Jayden, Tasha and Jessica turned their attention to the breaking news they’d just received.

The screen flashed to footage of an apocalyptic inferno. The sprawling, opulent de Bree palace estate was entirely engulfed in a towering pillar of flames.

"The entire palace, along with several surrounding infrastructures, was burned to the ground. Sources inside the royal guard report that the King of Arcadia, Ronald de Bree, suffered critical burn injuries alongside his three sons. The youngest, Felix de Bree, bore the brunt of the attack and was injured to the point of death."

The anchor paused, looking down at her notes in disbelief. "Mysteriously, no servants, guards, or other personnel were harmed in the blaze. Felix de Bree has been rushed to a specialized trauma center and placed in the ICU. Chief medical officers state that his internal organs have been burned beyond repair—that no healing serum or regeneration ability can restore the necrotic tissues. His chances of survival are considered extremely low."

Jayden and the girls stared at the screen in absolute, horrified awe.

"Oh my god," Jessica murmured, her hand covering her mouth. "Who on earth would attack the King and his family? They’re practically the most protected people on the continent."

Jayden kept his face perfectly neutral, but internally, a cold shiver ran down his spine. He knew Penelope had said she was going to handle Felix, but Jayden hadn’t thought she would literally burn the entire royal palace to the ground and leave the heirs on death’s door.

Just then, Jayden’s holotab buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

It was an encrypted message from Fred:

[Call me when you’re alone and somewhere private]

Jayden pocketed the device and looked at the girls. "I have some things I need to take care of. I’ll see you guys in a bit."

"Are you going out on another Pioneer hunt?" Tasha asked suspiciously.

"No," Jayden smiled. "I’m not going anywhere today. Since it’s your day off, how about we do something fun together later? The three of us?"

Jessica’s face lit up. "That’s a great idea! We could order pizza, play some games, watch a movie, and do all sorts...!"

"Sounds like a plan," Jayden said, heading for the stairs.

As he walked away, Tasha narrowed her eyes, watching his back. She leaned over and muttered to Jessica, "I think he’s hiding something."

Jessica sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "He always is, Tasha. Just leave it. He’ll come around and tell us eventually. He always does."

Tasha nodded and decided to listen to her sister.

.......

Jayden locked his bedroom door, pulled out his holotab, and dialed the encrypted frequency. The line rang for a few seconds before the connection was established. A blue holographic projection of Fred’s face and shoulders flickered into existence above the screen.

"Morning, Jayden," Fred greeted, his tone unusually tense.

"Morning, Fred," Jayden muttered. "What’s going on?"

"Oh, nothing much," Fred deadpanned, his expression turning sharp. "Except for the fact that you assassinated Frost on camera for the entire world to see! What the hell were you thinking? Whatever happened to our agreement of never operating where cameras are present?"

"I had to do it," Jayden said calmly, leaning back against his pillows. "It was personal."

Fred rubbed his temples in sheer frustration. "Well, your ’personal’ vendetta just handed the EVA a massive clue. That footage of you taking her out at the docks was incredibly vivid. It gave them a crystal-clear view of your build, your height, your combat style, and exactly what kind of tech you’re running."

"I was wearing my mask the entire time," Jayden pointed out. "There’s no problem."

"Do not ever underestimate the detective prowess of the agency, kid," Fred warned grimly. "A single frame of footage can tell them everything. There is even highly classified facial-recognition technology in development that can digitally unmask images and extrapolate the bone structure underneath. I am doing everything in my power to burn all the digital evidence to the ground before they can process it."

Jayden chuckled darkly. "Is that an arson reference regarding the de Brees?"

"This is not a joking matter, Jayden. And neither is the fire incident in Arcadia!" Fred snapped. "With the King and his heirs hospitalized, the entire continent currently has no ruler on the seat. It’s a political disaster. The EVA is actively deploying agents to find out who did it. Which, ironically, actually helps us, because a majority of their focus is currently diverted to finding the arsonist instead of you."

Jayden scoffed, shaking his head. "Cool. Though I’m pretty sure you already know who did it."

"Yeah, well, it’s not like there is a single shred of proof," Fred sighed. "And even if there were... who the hell in their right mind would dare step foot in Penelope Isley’s house and accuse her of arson? It’s a suicide mission."

"So the EVA is on a wild goose chase, and they are fully aware of it," Jayden smirked. "How hilarious."

"Focus, kid," Fred ordered. "We have more pressing issues at hand. I will try to cover everything up on my end and make sure the EVA doesn’t trace your identity. But in the meantime, you need to lay low. I don’t mean completely stop operating, but stay entirely off anything related to Black Cobra. You taking out that Red Skull gang was actually a brilliant diversion—it heavily confused the investigators who originally thought you were going after black cobra alone. So, for the next few days, if you feel the urge to punch someone, go after the local street gangs. Black Cobra is off-limits for now."

Fred paused, his holographic face turning serious. "It’s also for your own good. With Frost dead, the syndicate is going to be more keen on finding you now than ever before."

"Okay, fine. I’ll lay low," Jayden nodded. "But can I at least get the intel on the other Pioneers so I can start strategizing ways to defeat them beforehand?"

Fred exhaled a heavy sigh. "That’s the other thing I needed to tell you. I don’t have any information on the remaining Black Cobra Pioneers right now."

Jayden sat up straight. "What do you mean?"

"After the deaths of Duke and Tazer, the syndicate’s operational data has become impossible to access," Fred explained. "Even the standard surveillance files we have here at the agency have been heavily encrypted and locked down."

Jayden narrowed his eyes. "Locked down by who?"

"Probably the higher-ups," Fred admitted reluctantly. "They must have suspected that someone on the inside is feeding the vigilante intel to hunt down the Pioneers. So they closed all access to all intel regarding black cobra."

"So, basically," Jayden scoffed, pure disgust in his voice, "they are indirectly protecting the Pioneers."

"They are protecting the syndicate’s structural integrity, yes," Fred corrected softly. "This is something I always feared, Jayden. I knew Black Cobra and other syndicates had low-level moles in our agency working for them, but I’m starting to think those moles are the higher ups themselves. The corruption goes all the way to the top. But don’t worry, I’m already looking into it."

"Can you finally see it, Fred?" Jayden asked, his voice cold. "The precious organization you’ve dedicated your life to is completely rotten. It needs to be torn down."

"I know it looks bad," Fred argued gently. "But there are still good people in the agency, Jayden. Agents who truly fight for peace and justice. You can’t just burn the whole thing down."

"That doesn’t change anything," Jayden stated, his golden eyes unwavering. "I will still destroy the EVA. No matter what it takes."

Fred was silent for a long moment. He looked at the teenager, seeing the unyielding, terrifying resolve of a crusader. "Hopefully, by the time that day comes, I’ll have already retired." He chuckled. Then he leaned forward, his digital projection flickering slightly. "One last warning, kid. I know how much you care for your family. But no matter what happens, you absolutely cannot get them involved in all this. You shouldn’t even tell them what you’re doing. It is vastly safer for them to remain in the dark."

Jayden’s lips twitched slightly. He thought about the girls downstairs, who already knew everything.

"Okay, I won’t," he said smoothly.

"Stay safe, Jayden." Fred said. "We’ll be in touch."

The holographic projection vanished, leaving Jayden alone in the quiet room.

He sat on the edge of his bed, thinking about Fred’s final warning. Jacob and the girls already knew he was the vigilante. And if he kept going down this path, it was only a matter of time before they were inevitably drawn into the crossfire. That was exactly what happened in every superhero movie he had ever watched. The villain always found out, and the family always suffered.

He clenched his fists. He could not let that happen. He needed to get stronger. Much stronger.

Jayden let out a deep breath, deciding it was time to grind. He hadn’t completed his daily quests in days. He changed out of his pajamas, threw on a fresh set of workout clothes, and left the house, jogging briskly all the way to the Emerald City park.