LOGINEthan and Malik felt both shame and relief. Shame weighed on them after their disastrous failure. Relief came from the strength of West Ridge Base, which possessed abundant talent, advanced equipment, and formidable resources.Against a single opponent like Cyrus, the operation should not fail again.After the briefing, Florian clapped his hands lightly. "Alright. We move out now. Let's finish this within three hours. One hour if possible."He smiled with casual confidence, as though this were nothing more than routine field training. Faced with overwhelming force, no elaborate plan seemed necessary.They were elite soldiers: highly trained and heavily armed. Could they truly lose to one awakened civilian?That would be a joke.Florian quickly assigned roles. Fifty operatives divided into teams responsible for transporting explosives, securing the perimeter, and providing support.Ethan's rescue squad lacked the individual combat strength of Team A. For that reason, Florian orde
Relaxed smiles spread across the room. The West Ridge Order possessed abundant manpower, weapons, and ammunition. Taking down a single bunker sounded almost trivial.Ilyana stood in a corner with her arms folded around her black longsword. A faint crease formed between her brows.She worried about Barbara and Keira, her two students inside that bunker.'Can Cyrus really survive this?' she wondered.Still, according to Florian, Magnus had ordered that Cyrus be captured alive. That meant they would avoid destroying the structure completely.When the moment came, she intended to intervene and pull her students out.Florian continued, his tone sharpening, "There is one uncontrollable variable: Cyrus Knovell himself."His gaze swept over Ethan and Malik. "Awakened abilities vary widely. Only by understanding his power can we identify his weakness."Your report describes him as a sharpshooter. However, our investigation shows that Cyrus has no military training. He was merely a wareh
While Florian spoke with Ethan, he noticed the chubby man standing beside him.Curious, he pointed at Thorgan. "And who's this?"Ethan hurried to introduce him. "Captain, this is an Awakened I discovered. His name is Thorgan Willowford. He can manipulate ice and snow. He has huge potential."When they heard he was an Awakened, Florian and the others gave Thorgan a closer look.Ilyana recognized him at once. They had met before at Greenvich Academy. She kept that fact to herself. She did not truly stand with the West Ridge Order either.Thorgan swallowed and forced a flattering smile, though tension and fear showed in his eyes. His role as Cyrus' undercover informant made his legs tremble.Florian and the others noticed the weakness at once. Hardened soldiers despised cowardice. Thorgan's soft, overweight, shut-in appearance only deepened their contempt.Florian folded his arms. "Your ability controls ice and snow?""Yes! Look, these houses were all built by me!" Thorgan pointed
The sheer weight of the cargo made it obvious that the West Ridge Order had brought a staggering amount of explosives this time.Their march progressed slowly. Florian and his team did not reach Willowford East until noon.Ethan and the others had waited outside the village for quite some time.Thorgan, whom Ethan's group now regarded as a "future member," had also been summoned to greet them.Ethan had treated him with particular warmth in recent days. The disastrous outcome of the last mission had left Ethan eager to redeem himself. Presenting Thorgan, a natural Awakened, would count as a major contribution.The group waited for a long time before Thorgan finally noticed faint movement on the distant horizon. More than 50 soldiers gradually emerged against the endless snowfield.They wore uniform white combat suits and carried weapons wrapped in white cloth. Even at a distance, their formation radiated pressure.For the first time, Thorgan truly understood that these 50-plus s
Fully armed and carrying the explosives Keira had prepared, Cyrus stepped out of the bunker.Before the West Ridge Order's main force arrived, he intended to fortify the area in advance.His first task was the explosives. He planted dozens of bombs in the snow surrounding the bunker. Even if the enemy knew traps awaited them, they would still have to cross a blast zone to approach. The strategy was completely open. There were no tricks and no deception.He did not know how much damage the explosives would inflict on Awakened fighters. Still, as long as there was even a chance to injure the enemy, he was willing to try.In short order, he buried more than 50 bombs beneath the snow. With a single press of the detonator, he could turn the entire area into an inferno.Next came surveillance. Cloudcrest Manor lacked many things, but security cameras were not among them. The district had once been a top-tier luxury villa community, and its security infrastructure had reflected that stat
Keira scratched her head sheepishly. "I haven't taken precise measurements, so that's only a rough estimate."Cyrus rubbed his chin. "So, about 1,000 pounds. With that much explosive, it would be difficult to transport without drawing attention."He narrowed his eyes. "What if I detonate it halfway here with a sniper shot? Would that work?"He wanted to eliminate the threat at its source.Keira immediately shook her head. "Boss, I really wouldn't recommend that.""Oh? Why not?""TNT is extremely stable. Bullets won't detonate it, and even fire won't set it off. It requires a detonator."Cyrus promptly abandoned the idea. "I see. Looks like I'll have to rely on good old-fashioned defensive counterattacks."He smiled faintly.'Guess I'll move to Plan B,' Cyrus thought.He looked at Keira. "How's everything I asked you to prepare?"At that, Keira turned around with visible excitement and presented her finished work. "Boss, take a look. Are you satisfied?"Recently, she had sta
Cyrus lounged on the sofa, bored, and let out a long yawn. While everyone outside was starving and freezing, he was living better than royalty. His home had perfect insulation and practically limitless fuel. His supply was enough to keep his safehouse at a steady, comfortable temperature all year ro
If there was ever a perfect time to kill someone, it would be now.Jack immediately called his lackeys, ordering them to bring weapons and help him take Cyrus out. Many of his thugs lived nearby. The moment they got the call, they grabbed machetes, baseball bats, and iron rods, then rushed to Jack'
Cyrus had the deliveryman deliver the 100 giant water barrels straight to the warehouse. From there, he tucked them into his pocket dimension and brought them home instantly.Back in his apartment, he opened every faucet and filled the barrels one by one. At this pace, all 100 would brim with fresh
Those words from Jack and Vincent were harsh, but they were not wrong. After their little outburst, everyone in the group lost all faith. Linda's authority evaporated in an instant, and nobody bothered to answer her anymore.Linda was practically trembling with rage. But her anger was not aimed at







