After a bit more back and forth, the call ended.

West stood there for a while contemplating. A myriad of expressions appeared on his face before he finally made his decision.

He grabbed his jacket and stepped out.

...

...

~ Thirty Minutes Later ~

The doors to the private training hall within Dragon Fang Base, slid open with a soft hiss.

Zu Li stood at the center, dressed in her usual fitted training attire, looking composed and authoritative as always. She stood near the center of the room with hands behind her back and a calm look.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to come back," a small smile crept onto her face as she spoke.

West smirked faintly while stepping in. "Couldn’t keep you waiting too long, right?"

She turned now, locking her gaze onto his. "You’ve made a decision."

West exhaled slowly while walking further into the room until he stood a few steps away from her.

"Yeah," he paused briefly. "I’ll handle my mother’s case.".

"I’m not letting this slide... but I’m also not going to rush into it blindly. I’ll find her. I’ll talk to her. And if—" his eyes hardened slightly, "—if she doesn’t have a reasonable explanation..."

He didn’t need to finish the sentence before Zu Li understood.

"You’ll bring her in."

West nodded.

"Yeah, I’ll let the Dragon Fang decide her punishment."

Zu Li studied him for a moment longer before giving a small nod. "...Very well."

She turned slightly, pacing slowly as she spoke.

"I’ll hold off my people."

West glanced at her. "I appreciate that."

"But," she added calmly, "this does not change the severity of the situation."

"I know."

"If she attempts to flee... my hands will no longer be tied."

West nodded. "...That’s fair."

Zu Li stopped walking and faced him again.

"We’ve already gathered detailed information on everyone involved in that research project. Your mother included."

She gestured toward a nearby screen and with a swipe, more data appeared and this time city location and current residence was included.

West’s gaze settled on it.

"...Equivon City..."

"Yes," Zu Li folded her arms.

"Which means this won’t be a simple visit," West let out a low breath.

"...A road trip then."

...

...

The journey to Equivon City took hours but West wasn’t bothered because he had hired a private driver to take him. It was southbound unlike Red Valor city which was toward the east.

The cityscape of Misty High slowly faded behind him, replaced by long stretches of highways, industrial zones, and eventually... something different...

The further they went, the more the world seemed to change.

Misty High was structured to an extent with gangs somewhat operating in the shadows or not too involved in regular folks business like there was still an underlying system holding everything together.

Equivon City on the other hand, there was no such restraint.

The moment West crossed into its outskirts, the atmosphere felt darker.

Buildings stood taller, but not necessarily cleaner. Neon lights flickered inconsistently, graffiti covered entire walls, and the streets felt... alive in the worst possible way.

People moved quickly and carefully with their eyes down. Everyone seemed tense...

The vehicle that brought him here parked briefly near a busy street as he stepped out to get a better sense of the environment.

And within minutes, he witnessed a gruelling sight...

A man holding a briefcase, apparently searching for a job, accidentally stepped a little too close behind someone ahead of him.

That someone happened to be a gang member... one could tell instantly by their posture, presence and even how they were dressed.

Others subtly avoided even brushing past him but this absentminded man who was frustrated from failing to secure a job, stepped close subconsciously.

They were still at least three feet from each other but the moment the distance closed, the gang member stopped and slowly turned.

"What did you just do?"

The man was instantly pulled out of his reverie.

"I—I didn’t—"

The gang member grabbed him and forcefully dragged him to the ground before he could gather his thoughts.

West’s eyes narrowed slightly but nobody intervened or even reacted, they just stood there watching.

The gang member raised his leg and stomped it down.

A sharp cracking sound rang out

"Kiaaarrrrhhhhhhh!"

The man screamed in agony, like a pig being slaughtered as his left leg snapped but it didn’t stop there.

The gang member raised his foot again and stomped it upon the second, breaking it as well.

Just like that, the man lost both his legs for something as meaningless as stepping close to a gang member.

Not only was he unemployed and poor, now he his legs were broken as well... how was he supposed to search for a job now?

West’s gaze hardened as he watched the scene play out.

This city was different from Misty High... the awakeners here were more opressive and unnecessarily brutal.

The gang member wiped his hands like nothing had happened and walked off while the crowd dispersed like it was normal.

West exhaled slowly. "...Yeah... definitely not in Misty High anymore."

He got back into car and told the driver to follow an address.

The address led him deeper into the city but interestingly, the environment began to change again, turning cleaner and quieter.

High-rise buildings replaced the chaotic streets, security systems became more visible, and the presence of wealth started to show.

It was like a pocket of order carved out of chaos.

West parked near one of the tall towers that looked secure... at least on the surface.

He stepped out and scanned the surroundings carefully.

After a few moments, he entered the building and the interior matched its exterior.

It was clean and well constructed with elevators, marble flooring and minimal noise.

He stepped into one of the elevators and pressed the floor number.

As the doors closed, his calm reflection stared back at him but beneath that... were churning thoughts...

Was he finally going to see the same woman that abandoned him all this years? Did she still look the same from his memories...?

The ride up felt longer than it should have as the seconds ticked by slowly.

Ding~