Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

Chapter 439: Chapter 439 The Old Abandoned Subway

The abandoned rail depot stood like a forgotten skeleton at the edge of the district, metal beams rusted, windows shattered, weeds growing through cracks in the concrete. Behind it, half hidden by collapsed fencing and years of neglect, was the entrance to the old subway tunnel.

The air felt colder there.

Irina stopped a few steps from the dark opening. Mikhail and Sergei flanked her automatically, eyes sharp, shoulders tense. The tunnel swallowed light. It looked like a throat leading into something that did not want to be disturbed.

Before any of them moved forward, Liam spoke softly.

”This is my part.”

They all turned.

He was standing slightly behind them a second ago.

Now he wasn’t.

Sergei frowned. Mikhail’s eyes narrowed. Irina opened her mouth to respond but before she could say anything, Liam’s presence simply vanished.

There was no dramatic blur. No loud sound. He was just gone.

The three wolves froze.

Even with their senses heightened, they had not felt him move.

They waited.

One second.

Five.

Ten.

Sergei’s nostrils flared as he tried to catch a scent trail. Nothing clear.

Irina stayed still, but her jaw tightened. She hated not being able to track someone.

Around twenty seconds later a sharp whooshing sound sliced through the air above them. It was brief, like wind cutting against steel.

And then he was there again.

Standing exactly where he had been before.

Hands relaxed at his sides. Expression calm.

As if he had never left.

Sergei’s lips parted slightly before he caught himself.

Mikhail did not blink but his posture changed. More alert now.

Irina stared at Liam carefully. ”You’re back.”

Liam nodded once. ”Did a quick survey around. Perimeter, rooftops, surrounding streets.”

”And?” Mikhail asked.

”It doesn’t look like a trap,” Liam replied. ”No hidden units nearby. No ambush squads. If it’s bait, it’s subtle.”

Sergei crossed his arms. ”Or you missed something.”

Liam looked at him. Not annoyed. Just steady. ”Possible.”

Irina stepped forward, her gaze returning to the mouth of the tunnel. ”Then we move.”

She inhaled slowly and then said, ”Let’s go.”

The four of them entered the darkness.

Their footsteps were nearly silent. Wolves moved differently when they wanted to. Light. Controlled. Every shift of weight deliberate.

The tunnel smelled of damp stone and rust. Old metal tracks lay half buried under dust. Water dripped somewhere in the distance.

The deeper they went, the colder it felt.

Irina paused mid step and inhaled sharply.

”I can smell multiple bodies up ahead,” she murmured.

Liam glanced at her from the side, one brow lifting slightly.

That is one weird way of saying there are people here, he thought to himself.

He didn’t say it aloud.

They continued forward.

The darkness gradually thinned. A faint glow appeared deeper inside the tunnel, flickering against the walls. It wasn’t natural light. It looked like lanterns or industrial lamps set up temporarily.

Then came the voices.

Low at first. Echoing faintly through the tunnel.

Liam strained his hearing. At this distance he caught only fragments. Murmurs. Shifts of tone.

He stepped ahead of the group without warning.

Sergei’s hand twitched immediately. Mikhail’s eyes followed him sharply.

Irina said nothing.

Liam did not look back. He moved lightly, hugging the shadowed side of the tunnel wall. His focus narrowed completely. The others were strong, but his hearing and speed were different.

Closer now.

The light grew stronger.

The voices became clearer.

”...all I need right now is the goal ahead,” a rough voice said. Confident. Commanding. ”Then we take the fight to them.”

Liam slowed.

He still couldn’t see the speakers. A bend in the tunnel blocked his line of sight. But the sound carried clearly now.

He leaned slightly toward the curve in the wall.

Another voice answered, calmer. Cooler. Controlled.

”We are not here for your little vampire werewolf war. We are here for something important.”

The first speaker did not respond immediately.

Silence followed.

Not the awkward kind. The respectful kind.

Liam’s eyes sharpened.

The second voice held authority. Real authority. The kind that made others wait.

He shifted closer, careful not to disturb loose gravel under his boots.

More words drifted toward him.

”The ritual proceeds as planned,” someone else said nervously. ”Resources are in place. The blood shipments have been secured.”

Blood shipments.

Liam’s jaw tightened slightly.

A different voice now, older perhaps. ”If the Ancient rises before we are ready, we lose leverage.”

Ancient.

So it wasn’t just rumor.

The cooler voice spoke again, smooth and precise. ”He will rise when he chooses. Our concern is positioning. Power shifts are inevitable. We must ensure we are aligned with the winning side.”

Aligned.

Liam’s mind worked quickly.

This was bigger than just wolves versus vampires.

This sounded political. Strategic.

Power players.

He risked a slight lean past the tunnel bend.

Now he could see the edge of the gathering.

Several figures stood around a makeshift platform. Industrial lamps cast long shadows across the concrete. Some were clearly vampires. Pale skin. Sharp posture. Eyes that reflected light strangely.

But not all of them.

There were others.

Men in tailored coats. One older woman with silver hair tied neatly back. Another figure wearing gloves despite the underground heat.

Humans?

”...we cannot afford sentiment,” the calm voice continued. ”When the Master wakes, there will be chaos. We profit from chaos.”

Liam felt something cold settle in his chest.

Profit.

They were treating this like a business opportunity.

The rough voice from earlier snapped back. ”You speak of profit while our kind is hunted.”

”And you speak of pride while your kind weakens,” the calm one replied. ”Adapt or be erased.”

A faint murmur rippled through the group.

Liam exhaled slowly through his nose.

He still could not clearly identify who was leading the conversation. The calm speaker stood slightly obscured by others. Deliberate positioning perhaps.

Footsteps shifted behind Liam.

He didn’t turn but he knew the others had moved closer.

Irina’s scent was near now.

Very low, almost against his ear, she whispered, ”What are they saying?”

”Ancient,” Liam whispered back. ”Ritual. Blood shipments. They’re positioning for when he wakes.”

Sergei’s breathing grew heavier for a second before he controlled it.

Mikhail’s voice was barely audible. ”So it’s true.”

Up ahead, the conversation shifted again.

”We cannot delay much longer,” someone insisted. ”The wolves are mobilizing.”

A few heads turned at that.

The calm voice answered without panic. ”Let them. They still think this is about territory.”

Liam’s eyes darkened.

They were underestimating the wolves.

”We move when the signal comes,” the calm voice concluded. ”Until then, maintain silence. No unnecessary bloodshed. No attention.”

No unnecessary bloodshed.

That explained the recent quiet in the city.

They were restraining themselves.

Preparing.

Liam leaned back slightly into shadow.

This was no random gathering.

This was planning at the highest level.

He glanced briefly at Irina. Her expression was hard, controlled. Sergei looked ready to charge in immediately. Mikhail was calculating.

Liam looked forward again toward the light and the gathered figures.

He still didn’t know who the calm speaker was.

But he knew one thing.

This meeting was far more dangerous than they expected.

And crashing it blindly would be a mistake.

He narrowed his eyes and focused on the voice again, trying to catch every word before deciding what to do next.