The others nodded. It made sense. But then Storm spoke up.

  "That injury of yours… it’s gonna mess with your exam scores. You should be prepared for that."

  The room fell silent. Drayke and Cassia's smiles faded. They had come here to comfort Axel.

  They knew how much effort Axel had put in. Other students trained with raw stones—Axel could only afford leftover fragments. Other students blew off their academics—Axel stayed up studying till late at night.

  And now, just before the exam… this happens. Would he be able to handle the mental blow?

  But to their surprise, Axel only grinned. "It’s fine. I’m in great condition," he said, his tone confident.

  They exchanged glances. Axel had been seriously injured. Even if he healed fast, there’s no way he was feeling that good.

  And that expression… Why the hell was he still smiling?

  Drayke started to panic. "Bro… listen, man. I know this whole thing sucks, but you’ve got a ton of potential. Don’t do anything stupid, alright? Don’t even think about offing yourself."

  Axel stared at him, completely speechless. "The hell? How did we get from exams to suicide?!"

  Then he turned and saw Cassia and Storm watching him with the same worried expressions.

  "I’m fine, I swear!" he groaned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  His insistence only made him look more suspicious. The three of them exchanged glances again, their eyes saying: Yeah, he’s definitely in denial.

  "Alright, fine!" He crossed his arms, scowling. "This year, I’m taking first place in the school. Theo can sit his ass down and watch."

  Drayke froze. Then, very slowly, he turned toward the hallway and stepped outside.

  "Hey, Nurse?" he called out. "Yeah, I think you should come check on Axel again… he might have a brain injury."

  "......"

  After finally kicking them out, Axel still didn’t get to rest. Because the next visitor was Skye. And he didn’t come empty-handed. He brought him a gift he never expected.

  Skye placed the package on the bedside table and casually listed off the contents.

  "Two Force-Recovery Pills, one Blood-Activating Pill, and five Force-Enhancing Pills. Total value—two million."

  Then he tossed a thick envelope onto the table. "And an extra one million in cash. It’s a government reward. Don’t look at me like that."

  Axel blinked. Even though he’d received Force-Recovery Pills before, this was… a hell of a lot.

  "Damn," he muttered, picking up one of the pills. "Can I just… cash it out instead?"

  Skye rolled her eyes so hard she almost saw the back of his skull.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Are you stupid?" he snapped. "Force-Recovery Pills and Force-Enhancing Pills are worth more than raw stones—they’re hard currency in the right circles. And that Blood-Activating Pill? Worth half a million. That thing’ll heal you up fast. You sell it now, how the hell do you plan to get into the War Academy? Look at yourself. You still look like shit."

  Axel grinned, completely unfazed, and tucked the pills away like they were precious treasure.

  "You really act like you’ve never been rich before."

  Axel just shrugged. Because he hadn’t. As he ate his dinner, a question nagged at him.

  "Did you ever find out why Wolfe was creating infected people?"

  The amusement faded from Skye’s face. "Maybe," he said, leaning back in his chair. "But… it might be a secret forever."

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Wolfe’s dead. Suicide."

  Axel’s grip on his chopsticks tightened. "Suicide?" His eyes narrowed. "A key figure like him shouldn’t have had the chance."

  Skye exhaled, tapping his fingers on the table. "That’s what I thought. A lot of people got exposed trying to protect him, and we’ve already rounded up most of them. So why the hell would he kill himself?"

  He paused, staring at the ceiling. Skye couldn't figure it out either. If he had a family to protect, it’d make sense—maybe the big boss behind him threatened his loved ones. But Wolfe? No kids. Parents died decades ago in the beast tide. He had nothing to lose.

  A long silence stretched between them.

  "Eh, whatever," Skye finally said with a shrug. "We took down the people that needed taking down. I’m satisfied. If there’s something else I don’t know… I can live with that."

  Axel wasn’t so sure. Something still didn’t add up. "You got any theories?" he asked.

  Skye smirked and pulled out a cigarette, twirling it between his fingers. He was about to light it—then remembered he was in a hospital and put it away.

  "You ever hear about the Colosseum in Rome?"

  Axel frowned. "Yeah?"

  "In ancient times, the rich loved watching slaves fight wild animals. It was entertainment." He crossed his legs. "Now tell me—what do rich assholes do when ordinary entertainment isn’t enough?"

  "You think they’re… watching people fight infected?"

  "Wouldn’t be surprising," Skye said. "Wolfe ran an underground boxing ring—it’d be a perfect way to network with rich bastards from other cities. Maybe the infected were a part of that."

  Axel nodded slowly. It made sense. If Wolfe was risking so much, then the payoff had to be massive.

  But something still felt off.

  A dark, absurd thought crept into Axel’s mind. One that made his blood run cold. He took a deep breath and kept it to himself.

  But Skye noticed. "Hey—don’t hold out on me." He leaned in, eyes sharp. "You definitely thought of something. Spill."

  Axel hesitated. "It’s just a guess," he muttered. "Don’t take it seriously."

  "Quit being cryptic. Wolfe’s dead—what are we afraid of? Besides, we’ve got the Whisper Syndicate."

  Axel exhaled through his nose. "Alright. Think about it—if you’re willing to do something this dangerous, what’s the one thing that could give you a ridiculous return?"

  Skye tilted his head, waiting.

  Axel’s voice dropped.

  "What happens when an infected appears in a populated area?" "Disinfection… medication… panic. The second an outbreak hits, people start buying."

  The air between them turned heavy. Skye just stared at him, wide-eyed. Slowly, he swallowed.

  It made sense.

  Every time an infected person appeared, thousands of people rushed to buy disinfectants, medicine, and protective gear. Individually, the expenses weren’t much. But collectively? It was a goldmine.

  A never-ending cycle of fear and consumption. And if someone controlled that cycle… They wouldn’t just be rich. They’d be untouchable.

  It wasn’t hard to deduce, but Skye would never have dared to think in that direction. No wonder Axel had been so damn secretive—this guy was bold as hell.

  He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Deep Sea Pharmaceuticals?" he scoffed. "You think they'd work with Wolfe? Wolfe’s a nobody to them."

  Deep Sea Pharmaceuticals was the most powerful pharmaceutical company in all of Krythos. The Force pills Axel had just received, the anti-infection treatments, the antiviral agents—all of it came from Deep Sea Pharmaceuticals, developed in partnership with top-tier war academies.

  Sure, Wolfe was a big shot in Dune. But compared to a company like that? He was nothing more than a small-time crook.

  "Be real. Deep Sea Pharmaceuticals doesn’t give a damn about some petty black market profit," Skye said, waving a hand as if brushing away the entire idea.

  But Axel wasn’t so quick to drop it. "Not necessarily," he mused. "How do you know Wolfe was the only one? What if there are more like him?"

  Skye felt a chill run down his spine.