Tatiana looked at Liam with a puzzled expression.

"They gave it to you with a smile?"

Her tone carried disbelief as if she expected him to suddenly laugh and admit he was joking.

Liam simply nodded.

"Yes."

That was it.

No long explanation. No dramatic story. Just a calm answer like the whole thing was normal.

Tatiana stared at him for several seconds.

The more she looked at him the more confused she felt.

She really could not understand this guy.

First he casually transferred a hundred thousand dollars to her account. Then he disappeared for two hours and came back with the exact access card they needed to enter one of the most guarded criminal places in the city.

And now he was saying someone simply handed it to him with a smile.

She rubbed her forehead slowly.

"I swear I cannot fully understand you," she muttered.

Liam chuckled lightly before clapping his hands once.

"Well," he said casually, "we should get dressed."

He glanced toward the suit she bought earlier.

"We have less than an hour before the party starts."

Tatiana snapped out of her thoughts and quickly nodded.

"Oh right."

She stood up from the chair and grabbed the elegant gown she had prepared earlier. Then she began walking toward the hallway.

Halfway there she turned and pointed toward a door on the opposite side of the corridor.

"You can use that room," she said.

"There’s a bathroom inside. You can bathe and change there."

Liam nodded calmly.

"Alright."

Tatiana disappeared into her own room without another word and the door closed behind her.

For a moment the house became quiet again.

Liam stood in the living room alone.

Then he slowly reached into his pocket.

A small bottle appeared in his hand.

Inside it was a strange blue liquid that faintly shimmered under the light.

The bottle was not large. Just big enough to hold a few doses of the mysterious fluid.

Liam gently shook it once while staring at the liquid inside.

The blue substance swirled slowly like it had its own life.

"Still works perfectly," he murmured to himself.

He slipped the bottle back into his pocket and walked over to the chair where the suit was waiting.

The fabric looked expensive and well fitted. Tatiana clearly knew how to pick good clothing.

Liam grabbed the suit and carried it into the guest room.

The moment he stepped inside he closed the door behind him.

He placed the suit carefully on the table near the bed before sitting down on the edge of the mattress.

Then he began removing his boots.

The room was quiet except for the soft sounds of leather shifting as he loosened the straps.

Then suddenly.

Crash.

A loud sound echoed from somewhere in the house.

Glass shattering.

Liam immediately raised his head.

His eyes turned toward the direction of Tatiana’s room.

Concern crossed his face instantly.

"What was that?"

There was a wall separating the two rooms and he could not see anything from where he sat.

For a moment he remained still while listening carefully.

Then something strange happened.

Something he had never experienced before.

The wall in front of him suddenly changed.

At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

The surface of the wall seemed to blur slightly. Not disappearing completely but becoming almost transparent.

It was like looking at two things at the same time.

He could still see the wall.

But he could also see through it.

Beyond it.

His eyes widened slightly as his vision passed through the barrier between the rooms.

Then through the door.

And finally into Tatiana’s bedroom.

For a brief moment Liam completely forgot to breathe.

Tatiana stood near the side of her bed.

A broken vase lay scattered across the floor beside her. Pieces of glass glittered across the wooden floor.

It seemed she had accidentally knocked it over.

But that was not what caught Liam’s attention.

She was in the middle of changing.

Her back faced the door.

Her red hair flowed down her shoulders in loose waves, the strands catching the warm light of the room and creating a soft glow around her figure. The color contrasted beautifully against her pale skin which looked smooth and flawless.

She was wearing only a pair of panties while her hands reached behind her back trying to unhook her bra.

The graceful line of her back was impossible to ignore.

Her shoulders were slim but strong, leading down into a narrow waist that curved naturally into fuller hips. The shape of her body looked balanced and effortlessly feminine.

From Liam’s angle the curve of her waist flowed perfectly into the roundness of her hips and the soft fullness of her backside.

Her figure carried that rare combination of slim and thick at the same time.

Her waist was tight while her hips flared out naturally, giving her silhouette a striking shape that was impossible not to notice.

Even through the soft fabric she wore earlier he had noticed it.

But seeing it like this made it impossible to ignore.

The curve of her body was smooth and natural, the lines flowing gently from one shape to another. The way she stood while struggling with the clasp behind her back made the muscles of her back shift subtly under her skin.

Her red hair rested across her shoulders and upper back, the strands brushing lightly against her skin every time she moved.

She tilted slightly while trying to reach the hook of her bra and the motion caused her hips to shift naturally.

For a moment Liam simply stared.

Completely dumbfounded.

He had not meant to see any of this.

But his eyes refused to move away.

The strange new vision ability allowed him to see everything clearly as if the wall between them no longer existed.

Tatiana sighed softly in frustration as she tried again to unhook the clasp behind her back, unaware that someone in the next room could see everything.

Liam remained frozen on the bed.

Still staring.

Still trying to process the impossible situation that had just happened.

Liam’s eyes snapped shut immediately.

"What the fuck was that?"

He stayed frozen on the edge of the bed for a moment, breathing slowly while trying to clear the image that had just burned itself into his mind. The strange vision of seeing through the wall had caught him completely off guard and for a second he genuinely wondered if something had gone wrong with his head.

He rubbed his face with one hand and spoke again, this time directing his words inward.

"System. Explain."

For a brief second there was silence.

Then the familiar notification sound appeared inside his mind.

[Ding!]

A blue interface window materialized in front of Liam’s closed eyes like it always did whenever the system activated. The glowing panel floated calmly in the darkness of his vision.

A line of text appeared.

[Host body has completed another evolution.]

Liam slowly opened one eye.

Then the other.

He stared at the message in disbelief.

"Another evolution?" he muttered.

Then his expression darkened slightly.

"And you didn’t think to tell me that until now?"

The system responded almost instantly.

[Host has not actively interacted with the system for an extended period.]

Another line appeared beneath it.

[System notifications were therefore minimized.]

Liam blinked once.

Then he stared at the floating interface with a flat expression.

"You’re joking."

The system calmly continued.

[Host has been ignoring multiple prompts and system updates for weeks.]

Another line appeared.

[System assumed host did not wish to be disturbed.]

Liam leaned back slightly on the bed and crossed his arms.

"You absolute asshole," he muttered.

The glowing interface did not respond to the insult.

It simply hovered there patiently like it always did.

Liam shook his head slowly before speaking again.

"Fine."

He exhaled quietly.

"Is there anything else I need to know about?"

The moment he asked that question the interface expanded slightly.

Several new windows appeared in front of him.

A long list of updates filled the screen.

Liam began reading quickly.

[Visual perception improved.]

[Dynamic sight evolution unlocked.]

[Reaction speed improved.]

[Physical endurance increased.]

[Muscle efficiency improved.]

[Neural processing speed enhanced.]

[Environmental awareness upgraded.]

The list continued far longer than he expected.

Several more enhancements followed one after another.

Improved vision. Faster reflexes. Higher stamina. Better spatial awareness. Increased durability.

Liam’s eyes moved quickly through the list but he didn’t bother reading every single line in detail.

Normally he would have spent time analyzing each change carefully.

But tonight was not the night for that.

They had a mission to complete.

And the clock was already ticking.

He flicked his hand slightly through the air and the floating windows disappeared instantly.

The blue glow faded as the system interface closed again.

The room returned to normal.

Liam stood up from the bed.

For a moment he rolled his shoulders slightly, feeling the subtle strength moving through his body. Even without focusing on the details he could tell something had definitely changed.

His body felt sharper.

More alert.

More responsive.

He glanced toward the bathroom door before walking over and stepping inside.

The shower area was simple but clean.

Liam turned on the water and waited for it to warm up while he looked at himself in the mirror.

His reflection stared back at him.

His hair looked a little rough.

Not messy exactly.

But it had clearly grown longer than usual.

He squinted slightly while running a hand through it.

"When was the last time I even got a haircut?"

He honestly could not remember.

Between missions, training, fights and everything else that had been happening lately, small things like that had completely slipped out of his mind.

He shook his head once before stepping under the shower.

Warm water ran down over his hair and shoulders as he stood there quietly. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The steady sound of water filled the bathroom.

For a brief moment the chaos of the outside world faded away.

But his mind was not relaxed.

Not tonight.

The only thing occupying his thoughts now was the operation waiting ahead.

Shadow Lounge.

The party.

The boss they needed to identify.

The bombs they needed to stop.

Everything depended on what happened tonight.

Liam closed his eyes briefly as water ran down his face.

There was no room for distractions.

No room for mistakes.

Tonight was about the mission.