When the guards finally burst in, they found the Baron sitting perfectly upright. He looked like he was sleeping, save for the thin, cauterized line on his neck. On the desk was a single playing card—the Ace of Knives.
His HUD flickered red, highlighting the "Kill-Node"—a microscopic gap in Vane’s personal kinetic armor located right at the base of the skull. The Insta-Kill Kaelen dropped. Knife Strife Insta Kill
Kaelen moved like liquid smoke. He didn't bypass the lasers; he timed his heartbeat to their flicker. When he reached the Iron Curtain, he didn't try to break it. He used a gravity-anchor to pin himself to the ceiling, crawling over the field’s blind spot. When the guards finally burst in, they found
The blade took Vane before his neurons could even register a threat. It was a perfect Insta-Kill: a single, silent puncture that bypassed the shield, the armor, and the bone. Vane’s glass hit the floor, shattering in slow motion, but by the time the liquid splashed his boots, Kaelen was already out the window. The Aftermath He didn't bypass the lasers; he timed his