Chapter 404

The night grew deeper.

The villa complex was shrouded in silence.

Joyce sat alone by her window, gazing longingly into the thick darkness outside.

Hers was the only room still lit in the entire complex, its light shining out as if guiding someone through the night—though even she wasn’t sure who she was waiting for.

At last, a shadowy figure stepped out from the depths of the night.

Joyce bolted downstairs and flung the door open. “You’re finally here.”

“I’m beat. Let me crash here tonight,” he muttered.

Under the porch light, his black mask took shape—a vicious, man-eating beast.

His blue eyes glinted with brooding menace and a deadly chill.

“Sure,” Joyce said without missing a beat.

She let him in, quickly scanning the area to make sure no one had followed, then shut the door behind them.

She led the guy in the mask to a guest room on the first floor, whispering, “My parents are already asleep, but they’re light sleepers, so…”

“Got it. I won’t make a sound,” he replied.

“Thanks,” Joyce murmured.

Without bothering to wash up, the guy flopped onto the bed and fell asleep instantly, clearly worn out.

Joyce quietly closed the door behind him and went back to her room, turned off the lights, and tried to rest.

But sleep wouldn’t come.

She was too excited.

Tonight, that man was her lucky break. He’d promised to break up Tuff and Kayla, giving her a chance to marry into the Prescott family.

The deal was simple: help him keep a low profile while he was in Lumova and provide a bit of financial support.

The Lambert family might not be as loaded as the Prescott family, but they still had assets worth tens of millions.

If marrying Tuff was on the table, she’d offer up half her family’s fortune without hesitation.

‘In the end, Tuff, you’ll belong to me…’ Joyce vowed to herself.

Back at Project Azureveil, Landon stopped in his tracks, feeling a pang of reluctance.

He wasn’t part of the Flying Tiger Sect anymore, so he didn’t have access now.

Tuff scanned his face and iris to unlock the door, grinning as he teased, “Ever regret quitting?”

“Nope,” Landon replied coolly.

Landon straightened his collar with a touch of aristocratic pride.

As they walked through the Project Azureveil base, everyone they passed greeted them with respect. “Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Prescott.”

Landon walked ahead, with Tuff following close behind.

Badge or no badge, Landon still got all the respect around here.

And he didn’t even have to lift a finger.

Landon shot Tuff a smug look, and Tuff just shrugged. “Fine, you’re still the boss.”

They made their way to the records room and had a colleague bring up the Limitless Sect’s files.

Brian’s parents were immigrants—named Malakai Shawn and Carley Shawn.

They were pretty ordinary-sounding names, the kind you’d never peg for spies.

They rifled through the files until they finally came across something special—a photo that stood out from the rest.

It was just a random street snapshot:

The background was a mess, packed with people everywhere.

In the middle of the crowd, a boy about seven or eight suddenly turned around and flashed a huge grin right at the camera.

At first glance, one would think he was just some mischievous kid who photobombed the shot for fun.

If one looked a little closer, something just didn’t add up.

Even in the crowded chaos, the boy locked eyes with the camera—like he knew exactly where to look.

The photo was tucked away in the Limitless Sect’s archives, forgotten and gathering dust ever since the sect was wiped out.

“Is that him? Doesn’t really look like it…” Tuff picked up the photo and ran it through the machine for a close-up.

But the resolution sucked, so the more they zoomed in, the blurrier it got.

“Lucas, can you restore this?” Landon rolled his eyes at Tuff.

‘All these years in the organization, and he still hasn’t learned how to restore a photo? What a dummy,’ Landon thought.

With the tech guy’s help, they aged up the photo of the little boy.

The face that appeared was all too familiar—it was Brian Shawn.

‘No way, it’s really him? So it really was Brian all along…’ Landon thought, stunned.

“I never saw that coming…” Tuff sighed, left completely speechless, crushed by disappointment.

Their connection to Brian was all thanks to Kayla.

He was good-looking, a top-notch doctor, and had an amazing personality—basically flawless.

But now, Tuff had become Brian’s worst enemy.

Tuff didn’t just kill Malakai and Carley. He wiped out the entire Limitless Sect.

There was just no way the vendetta could ever be forgiven.

“No one with blue eyes…” Landon kept flipping through the files, muttering to himself.

As for Tuff, let him sulk in the corner. The guy’s got zero mental fortitude.

But no matter how hard they searched, there wasn’t a single member with blue eyes in the records.

Guess we’ll have to go straight to Brian.

After a moment’s thought, Landon dialed Brian’s number.

“Mr. Kingsley?” Brian answered, his voice as gentle as ever.

Landon matched his tone, speaking more gently. “Dr. Shawn, my sister’s illness has been cured.”

“Yes, she mentioned it to me,” Brian replied gently.

“Where are you now?” Landon asked.

“I’m in Dreicean,” Brian answered.

The Limitless Sect was located in Dreicean, and Brian had gone back for the New Year.

He might not have brought up the Limitless Sect, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t weighing on his mind.

Landon couldn’t help but feel for Brian.

He had this massive grudge staring him in the face and still had to act friendly with the guy who ruined his life.

He’s gotta have a real strong sense of justice to pull that off.

“Is something up, Mr. Kingsley?” Brian asked.

Landon took a breath. “It’s nothing major, but Kayla’s been going through some things lately. Not sure if she told you.”

“What happened?” Brian replied.

“Someone deliberately broke Maggie’s leg on New Year’s Eve, and Raymond got shot in Dreicean,” Landon said.

“Is it serious?” Brian asked.

Brian’s first thought was, ‘Looks like it’s time for me to step in as a doctor.’

“They’re stable now. But I’m worried about Kayla. I don’t know who the Prescott family pissed off, and I’m afraid she might be in danger too,” Landon said.

“I’ll be there right away!” Brian replied without hesitation.

Landon couldn’t shake off a strange feeling.

From what he could tell, Brian was still in the dark about what the blue-eyed man had done.

‘Would Brian helping out the Prescotts just make the blue-eyed guy even angrier?’ Landon wondered.

“Dr. Shawn, you don’t need to worry. I’ve already identified the target,” Landon said.

“Who is it?” he asked without a second thought, not realizing he was walking right into a trap.

Landon twirled his pen, his eyes half-narrowed. “A man with blue eyes and a black mask.”

There was a clear, audible intake of breath on the other end.

Landon thought, ‘Brian knew that man—no doubt about it.’