Chapter 353: Orizon City

He had barely taken several steps when a company employee noticed him. "Excuse me?"

The worker approached cautiously. "Can I help you?"

The masked man looked at him politely. "Oh."

"I’m here to see someone."

He casually pointed down the corridor. "There."

The employee instinctively turned to follow the direction of the finger.

"Hm?"

"I don’t see—"

When he looked back, the masked stranger had vanished.

"...What?" he blinked several times.

The corridor that stretched in both directions was completely empty.

A chill quietly ran down the employee’s spine.

"...Weird..." he muttered to himself before shaking his head and returning to work.

Far outside the building, concealed among the flow of pedestrians, the masked man glanced back at the towering headquarters one final time.

His eyes settled briefly on the floor where Liz worked.

Then he looked toward the distant skyline.

"Enjoy your trip, West Einstein," he voiced with an almost playful tone. "By the time you return..."

"...I wonder how much of your world will still be standing."

With that, he disappeared into the crowd, leaving behind nothing but unanswered questions and the faint feeling that a far more dangerous storm was quietly gathering over Misty High City.

•••

•••

The rhythmic beeping of medical equipment echoed softly through the intensive care wing.

Outside one of the hospital’s most heavily guarded private rooms, silence hung in the air.

The atmosphere was so heavy that even the nurses passing through the corridor instinctively lowered their voices.

Inside the room... Matthew remained unconscious.

Almost every inch of his body was hidden beneath thick white bandages and his arms were suspended by orthopedic traction frames.

Both legs remained elevated by an intricate arrangement of pulleys and supports.

Multiple tubes fed medicine and nutrients into his body while several sophisticated monitoring machines tracked every heartbeat.

He scarcely resembled the powerful executive who had once commanded an entire office floor.

Standing quietly beside the hospital bed was a tall young man dressed in a pristine white coat with his blond hair neatly combed back.

He had a perfectly relaxed posture with cold eyes underneath the calm exterior.

Angel Trigger stared silently at his older brother for several moments.

Behind him, their mother could no longer contain herself.

She wrapped both arms around him from behind and began crying once more.

"Look at him..." her voice trembled uncontrollably. "Just look at what they did to your brother..."

"He was never supposed to end up like this."

Angel Trigger slowly turned around with a slightly softening expression as he placed his hand over hers.

"It’s going to be alright, Mom."

She shook her head repeatedly. "The doctors said..."

"...they said he almost died."

"They still aren’t certain he’ll recover completely."

Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. "He didn’t deserve this."

Angel Trigger glanced back toward Matthew while the machines continued their steady rhythm.

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

He clenched his fists almost imperceptibly. "He’ll recover."

"I’m going to transfer him."

His mother looked up. "Transfer him?"

He nodded. "To the best medical centre in the world."

"I’ve already contacted them."

"They specialise in treating these types of injuries."

"Their success rate is unmatched."

She blinked through her tears. "They’re willing to accept him?"

"They already have."

"The aircraft is being prepared."

"We leave as soon as the doctors confirm he’s stable enough for transport."

His mother gripped his arm tightly. "...Thank you."

Angel Trigger gently squeezed her shoulder. "I promised you."

"I’ll handle this."

He looked once more toward his unconscious brother.

"And..." his voice grew noticeably colder. "West Einstein will pay."

"I promise you that."

The kind of certainty his voice possessed, unsettled even the hospital staff standing outside the room.

His mother slowly nodded. "I know you will."

Angel Trigger leaned forward slightly, looking directly at Matthew. "You rest."

"When you wake up..."

"...this debt will already have begun to be repaid."

He straightened his coat before calmly walking toward the door.

•••

•••

Several hours later... the aircraft carrying West descended through a blanket of clouds.

From his window seat, the enchanting skyline of Orizon City gradually came into view.

West rested his chin against one hand. "...Quite the city."

Even from above... the differences were impossible to ignore.

One half of Orizon City looked as though it had stepped straight out of the future.

High glass skyscrapers reflected the afternoon sun, dozens of aerial transit lanes crisscrossed between building, autonomous vehicles flowed through immaculate streets below and massive holographic advertisements hovered in the air.

The district in his line of sight was synonymous with wealth, technology and progress.

However, beyond a broad river dividing the metropolis... everything was different.

The sparkling towers gave way to tightly packed neighbourhoods. Rusting rooftops stretched endlessly into the distance, factories belched dark smoke into the sky, buildings leaned precariously against one another and narrow alleyways twisted through densely populated streets.

Even from this altitude, the difference was stark.

West quietly observed both halves of the city. "...A city of extremes."

Moments later, the aircraft touched down smoothly.

After disembarking, West collected his luggage and made his way through the arrivals terminal.

Unlike Misty High Airport... Very few people recognised him here.

A handful of travellers glanced his way and one or two seemed to whisper among themselves but no crowds formed, neither did anyone rush toward him for photographs.

Although, he was practically a local champion only recognized by Misty High folks, he really liked the peace.

As he exited the terminal, a sharply dressed man in his early forties immediately stepped forward.

He held a discreet sign bearing only a single initial.

"W."

The moment their eyes met, the man smiled politely.

"Mr. Einstein?"

West extended his hand. "You must be the contact."

The man shook it firmly. "My name is Sammy."

"It’s a pleasure to finally meet you."

"The pleasure’s mine."

Sammy gestured toward a glossy black luxury sedan waiting nearby. "Your vehicle is ready."

West climbed into the rear seat while Sammy occupied the seat beside the driver.

The car silently merged into Orizon City’s traffic.

For several minutes, West simply watched the unfamiliar city pass by through the window.

Sammy noticed his keen stares. "First time in Orizon?"

"It shows?"

Sammy chuckled. "A little."

West smiled. "It’s... different."

"It is."

Sammy nodded. "Most visitors only see the financial district."

"The government likes showing that part to the world."

West looked toward another section of the city where ageing apartment blocks crowded together beneath elevated highways. "But that’s not the whole story."

Marcus followed his gaze. "No."

"It isn’t."

He pointed through the windshield. "Everything you’re seeing now..."

"...that’s only one face of Orizon."

"The other face..."

"...is where we’re going tomorrow."

West’s attention sharpened. "The slums."

Sammy nodded. "They’re the most dangerous district in the entire city."

"The local authorities barely maintain any control."

"Numerous awakened factions operate there."

"Gangs."

"Smugglers."

"Illegal markets."

"Underground arenas."

"Slave trade."

"If someone wants to disappear..."

"...that’s where they go."

West leaned back comfortably. "Sounds lively."

Sammy laughed. "That’s certainly one way of describing it."

The vehicle eventually entered the city’s financial district where glass towers surrounded them on every side.

Several minutes later, they stopped outside an elegant five-star hotel overlooking the skyline.

Uniformed staff immediately opened the doors.

After checking in, Sammy accompanied West to a spacious executive suite.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked nearly half the city.

West placed his travel bag near the sofa before walking toward the glass.

From here, he could see both worlds. The shining towers and the darker districts in the distance... were very visible.

Sammy joined him. "I thought you’d appreciate the view."

"I do," West nodded. "It reminds me that appearances rarely tell the whole story."

Sammy smiled knowingly. "We’ll leave early tomorrow morning."

"What time?"

"Seven."

West nodded. "Fine by me."

Sammy produced a small folder and placed it on the coffee table. "Maps."

"Safe routes."

"Known faction territories."

"And a few names you’ll want to remember."

West picked up the folder but didn’t open it immediately. "I’ll study them tonight."

Sammy checked his watch. "Then I’ll leave you to rest."

He walked toward the door before pausing. "Oh..."

West looked up.

"One more thing," Sammy’s expression became noticeably more serious. "When we enter the slums tomorrow..."

"...forget everything you’ve seen in the wealthy districts."

West raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Sammy gave a faint smile. ’Because down there..."

"...different rules decide who lives long enough to make it back out."

With those final words, he quietly left the suite.

•••

•••

~ The Next Day ~

The afternoon sun hung low over Orizon City’s skyline as a black SUV rolled off the pristine elevated highways and descended toward a completely different world.

Glass towers slowly disappeared behind them, neon advertisements gave way to rusted billboards and perfectly paved roads became cracked asphalt littered with abandoned vehicles and overflowing garbage.

West leaned against the window, quietly watching the scenery change.

"So this is the famous Orizon slums..."

Sammy nodded grimly from the driver’s seat. "It only gets worse."

The deeper they drove, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.