Chapter 268 The Last Stand III
Liam shook his head, slowly, the disbelief hardening across his face like stone. "What have I done?" The words echoed in his skull, louder than they had been spoken. For a few seconds, he said nothing. He just stood there looking at the woman who had said them—Lilith, his so-called leader.
Was she being serious?
He had risked everything. Again and again. Fought their enemies, shielded her people, bled for the Black Lotus more times than he could count—and this is what he got? A question like that?
His lips parted slightly like he wanted to say something, but nothing came. He didn’t even feel angry anymore. Not really. What he felt now was something colder. He shook his head again, letting out a short, bitter exhale as he turned away from her.
"Forget it," he said quietly, voice stripped of emotion. "I’ll do my job."
Lilith stood still, watching his back as he walked away. Something in her throat moved as though she wanted to call out to him, to take the words back—but no sound left her lips. She just stood there, silent, and then followed.
The woods around them were dense, the morning sun hanging low above the treetops as they moved through the broken branches. The morning was silent, save for the occasional distant rustle of wind through leaves. Liam’s boots moved with heavy steps. He didn’t speak. Lilith didn’t either.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the site.
Tucked deep in the forest, hidden by thick brush and vines, was a small building—single story, boxy, and unremarkable in every way. If someone had walked past, they might have mistaken it for an old shed or a hunting outpost. But something about the quiet intensity in the air made it feel more than that.
Ten men stood around the building. All of them were members of the Black Lotus, decked in dark tactical gear with rifles slung across their chests and eyes sharp as razors. They were on edge. The moment they heard rustling from the woods, all ten of them snapped their weapons toward the sound, fingers ready on triggers.
"Hold!" one of them called out.