Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

A group like the Crowe Society, with their roots buried deep in Saka District? Untouchable. Declan had never even stepped foot near their research institute before. He’d tried in the past to muscle his way into more of the Pill business, but he just didn’t have the power to make it happen.

Now, out of nowhere, the Society had summoned a dozen gangs—including his Steel Serpents.

“There’s no way this is just about picking up pills,” Declan muttered, glancing out the window. “They’ve got other shit in mind. That’s where you come in.”

Axel kept quiet, but his mind was racing. Crowe Society...

This was the first time he’d heard the name. He’d come to Sin City to take the test, not to get tangled up with one of the major forces running the place. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into a big force he couldn’t walk away from.

The car rolled to a stop at the side of the road. In front of them stood a sleek, futuristic compound—cold steel and smooth curves giving it the look of a silver wave frozen mid-crash. The outer walls glinted faintly, drawing solar energy down into complex machinery humming behind them.

Inside, sleek robots moved about, shuttling goods, running diagnostics, interfacing with the systems in perfect sync.

Axel stared. Since the fall of the old world—when nukes failed, and the great mutant beast kings drove humanity into hiding—tech like this had practically vanished. Most energy had gone into unlocking the power of Awakening. What was left of science had stagnated for decades.

But this? This was something else entirely. This place was *alive* with technology.

“Grayson!”

Declan raised a hand toward a burly man in a dark coat across the courtyard—Grayson, leader of the Wolfclaw Legion.

They weren’t exactly friends. Rivals, most days. Today? Allies, at least for now.

Axel scanned the space. There were maybe two dozen others standing quietly, most of them leaders in their own right—gang bosses and their top lieutenants. Everyone here had serious strength, likely on par with Declan. They kept their faces blank, posturing with calm. But Axel saw they were nervous.

“Ahem.”

A hoarse, rasping voice broke the silence. As it echoed across the courtyard, something strange happened: the air above them shimmered. A ripple of energy spread overhead, painting the sky in iridescent waves, like the surface of a soap bubble under light.

More than a few faces turned pale.

And then, from the depths of the building, an old man emerged.

He walked slowly, leaning heavily on a polished cane. One eye was milky and blind, the other gleamed beneath the edge of his glasses. Sparse gray hair framed a pale, lined face.

“Welcome,” he said, his voice like dry leaves. “You may call me… Dr. Crowe.”

Axel squinted, studying him.

There was something wrong with this man. No pulse. No pressure in the air around him. No breath. It was like he wasn’t alive.

“Stop staring,” Declan hissed under his breath, nudging Axel hard. “You want to die?”

But Dr. Crowe didn’t seem to notice—or maybe he just didn’t care.

“The goods are over there. Each gang can send one person to collect them—ten boxes each,” Dr. Crowe said flatly, pointing toward a warehouse nearby.

Declan nudged Axel forward. “Go on. You’re up.” It was clear Declan didn’t want to step into that place himself.

Axel shrugged and joined the others heading toward the warehouse. The place was massive, industrial, and strangely quiet. Rows of metal shelves stretched across the floor, each lined with small, ten-centimeter-square boxes. No guards. No cameras. No staff. Just a room full of high-value contraband sitting out in the open.

What the hell is this? A test? A trap? Or are they just this cocky?

The groups split up naturally, spreading through the space to gather their assigned boxes. The whole process was disorganized and borderline chaotic. Axel couldn’t help but scoff internally.

So damn sloppy.

But just as he rounded a corner deeper inside, something caught his eye.

In a dim, far-off corner of the warehouse, a dark-skinned, wiry man was crouched beside a stack of boxes. Quick and practiced, he popped one open, dumped the pills into a pouch, and slid the empty box neatly back into place.

The man moved fast, and the bag he was using didn’t change shape or size. An awakened item, designed to store far more than its size should allow.

Before Axel could react, the man looked up—and locked eyes with him.

“Shhh.”

The stranger held a finger to his lips, a sharp glint in his eye. There was no panic, just calm threat.

“I’ll toss you a few pills on the way out. Keep your mouth shut… or I’ll make sure you die.”

Axel’s expression shifted. At first, he’d thought this guy was just a greedy dumbass. But as a low hum of Force radiated from the man’s body, Axel’s instincts screamed at him—this guy wasn’t just strong, he was on another level entirely.

Shit… He’s stronger than Declan. Way stronger.

Quietly, Axel nodded and backed away. He took the boxes he was supposed to and acted like he hadn’t seen a thing.

What the hell is a guy like that doing stealing pills? Must be at least Level 4...

Crowe must be out of his fucking mind to leave a place like this wide open.

A few minutes later, people started filing out again. Crowe hadn’t checked a single box—he didn’t seem to give a damn. That only added to the strange tension in the air.

Now, some of the gang members were clearly regretting their restraint. Had they known it’d be this easy, most of them would’ve tried to grab an extra box or two.

Each Exotic Beast Pill was worth a small fortune—hundreds of thousands of credits. And there were at least ten pills in each box.

“Alright, you’ve got your shit. Now get lost—I’ve got research to do,” Crowe said, waving them off like a schoolteacher dismissing a class he couldn’t stand.

The warehouse doors creaked open again.

Axel moved with the crowd, scanning for the dark-skinned man—and spotted him slipping away quietly, walking with a few others toward the exit like nothing had happened.

“Let’s go, let’s go! This haul’s gonna keep us set for months!” someone whispered excitedly.

But the second Axel stepped through the doorway, everything changed.

A flash of light. Blinking, Axel looked around. They hadn’t walked out onto the street. They were still inside the compound—back in the wide, open square in front of the institute. Everyone else had the same dazed look on their face.

Crowe stepped forward, his expression shifting—cold, calculating. “Heh… just as I thought. A few rats managed to sneak in.”

The gathered gang members exchanged uneasy glances. Most didn’t know what the old man was getting at—but that unsettling look in his eyes sent a shiver down more than a few spines.

A handful of people in the back started breathing heavier, instinctively trying to blend into the crowd, shrinking away from Crowe’s gaze.

Figures, Axel thought. No way someone who can cook up a miracle drug like the Exotic Beast Pill would leave his warehouse unguarded. The whole thing was a goddamn trap.

“Those of you who took more than your share…” Crowe said, voice low and chilling, “…step forward now.”

He tapped his cane a few times against the ground—slow, deliberate.

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