Successors in Motion

The air was still thick with tension, the remnants of the battle between Daniel, Zack, Jalen, and the Hostel elites lingering in the broken warehouse. Just as the dust began to settle, the bus door creaked open.

From inside stepped a figure,James. With a twisted grin stretched across his scarred face. His eyes scanned the room before locking onto Zack.

"You must be the boxer," James muttered, cracking his knuckles.

Zack didn't hesitate. He ran forward and threw a clean right hook that connected squarely with James' jaw. The hit landed, but James didn't move. Instead, his smirk widened.

"You shouldn't have done that."

In a single motion, James shoved Zack onto the ground . Before anyone could react, James pulled out a sledgehammer that had been inside the bus and began walking toward Zack.

"You broke my smile. I'm gonna break your skull."

Zack struggled to stand, dazed. The sledgehammer rose.

But it never came down.

Jalen appeared in front of Zack like a shadow. He caught the hammer mid-swing with one hand. The weight of it dug into his palm, but he didn't flinch. James tried to pull it back, but it wouldn't budge.

"Back off," Jalen said calmly.

With a twist of his wrist, he yanked the weapon away and slammed the butt of the handle into James' gut. James coughed violently, stepping back, only for Jalen to deliver a spinning elbow to his temple. The brute stumbled, eyes fluttering. Jalen didn't let up.

A side kick to the knee.

A hook to the liver.

A final rising knee to the chin.

James collapsed like a broken tower.

Jalen tossed the sledgehammer aside and knelt to help Zack up.

"You alright?"

Zack coughed and nodded, trying to hide how shaken he was. "Thanks, man."

But before they could relax, James groaned and staggered back to his feet. His eye was swollen shut, blood running down his lip. He spat on the ground and limped toward the bus.

"This isn't over," he growled. "Next time, I'll kill you."

With that, he climbed into the bus and drove off, the engine growling like a beast escaping into the night.

Somewhere in a high-end luxury spa sauna

Steam drifted lazily through the room. Three figures sat in silence among the thick mist Gun, Goo, and DG.

For a while, they talked about the second generation. About how much stronger they were getting. About how unstable things were becoming.

Eventually, DG stood and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"I've seen enough," he said, walking off. "The new age is coming. Let's see who survives it."

As DG disappeared into the mist, Goo leaned back, glancing sideways at Gun.

"You here to see your successor from Workers?" Gun asked, voice low.

But Goo shook his head. "Nah. I found someone new. Kid's name is Logan. Got the perfect kind of hatred in him. I want him as one of mine."

Gun smirked. "Still picking psychos, huh?"

Goo chuckled. "Says the guy who trained monsters."

Gun's gaze narrowed slightly. "Maybe. But I might've already found mine."

Goo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Gun looked ahead, his voice calm and unwavering.

"Some kid named Jalen."

Goo's smile faded slightly. For once, he didn't have anything to say.

The steam thickened.

The world outside moved fast.

And the era of successors was now truly underway.