Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

The Law Enforcement Bureau? Wolfe’s casual attitude evaporated, though he wasn’t quite panicking yet. He frowned.

”What does the Law Enforcement Bureau have to do with this? Who the hell took them?”

He wasn’t fully rattled—not yet, anyway. After all, Skye had been suspended today, and with that precedent, Wolfe figured the Law Enforcement Bureau wouldn’t make a move on him anytime soon.

”It was Freya,” Frost replied, voice tense. ”When the awakened troublemakers saw they couldn’t handle, they started popping pills and went off the rails—got mentally disturbed and infected. Freya and her team showed up, and now they’re all hauled off.”

”There’s Law Enforcement Bureau personnel everywhere outside,” he added. ”Other teams have been deployed already.”

Skye and Nash exchanged a look. Their eyes narrowed in unison. It was like a punch to the gut. If they didn’t get it now, they’d be complete idiots.

This wasn’t just some lost gambling money. No, this was a trap. Otherwise, the police haven’t come yet, and the law enforcement department has come first. Damn the infected, it takes more than a moment to get infected.

”Is the Law Enforcement Bureau out of their minds?” Nash scoffed. ”What the hell’s the point of them taking your men? Wolfe, don’t worry. I’ll go handle it now.”

At first, Nash seemed worried, but then he just laughed. If they had solid proof, they’d come after Wolfe directly. The fact that they were taking his men instead? It was just a move to screw with him.

Wolfe, however, didn’t share Nash’s optimism. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, though he was anything but relaxed. Nash didn’t understand the full scope of his operation. Wolfe knew exactly who his men were—and how dangerous they could be. That’s why he kept them low-key. They didn’t make a scene unless absolutely necessary.

”Frost, get me the list of names. I need to know who they’ve arrested.” Wolfe’s voice was sharp now. ”And send someone to clean up whatever mess is left. Now.”

......

Meanwhile, outside the Law Enforcement Bureau, Skye didn’t have time to go over all the details of the plan with Vexler. By the time they got everyone into the interrogation room, Vexler’s phone was blowing up.

Skye stood just outside the room, listening to the old director’s firm, no-nonsense voice on the other end. A bitter smile tugged at his lips. He hadn’t planned on dragging the old man into this mess, but now, it was all or nothing.

He pushed open the door to the interrogation room, the hesitation in his eyes fading as a more ruthless, iron-willed demeanor took its place.

The awakened in front of him were bound tightly with thick cow tendon ropes, cursing up a storm.

”Are you out of your fucking mind? Even if there was an infected person, it wasn’t me, it was the troublemaker. Why the hell am I getting arrested?!” The man spat, but before he could say anything more, a pill was shoved into his mouth.

Skye sat across from him, eyes cold and unwavering. “Your name. Real name.”

Wolfe’s men weren’t all on the list they’d received. So even though they’d caught more than a dozen people, Skye wasn’t confident that they’d gotten the right ones. But if one of them turned out to be on the list? That could be the break they needed.

It was 1:30 in the morning, half an hour since the interrogation had started. After a constant stream of phone calls, Vexler finally had a chance to check on the situation.

Standing in the monitoring room next to the interrogation room, Vexler watched as the suspects were brought in one by one, noticing Skye’s tense frown.

“How many more suspects do we have?”

“Two left, Chief.”

They’d already interrogated seven out of the nine people they’d caught. It was clear Skye still hadn’t gotten the answers he was after.

Axel stood quietly, watching the flow of people coming and going. The wound on his side gave off a faint, metallic scent, and he felt a little light-headed, but he was holding it together.

He hadn’t spoken much since arriving. If they hadn’t found what they were looking for by now, it would only mean one thing: they were just unlucky.

In the interrogation room, Skye wiped the sweat off his brow and looked at the next suspect, who was tied up in front of him. With practiced ease, he slipped a Truth Pill into the man’s mouth.

They’d questioned seven people so far, and none of them had given names that matched the ones on their list. All of them had been hired by Wolfe from the streets at a high price. None of them could answer his other questions, either.

Skye stared at the elderly man in front of him, his eyes narrowing slightly. He’d asked the same question seven times already tonight.

”Your name. Tell me your real name.”

The old man blinked, then spat out, ”Reid.”

The air in the room went still.

Skye’s head snapped up. His bloodshot eyes locked onto the old man’s face.

Freya paused, then let out a quiet gasp. She looked through the one-way glass, where she knew Vexler, Axel, and Kieran were all watching. They hadn’t had a moment of rest in hours.

This was the moment Skye had been waiting for. He cleared his throat and asked the next question, voice icy.

”Your face looks different than before.”

Skye stared at him, recognizing the man’s face, but barely. The photos on their list were from years ago, and he didn’t have Axel’s ability to remember every detail from a fleeting glance.

Reid’s lips trembled, his face turning pale. Sweat began to bead on the back of his neck.

He understood now. The question about his “real name” had been aimed straight at him.

His public identity was a lie.

”Do you recognize anyone on this list?”

Skye slid a piece of paper across the table. Reid scanned it quickly, his eyes flicking over the names before his body jerked slightly in shock.

Outside the interrogation room, Vexler stood still, listening to the exchange. A sense of relief washed over him. He could tell they were finally on the right track.

”Mr. Vexler, I think I need to congratulate you in advance,” the young man who’d been following him said, a smug grin spreading across his face. He seemed totally relaxed, as if all the previous tension had never existed. His handsome features remained calm and confident.

Vexler turned his head, his lips curling slightly into a smile. “Vince, don’t make fun of me.”

“I know these four people,” Reid muttered, his voice tight, like he was forcing the words out between clenched teeth. He pointed at the A4 paper in front of Skye, his face going even paler as he spoke.

Truth Pills didn’t make people lose consciousness, but they forced honesty—no one could lie when they’d taken one. That’s why the drug was banned from the market; it was too powerful.

Skye leaned in slowly, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “This is the list I got from Wolfe. Everyone on it has made a choice. Some accepted it, others refused. Tell me, what exactly is this?”

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