Chapter 58: Midnight Club
There were three main clubs in the city.
Galaxy Club—membership only. The cheapest tier started at a thousand bucks a month, and even that didn’t get you much. For benefits, a tier upgrade was needed.
Midnight Club—free to enter, but the membership was invite only. No invite, no chance. Only drinks and dance allowed.
Crown Club—also called Princess Club. Only women were allowed through those doors.
But these weren’t just places to drink and dance. They were the city’s beating heart of crime and power. Backdoors to the underworld. A step up if you wanted to be someone, or a step down if you slipped.
Xavier and Oliver stood in front of the Midnight Club. The neon sign buzzed overhead, flickering in shades of violet and cyan. The hacker had told them to come here.
The bouncer stopped them at first, but once they showed proof of enrollment at Astraeus Academy, the rope was pulled aside.
Even though it was the middle of the day, the place was packed.
Inside, the air was thick—smoke, perfume, static. Every surface shimmered—holograms danced on the walls, shifting between ads and half-naked avatars. The bass wasn’t just sound; it was a low pulse you felt in your spine. Tables floated. Drinks glowed. The ceiling stretched high, with thin silver wires running like spiderwebs across it, carrying drones and trays overhead. The whole place felt like it was alive—watching, breathing, waiting.
"Hey, Oliver. Ring her up," Xavier said, scanning the crowd. "Tell her we’re inside."
Oliver nodded and made the call. After a short chat, he walked over to a waiter leaning against a wall near the corner table. Without a word, he handed over the phone.