At the Sky Casino. Once Thora had extracted everything she needed from Badi, she kept her word and returned him to Dorian. She didn't think Badi deserved to die, but she didn't plead for his life either. She'd taken the man out of Dorian's hands in the first place. Now that he was back where he started, whatever Dorian chose to do with him was none of her concern. What did surprise her was that Dorian only took one of Badi's hands and let him live. For someone as ruthless as Dorian, that practically counted as mercy. The truth was, Dorian had fully intended to kill Badi. It was Darius who stopped him. "You kill him, and who's going to pay my mate back?" On that absurd excuse alone, Darius had strong-armed Dorian into sparing the man's life. Dorian wanted him dead. Darius wanted him alive. The two settled it with a wager, and as always, it ended in a draw. In the end, they reached a compromise—ruin the body, spare the life. Dorian took one of Badi's hands. Darius destroyed everything below the waist. Badi was carried out of the Sky Casino on a stretcher. Thora knew none of this. All she knew was that they'd let him live, and she didn't care to ask about the rest. Not long after, her personal account suddenly showed several extra zeros. Badi wouldn't dare to breathe a word to the counterfeiting ring. If he leaked anything, his remaining quality of life, his family, and possibly his entire pack would be wiped off the map. As for retaliating against the Sky Casino or Dorian, he didn't have the nerve or the means. Walking away alive was already more luck than he deserved. ... On Thora's end, the moment Luke arrived, they moved. Using the intel Badi had provided, Luke hacked into the covert forum in short order. After filtering through the data, he identified the fake postings the counterfeiting ring used as contact signals. The plan now was simple—Luke would impersonate one of the existing buyers, publish a similar coded post, and bait the ring into making contact. At the same time, Thora issued a string of orders to the squad members stationed on the outskirts of Novaland, and everyone kicked into gear. "What's the deal with those people inside the casino?" Thora finally circled back to ask about Shirley's findings. Tristan answered on Shirley's behalf. "Boss, they've got nothing to do with the counterfeiting operation. They're just regular Novaland locals. Someone's been paying them to come in and blow money at the tables." "Blow money around?" Thora's brow creased. Tristan nodded. "Somebody hired them to gamble. All the buy-ins are bankrolled by whoever's behind it." The picture clicked into focus immediately—someone was deliberately pumping counterfeit bills into the Sky Casino, using hired locals to circulate the fakes through regular gameplay. That way, the counterfeit cash would filter into the hands of ordinary gamblers and into the casino's own rake alike. In other words, at least some of the people behind these counterfeits were aiming directly at the Skybound Group. "Where are those people now?" Thora pressed. Right on cue, Darius walked in. Tristan tilted his chin toward Darius, his tone flat. "With him."Darius's lips curved faintly. He crossed the room and sat down near Thora without a word, making no move to interrupt. Thora glanced at him but didn't ask further—if those people were in Darius's hands, there was nothing to worry about. She turned back and continued scanning the filtered data alongside Luke. Before long, Luke had posted a coded message on the forum under Badi's identity, mimicking the same pattern used in previous contact signals. He rolled his wrists and spoke with quiet confidence. "Now we wait for them to reach out. I've built a virtual ID and contact profile that's a perfect clone of Badi's. There's no way they'll spot the difference. The second they make contact, I lock their location." Using Badi's existing identity rather than building a fresh cover was the smarter play—it lowered the ring's guard and saved precious time. Thora nodded. "Good. Let the team know. Everyone stays ready to move.""Done." Luke's fingers flew, and a string of deployment orders was already sent. Thora turned to look at Darius. Before she could even open her mouth, he read her mind. "I've got eyes on Badi. Nothing's going to slip." "Good." Thora acknowledged with a nod, then caught herself a beat later, struck by something she couldn't quite place—somewhere along the line, she and Darius had reached a level of understanding where words were barely necessary. Now came the waiting game. Thora's squad had the critical lead, but Tobias would have gathered his own intel from the bug and would be moving soon. And Roxen had her own methods and channels for running down a trail. The race was on—whoever located the counterfeiting ring first, took them down, and brought back proof of victory to Blue Star Military Academy would win. Still, for reasons she couldn't name, a quiet unease settled in Thora's chest. Something about this mission carried the faint, unmistakable scent of trouble.