Axel quickly briefed Skye on everything that had happened earlier.

  A low curse slipped from Skye’s lips. “Damn it, I knew it. That bastard is scum. Using awakening skills on kids... sickening.”

  After venting, Skye’s tone softened, but there was a hard edge beneath it. “Listen, Axel. Don’t worry, I’ll have someone protect you.”

  Axel hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Skye the truth right now. If Skye was working for Wolfe, he was as good as dead. Axel had survived in the slums for so many years by keeping his wits sharp. If he didn’t think things through, he’d already be buried in some nameless grave.

  “What are they after?” Axel asked, deciding to keep his cards close for now.

  Skye’s voice turned serious. “Since you’re involved, I’ll tell you straight. I don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, but if you hear anything or find anything suspicious, you have to tell me immediately.”

  “I suspect Wolfe’s linked to the two infected people we encountered that day.”

  Infected? Axel’s pulse skipped. The thought hit him like a cold sp. He’d guessed that the list might be tracking debts, maybe evidence of Wolfe’s violent debt collection methods, but this was a whole different level. The infected? This is an absolute taboo of the entire official at present, whoever touches it will die!

  Skye went on. “We’ve been investigating the source of the infection. We finally tracked down a lead—two maniacs were seen running out of Wolfe’s underground casino that day. They hurt a few people before disappearing.”

  “Before The infected are fully infected, they start showing signs of madness, losing control.” Skye continued. "The two madmen disappeared in the end, and their identities are also in doubt. Otherwise, by comparing the names with those of the two infected people, we can lock in Wolfe's suspicion."

  Maniacs?

  Axel’s mind buzzed. He suddenly understood why the names Phoenix and Quinn sounded familiar. Those were the names of the infected he had seen in the reports—he’d barely skimmed the news at the time, so they hadn’t stuck.

  Accepted.

  What the hell did “Accepted” mean? Did it mean those two were approved as infected? Axel felt a chill run down his spine. If that was true, Wolfe was pying a dangerous game. That memory card wasn’t just evidence about his business—it could bring him down completely. It was a death sentence in the making.

  Up until now, Axel had hoped Wolfe might just forget about him, that he wasn’t important enough to be a target. But now? Now, that hope was gone.

  "Axel, you still there?" Skye asked, his voice ced with concern. "Did I scare you?"

  Axel paused for a moment, then asked with calm, “This is... a lot. If this is true, why aren’t you arresting him right now?”

  Skye sighed, clearly frustrated. "Axel, you’re sharp, but you’ve got a lot to learn. Investigations take time. I’m not the head of the Dune Law Enforcement Bureau—I can’t just march into a big-shot like Wolfe's office without solid evidence. Hell, even if I had evidence, I’d need the Bureau’s approval to move on him."

  Axel frowned, but Skye wasn’t done.

  “Look, since you didn’t see anything directly, don’t worry about it. Just pretend you didn’t hear a damn thing. Focus on your exams and stay safe.”

  Axel scrolled through the list on his phone, his eyes narrowing as he hit a name.

  “Ashford, 72 years old, address: Block 2, C District, Slums Outside the Wall, Building 37. Reject.”

  Axel’s brow furrowed. That address… it was dangerously close to where he lived. The two names that had been marked as “Accepted” before had turned into infected, so what about the one marked “Reject”? Was he dead? Or still alive? If he was alive, what could the rejection mean for him?

  These people on the list were the key. If he could figure out what had happened to them and post the info online anonymously, Wolfe would have nowhere to hide.

  But there was a problem. These were all awakened people. Even the youngest was over 50, and Axel wasn’t about to risk it. He needed to py this carefully.

  As Axel weighed his options, Skye’s voice broke through his thoughts.

  “Forget it, I’m hanging up. Don’t overthink this. The most important thing for you right now is the Awakening Day exam.”

  “Wait,” Axel cut in, “Actually, I’ve got something. It’s in my hands.”

  On the other end of the line, Skye’s easygoing smile vanished.

  Axel smirked. “Come get it yourself.” Then he hung up.

  Annabelle, who had been sitting quietly beside him, noticed Axel’s tense posture. Her eyes were wide with worry, even though Axel hadn’t said a word. Over the years, she had come to recognize this expression on her brother—something big was coming.

  “Annabelle,” Axel whispered, leaning close to her. He shared his pn with her, and though she wasn’t happy about it, she reluctantly agreed. Her eyes remained clouded with concern, but she trusted her brother.

  At the Law Enforcement Bureau, Skye gathered a few of his key subordinates within minutes.

  "Captain, it’s te. Why are we still having a meeting?" one of them asked, voice ced with confusion.

  "We were just having a good time....." Another team member, still half-rexed, saw the serious look on Skye’s face and immediately stood at attention.

  Skye scanned the room, his eyes sharp. “In the past six months, we’ve had six separate cases of infected people attacking civilians. That’s way more than a city with a million people should be seeing. We’ve been investigating this for a while, and here’s the strange part: these infected aren’t usual suspects.”

  “Usually, it’s younger awakened people, or those in their bottleneck phase—hungry for more power, desperate enough to mutate. We track those cases, keep tabs on them, and typically nothing happens. But these recent ones? They’re all older, primary-level awakeners, most of them in their twilight years. It doesn’t make sense.”

  The team exchanged uneasy looks. A infection was humanity's worst nightmare, right next to wild beast attacks. Who the hell would risk stirring up that hornet’s nest?

  “I’ve got a suspect,” Skye continued, his voice low. “His name is Wolfe.”

  Wolfe was dangerous—everyone knew that. He had too many connections in both the legal and illegal worlds. But the idea that Wolfe might be linked to these infected people? That was a whole new level of dangerous.

  Skye’s gaze hardened. “Here’s the pn. The six of you will pair up and monitor Wolfe’s casino, his bck-market boxing ring, and his so-called entertainment complex. Report back to me with anything unusual. Immediately.”

  Skye’s eyes flicked to each member of his team. He hadn’t called the whole group in for a reason. If Wolfe was behind this mess, the fewer people who knew, the better.

  “Freya, I’m leaving the dispatch to you. I’ve got other business to take care of.”

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