiled again.
"Exactly."
Brevis stared at him.
"You're insane."
Victor shrugged slightly.
"Efficient."
The timer on the remote began counting down.
02:00
Victor stepped backward toward the exit.
"Goodbye."
And then he walked outside.
Brevis looked at Adrian.
"You've got one minute to explain."
Adrian grabbed Luna's arm.
"Run."
Brevis followed immediately.
Behind them—
The timer kept ticking.
01:35
The three of them sprinted toward the warehouse exit.
Outside—
Victor's cars were already leaving.
Brevis cursed.
"That bastard!"
Adrian pushed Luna into one of Brevis's vehicles.
"Drive!"
The car sped away from the dockyard.
Behind them—
The warehouse exploded.
A massive fireball rose into the sky.
The shockwave hit the car seconds later.
Inside the vehicle—
Brevis gripped the steering wheel tightly.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Finally Brevis said,
"Well…"
He glanced at Adrian.
"…that escalated quickly."
Adrian stared at the burning warehouse behind them.
"Yes."
Luna looked between them.
Now the real war had begun.
Because Victor Salazar had made one thing very clear.
This was no longer a game.
It was survival.