“Arthur.”

  Rey’s voice cut through the silence.

  “You have a mission.”

  Arthur was asleep on the narrow bed inside his X-Cut room. His eyes snapped open instantly. No confusion. No hesitation. His hand moved on instinct, reaching for his weapon as he sat upright.

  “What’s the mission?” he asked, voice steady.

  Rey didn’t waste time.

  “You’re going to the Pacific Ocean.”

  Arthur frowned slightly.

  “The Pacific Ocean? Why there?”

  Rey’s expression remained flat.

  “The IAD is making a move on San Diego.”

  Arthur tilted his head just slightly.

  “IAD?” he said, acting clueless.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Rey’s gaze didn’t waver.

  “The IAD is hunting us,” she said calmly.

  “They want us dead.”

  Arthur didn’t react outwardly. Instead, he grabbed his phone and quickly googled IAD. The result appeared almost instantly.

  International Aegis Division.

  So that’s what it stands for.

  Arthur looked back at her.

  “Why does the global police want us dead?”

  Rey’s expression remained unreadable.

  “They consider us criminals.”

  “Come on,” he said.

  “I just moved from a nice hospital room with AC yesterday… and now I’m stuck in this X-Cut junk room.”

  He glanced around briefly, unimpressed.

  “And now you’re telling me to fight the global police?”

  His tone was casual. Complaining. Normal.

  Inside, his mind was steady.

  Act natural. Don’t react. She can’t know I already know about IAD. Or about her.

  Rey didn’t seem bothered by his attitude.

  “We moved you because of a safety issue,” she replied flatly.

  Arthur frowned.

  “Safety?”

  She looked at him directly.

  “So we can monitor you.”

  A short pause.

  “There’s a hidden camera in this room.”

  Arthur stiffened—just a little. Enough to seem surprised. Not enough to seem alarmed.

  “…Seriously?” he muttered.

  Rey continued like it was nothing.

  “You’re important now, Arthur. We can’t afford blind spots.”

  Arthur ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

  “Great,” he said.

  “No privacy. No AC. And now I’ve got the world’s police after me.”

  He shook his head.

  “This keeps getting better.”

  Rey turned toward the door.

  “Get ready,” she said.

  “We’re moving soon.”

  She left without another word.

  Arthur remained seated. Expression calm. Heart steady.

  So you’re watching me, he thought. Fine.

  Just remember… I’m watching back.

  At the same time, in Antarctica—

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  Leaders of multiple nations were gathered at a secured summit facility, the icy winds outside howling against reinforced walls.

  Inside, tension filled the room.

  The Leader of the United States spoke first.

  “Should we assign her to the IAD mission?”

  A brief silence followed.

  The Leader of Italy leaned forward, visibly disturbed.

  “Are you out of your mind?”

  His voice hardened.

  “She’s infamous. A monster who wiped out a thousand armed men—every single one carrying top-tier weapons.”

  He paused.

  “And she did it with almost no effort.”

  The room fell silent.

  The Leader of Japan spoke next.

  “We have no other choice. X-Cut’s leader is a monster who slaughtered some of the strongest people on the planet using nothing but a pair of daggers and a pistol.”

  The Leader of China nodded slowly.

  “You’re absolutely right. Then let’s settle this between monsters—ours versus the X-Cut leader.”

  His voice turned cold.

  “That kid is monstrous.”

  A heavy silence settled before he continued.

  “If our monster wins, the victory is ours. If theirs wins… the world will fall under their domination.”

  One by one, the leaders in the room voiced their agreement. Reluctantly. Grimly.

  The Leader of Italy exhaled.

  “…Alright. Fine.”

  The Leader of Korea leaned forward.

  “She wanted to find her boyfriend, didn’t she?”

  A calculating pause.

  “Then we’ll use that. Tell her we found him… and that he’s been kidnapped by X-Cut.”

  The decision was made.

  Back in the X-Cut facility, Arthur was packing his things.

  After a moment, he stepped into the hallway, wandering around, trying to find Rey.

  Footsteps echoed behind him.

  A silver-haired guy approached, hands in his pockets.

  “Hey, dude,” he said casually.

  “What’re you doing here? Don’t you know this area’s off-limits to everyone except Rey and Nord?”

  Arthur kept his act.

  “Nord? Who’s that?”

  He adjusted the strap of his bag.

  “I’m trying to find Rey.”

  The silver-haired guy raised a brow.

  Arthur continued, sounding curious.

  “And why is Rey trying to protect this X-Cut base so much? Doesn’t she have others in different countries?”

  The guy studied him.

  “Don’t you know about the tech?”

  Arthur tilted his head slightly.

  “Tech?”

  The silver-haired guy froze for a second.

  His eyes sharpened.

  “…Wait.”

  A pause.

  “Are you Arthur Morgan?”

  Arthur didn’t flinch.

  “Arthur is fine. And yeah, I am.”

  The guy let out a quiet scoff.

  “Rey sure keeps a lot of secrets from you, huh?”

  Without another word, he turned and walked away.

  Arthur watched him leave. Face calm. Mind steady.

  After some time, he packed food and supplies and prepared for the official X-Cut aircraft he was going to board in three days.

  It was headed toward the center of the Pacific, where the IAD ship was moving toward San Diego.

  At the same time, on a heavily guarded island, a helicopter landed.

  The Leader of Italy stepped out.

  This was Prison Island.

  Without hesitation, he entered the facility and took an elevator down to the deepest level.

  The underground cells. Where the most dangerous criminals were kept.

  But now, there was no one else. Only her.

  She was that dangerous. And she was held captive there alone.

  He stepped inside the cell. The air felt heavier in here.

  She sat restrained against the reinforced wall — wrists chained, hips secured, legs locked in place, a steel collar around her neck.

  Her eyes followed him. Not fearful. Not broken. Watching.

  He crouched slightly and began unlocking the restraints.

  First her wrists. The metal cuffs clicked open.

  Then the restraints around her hips.

  Then her legs.

  Finally, he reached for the collar at her neck. The last lock disengaged with a sharp metallic snap.

  For a split second—silence.

  She rolled her shoulders slowly. Freedom settling into her limbs.

  Then—

  Her leg shot upward. A brutal kick slammed into his face. He staggered back, blood spraying from his nose.

  She rose halfway and spat at him. Disgust.

  Before she could move again—a guard reacted. Fast. A baton cracked across the side of her head. The impact echoed through the cell. Her body collapsed to the floor. Unconscious. The room went silent again.

  Her face remained hidden in the shadows.

  Her body was thin. Frail.

  Her once sunlit blonde hair was dirty and hardened with neglect, tangled and unwashed.

  Her dress was filthy—stained with urine, waste, and dried menstrual blood from months of confinement.

  Her nails had grown long and uneven.

  Her face was bruised in several places, swollen and discolored from past beatings.

  Her eyes looked exhausted. Dull.

  She had no visible muscle left on her frame.

  She looked broken.

  She was only sixteen.

  When she woke up, she saw the Leader of Italy standing in front of her.

  She looked at him.

  “Why did you release me?”

  A sudden, biting cold washed over her.

  Without a word, the Leader of Italy removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

  She slowly realized she was no longer in the cell.

  The air around her was cold. Icy.

  She lifted her eyes. Leaders from different nations stood in front of her, watching in silence.

  One of them spoke.

  “Why did you bother giving her your coat? You’ve always had a soft spot for her.”

  Another added coldly,

  “We agreed she would be raped every single day. Beaten. Tortured. Broken.”

  He looked at the Leader of Italy.

  “But you begged us to change it. Why?”

  The Leader of Italy answered calmly.

  “Her mother is my sister.”

  A pause.

  “She is my niece.”

  She heard everything. And she said nothing.

  The leaders turned their attention toward her.

  One of them asked,

  “Don’t you prefer peace over violence?”

  Another added,

  “The world’s peace is at stake.”

  She looked at them, dry and unbothered.

  “So what?” she asked.

  The Leader of Canada spoke.

  “We want you to fight an organization… where the leader is a kid—a monster.”

  Her tired eyes narrowed.

  “What about my boyfriend?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

  “Did you find him?”

  The Leader of Italy hesitated.

  “Sadly… we found him. But the organization we’re fighting kidnapped him, and they might have ki—”

  Before he could finish, she kicked him hard in the face.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whispered,

  “No… that would be ridiculous.”

  Her lips trembled.

  “He wouldn’t die.”

  Her shoulders shook slightly, holding back sobs.

  The room was silent, heavy with her pain.

  After a long pause, her tears slowly dried.

  Her exhausted eyes flickered with a small, fragile spark of determination.

  “I guess I have to accept the truth. I can’t meet him… he’s gone.”

  She drew in a slow, shuddering breath.

  “I’m going to avenge him.”

  And after a brief, heavy pause, she whispered,

  “I’m going to end myself.”

  The Leader of Italy stiffened.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice tight.

  “Don’t tell me…”

  “Yes,” she replied quietly.

  “I’m going to commit suicide… after I deal with that organization.”

  His voice trembled.

  “If you fail… you’ll die anyway. So be careful.”

  He turned away, unable to hide the sobs rising in his throat.

  Days after that, she was ready and had gone to the center of the Pacific Ocean.

  Arthur had already traveled there and was waiting above the waters.

  Rey’s voice came through his comms.

  “Arthur… this might be your last mission. Be careful. You might not make it out alive.”

  He didn’t hesitate.

  Arthur jumped out of the aircraft.

  It was already 12:01 PM.

  Twenty-eight armed aircraft hovered ahead of him.

  From each, soldiers began jumping down, descending toward the ocean with lethal precision.

  Week 3 ended.

  Arthur now had only one week left to live.

  To be continued.