CHAPTER 37 — The Corporate Guild
Morning light crept over the Safe Zone, turning the skyline into a jagged silhouette of steel and glass. Aiden watched from a rooftop as the city stirred awake—traffic humming, crowds gathering, drones sweeping the streets in lazy arcs. The world looked normal from up here.
But he knew better.
Rumors were spreading.
The Guilds were searching.
And now, something new was moving into the city.
Aiden dropped from the rooftop, landing silently in an alley thanks to Gravity softening the impact. He pulled his hood up and blended into the early?morning crowd. His silent?weave jacket muted his steps, and Sound Force blurred his presence just enough to keep eyes sliding past him.
He needed food.
He needed rest.
He needed to stay invisible.
But the city had other plans.
As he approached a busy intersection, a convoy of sleek black vehicles rolled through the street. They weren’t Guild transports. They weren’t police. They were something else—sleek, armored, humming with high?grade tech.
Aiden’s Perception prickled.
The crowd parted instinctively, whispering.
“Helix Dynamics…”
“They’re here already?”
“Thought they only operated in Tier?1 cities.”
“Something big must’ve happened.”
Aiden’s pulse tightened.
Helix Dynamics.
The corporate guild specializing in Force research.
The same group that paid for “live specimens.”
The same group whose scanners were rumored to be more advanced than the Guild’s.
The convoy stopped outside a tall building with mirrored windows. Aiden slipped behind a bus stop, watching from the corner of his eye.
The doors opened.
Operatives stepped out—six of them, wearing sleek black armor with glowing teal lines tracing their suits. Their helmets were angular, their visors tinted. Each carried a compact scanner strapped to their forearm, humming with energy.
These weren’t hunters.
These were researchers.
Collectors.
Trackers.
Aiden’s stomach tightened.
One of the operatives raised his wrist scanner and swept it across the street. The device emitted a soft pulse—clean, controlled, precise. Not like the Guild’s glitchy tech. This was sharper. More focused. More dangerous.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Aiden pressed Sound Force tighter around himself, muting his presence.
The scanner passed over him.
It flickered.
Just once.
A tiny glitch.
Barely noticeable.
But the operative paused.
Aiden’s breath caught.
The operative tapped the scanner, adjusting settings. The device pulsed again, sweeping the area. Aiden felt the resonance brush against him—like a cold hand searching through fog.
He shifted his weight, letting Gravity lighten him, letting Sound distort the vibrations around his body.
The scanner passed over him again.
This time, it didn’t flicker.
The operative lowered his arm.
Aiden exhaled silently.
The group entered the building, leaving two guards outside. The crowd slowly resumed its flow, though whispers lingered like smoke.
Aiden slipped away, heart pounding.
Helix Dynamics was here.
And their scanners were almost good enough to find him.
He moved quickly, weaving through alleys until he reached a quieter district—old apartments, cracked sidewalks, faded murals. He ducked into a small café, ordered a cheap drink, and sat near the back where he could watch the street.
He needed to think.
He needed to understand why Helix was here.
He didn’t have to wait long.
Two hunters entered the café, talking loudly as they grabbed seats near the window. Aiden kept his head down but listened closely.
“…Helix is setting up a temporary lab in the city.”
“Yeah, I heard. Something about an anomaly.”
“Not just any anomaly. A Force signature they can’t classify.”
“You mean the ghost hunter thing?”
“Exactly.”
Aiden’s grip tightened around his cup.
The first hunter lowered his voice. “Guild scanners glitch around him. But Helix scanners? They want to know why.”
The second hunter snorted. “Good luck. If the guy took down a hybrid alone, he’s not someone you corner.”
Aiden’s pulse quickened.
The hunters kept talking.
“Helix is offering rewards for any data—heat signatures, resonance traces, even eyewitness accounts.”
“They’re desperate.”
“Or curious.”
“Same thing with them.”
Aiden finished his drink and slipped out before they noticed him.
The streets felt different now—heavier, more watchful. Every drone hum felt sharper. Every passerby felt like a potential threat. Every shadow felt like it hid an operative.
He moved quickly, heading toward the industrial district where his warehouse hideout waited. But as he turned a corner, he froze.
A Helix drone hovered above the street—sleek, silent, scanning.
Its teal lights swept across the pavement in slow, deliberate arcs.
Aiden ducked behind a dumpster, Sound Force wrapping around him like a cloak. The drone’s scan passed over the alley, humming softly.
Aiden felt the resonance brush against him again—sharper than the Guild’s, more invasive, like it was trying to peel back layers of his presence.
He held his breath.
The drone paused.
Aiden’s heart hammered.
Then it moved on.
He waited until it disappeared around the corner before slipping out of the alley and heading straight for the warehouse.
He climbed through the broken side door and collapsed against a crate, breathing hard.
Helix Dynamics was here.
Their scanners were nearly strong enough to detect him.
Their operatives were already sweeping the city.
And the rumors about the ghost hunter were spreading faster than he could hide.
He needed to stay ahead.
He needed to train harder.
He needed to be ready.
Because the corporate guild wasn’t like the Rift Guild.
They didn’t want to arrest him.
They wanted to study him.
Aiden clenched his fists.
He wouldn’t let that happen.
Not now.
Not ever.
He stood, the warehouse echoing faintly with the sound of his breath.
Tomorrow, he would stay one step ahead of Helix Dynamics.
Because the hunt had begun.
And he refused to be caught.
