Chapter 10 Alliance of Blood and Ambition

"Damn it..." Bianca coughed, waving a hand in front of her face to clear away the smoke. "Who hacked my system this fast?"

Thin smoke curled up from the wreckage of the monitor that had just exploded, filling the air with the acrid scent of burnt plastic and scorched circuitry. The red emergency lights of the old bunker flickered incessantly. Killian Moretti remained standing motionless, his golden eyes slowly dimming as the warning text faded from his vision.

Killian turned and looked at Bianca, who now appeared remarkably fragile beneath the glow of the emergency lights.

"That wasn't an ordinary hack. It was a direct warning."

"A warning? From who? Error 666?" Bianca struggled to her feet, her injured leg trembling. "Killian, this bunker shouldn't be traceable. My father spent millions of coins making sure this place was completely shielded."

"The System Master has methods your millions of coins can't comprehend, Bianca," Killian replied flatly.

He walked over to a large wooden table and sat in one of the old chairs. Giz crawled down from his shoulder and curled up on the tabletop like a vigilant black cat.

Bianca said nothing.

She crossed the room to a small safe in the corner, opened it with trembling hands, and pulled out a first-aid kit. Sitting on the floor with her back against the concrete wall, she began tearing apart the blood-soaked fabric of her pants.

Riiip!

The sound of ripping cloth echoed through the silent bunker. Bianca grimaced as she poured antiseptic over the deep cut on her thigh. She didn't complain. She didn't cry.

The dignity of a Valenti princess seemed to be the only thing keeping her from completely falling apart.

"You did well," Killian said suddenly.

Bianca looked up, a bloodstained piece of cotton still pressed against her skin.

"Did what? Run away like a sewer rat?"

"Stayed calm while your world collapsed." Killian gestured toward the destroyed monitor. "Most people would lose their minds if they found out the 'God' of this world had just called them by name."

A bitter laugh escaped Bianca.

"I lost everything before that monitor exploded, Killian. My parents, my family's wealth, even my name. What else is there left to fear?"

Killian leaned forward, his eyes locking onto hers.

"The greatest fear isn't losing what you have. It's realizing you don't have the power to take it back."

Bianca froze.

She stared at him for a long moment, searching for something hidden behind those golden eyes.

"And you... you have that power?"

"I have the Eyes of Evolution." Killian touched his temple. "I can see the paths they hide. I can turn an earthworm into a cosmic predator. And I can turn a fugitive like you into a queen standing atop their ruins."

Bianca wrapped her wound with practiced movements. Taking a deep breath, she gathered what remained of the authority she had once wielded as the operations manager of the Valenti faction.

"Let's talk business, Killian Moretti," she said, her voice steadier now. "You saved me. You protected me from Black-Steel. And now you're sitting in my bunker. What exactly do you want?"

"I need a brain," Killian answered without hesitation. "Giz can tear apart anything standing in my way, but I can't build an empire on brute force alone. I need someone who knows how to manage resources, manipulate the black market, and map enemy movements before they even pull the trigger."

"You want me to be your manager? A Valenti working for a failed Tamer from Team Vax?" Bianca narrowed her eyes.

"The current Valenti is a criminal in the eyes of the System, Bianca," Killian reminded her mercilessly. "The only reason you're still breathing is because I'm here. Vax and Valtor won't stop until they have your head."

Bianca fell silent.

She knew he was right.

The outside world had become a very small place for her.

"I have data," Bianca finally whispered. "Data on the Valtor family's energy supply routes. I have contacts among artifact traders in the Outer Sector. And I know how to bypass System security protocols without being detected."

"Interesting." Killian tapped his finger on the table. "Go on."

"I'm offering intelligence and full operational management." Bianca rose to her feet, using the table for support. "I'll handle logistics, recruit useful outcasts, and make sure the faction you build doesn't collapse because of internal betrayal."

"And in return?" Killian asked.

"Absolute protection."

She met his gaze directly.

"I want you to make sure not a single member of Black-Steel or the Valtor family can lay a hand on me. And... I want to see them kneel before me."

Killian rose from his chair, his cold aura gradually filling the cramped room. Giz hissed atop the table, as if sensing its master's excitement.

"Kneeling is too easy, Bianca," Killian said, his voice sounding like a whisper of death. "I'll make sure they're destroyed down to their roots. I'll harvest every drop of energy they possess for our evolution."

A chill crawled down Bianca's spine.

The way Killian spoke of destruction carried neither emotion nor anger. It was simply a logical and brutal plan.

"There's one more thing."

Bianca stopped Killian as he turned to walk toward the corner of the room.

"I'm used to order. I'm used to calculated strategy. But you... you fight as if you want to swallow this entire world whole. How do I know you won't swallow me too once I'm no longer useful?"

Killian stopped and glanced back.

"You can't know, Bianca. In this world, the only guarantee is power. If you're useful, you're my ally. If you betray me, you'll become nutrition for Giz."

"You're unbelievably brutal," Bianca muttered, though a trace of admiration lingered in her voice.

"This world doesn't give us a choice," Killian replied. "Now get some rest. That wound needs time to close. Tomorrow morning, we start building our foundation."

"Tomorrow?" Bianca frowned. "Where are we going?"

"An old warehouse on the outskirts of District Nine."

Killian walked over to a worn couch in the corner of the bunker and lay down without even taking off his jacket.

"It's large enough to start a synthesis laboratory. More importantly, it's gray-zone territory that's been ignored by the City Guardians."

That night passed in oppressive silence.

For reasons she couldn't explain, the man's presence gave her a strange sense of security, the kind of security that came from knowing an even greater monster was protecting her. But that feeling didn't last long. Exactly three hours after dawn broke, the purple glow in Giz's eyes suddenly turned blood-red. The creature released a low hiss, its body tensing as it stared toward the bunker ceiling, which had begun to tremble faintly.

Bzzzt... Bzzzt...

It wasn't the bunker alarm. Instead, an unfamiliar transmission suddenly played from the shattered remains of the destroyed monitor. A cold mechanical voice echoed through the darkness, shattering the silence of the night:

"Target detected at underground coordinates, District Nine. Mass Purge Protocol: Activation in 60 seconds."

How would Killian and Bianca escape the deadly encirclement with only sixty seconds remaining?

And who was the mastermind behind this Purge Protocol?