Adam materialized inside the Shroud with his Mental Dampening already active—a subtle field that made him easy to overlook, that let him observe without drawing focus, that wrapped his presence in cognitive static.
No grand strategy, he decided, eyes moving over the archaic architecture while Enhanced Cognition processed angles, sightlines, and structural weaknesses. Hide. Stay out of trouble. Survive six hours. Leave when the timer runs out.
It was practical and efficient. Exactly how an intelligence specialist built for battles of the mind rather than direct combat operated.
Why bleed for nothing when avoidance achieves the same objective?
He slipped into a shadowed alley, Mental Dampening nudging attention away from him, while his sharpened mind mapped potential hiding spots, fallback routes, and blind zones throughout the area.
Then suddenly he heard voices—multiple candidates converging, their conversation carrying a mixture of fear and forced confidence.
