Evan didn’t linger in the Black & White Lounge.

  After confirming his place in the elegant lady’s team and clarifying a few details, he left.

  They had agreed to meet at 7 a.m. tomorrow.

  Tonight, he needed rest.

  He took a cab toward Bluewave Bathhouse.

  But two hundred meters away, traffic slowed to a crawl.

  Evan’s pupils tightened.

  He immediately told the driver to stop.

  Police vehicles surrounded the bathhouse.

  A checkpoint had been set up — every car was being inspected.

  Is this a routine anti?vice sweep… or did the Zhao family track me here?

  With Elias Zhao’s influence in the Muke Republic, mobilizing Blackrock City’s authorities was trivial.

  Evan paid the fare and slipped into the pedestrian flow, turning back the way he came.

  But after only a few steps, he felt it—

  Someone was watching him.

  He quickened his pace.

  A man in a military?green trench coat also sped up behind him.

  Zhao family’s personal guard.

  Evan didn’t recognize the man, but the uniform was unmistakable.

  Zhao’s personal guard units were all Cocoon?tier or above.

  He noticed me getting out early… damn.

  Evan forced himself to stay calm and walked toward a small park.

  It was early winter.

  Cold.

  Dark.

  Almost no one around.

  The dim park lights stretched his shadow long across the ground.

  He headed straight for the public restroom, acting like a man desperate to pee.

  Behind him, the trench?coat man clutched his stomach and jogged after him —

  also pretending to need the restroom.

  He entered the men’s room.

  Empty.

  He checked every stall.

  Nothing.

  His expression darkened.

  He rushed into the women’s restroom.

  Also empty.

  He didn’t know that the moment he entered the men’s room, Evan had slipped out of the women’s room and sprinted away.

  Realizing he’d been tricked, the guard bolted out and scanned the area.

  Fresh footprints in the grass.

  He took off after them.

  The Chase

  Evan ran at full speed.

  No time to hide his tracks.

  The guard would catch up soon.

  He couldn’t outrun a Cocoon?tier evolutionist.

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  His only chance was to reach a main road and grab a taxi.

  But then—

  A figure stepped into his path.

  A lean young man.

  Scar across half his face.

  Predatory eyes.

  Garon.

  The same troublemaker from the Black Lounge.

  He wasn’t here by coincidence.

  He had followed Evan.

  I checked when I left… he must have a stealth skill or artifact.

  Evan didn’t slow down.

  He couldn’t.

  He didn’t fear Garon —

  but he had no time to waste.

  The Zhao family’s guard could appear any second.

  He needed to end this fast.

  Garon sneered.

  “Trying to fight me? You’ve got guts. But trash raised on family money — even with fancy skills — you’re nothing in front of me.”

  But despite his words, he stepped back cautiously.

  He hadn’t survived this long by being reckless.

  Evan didn’t respond.

  At ten meters away, he activated Rhino Charge.

  His speed exploded.

  He became a blur.

  Garon reacted quickly, retreating while firing three Water Arrows from his fingertips.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Two missed completely.

  One hit Evan—

  And did nothing.

  “What—?!”

  Garon’s eyes widened.

  He didn’t know how powerful Rhino Charge was.

  Rhino Charge:

  Short?range burst dash.

  Massive speed boost.

  Massive defense boost.

  Hard to hit.

  For a brief moment, Evan was nearly invulnerable.

  In the blink of an eye, Evan reached him —

  and activated Ant Strength.

  Ant Strength:

  Triple strength for 2 seconds.

  After Evan’s evolution, the skill had grown even stronger.

  Garon finally panicked.

  He raised a hand, forming a stone shield—

  Rock Shield, a defensive skill from the Rock Scorpion beast.

  At the same time, he drew a dagger and stabbed at Evan.

  Evan’s eyes hardened.

  He unleashed his newest skill—

  Needle Strike.

  Needle Strike:

  Concentrate all power into a single point.

  Deliver a piercing blow.

  He wanted to see what happened when triple strength met perfect piercing.

  His strongest attack.

  Evan extended one finger.

  And thrust.

  There was no explosion.

  No dramatic sound.

  Just—

  A soft pop.

  The Rock Shield was pierced like wet paper.

  Evan’s finger continued forward—

  straight through Garon’s chest—

  and into his heart.

  Garon froze.

  Disbelief.

  Rage.

  Regret.

  Then nothing.

  His dagger slipped from his fingers.

  His eyes dimmed.

  Evan felt the heartbeat against his fingertip fade away.

  He pulled his bloody hand back, jaw tight.

  He hadn’t wanted this.

  They had no real feud.

  Garon had followed him probably just to teach him a lesson.

  But Evan had no choice.

  Garon blocked his path.

  And with enemies behind him, even a delay could mean death.

  In the few days since he arrived in this world, several people had already died directly or indirectly because of him.

  He didn’t want it.

  But he wanted to live.

  He took a deep breath, stripped off his blood?stained jacket, wiped his hands, and tossed it aside.

  Then he searched Garon’s body.

  A phone.

  A card pouch.

  And—

  A small, smooth toe bone.

  When Evan infused a bit of evolution force into it, it glowed faint crimson.

  A first?tier artifact.

  He hadn’t expected that.

  Artifacts were rare and valuable — often worth more than extracts of the same tier.

  He pocketed everything and ran.

  Evan’s first kill wasn’t glorious.

  It wasn’t heroic.

  It wasn’t even intentional.

  It was survival.

  And now, with the Zhao family’s guard closing in, the night is far from over.

  If you were Evan, would you keep running… or turn and fight?