The Interrogation
The main chamber of "The Vault" was heavy with a new, unfamiliar silence. The victorious Night Walker team stood in a line, their predatory confidence mixed with a new, wary respect. Two of them were nursing minor, healing injuries—injuries dealt not by guns, but by a single, unarmed human.
That human was now chained to a reinforced steel chair. He was the Disciple (Iron Tier), and he was awake, his face a mask of arrogant defiance, though a visible tremor of fear ran through his hands.
Vicky Thorne sat opposite him, his face a mask of cold analysis. He wasn't angry; he was intrigued. This was the first true variable since his transformation.
"You are strong," the Disciple spat. "But you are clumsy. You are abominations. When my Master arrives, he will cleanse this city of you."
"Your Master," Vicky said, his voice quiet. He leaned forward, and for the first time, released a tiny fraction of his Progenitor's aura. It wasn't an attack; it was a presence. The room temperature dropped, and the Disciple's bravado evaporated, replaced by a raw, primal terror. He was a trained warrior, but his instincts were screaming that he was in a room with an apex predator.
"You will tell me about your Master," Vicky commanded. "You will tell me about 'Chi'. You will tell me everything."
The Disciple, his will crumbling under the supernatural pressure, began to talk.
The War Room
An hour later, Vicky and Marcus Keller were in the vault's newly established command center. The air hummed with the sound of high-capacity servers. Elias Vance, having heard the report from his team, stood guard at the door, his face grim.
Keller, his face pale, projected a map onto the wall. The entire docklands district was highlighted in red. "The 'Silent Dragon School.' What the Disciple told us... it matches every rumor I've been chasing, Master. This is far deeper than a simple triad."
Keller, with his decades of experience in the corporate and security world, had access to data streams the police never even knew existed. He cross-referenced old police reports marked "anomalous," financial records of dojos and "cultural centers" receiving massive, untraceable funding, and dark web forum posts.
"This isn't a gang that learned to fight," Keller explained, his voice tight with the gravity of his discovery. "This is a hidden society of elite martial artists who use a criminal gang—the Iron Hand—as their public face and their wallet. They are the definition of 'old world power'."
"What is their power?" Vicky asked, his focus absolute. "This 'Chi'."
"From what the prisoner confirmed," Keller said, bringing up a new set of files, "it is the opposite of our own. Your power, Master, is external. You are a Progenitor. You grant power to others. Your system builds you, levels you, gives you skills. This 'Chi' is purely internal. It is the cultivation of a person's own life-force over decades. They have to train from childhood, meditate, and follow a strict code to even awaken it. It is slow, agonizingly slow. But the results... as our Night Walkers discovered... are precise."
He reviewed the power levels confirmed by the captured Disciple.
At the bottom of their hierarchy is the Disciple (Iron Tier), like our prisoner. These individuals have basic Chi flow, allowing them to harden their fists and skin into an "Iron Fist" and granting increased stamina. Their power is roughly equivalent to our Tier 1 - Night Walkers (Lvl 1-5). Our assessment is that a single Night Walker could likely overpower a Disciple through raw strength and healing, but a Disciple's Chi-strike can inflict internal damage, bypassing our durability.
The next rank is the Adept (Bronze Tier). According to the prisoner, these are the true enforcers. They can project their Chi as a 'Chi-Strike' and possess enhanced speed, agility, and senses. This makes them a direct counter to our Tier 2 - Vampires (Lvl 5-30). Our power is raw, but theirs is refined, making a one-on-one fight highly unpredictable.
Above them is the Master (Silver Tier). These are believed to be regional leaders. The prisoner spoke of them with religious awe, saying they can create Chi shields, see energy flows, and move faster than the eye can track. We assess them as equivalent to a Tier 3 - Vampire Knight (Lvl 30-80). A single Master could likely defeat multiple Tier 2 Vampires.
Finally, there is the Grandmaster (Gold Tier). This rank is mythical. The prisoner only knows of one—the head of the entire Silent Dragon School. He's an unknown threat equivalent to a Tier 4 Noble or Tier 5 King (Lvl 81-140). They are to be avoided at all costs.
Vicky studied the new information, a cold smile touching his lips. He saw the problem, but more importantly, he saw the solution.
"Look at the comparison, Marcus," Vicky said, pointing to Keller's analysis. "Their strength is their weakness. It takes them decades to create a single Master. I created two Tier 2 Lieutenants in a matter of days. They are artisans, carving a single, perfect statue. We... we are an assembly line. We are building an army."
"But Master," Keller interjected, "that army was just injured. Their 'Disciple' hurt two of our Night Walkers."
"Two," Vicky countered, his voice sharp. "Two wounded, while ten of ours crushed their entire warehouse and captured their 'warrior'. It was a victory, Marcus. A sloppy one, but a victory. It proved our numbers and raw power can overwhelm their skill at the low levels. But it also proves we need skill of our own."
Vicky turned back to the map. "This changes our strategy. We will not be a blunt instrument."
The New Doctrine
He laid out the new doctrine for The Crimson Pact, his voice resonating with absolute command.
1. Avoidance and Observation: "The Silent Dragon School has held those docks for generations. Let them keep it. It's a cage. As long as they stay there, they are irrelevant. We will not engage them directly again. Instead, Keller, you will find a way to watch them. I want to know how they train, how they fight, who they meet. I want eyes inside their walls."
2. Refinement and Training: "Elias. Your new primary function is not recruitment. It is Training. You are the new 'Master' of The Crimson Pact. Take your ten Night Walkers. Take them into the tunnels. Hunt monsters, yes, but this time, do it with tactics. Use pincer movements, feints, and coordinated strikes. I want our Tier 1 followers to be able to take down a Tier 2 monster through skill, not just numbers. We will forge our raw power into a weapon."
3. Exponential Growth (The Trump Card): "And I... I will continue to do what they cannot." Vicky looked at his own status.
VICKY THORNE: TIER STATUS
Tier: 2 - Vampire
Level: 6 (165/1200 XP)
Skills: [Blood Arrow (Lvl 1), Blood Claws (Lvl 2), Blood Shield (Lvl 1)]
"Their path is slow. Mine is fast. They may have 'Adepts' and 'Masters' now. But I will be a Tier 3 - Vampire Knight (Level 30) before they even realize we are a threat. I will be a Tier 5 - Vampire King (Level 111) while their 'Masters' are still perfecting their stances. We will out-scale them. We will obsolete them."
"The city is large, gentlemen," Vicky said, sweeping his hand across the map, dismissing the red-marked docklands. "They can have their polluted water. We will take the banks. We will take the media. We will take the government. We will conquer the rest of Veros, and by the time they realize we are at war, they will be a small, irrelevant island in my ocean."
The mood in The Vault had transformed. The fear from the new threat was gone, replaced by a cold, hard sense of purpose. The minor setback had not broken them; it had tempered them.
"Marcus," Vicky ordered, his mind already on the next phase. "Find me a new target. A corrupt corporation ripe for a takeover. A politician in need of a 'miracle'. Find me someone who doesn't have a Chi master guarding their secrets."
"And what of the prisoner, Master?" Keller asked.
Vicky's eyes turned cold. "He gave us good data. Now, he will be good food. I need the XP."