5

Gama had no other choice. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, but then again Gama had no other options.

Leaving Aurora alone had never crossed the man's mind, but the voice of one of the heads of Alfacht's security team who had mentioned Fredo's name in his sentence succeeded in making Gama tense up perfectly.

'Damn, Fredo. You haven't died yet!'

Gama really did not expect to hear Fredo's name in the air again, as he was sure he had slit the man's throat last time.

But that bastard Fredo might have had one opportunity that had escaped Gama's notice, allowing the man to finally get up and try to get revenge like this.

The glint in Aurora's eyes was the last thing Gama saw, and he had promised to return safely no matter what.

'Trust me, Auro. I will return for you, but this time let me go. To atone for the fatal mistake I made, to save the lives of innocent people.'

As the speed of the vehicle did not slow down at all, Gama gripped the steering wheel even tighter. Not caring if it made his knuckles turn white, Gama's eagle eyes continued to glare straight ahead.

He was going to break this chain right now.

---

The oil refinery seemed to be deserted.

Lexton stopped his car at a safe distance from the refinery, signaling to his men who were already there.

Pressing the earphone attached to his left ear, the Alpha let out a voice that sounded like a whisper.

"Guards, go to the side of the refinery. Surround it and give it no space. Firefights are permitted but keep the hostages first. They are our main target tonight."

Lexton's voice sounded as usual. It was heavy and slow, but full of intimidation. In silence, the assigned guards began to move, without even making a sound.

They really couldn't afford to be rash, as so many innocent employees were being held hostage by that asshole Fredo in there.

The atmosphere of the refinery was eerily quiet, with minimal lighting that must have been arranged by Fredo from inside. Usually, the refinery's lights shine brightly, but not tonight.

Fredo was really testing Lexton's temper.

Noticing Oliv's approaching presence, Fredo turned his head.

"You're on guard duty out here, Oliv," Lexton ordered. "I'm going to go in and distract you because it's either Gama or me he'll be seeing this morning."

Oliv nodded politely.

"Ready, Alpha!"

Lexton scanned the surroundings, noting the trees swaying gently in the breeze. Silently, the man was strategizing on how to finish Fredo off with the muzzle of his gun early this morning.

"Move!"

And that one last command from Lexton was his last word of the night, as his footsteps swung decisively.

Toward the showdown, he would settle for victory.

Moving away from where he stood earlier, Lexton did not flinch at all. Leaving Oliv nodding his head in reverence, the man shot off at lightning speed.

Oliv watched his clan leader's movements with a watchful bead, raising a clenched hand into the air to signal the other men.

They might be outnumbered in personnel, but this refinery was still theirs. And someone like Fredo shouldn't be playing on someone else's turf, as was happening now.

The atmosphere of the early morning was increasingly tense, punctuated by faint sounds from the direction of the lush forest behind the factory. The darkness of the night witnessed how the two clans tried to maintain their position, to come out once again as the winner.

Oliv raised his alert level just as Lexton's burly body pushed through one of the factory doors and disappeared into the other.

Pressing a button on his earphones, Oliv now took control of the Alfacht clan fighters.

"Assume your positions," Oliv whispered from his earphones. "Listen to me, and stay alert. The Alpha has entered the factory. On stage."

There was silence for a while, without any movement. Even the guard team that surrounded the factory from all angles had not yet moved, still waiting for the signal from Lexton who was now inside there.

Oliv tried to hold back his worry, not lowering his alert level even a little. Until a pat landed on his shoulder without him realizing it, making the young man turn his head and almost pull the trigger.

Seeing someone standing in front of him, Oliv widened his eyes.

"Gama?!" he asked incredulously. "How did you get here?!"

Gama caught his breath slowly. His bead moved around, trying to read what kind of situation was going on.

"Where is Lexton?" Gama asked quickly. "Tell me."

Oliv was still confused as to why the Beta could be there, even though he had clearly not told Gama about this at all. Lexton had forbidden him from calling Gama earlier, so how did Gama know they were there?

"He's inside," Oliv replied in a low tone.

Gama was just about to move, but Oliv's arm was quicker to restrain his movement. The movement made Gama hiss, throwing Oliv an incredulous look.

"Where are you going, Gam?" asked Oliv. "The alpha doesn't know you're here!"

Gama brushed off Oliv's arm that was holding him. Oliv was one of his closest friends during his time in the organization, even though their positions were several levels adrift. In front of Lexton, Oliv usually still used the appendage 'master' to address Gama, but in the back, they were used to chatting casually like this.

Gama chuckled. "Take your hands off, young man!" he squeaked barely managing to keep his voice down. "Lex is in there alone, and I have to finish Fredo off with my own hands. How dare he come back to life!"

Oliv was just about to open his mouth when suddenly the sound of a door being forced open broke the silence.

Fredo ran with shuffling steps, clutching his right thigh that might have been hit by a bullet from Lexton's gun. It looked like the man was heading into the forest, perhaps thinking he had help in there.

Just as Oliv was about to give the signal to attack, Lexton's voice was already in the ears of his men.

"Stay where you are!" ordered Lexton sternly over their communication link.

The man exited the same door, following Fredo who entered the forest despite his injuries.

Gama gasped. Fredo was probably preparing something in the forest, unbeknownst to Lexton. There was no way the man would run into the dark forest for no reason, and Gama had already picked up his delayed pace when Oliv's surveillance cleared.

Lexton entered the poorly lit forest, trying to follow the trail Fredo had left for him.

This bastard should know who he was dealing with, and death should already be ready to greet the man.

Unaware that someone else had entered the forest, Lexton lowered his level of awareness of his surroundings.

The sound of steps coming from his right side caught his attention, as the man now tightened the grip on his pistol.

'You changed course, Fredo? Nice try.'

Raising his hand and sharpening his hearing, Lexton contended with the silence. The silhouette of a person was caught by his eagle eyes, and Lexton brought a sardonic smile to the corners of his lips.

'You're dead now, Fredo.'

Just as the silhouette paused to take bearings, a high-velocity bullet whizzed silently from the Alpha's gun. And Lexton's shots never missed.

Spitting in disgust, Lexton raised his lips even more as the silhouette collapsed. Stepping up to find Fredo's exact position, Lexton passed through the ankle-high grass.

'Your days are numbered, Fredo.'

Lexton continued to approach Fredo's body lying motionless, when Oliv's voice sounded faintly in his ears.

"Alfa! Gama's in the forest! He was here and went inside!"

Lexton gasped with a perfectly rounded bead, shocked by Oliv's report that he had just heard.

His body trembled, along with the footsteps that slowed down later.

'Gama? How can he be here?!'

Never had Lexton expected to be in this position, as he now crouched down to examine the body of the person he had just shot a few minutes ago.

His heart was beating so fast, with his breath making his chest tighten.

Turning over the body of the person who had fallen face down, Lexton felt his world collapse. The person on the ground was no longer breathing, with blood pouring down the front of his shirt.

And that person was Gamaliel Vernon.