Kane and Crag left the abandoned subway station, moving through the shadow zones beneath Ribcage Bridge.

  The night grew deeper.

  The neon lights of Blackrock Town flickered overhead, stretching their shadows into long, thin silhouettes.

  Crag walked in front, his massive frame shielding Kane from most lines of sight.

  Kane pulled his hood lower, his mind rapidly dissecting everything that had just transpired.

  Booker.

  This self-proclaimed "Know-It-All" information broker had revealed far too many inconsistencies.

  First, the timing.

  It had only been a day since Kane killed Karl.

  Aside from Felix’s inner circle and Andrew’s men, no third party should have known about it.

  Yet, Booker not only knew but could accurately state the codename "Ghost."

  What did that imply?

  Either Booker belonged to Felix.

  Or Booker belonged to Andrew.

  Or—there was a third power behind Booker.

  Kane narrowed his eyes.

  If it were either of the first two cases, Booker had no reason to hide his identity.

  Felix had already clearly expressed his desire to collaborate;

  he had no reason to send someone else to test him.

  As for Andrew, it was even less likely.

  That madman wanted nothing more than to tear Kane limb from limb right now;

  he wouldn't bother with such roundabout psychological games.

  That left only the third possibility.

  There was an unknown force behind Booker.

  And this force was capable of infiltrating either Felix’s or Andrew’s intelligence networks.

  Kane took a deep breath.

  The implications were self-evident.

  The waters of Blackrock Town were even deeper than he had imagined.

  "Kid."

  Crag suddenly stopped and looked back at Kane.

  "What are you thinking about?"

  Kane looked up.

  "This man Booker... he isn't as simple as he looks."

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  Crag frowned.

  "You mean he’s lying to us?"

  Kane shook his head. "Not lying."

  He paused. "Testing."

  Kane stared at Crag.

  "The intelligence Booker gave us might be true. But it could also be a snare."

  Crag was silent for a few seconds.

  "Then what do we do?"

  A cold smirk played on Kane’s lips.

  "Every conspiracy can be shattered with enough strength."

  He paused. "Assuming this is a trap, then their intelligence on us is frozen at the moment we killed Karl."

  A cold light flashed in Kane’s eyes. "That is also a variable we can exploit."

  Crag was stunned for a moment.

  Then, he let out a jagged grin. "Kid, you’ve got another plan, haven't you?"

  Kane didn't answer. He turned and headed out from under Ribcage Bridge. "Follow me."

  The two navigated several narrow alleys until they reached a river on the outskirts of Blackrock Town.

  This was the town’s sewage canal; the water was a murky, turgid black, reeking of sharp chemical odors.

  All sorts of trash and industrial waste floated on the surface.

  Kane stood on the bank and glanced back. In the distant street, several figures were faintly visible.

  They kept their distance but never left.

  The corner of Kane’s mouth curled up. "Just as I thought. We're being tracked."

  Crag noticed them too. "Should we take them out?"

  Kane shook his head. "No."

  He paused. "Let them watch."

  With that, Kane lunged into the river.

  The icy water swallowed him instantly.

  Crag followed closely behind.

  The two submerged, letting the current carry them downstream.

  On the riverbank, several men in black rushed to the water's edge, staring intently at the pitch-black surface.

  One of them pulled out an encrypted communicator.

  "Target has jumped into the river. Visual contact lost."

  A frigid voice crackled from the other end of the line.

  "Continue the search."

  "Understood."

  The men in black stowed the device and began tracking along the bank.

  Little did they know—Kane and Crag hadn't gone downstream at all.

  Beneath the water, Kane activated his [Subterranean] ability, pulling Crag through the riverbed and into a hidden drainage network.

  They navigated the dark pipes and eventually emerged from an outlet on the southern edge of Blackrock Town.

  Kane climbed onto the bank, shaking the water from his hair.

  Crag followed, soaked to the bone.

  "Kid, where exactly are we going?"

  Kane looked up toward the horizon.

  There lay a range of undulating mountains, their dark gray peaks shrouded in a heavy, oppressive mist.

  "The Darkwind Mountains," Kane said flatly. "South of the Silicon Desert."

  Crag froze for a moment. "Weren't we supposed to be heading to the Silicon Desert?"

  Kane shook his head. "That was just a show for the trackers."

  He paused.

  "If Booker’s intel is a snare, then Kunlun Corp’s men are likely setting up an ambush in the Silicon Desert as we speak."

  A cold smirk played on Kane’s lips.

  "They have no idea that we won't be showing up there at all."

  Realization dawned on Crag. "So, we're taking the long way around?"

  Kane nodded. "The Darkwind Mountains connect to the Silicon Desert. By entering from the southern ridges, we can bypass every surveillance node and trap they’ve laid."

  He paused.

  "Besides—"

  Kane stared at the distant peaks.

  "The Darkwind Mountains are a useful place in their own right."

  Crag was puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

  Kane didn't explain.

  He simply turned and began walking toward the mountains.

  "Let’s move. You’ll find out soon enough."

  The two trekked across the wasteland. In the darkness, the silhouette of the Darkwind Mountains grew sharper and more imposing.

  The Darkwind Mountains.

  This was one of the most treacherous zones south of Blackrock Town.

  The range stretched for hundreds of kilometers, straddling the border between the Silicon Desert and the Radiation Jungles.

  The mountains were composed of dark gray stone, their surfaces riddled with cracks and boreholes.

  Year-round, gale-force winds roared through these openings, creating a high-pitched, haunting shriek.

  This was the origin of the name "Darkwind."

  Kane and Crag stood at the foot of the range, looking up.

  The peaks towered into the sky, their summits draped in a thick, sickly green mist that shimmered with a faint radioactive glow.

  The wind blowing from the mountain crevices carried the acrid scent of sulfur and oxidized metal.

  Crag frowned. "This place feels... wrong."

  Kane nodded. "The Darkwind Mountains were an industrial hub in the Old World. After the nuclear strikes, the underground chemical plants and mines collapsed, forming a complex network of subterranean caverns."

  He paused.

  "And those caverns became nests for mutated horrors."

  Crag’s expression shifted. "Mutated creatures?"

  Kane said tonelessly, "Wind Leopards, Stone Carapaces, and the legendary Shadow Bats. They are all regulars here."

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