The Missing Students

Julian couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming.

Noah's words replayed in his mind.

"Some very powerful people are watching you."

He knew Noah wasn't bluffing. If the Masterclass was aware of him, it was only a matter of time before they tried to use him—or eliminate him.

But Julian wasn't just going to sit and wait.

He needed to strike first.

And that meant figuring out what happened to the missing students.

An Unreported Truth

Over the past month, five students had disappeared.

The school didn't acknowledge it. The gangs didn't talk about it.

But Julian had seen the signs.

Less people in the underground fights. Empty dorms. A name on a class roster, suddenly gone.

And every single student who vanished had one thing in common—

They had taken the drug.

A Secret Meeting

Julian needed more information. And there was only one person who might have it.

A girl named Rika.

She wasn't ranked, but she was a runner—one of the students who delivered messages and drugs between gangs. She heard everything.

That night, Julian found her near the abandoned storage building behind the dorms.

Rika was leaning against the wall, smoking, her dark blue hair tied in a messy ponytail.

"You're either brave or stupid, coming to me like this," she muttered when she saw him.

Julian ignored that. "The missing students. You know something."

Rika exhaled a cloud of smoke. "And if I do?"

Julian took a step closer. "Tell me. Or I'll find another way."

Rika studied him, then sighed. "Damn, you're annoying." She flicked her cigarette away. "Fine. You wanna know? The missing kids—they weren't kidnapped."

Julian's stomach clenched. "Then what happened?"

Rika's voice dropped.

"They volunteered."

The Superhuman Mafia's Experiment

Julian's mind raced.

"That doesn't make sense," he said. "Why would they—"

"You don't get it, do you?" Rika interrupted. "The drug gives them power. Makes them stronger. But it's not permanent.The only way to keep their abilities is to take more."

Julian's jaw tightened.

"And the more they take," Rika continued, "the more the dealers control them."

Julian exhaled. It all made sense now.

The Superhuman Mafia wasn't just selling power.

They were creating addicts.

And once those students were fully hooked—they became test subjects.

"Where are they taken?" Julian demanded.

Rika hesitated. "There's a place. A facility. It's not in the school, but…" She glanced around, then whispered, "It's underground. Beneath the west wing."

Julian felt a chill.

There was a hidden lab under the school?

Before he could ask more—

A gunshot echoed in the distance.

An Ambush in the Dark

Julian reacted instantly, shoving Rika behind cover.

More gunshots rang out, bullets piercing the walls.

Someone had been listening. And now, they were trying to silence them.

Julian's eyes flickered in the darkness. Three figures. Moving fast. Armed.

He had no weapon.

But he didn't need one.

Julian vs. the Assassins

The first attacker lunged—blade flashing.

Julian dodged, twisting his body and grabbing the man's wrist.

A sickening crack filled the air as Julian snapped the assassin's arm and slammed him into the ground.

The second attacker fired a bullet—

Julian moved before the trigger even pulled.

The bullet whizzed past his ear as he closed the distance, driving his knee into the attacker's stomach.

The man collapsed, choking on blood.

The last one hesitated.

Julian met his eyes, his expression unreadable.

"Run."

The attacker did.

A New Enemy

Julian turned back to Rika. She was staring at him in shock.

"You—" she swallowed. "You fight like them."

Julian narrowed his eyes. "Like who?"

Rika's voice was barely a whisper.

"Like the Superhuman Mafia."