From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 133: Your First Mission

The next day at school, lunch rolled around like usual, and the familiar six had claimed their usual spot in the canteen.

Jay, Joe, and Max on one side of the table. Cindy, Abby, and Sheri on the other.

Sheri had been pulled along again, though this time she hadn’t resisted much. Normally, she preferred to eat alone. Sure, a few people might sit at the same table, but they rarely said a word to her. So when Cindy basically dragged her over, she was hesitant... but deep down, a little glad to be included.

As they sat down, it didn’t take Cindy long to start talking. She wasted no time jumping into what happened the day before.

She told them about the Seaton Academy girls, about the ambush, and even mentioned that some of the girls behind it were from this very school. Of course, those girls conveniently hadn’t shown up today.

But before Cindy could finish her story,

THUD.

Jay’s fist slammed against the table.

”Those Seaton Academy girls?!” he said, eyes wide. ”I can’t believe they pulled something like that, after we formed an alliance with them!”

”Hey, calm down, big guy,” Joe said, raising an eyebrow. ”Clearly everything worked out. I mean, just look at these three. They’re glowing.” He flashed a wink that made Abby roll her eyes and Sheri look away. A shared internal cringe passed silently between them all.

Still, Jay wasn’t letting it go.

”We should talk to them, Max,” he said, leaning in. ”What’s the point of an alliance if they’re out here threatening girls from our school?”

”Wait, wait!” Cindy interrupted, holding up both hands. ”You didn’t let me finish.”

She leaned forward.

”There was this girl, Aki. She’s the one who came in and actually saved us. She’s from Seaton too. So technically... they did help us.”

Jay’s clenched jaw slowly relaxed. He sat back, still frowning, but the fire in his eyes was fading.

Max and Joe exchanged a glance. Jay really was a sweet guy, fiery when he cared, but his heart was always in the right place.

Now that Max was thinking about it, Aki hadn’t just helped the girls.

She had helped him, too, even back when they weren’t on the same side.

”Wait,” Abby said suddenly, breaking his thoughts. ”We were wondering earlier, why did that Aki girl fight against her own people to help us? Could it have been because of this... alliance?”

”What do you mean you guys have an alliance with them?” she added, looking at each of the boys.

The question made Jay, Joe, and Max exchange a few quick glances.

They rarely talked about the state of the school, or what happened outside of it, with the girls. Not because they didn’t want to, but because... how would they even start to explain the kind of world they were part of? A world full of codes, conflict, and unspoken rules.

Joe finally broke the silence.

”It’s just like... an agreement,” he said. ”You know, there are troublemakers everywhere. Kind of like Dipter was here.”

He leaned back slightly, trying to keep his explanation surface-level. ”If someone from their school sees someone from our school in trouble, they help. And we do the same. That’s what the alliance is about.”

The other two were quietly relieved, Joe had actually explained it well without diving into the rougher, more violent parts of what that alliance sometimes meant.

But then Sheri spoke up.

”Does the alliance have anything to do with the Bloodline Gym?” she asked.

The table fell still.

That caught even Max off guard. Sure, plenty of delinquents trained there, but it was still kind of a niche thing. Most regular students didn’t pay attention to the logo.

”I saw those girls from Seaton wearing it,” Sheri continued. ”And I think I’ve seen a few students here wearing it too. Is it like... part of the alliance? Is everyone connected by the same clothing or something?”

Jay looked over at Max, unsure of how to answer.

More importantly, unsure of how Max wanted it answered.

Then Max casually placed his phone on the table and slid it toward the center.

”It’s not like that,” Max said. ”It just seems like the brand’s trending right now.”

He scrolled through the Bloodline Gym Binstagram page. Post after post showed students from different schools, guys, girls, athletes, fighters, all wearing the same streetwear. The signature logo was everywhere. The captions were filled with hashtags, location tags, and subtle nods to something deeper.

The others leaned in as Max flipped through, and someone pointed out one post.

”That’s them,” Cindy said, pointing at the screen. ”Those are the Seaton girls from yesterday.”

Max smirked slightly but said nothing.

Because he knew the truth.

The brand wasn’t just trending, it was moving. Quietly building something bigger than anyone at that table fully realized.

”Oh, so they’re being sponsored by the company, then?” Cindy said, watching the phone screen. ”Makes sense. I’ve heard of brands doing stuff like that. Wasn’t that how another gym brand started too, Gym Fish or something?”

Sheri’s face fell just slightly at the comment. The explanation was logical, typical even. A company investing in a gym, some branded clothing, a few influencer types... nothing strange about that.

Still, she felt a twinge of disappointment.

Why? she thought. That’s the more normal answer, right?

But it didn’t feel satisfying. It felt... off.

”I didn’t realize you were into fashion, Max,” Abby said, teasing gently. ”You knew about this trend before the rest of us.”

”Just heard some people talking about it in class,” Max replied coolly, sliding his phone back into his pocket like it was nothing.

Abby smiled. ”Well, I’m just glad you’re not getting hurt or involved in anything dangerous anymore.”

”You shouldn’t be worried about me,” Max said, leaning forward slightly. ”You should be worried about yourselves. You three were the ones who almost got hurt. We’re fine. Don’t stress.”

But Abby was stressed, quietly.

Kira’s words from yesterday still lingered in her mind. About Max being the ”leader” of the school. She’d brushed it off then, but now... with everything about this alliance, the connection to the gym, and how oddly calm Max was about it all, her gut told her there was more.

Part of her even wondered, was Max the one who helped them?

And if he was... why didn’t he just say it?

That thought stuck with her. She didn’t like the idea of him stepping into something dangerous for their sake. She didn’t want to owe him that.

Without saying a word, Abby reached into her bag and slid something across the table toward him. She gently took Max’s hand and placed the item in his palm.

”I didn’t get a chance to leave it at your desk today,” she said, avoiding his gaze. ”So I figured I’d give it to you in person.”

Max unfolded the small note and saw exactly what he expected. Another joke.

”Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long?”

”Because then it would be a foot!”

Max stared at the note, the corners of his mouth pulling into the widest grin he’d worn in days.

”So... it was you,” he said, looking up at Abby with pure amusement.

”You just figured that out?” she giggled, eyes sparkling. ”I thought I was being really obvious.”

Max shook his head, still smiling, a rare kind of warmth filling his chest. For a moment, everything felt simple. Light.

But then,

Bzzz.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

He glanced at the screen.

[Chrono: The Rejected Corps]

The smile faded just slightly. His thumb hovered for half a second, then he answered, lifting the phone to his ear.

Chrono’s voice came through, low and direct.

”I’ve got your first mission as a member of the Rejected Corps,” he said. ”I’ll pick you up after school.”