Sky Casino's VIP suite. "What do you need all this footage for?" Dorian watched Jason, who was staring at the old surveillance clips. And every single time, Jason's eyes were glued to the young man in the white suit. Whenever the young man was gambling, Jason's gaze turned sharp and cold, a warning for everyone to stay away. When he got hurt and Tristan wrapped up the wound, Jason's fingers curled tight. His eyes showed worry, pain, and a hint of jealousy. It was the first time Dorian had seen Jason show so much emotion and so openly. He was about to ask when the woman maintaining the clairvoyance ability suddenly spoke. "Alpha, look." Dorian snapped his attention back to the projected view. A group of organized thieves were killing anyone they saw. They didn't care who the target was or what their status might be. Their goal seemed to be one thing. Killing randomly. Dorian's expression darkened. It was the thief syndicate Mirage Corsairs. A cold smile touched his mouth. Great. They actually dared ruin his setup. If everyone died here, the Ciphers would end up becoming enemies of every major power. "Move out." He was just about to give the order. But in the next second, each thief dropped with a bullet to the head. Dorian focused. Eight or nine highly trained fighters were hidden around the room, taking out the thieves and rescuing bystanders with perfect coordination. Three of them were the same people who always followed the young man in the white suit.Dorian's eyes chilled. His order stayed stuck in his throat. Thora, Lance, and the others had already vanished from the clairvoyant screen. "That young man is an ability user too." Dorian looked at Jason, his tone carrying a question. Jason's lips moved slightly. "She isn't like the rest of you." Dorian frowned but didn't ask further. Only an ability user could block clairvoyance. But what exactly did Jason mean by different? On the other side, Sierra held Frost up, cold eyes locked on Thora with sharp caution. Lance stepped forward. "Kid, I kill him for you, and we clear our old debts. How about it?" Thora answered with three flat words. "Keep dreaming."Lance's eyes narrowed, danger flickering. "You really don't behave." Before he finished the sentence, blue electricity crackled in his palm. Thora reacted fast. Thinking he was aiming at her, she twisted away. But the lightning split toward Frost and Sierra instead. "Ah!" They both shuddered violently, like their bodies were burning from the inside. Sierra's eyes went dark. She knew they had no chance to fight this. She clenched her fist and slammed it to the ground. Dust exploded, covering the room. Thora and Lance blinked once. When their sight cleared, the two were already gone. Thora narrowed her eyes. Stealth technique again."No surprise for thieves. They run fast," Sharkie muttered. Julio gave a cold laugh. But with those two gone, their focus shifted straight onto Thora. They hadn't forgotten that she had killed plenty of their people and injured Alissa. Just as they were about to attack, Lance lifted a hand to stop them. "I never betray my teammates in the middle of a fight." Cold amusement curved his lips as he turned slightly toward Thora. A flicker of appreciation showed in Thora's gaze, but she still kept her knife up across her chest. She knew she and Lance would eventually clash. Sooner or later. In the same moment, everything in the room jolted and shifted violently. That was Thora's ability, pushed on purpose. A warning. A show of force. Lance's eyes darkened. "What exactly is your ability?"He had assumed before that it was speed enhancement, but now it clearly wasn't. Thora's voice was calm. "Try it and you'll know." They stared at each other for a long beat. Neither made the first move. But they both recognized the same thing in the other. The thrill of meeting a real equal and the little hesitation about destroying someone like that. At least, Lance felt it. "Half a year ago you injured me and my men. Call that your greeting gift. Today I injured you. Call it my return gift. We're even for now." Lance lowered his hand as the electricity faded from his palm. His handsome face stayed unreadable. He stepped back and turned to leave. "Next time we meet, I won't hold back." "Boss." Sharkie and Julio shot Thora with a fierce glare. They didn't like letting her go, but they still followed him out. The three disappeared the moment they stepped through the door. Thora watched the direction they left and let a small smile curve her lips. "Lance. Not bad." He was the only man she had met in this timeline who earned her respect enough to be called a real opponent. Cruel but not sneaky. Principles like a mercenary who kept his contracts but ignored rules and morals. Cold, sharp, and always fair about grudges. All those contradictions together made it hard to treat him as a simple enemy. Thora whispered, "Next time we meet, I won't hold back either."