110 THE GENSYN AUCTION?
The mass proceeded with solemn chants and soft hymns. It was a new kind of religion—one built around life, rebirth, and sacrifice.
Dan didn't believe in any of it.
He would've left right away if not for Sienna, sitting at the grand piano, leading the choir with serene devotion. He stayed only to avoid drawing her attention, praying she wouldn't notice him.
When the mass ended and the congregation began to disperse, Dan slipped quietly toward the exit.
"Dan!" a voice called.
He froze. "Why didn't you say hello to your aunt when you saw her?" Sienna asked, her tone half-teasing, half-accusing.
Dan turned slowly. "Hi, Sienna. What are you doing here?"
Argent stood beside her, his expression unreadable, his hands folded behind his back fidgeting with a puzzle.
"I'm on volunteer duty," she said lightly. "You know —always up for a little charity and religion."
"Well, I should get going," Dan said, already turning away.
"Why don't we take a walk?" she offered, smiling faintly.
"That's not necessary—"
"Nonsense," she cut in. "You must've gotten lost if you wandered in here without a guide. Co on, I'll show you the way out."
Reluctantly, Dan followed. The air between them was heavy; every word felt like a test.
"You've grown stronger," Sienna said after a while. "Maybe now you'll finally join our revolution?"
He forced a chuckle. "I haven't even finished school yet."
Their steps echoed down the stone corridor. Then she added, almost casually, "Did you know the city's going to auction off GenSyn Industries?"
That caught him off guard. "What? And why are you telling
this?"
"Because you should buy it," she said.
He froze mid-step. "Buy it? I don't have that kind of money."
She smiled faintly, her eyes gleaming with quiet amusent. "Oh, I think you do. Or maybe your friend could help? I heard he ca into a rather large inheritance lately."
Dan's mind went cold. "She even knows about Zairgid stealing from his uncle Arom. Nothing escaped her."
But what Sienna said lingered in Dan's mind.
To survive in this city, he needed power—real power. Too many people were after his head, and luck wouldn't save him every ti.
After Lander and Dorin resigned from SIA, even the faint protection he had from the authorities was gone. Now, he was truly on his own.
He needed a power base—sothing solid to keep others from stepping on him.
Buying GenSyn Industries… it wasn't a bad idea.
In fact, it could be the foundation of an empire. With enough strength, no one could bully him again.
"How much do you think the governnt will sell GenSyn for?" Dan asked suddenly.
Sienna smiled, the corner of her lips curling with satisfaction. She knew she had him hooked.
"About a hundred and fifty million," she said smoothly. "You already have a big part of that, don't you? Why not ask
for the rest? I'll lend it to you."
Dan paused, weighing her words.
Her tone was casual, but the offer was poison wrapped in silk. Accepting her help would an tying himself to her—joining her shadowy cult and whatever sches she served.
He forced a polite smile. "Erm… never mind. I'll find another way."
They reached the main road. Streetlights glimred across the wet pavent, the hum of the city returning like a pulse.
"Thanks," Dan said, stopping. "I can manage from here."
"Of course," Sienna said softly. "But rember—if it's money you need, you can always ask ."
Dan nodded once, then walked away.
He didn't look back.
Argent hadn't said a word the whole ti. When Dan finally disappeared down the street, he turned to Sienna.
"Why tell him about GenSyn?" he asked quietly. "He doesn't seem the type to join our cause."
Sienna's lips curved into a faint smile. "Maybe not now. But for our revolution to succeed, Dan would have a big part to play—even if he doesn't know it yet."
Argent studied her, his expression unreadable. "What are you planning, sister?"
She looked out toward the city lights, her eyes gleaming with cold amusent.
"You'll know soon enough," she said.
------
"Big Brother, isn't this dangerous? We're dealing with an assassin organization… the Order of Clocks," Kail asked, glancing around the diner.
"It's the Order of Cocks… but don't worry, If we're careful, there's nothing to worry about," Dan replied as they waited for a table at Six O'Clock Diner.
While they waited, Dan activated his Vision Connect and checked his status. He realized he hadn't done so since draining Rewind IX.
Na: Dan Dark
Strength Rank: C????ta Rank: D????Blood Rank: E
Strength: 376??|??Charm: 222??|??ta: 173??|??Command: 172??|??Blood: 81??|??Armor: 204
"Not bad," he muttered, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "Guess Rewind's strength wasn't wasted after all. They've beco mine."
Still, sothing bothered him.
The drain had only affected his Strength ta. None of her other attributes had transferred. It seed the function could only extract what he hadn't already surpassed.
"Drain only works on tas stronger than ,.. I can only drain her stats that are higher than mine," he thought.
He then tapped Empowernt, toggling it off.
With Drain, he no longer needed to spend DemCoins to boost his stats. Better to save them and wait for an upgrade to his software.
He had a feeling his DemCoin Mining App still had unreleased features waiting to be unlocked.
"Please co with . Your seat is over there," the waiter said, leading them through the hum of the Six O'Clock Diner.
They sat down, and Dan picked up the glowing nu tablet.
"Can you trace where this aur is going?" he asked quietly.
"No problem," Kail replied, giving a confident thumbs-up.
Dan began writing into the nu interface. His pen moved casually, but the words he entered weren't ordinary.
"Kill Director Ambrone lrose."
The screen flickered. A ssage appeared:
"Do you want an assassination contract for Director Ambrone lrose? [Y / N]"
Dan didn't hesitate. He pressed Y.
Another ssage popped up imdiately:
"OUR PRICE: ELEVEN MILLION AURS. PLEASE PAY IN FULL."
"You can start tracing," Dan said, sliding his Aur Card across the nu tablet.
Kail's eyes glazed over as his neural interface activated.
The diner lted away into streams of data — lines of shifting code and floating command strings. The nu tablet unraveled before him, exposing layers of program threads.
Then he saw it — a bright line of energy codes flowing outward.
"I've got it," Kail said. "The aur is being transferred to a Tesla Coil receiver, three blocks from here."
"Good." Dan pulled out his card, his purpose was already achieved. "Let's move."
"But we haven't eaten yet," Kail protested.
"We'll eat sowhere else," Dan replied, his tone flat and final.
But they stood up to leave the waiter ca over his eyes eyeing both of them suspiciously. "Is there a problem with the nu?"
Bodyguards from the diner suddenly appeared to surround them.
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