Even as Crown Auctions’ staff respectfully handed over the precious item, Adah and the Four Guardians exchanged puzzled glances. Something was off. Since the…

Since the inception of their group, they had always locked horns with Blaze Wildfire during critical events. This was the first time the rival organization had failed to appear. Perhaps Blaze Wildfire wasn’t aiming to win the auction—they were saving resources to seize the prize by force later. It was a chilling possibility.

Once they reached land, the group moved with heightened awareness. Elliana was prepared to face Blaze Wraith head-on.

But strangely, nothing happened. Even after driving dozens of kilometers inland, no ambush awaited them.

Then, a message came through—Adah’s subordinates reported that Blaze Wildfire’s men had indeed been present the day before, fully intent on claiming the Lunathorn. But inexplicably, they had withdrawn the previous night.

Adah relayed the update to Elliana. “Could something internal have shaken Blaze Wildfire? Maybe Blaze Wraith was forced to pull out?”

Elliana nodded, her eyes narrowing. “It’s entirely possible. But we can’t afford to relax. Keep digging.”

“Understood,” Adah passed on the command.

Suddenly, a jolt of pain gripped Elliana’s chest. She raised a trembling hand to her heart, her breath catching.

“Elliana, what’s wrong?” Adah asked, alarmed.

Elliana hesitated. A haunting memory surfaced—the nightmare from last night, drenched in unease. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Cole. “Send word. I want Cole’s location confirmed—immediately.”

Adah didn’t question it. She nodded and carried out the order.

? ? ? ?ν.

Cole was notoriously elusive, his movements like smoke in the wind. But Elliana’s clues, paired with Thorn Rose’s unmatched intelligence network, cut through the fog. News came fast.

Adah returned with a grim update. “Whispers say Cole collapsed this afternoon—suddenly and without warning. He’s unconscious. His security detail tried to rush him back to Ublento, but the private jet suffered a critical malfunction midair. They were forced into an emergency landing in Riverbend. That’s where the Phantom Mercenaries ambushed them. Current status: unknown.”

Elliana’s brows drew together in a sharp line. None of it made sense. Cole had been perfectly healthy—no signs, no symptoms. His jet was routinely checked, meticulously maintained. And Riverbend? Of all places—how convenient that they landed in the jaws of one of the most feared mercenary groups on the continent.

The Phantom Mercenaries weren’t ordinary thugs. They were a brutal patchwork of international killers: elite ex-special forces, former aristocratic enforcers, and…

The battlefield ghosts who had abandoned flags for blood money. Their reputation in the Delta region was carved in screams and scorched earth.

With Cole unconscious and Jason recently injured, the odds of survival were slim. Too slim. The coincidences were stacking too neatly. Elliana’s gut twisted. This wasn’t an accident—it was a setup. There was a traitor embedded in Cole’s ranks, and someone had bought the Phantom Mercenaries’ blades to make sure Cole never left Podgend alive. But there was no time to dig for motives. At that very moment, only one thing mattered—Cole’s safety.

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