Nadya asked around for directions, and it didn't take long to figure out where they needed to go. The street was buzzing, full of weirdos in glitter, masks, and clothes that looked like they belonged in a post-apocalyptic fashion show.

Then again, it was fitting since they were pretty much in a post-apocalyptic world after the Z Virus Outbreak.

One place stood out as the undeniable epicentre of the chaos.

Venom.

One of the largest nightclubs in the entire city—and it looked the part.

The building itself was a towering beast of black glass and steel, sprawling wide like a luxury hotel, with neon veins pulsing along its edges. A long queue of club goers stretched around the block, dressed to kill and buzzing with anticipation, oblivious to the coming storm.

Above the entrance, the name Venom hung in glowing, blood-green letters - suspended in the air like a warning.

It didn't welcome you.

It dared you to step inside.

But instead of heading through the front doors with the music thumping and people desperate to get inside, Nadya veered into the alleyway beside it.

When she spotted what she was looking for, she let out a laugh. "Still hasn't changed," she murmured. "It's been a while. Wonder if it's still as wild down there."

Two massive men stood beside a rusted metal hatch embedded in the concrete, clearly guarding it. The alley was dimly lit and reeked of alcohol, smoke, and the faint metallic scent of blood, which made Kai's heart race.

"Hey, oafs," Nadya called out confidently. "I'm here to see your boss."

The guards blinked at her, then at each other.

"Who's this crazy bitch?"

Kai and the others stood behind her like the weirdest parade, with Kai's blood-red eyes catching their attention the most.

The guards hesitated. She did seem familiar. Not that they'd seen her themselves, but the boss had warned them about a certain lunatic who caused a scene once long prior.

Around the club, other alleyways and hidden paths were similarly guarded by thick-necked men. They weren't mutants, but they were built like walls and served mostly to alert others if the authorities showed up - or someone worse.

Nadya wasn't in the mood to wait. She held up her hand and summoned a pulsing, orange explosive orb, letting it hum menacingly between her fingers.

"Want me to blow my way in like last time?" she grinned.

The colour drained from both men's faces.

"I knew it! She's the one!" one of them muttered, grabbing his earpiece. "Boss said if she ever showed up, call it in immediately!"

"By all means," Nadya said sweetly, defusing the orb with a little flick. "I'll wait."

Kai gave her a side-eye. "This really your idea of sneaking in?"

"If we were going to fight our way in," he muttered under his breath, "we should've taken them down before they alerted the whole damn compound…"

Before he could finish, figures emerged from the shadows - mutants and humans alike, some armed, some clearly brimming with power. They formed a tight circle around the group. Kai clocked at least two mutants immediately, maybe more.

One figure, a young man, stood out in particular. He had tanned skin and eyes that looked too steady to be normal, and seemed to be leading the group. He stepped forward. "You may follow us to the boss."

Kai's instincts flared. That one was definitely a mutant - a capable one at that. He couldn't explain how he knew - maybe it was the way the guy stood, or the way his presence pressed against Kai's senses.

The others sensed it, too.

Still, Nadya looked perfectly chill as they followed the man through the now-unlocked hatch and down into the underground.

Two guards stayed behind to reseal the hatch as they descended a spiral staircase that felt like it went forever.

The deeper they got, the louder the sound of chaos became - cheers, shouting, roaring bass, and the unmistakable echo of fists slamming into flesh.

'Don't tell me this is another fight club,' Kai thought, groaning internally. One look at Nadya's smug grin confirmed it.

'Of course, the person she knows runs a fight club. And if they're not on good terms…'

He scraped his palm against the wall casually as they walked, drawing a thin line of blood and letting it pool into a small orb in his hand.

Better safe than sorry.

'Why the hell is she even leading us?' he thought, exasperated. 'She's the most likely to get us killed.'

The tunnel eventually opened up into a massive underground complex, and Kai had to admit - it was impressive. Larger than Nadya's own base back in their city. Sleek lighting, reinforced doors, security cams. It was a full-blown mutant fighting operation hidden right beneath the club - and probably under the noses of the Association.

'Or maybe not,' Kai considered. 'The Association's got fingers in every pie. Wouldn't surprise me if they were letting this run in exchange for cash or info.'

If Nyx had managed to track him down in some remote town on the outskirts of Moscow, then it made no sense to Kai that a massive underground fight club like this hadn't come up on their radar. The thought gnawed at him, and with each step toward the entrance, his discomfort only grew.

But despite the looming tension, everyone played it cool. Kai kept his pace steady, blood orb concealed in hand. Isaac walked like he didn't have a care in the world, though that was probably because he could phase out at any moment. Amina was the only one who looked on edge, but her grip on Isaac's hand kept her grounded.

Eventually, the group was led through winding tunnels to a heavily guarded steel door.

This was it - the boss's private suite.

Kai straightened his posture. Even though he didn't know what was waiting behind that door, he had a sinking feeling that Nadya had left out a lot of details about this "friend" of hers.

The door opened.

And Kai realised almost instantly, Nadya's version of "not on good terms" might as well have meant mortal enemies...

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