The room was large, modern, minimalist and expensive without being ostentatious. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline with the lights stretching endlessly into the distance.

West stepped inside first, checking corners, bathrooms and adjoining doors before turning back.

"You stay here."

Amos nodded immediately. "Of course."

Debra hesitated. "...West— can we talk? I want to—"

"No," West cut her off. "I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. After this is all over, we can go back to not existing in each others lives."

West walked further into the room, setting a few things down ranging from supplies to bottled water and basic necessities. He moved like someone used to planning ahead.

"I’ll arrange for food."

"I’ll arrange for security."

"I’ll find out everything I can about who’s hunting you," his tone was flat and detatched.

Debra watched him with an emotional look. "...And after that?"

West paused. "I’ll take care of it."

That was all she got.

—

By the time West stepped out of the hotel, the world had already caught up to the chaos.

The news had exploded everywhere.

Headlines flooded the internet:

"MIRACLE IN THE SKY: AWAKENED SAVES ENTIRE FLIGHT FROM CERTAIN DEATH!"

"UNIDENTIFIED AWAKENED PREVENTS MASS CASUALTY PLANE CRASH!"

"HERO OR MENACE? MYSTERY FIGURE INTERVENES IN MID-AIR DISASTER!"

Videos, footage and eyewitness accounts were provided.

Shaky recordings of a falling aircraft, pieces breaking apart mid-air, screams, chaos and the impossible survival were displayed but there was no clear footage of West.

Just glimpses, blurs and speculation about who it could be and which gang he belonged to.

Due to the buzz surrounding this particular situation, it would have been the perfect way to advertise Shadow Reapers gang but West couldn’t allow the attention at the moment.

West leaned against the side of the building briefly, scrolling through the news on his phone.

"...Good."

There were no leaks or images of him online since he made everyone that took a clear picture or video of him delete them.

Now nothing that could lead back to Debra or Amos.

He typed a quick message but quickly stopped.

"No... better to call," he pressed the contact and picked number he wanted to reach out to.

"West," after ringing for a bit, Zu Li’s voice came through. "You’ve been busy."

It sounded like she already knew that the plane incident was tied to him.

West exhaled lightly. "...Yeah."

Without wasting any time, he explained everything that had happened so far from the very beginning.

His arrival at Equivon City, the shack, the swamp clash with the Assassin Nightingale, the airport, the ambush, the plane and the crash...

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Zu Li finally spoke. "...Interesting."

"I’ll get to the bottom of it... the Frankincense corporation and the assassin Nightingale..."

West nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. "Do that... I think it’d be better to punish the corporation directly for the ruins incident."

Zu Li seemed satisfied with all West had discovered and how it added a fresh perspective to everything. "You did well."

West scoffed lightly. "I didn’t do it for praise."

"I know," she voiced with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Still be careful... I’ll deal with this as quickly as possible so we can finally put it behind us."

...

...

The next few days returned to something that looked like normal.

West trained, moved through his routines, checked in on Jax and Nina and handled minor affairs.

On Monday, West stood in front of the Shadow Reapers base.

Construction had advanced rapidly.

The outer walls were smooth, reinforced with layered materials that reflected both modern engineering and awakened-world adaptation. Smooth metallic panels lined with embedded energy conduits ran along the perimeter, giving the entire structure an almost living glow.

Inside, workers moved hastily while machinery vibrated loudly as they worked.

Automated systems were being installed... security grids, surveillance arrays, internal transport systems...

The place was beginning to look less like a construction site and more like a headquarters.

West stepped inside and met Aria with a clipboard in hand, giving instructions and coordinating teams.

She spotted him almost immediately and her expression softened.

"You came."

She leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek with a hearty smile.

"How was your trip?" She questioned with a look of concern.

"Oh very eventful. A lot happened but things are under control now," West responded with a light chuckle.

She moved to his back and massaged his shoulders a little. "Maybe you can tell me all about it later..."

"Maybe," West smirked before adding; "How’s it looking?"

Aria turned, gesturing around. "Better than expected."

She walked beside him as they moved deeper into the structure.

"Main operations wing is nearly complete."

"Security systems are being integrated."

"Living quarters are about ninety percent done."

"Training facilities—almost finished."

West in every detail, angle and potential vulnerability.

"...Good."

Aria glanced at him. "You don’t sound impressed."

"I am," West answered genuinely. "I’m just thinking ahead."

She smiled faintly. "Of course you are."

They stopped near a large open space that would soon become the central operations hub.

West crossed his arms slightly, looking out over it.

"...Once this is done..." he voiced with a low tone. "...things change."

Aria nodded. "I know."

She proceeded to hold his hand, interlocking her fingers with his. "Isn’t that the aim? Change?"

West’s gaze turned focused. "Precisely."

.—

West spent the rest of the day taking care of one thing or another, including the security detail for Debra and Dr Amos so he ended up missing personal training session with Lianhua.

He promised to make it up to her the next day and he proceeded to do just that.

•••

•••

•••

~ Tuesday ~

The whir of air conditioning rang out in the personal gym room in Renzhi’s residence while the scent of fresh rubber mats and faint sweat lingered in the air.

Floor-to-ceiling mirrors lined one wall, reflecting an array of equipment: treadmills, weight benches, and free weights.

West had arrived just minutes ago with his gym bag slung over one shoulder while dressed in a fitted black tank top that hugged his broad chest and loose shorts that did little to hide the powerful lines of his legs.

Lianhua was already there, waiting as instructed with her body trapped in a very sexy workout ensemble.

She wore a cropped sports bra that outlined her heavy breasts with the thin fabric leaving little to the imagination as it clung to her hardened nipples and high-waisted leggings that hugged her wide hips and round ass with the material so sheer it hinted at the lacy thong beneath.