Chapter 285: The Gateway
The Big Black enforcers hesitated, their eyes darting from Alexander’s high-tier TMC token to the roaring silver Lamborghini. The bloody memory of the recent massacre was still fresh; TMC had decimated their frontlines in that sector. Initiating another full-scale turf war without a explicit, direct command from the supreme bosses of Big Black was a quick way to get executed by their own people.
"I’ll take a step back, and I won’t search your ride," the lead enforcer said, lowering his rifle but keeping his ground. "But you aren’t crossing this bridge, pretty boy. I don’t want a fight with TMC, but orders are orders. Unless you want to start a war with Big Black right here, turn this fancy toy around and get the fuck back to your sector."
Alexander smirked, his hand shifting the gear selector. "You can tell Big Black to shove their orders right up their useless, gaping asses."
He slammed his foot down on the accelerator.
The 920-horsepower hybrid engine screamed to life as the Temerario launched forward, tearing right through the gap between the technical trucks. The enforcers raised their weapons, preparing to paint the highway with bullets, but the lead enforcer raised his hand, blocking their line of fire.
"Let him go!" the leader barked.
Another armed squad leader ran up, glaring at the disappearing taillights. "Why the hell did you let him cross? We had him cornered!"
"He’s TMC," the leader spat, adjusting his tactical vest. "They have the same treaty restrictions we do. If they find those alien broads, they’ll just turn them over to the high brass anyway. It’s not worth starting a bloodbath over. It’ll handle itself."
"I hope you know what you’re doing," the squad leader muttered.
"I know what I’m doing."
Meanwhile, Alexander pushed the Lamborghini to its limit, the scenery blurring into a streak of dark neon and asphalt. After five miles of hard driving, he glanced at the passenger footwells.
"We’re through," said Alexander. "We’re temporarily safe. You can come out now."
Liora and her companion sat up, their pale faces still tight with sheer terror as they looked out the windows.
"Alright, I got you out of the city," Alexander said, steering the car toward the winding mountain passes. "Now start talking. Where are we going? What is waiting for us up in these mountains?"
"You will see it very soon," the older woman whispered, pointing toward a jagged, dark ridge ahead. "It is just up there. Not much further."
Alexander drove up the steep, winding path until they reached an empty clearing surrounded by sheer rock faces. There was nothing here—just dry brush and solid stone. But as they stepped out of the vehicle, Liora stepped forward and extended her small, pale hand into the empty air.
Hummmmm.
The air itself began to vibrate with a high-pitched resonance, rippling like water to reveal a small, hidden concrete structure nestled against the cliffside.
"This is a concealment matrix from our planet," Liora explained, her voice steadying. "The soldier who rescued us was a prisoner of war captured in the outer sectors. Your local captors didn’t understand our technology; they thought this was a useless trinket."
She bent down, picking up a thin metal chain that had been half-buried in the dirt. It looked ordinary, except for a small, brilliant sapphire glowing at the very end.
"This is an energy stone," she said. "It powers the illusion, but its reservoir is almost depleted. Even if we hadn’t come today, the matrix would have collapsed within hours."
The two women began searching the perimeter of the clearing, their fingers brushing against the dusty rocks until they uncovered a strange, irregular stone. It looked like liquid mercury—a bizarre, metallic dough that shifted its shape as they held it.
"It’s just as he said," the older woman breathed, a tear of relief slipping down her cheek. "We have our ticket back home. Thank the gods."
Liora turned to Alexander, her glowing pink eyes filled with genuine gratitude. "Thank you, Alexander. We owe you our lives. If you choose to come with us to Sandoria, you will be hailed as a savior. My mistress is a high princess of our realm; the wealth and power you will receive there will dwarf anything this primitive world can offer you."
Alexander blinked, his brow furrowing in sheer disbelief. "Go with you? What the hell do you mean, go with you?"
"There is no time to explain, you must make your decision right now!" the older woman urged frantically. "Once we activate the catalyst, you must jump with us. If you stay here and they find you near this site, they will hunt you down and slaughter you for aiding our escape!"
Without waiting another second, Liora hurled the liquid-mercury stone into the center of the clearing.
BZZZZZZZZZZZ!
A deafening, spatial hum tore through the air. The space warped, a swirling, pitch-black vortex expanding as it devoured the light and air around them, creating a massive, howling vacuum.
Alexander stared at the swirling anomaly, his jaw dropping. Is that a portal? A real, actual portal?! This isn’t some goddamn anime!
He looked at the portal, then back at his silver Lamborghini loaded with a hundred million dollars of pure capital. If he jumped into that vortex, he would be leaving his newly built foundation, his cars, his money, and his entire life behind for an unknown world. But if he stayed here, Big Black, TMC, or the shadow government would trace the anomaly back to him, branded as a traitor to his own race.
"Hell no!" Alexander yelled over the roaring wind.
He spun on his heel, sprinted back to the Lamborghini, and slammed the scissor door shut. He threw the transmission into reverse, spun the car around in a wild cloud of dust, and slammed the accelerator to the floor, roaring down the mountain pass as fast as the tires would grip.
He knew what was coming. The moment those alien women vanished, the entire sector would erupt. He had to hide the gold, hide the cash, and find a way to cover his tracks before they hunted him down like a dog with nowhere left to run.