Chapter 273: Chapter 272

Lilith and her men stood still for about three more seconds, their eyes fixed on the warehouse. The air was still, heavy with silence.

Then—BOOM!

The warehouse exploded in a massive blast, sending flames and smoke high into the morning sky. The sound shook the trees, birds scattered from the branches, and the ground trembled. The shockwave pushed dust and debris out in every direction. Flames burst out like fingers reaching for the sky, followed by thick black smoke curling upward. Whatever was left inside the building, including the bodies they’d just carried in, was gone.

No one said a word. They all watched. Flames still roared in the distance, eating through what little was left of the structure. The ruins glowed orange, cracked metal groaning in the heat. The fire consumed everything.

The bodies? Gone. Not even ash would be recognizable.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of tires rolling over gravel. A sleek black car pulled up along the dirt road and came to a gentle stop a few feet away from Lilith. The engine turned off. The door opened.

Leo stepped out.

He was dressed in a black robe that dragged behind him slightly as he moved. His steps were slow but confident, his face calm but focused. As soon as he stepped down from the car, his eyes went straight to Lilith. She didn’t say anything. She just walked toward him and opened the passenger door.

She got in silently.

Leo watched her for a second, then turned his gaze to the Black Lotus members standing by. They were still processing what had just happened.

Without speaking, Leo walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and pulled out a heavy duffel bag. He dropped it at the feet of the nearest gang member.

“Take this,” Leo said. “Use it to lay low. You’ve done your part.”

They looked at the bag, then at him. One of them reached down, unzipped it slightly, and saw stacks of cash inside.

They looked up at Leo and nodded respectfully.

“You’re the ones who stayed,” Leo added. “Out of the hundreds we had, you’re the ones still standing with us. Go somewhere safe. Stay off the grid. We’ll call when it’s time.”

No one argued. They zipped the bag back up and started preparing to leave immediately. None of them wanted to stay near a burning warehouse that could attract unwanted attention, especially with how things were going.

Leo then turned and got back into the car, closing the door gently behind him. The inside was silent. Lilith hadn’t said anything since she got in. She was staring through the windshield, her arms folded, her jaw tight.

After a few seconds, Leo started the engine. The soft hum of the car filled the space.

“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?” Leo asked her as he started driving slowly down the dirt path.

Lilith didn’t look at him. “Yes.”

Leo kept his eyes on the road. “Letting the rest go… that’s not like you.”

“They’re not soldiers,” she said after a short pause. “They have families. Liam might be right. Making them fight in this kind of war would be suicide.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “You’re starting to sound like you think we’re going to lose.”

“I don’t know,” Lilith admitted. “With how quiet the Crimson Hand has been, how hidden they’ve become… I don’t even know how powerful they really are. Every time we try to track them, they slip away like ghosts. It’s not the same anymore. This isn’t like our old wars.”

Leo stayed quiet for a few moments, the car gently bumping along the road as it left the forest path behind. The trees grew thinner around them. Sunlight started to pierce through the canopy.

After a while, he said quietly, “Well… at least we’ve got Liam.”

His voice was low. The engine hum swallowed most of it.

Lilith didn’t catch it the first time. She turned to him slowly. “What?”

Leo glanced at her briefly, then said louder and clearer, “The Black Lotus is lucky to have Liam on our side.”

Lilith looked at him. Her lips parted slightly like she was about to say something, but she didn’t. She turned her head back to the front and stared at the road as the trees gave way to open space.

For a long moment, she said nothing. The car moved on in silence.

But in her mind, her thoughts were loud.

Liam.

She remembered how he had landed beside her with those glowing wings, how he had fought without fear, how her own men had stared at him like he was something more than human. And he was. She had seen many fighters. She had seen loyalty and strength and talent.

But not like him.

And earlier… she had doubted him. She’d challenged him. Accused him of doing nothing.

That memory made her stomach twist slightly.

She looked down at her lap, her hands folded tightly together. She could still hear the snap of the neck from earlier—the way Liam had killed the last attacker after saying “thank you for your help.” Cold. Efficient. Ruthless.

It reminded her why she’d wanted him by her side in the first place.

But it also reminded her of something else.

He had walked away from her.

Not just physically.

He had turned his back and flown off. Without another word. Without waiting for permission. And there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Lilith leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes for a second.

“Yeah,” she whispered to herself, almost too low for Leo to hear.

“We’re lucky to have him.”

——-

Liam stepped out of the tunnel and came face-to-face with the door carved into the stone wall. His hand paused at the doorframe, and he rapped sharply—knock, knock, knock. His fist landed again, urgently this time. “Vanessa? Lana?.

Silence answered him. No echo of movement inside. No distant creak of footsteps. Not even the hum of the ventilation, muted though it was, offered any clue.

His brow furrowed. He pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The underground room was empty.

He crossed quickly to the screens. On one, he saw the feed from the cameras that the SWAT leader had planted earlier there was nothing unusual about her sitting room.

Liam studied the screen. Every second passed with no sign of alarm. No broken security. No intrusion.

He turned away from the screens and noticed a small panel on the wall, barely a foot wide, with a single blue button. He pressed it.

A hidden latch released. The stone archway creaked open, and the hearth panel slid inward, revealing a narrow stairway leading upward. Thin light from above spilled down the dark corridor.

As the new getaway path washed into view, Liam exhaled.

He moved up the stairs, carefully. The corridor sloped upward until he stepped out from the secret passage behind the fireplace, dusted off his boots, and scanned the room. The first thing he saw was Lana, lounging on the couch, legs curled up under her. Relief passed through his chest like a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She was fine. Just seeing her was enough to ease the weight off his shoulders.

Then, a few seconds later, Vanessa appeared at the top of the stairs, still tying her robe. Her long hair was wet, a few strands sticking to her cheeks. She looked surprised to see him but relaxed quickly once she saw it was just Liam.

Liam took a step forward and said with a tired but steady voice, “I thought something happened to you two.”

Lana, who had been sipping from a ceramic cup, froze at the sound of his voice. Her head snapped around, and her eyes immediately widened when she saw the blood on his shirt. The cup slipped from her hand and shattered on the tiled floor.

“Liam!” she gasped and rushed toward him.

She reached him quickly and placed her hands on his chest, her fingers skimming over the crimson stains as her eyes frantically searched his body. “Are you hurt? Where does it hurt?”

Liam placed his hand over hers and said calmly, “It’s not mine.”

Lana’s eyes flickered up to meet his. She hesitated, then exhaled slowly. “Don’t scare me like that,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry,” he replied.

She nodded, but her fingers still lingered on his chest, almost like she needed the reassurance that he was truly okay.

——

While they stood close, Vanessa made her way down the stairs in a hurry. Her robe had been replaced by a tight-fitting black tank top and jeans. Her hair was still wet, but she clearly didn’t want to be in a bathrobe while Liam stood there covered in blood.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Vanessa said as she approached. “What happened?”

Liam let go of Lana’s hand and turned slightly to face Vanessa. “We were protecting one of Lilith’s warehouses,” he explained. “There was an attack. A strong one. But we handled it. No casualties on our side.”

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed. “Was it the Crimson Hand?”

“Yes,” Liam said. “They sent enhanced soldiers. Exogens.”

Lana glanced at him with concern. “Again? They just keep coming.”

Liam nodded. “They’re not holding back anymore.”

Vanessa folded her arms and leaned against the wall. “How bad was it?”

“Bad enough,” Liam said, walking toward the sink to wash the blood off his hands. “Nine of them. Powered. Coordinated. We took them all down, but it wasn’t easy.”

Lana followed him, standing close while he rinsed his hands. “Did Lilith say anything?”

He dried his hands with a cloth and tossed it aside. “She set the warehouse to blow up after we were done. Left no trace. She also told her men to go into hiding.”

Lilith might not have seen him but he didn’t fly away completely when he left them earlier, he was still around.

Vanessa raised a brow. “That’s a big move. What was in the warehouse?”

Liam turned around and leaned against the counter. “That’s the thing—I don’t know. She didn’t say. But whatever it was, she was willing to blow the whole place up rather than risk it falling into enemy hands.”

Lana frowned. “That’s not like her. She always guards her assets, not destroys them.”

“Exactly,” Liam said. “And she was acting strange today. Snapped at me when I asked what was so valuable in the warehouse. Avoided every question.”

Vanessa leaned forward slightly. “She’s hiding something. That’s obvious. Did you get anything from the attackers?”

Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny vial he’d taken from the shield-user before killing him. “This.”

Vanessa took a step forward and gently accepted the bottle from his hand. She turned it in her fingers, squinting as she examined the faint, glowing liquid inside.

“This what they used to activate their powers?”

“Yes. According to the one I left alive for questioning before snapping his neck,” Liam said coldly. “He said they were all injected in a lab. Their powers stay dormant until they drink this stuff.”

Vanessa hummed and turned to take the vial into her underground lab. “I’ll run tests. Maybe this will finally give us something useful.”

“Hopefully,” Liam muttered, then turned to Lana, who had been unusually quiet.

She looked up at him. “You did great out there, didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “I did what needed to be done.”

Her expression softened. “You always do.”

She reached for his hand again, then gently pulled him toward the couch. Liam followed, and as they both sat down, Lana leaned into him slightly, the side of her body pressing against his.

Vanessa returned after a few moments, but this time she didn’t interrupt. She just sat at her desk, beginning her analysis of the vial’s contents.

Lana tilted her head, and Liam noticed the scent on her—a familiar floral and citrus mix.

“You smell different,” he said quietly.

She blinked, then smiled. “I used Vanessa’s shampoo. I liked the scent.”

Liam nodded and leaned closer. His hand gently cupped her jaw, and she looked up at him.

“You scared me,” he said quietly. “Seeing the room empty when I came in…”

“I’m right here,” she whispered.

Their lips met softly, the warmth of her mouth contrasting with the cool air in the room. Her kiss was gentle at first, then firmer, deeper. Liam held her close, her body melting into his. Her scent, the softness of her skin, the weight of her against him—it was grounding. Real.

When they finally broke the kiss, Lana’s cheeks were slightly flushed.

“You need a shower, you smell of tree and dirt” she whispered.

Liam chuckled. “Yeah. I’ll go now.”

Vanessa, without turning from her table, said, “Use my bathroom. Just don’t bleed in the sink.”

Liam disappeared down the hallway, and Lana watched him go. When she turned back to Vanessa, the woman was already focused on the monitor, analyzing results.

But Lana couldn’t help thinking about the kiss, the look in Liam’s eyes, something is different about him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep