Evan sprinted to the curb and jumped into a taxi.

  Only when the car pulled away did he finally exhale — alive, for now.

  He couldn’t stay in the Muke Republic.

  The Zhao family had traced him to the bathhouse; if he’d been inside, he might already be in custody.

  And after killing Garon, it wouldn’t take long for Elias Zhao’s people to brand him a fugitive — wanted across the city.

  As long as I can get out tomorrow… just survive tonight.

  He rifled through Garon’s phone and card pouch.

  He wasn’t interested in petty theft — he wanted to erase traces.

  If the Zhao family followed the membership card back to the Black & White Lounge, they’d find the bar and everyone connected to it.

  When the taxi passed a public restroom, Evan asked the driver to stop.

  He tossed Garon’s phone and card into the squat toilet and watched them disappear down the drain.

  Then he had the driver drop him near the lounge — but he didn’t go back inside.

  If the Zhao family had surrounded the place, returning would be walking into a trap.

  Instead, he ducked into a 24?hour convenience store a block away, bought a coffee, and settled into a corner to wait until dawn.

  Reflection

  He replayed the fight with Garon in his head.

  In raw stats, Garon might have been stronger — a local prodigy with solid skills and physicality.

  Evan’s victory came from synergy, not brute force.

  Rhino Charge closed the distance and made him hard to hit.

  Ant Strength multiplied his power.

  Needle Strike focused that power into a single, lethal point.

  That combo was his signature:

  extreme burst damage, one?hit kills.

  But it had weaknesses — if the combo failed, he could be left exposed.

  He was a high?explosive, low?durability assassin.

  Still, among Chrysalis?tier fighters, few could withstand that kind of concentrated burst.

  He’d also just completed his first evolution, which meant he could absorb more extracts.

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  But Blackrock City didn’t stock second?tier S?grade extracts, so he’d postpone that plan until he reached the Rovan Federation.

  Evan pulled out the small toe bone he’d taken from Garon and examined it.

  He’d looked it up online — low?tier artifacts like this were often cataloged.

  This one was called Tracewalker.

  Tracewalker granted Traceless Movement:

  no footprints, no sound, slight speed boost.

  Practical, not flashy — perfect for a stalker.

  No wonder Garon had been tailing him so quietly.

  A Familiar Voice

  “Dr. Lewis, what would you like to drink?”

  Evan looked up.

  The elegant woman and her bodyguard were standing over him.

  The bodyguard — Yvonne Hart — was the same vigilant woman from the lounge.

  The elegant woman was the employer:

  Dr. Wendy Lewis.

  Evan had assumed Dr. Lewis was a wealthy socialite with a powerful protector.

  But the way Yvonne addressed her — so deferential — suggested something else.

  Dr. Lewis wasn’t just privileged; she carried a quiet authority.

  “Just water,” Dr. Lewis replied.

  “And Yvonne, I told you — no need to be so formal.”

  Yvonne smiled but kept her professional composure.

  Evan stood and greeted them.

  “Dr. Lewis, Ms. Hart.”

  They relaxed slightly when they recognized him.

  Yvonne asked, “What are you doing here?”

  “Coffee,” Evan said with a grin, patting the seat beside him. “Care to join?”

  Dr. Lewis and Yvonne exchanged a look.

  They’d planned to wait here until dawn as well, so they sat.

  Evan noticed the plain cup of water in front of Dr. Lewis and offered,

  “Water’s boring. Let me get you a milk tea.”

  Dr. Lewis’s eyes lit up — then she frowned in mock?scientific concern.

  “Milk tea makes you fat. It contains trans fats that are hard to metabolize.

  Even Chrysalis?tier bodies shouldn’t have more than one cup a day.”

  She sounded like she was lecturing a student —

  but the way she said it made it clear she loved milk tea.

  “I already had one this morning,” she added with a small smile.

  Evan laughed and went to the shop next door — Snowy Tea — and bought two milk teas.

  When he returned, Dr. Lewis cradled the cup like a treasure and took a careful sip.

  Yvonne didn’t touch hers — professionalism first.

  The milk tea thawed the conversation.

  Evan and Dr. Lewis chatted casually; she was warm and intelligent.

  Over the course of their talk he learned her full name:

  Dr. Wendy Lewis, originally from the Eastley Republic.

  Her presence here was odd — Eastley and the Muke Republic were separated by the Rovan Federation; travel wasn’t straightforward.

  Whatever had brought her to the Muke Republic had also brought trouble.

  Dr. Lewis was tight?lipped about her own affairs.

  When the conversation turned away from milk tea, she clammed up — sharp, precise, and guarded.

  Evan sensed she was used to keeping secrets.

  He had another reason to talk to her.

  “Big sister,” he said casually, “what’s your phone number?”

  Dr. Wendy Lewis finally steps into the spotlight — brilliant, mysterious, and clearly running from something big.

  But what exactly is she hiding?

  And why does someone like her need a small army to cross the mountains?

  If you were Evan, would you trust her… or keep your guard up?