James's plan was simple yet highly effective. He utilized the resources of the Casastras family to flag any ID bearing the name "Cain" across all transportation networks. Whenever such an ID was used, an alarm would trigger, and the details would be relayed directly to him. This ensured Cain couldn't escape Fith by conventional means.
In addition to this, James stationed personnel at the city's borders, bribing customs officers to prevent Cain from slipping away unnoticed.
Now, Cain had taken the bait and walked into James's trap. The teleportation hub, in particular, was heavily monitored, with several of James's operatives guarding the area.
"Mr. James! We've found him!"
At the command center, James's eyes flashed coldly.
"Good. Make sure he doesn't escape. Let the others handle it—don't intervene yourselves."
With that, James left for the teleportation hub.
Meanwhile, Cain realized he was trapped like an animal. He quickly assessed the situation and saw several black-clad figures blocking all escape routes. Each wore a white mask, rendering his invisibility useless.
"Damn it!" Cain cursed under his breath, his mind racing for a solution.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back—a blade had pierced him.
"Ugh!" Cain spun around, retreating a few steps.
He saw an elderly woman grinning wickedly at him.
"Heh, you're quick, but not quick enough. You've been poisoned!" she sneered venomously.
Before Cain could respond, another attack struck—a small arrow embedded itself in his right shoulder.
Barely turning in time, he was shot again, this time in the leg.
It dawned on Cain that he was surrounded by hidden enemies mixed within the crowd.
Then Dante's voice echoed in his mind.
"You're completely surrounded, and you've been hit with three toxins. You won't last five minutes."
"I know that! But I'm not giving up!" Cain gritted his teeth.
"Let me take over, Cain. Trust me," Dante's voice was calm yet insistent.
Cain hesitated. He was out of options. With no more marks to rely on, survival was uncertain. His invisibility was useless, and his enemies were too many and too prepared.
In that moment of desperation, Cain noticed another teleportation gate—a much smaller one, guarded by a few figures emanating the distinct aura of evolvers.
"Could that be… a teleportation gate reserved for evolvers?" A glimmer of hope sparked in Cain's mind.
He quickly checked his primal totem. The progress bar on the Totem Ring had reached 10%.
"Damn it, I should've checked this earlier!" Cain berated himself. It was the kind of mistake a rookie would make.
Now wasn't the time for regrets. Cain focused his will entirely on reaching that evolver gate.
In the blink of an eye, his body became enveloped in a thin layer of white energy.
Though he didn't understand how it worked, he decided to trust his totem and charged toward the evolver gate without hesitation.
"Stop him!"
"Damn it! I didn't expect him to use White Energy Expansion!"
"Don't let him reach that gate!"
The assassins panicked as their attacks bounced off Cain's protective white aura. Meanwhile, James's enforcers held their positions, unwilling to break their orders to engage directly unless Cain came to their area.
Cain sprinted toward the evolver zone, barreling through the attackers. By the time the assassins prepared to give chase, they reluctantly stopped. They dared not set foot in that restricted area.
As soon as Cain crossed the boundary, a guard captain clad in red and gold armor grabbed him with lightning speed.
"Bold of you! This is a Gaia-regulated area—Do you have a death wish?!"
Cain opened his mouth to explain, but the captain quickly noticed his injuries.
"What happened to you?" the captain asked, frowning.
Cain replied hurriedly, "Someone's trying to kill me! I had no choice but to run here!"
The captain's expression darkened. Turning to his men, he barked, "There's been an attack in the hub. Raise the alert and secure the area!"
Sirens blared as the hub went on high alert. Panic spread among the crowd, but no one dared make a move under the watchful eyes of the Gaia guards.
Faced with this sudden development, the assassins retreated into the shadows. Their mission had failed.
Moments later, James arrived, his face twisting in fury upon hearing the situation.
"You useless fools! Not only did you fail to kill him, but you've also alerted the Gaians! You're all dead men!" he snarled.
Forced to retreat, James could only watch as Cain was escorted away by the Gaia forces.
Minutes later, Cain found himself in a sealed room with mirrored glass walls. His wounds and the poison had been treated, but his hands were cuffed with a strange lightweight yet unbreakable material.
Though he had narrowly escaped death, Cain felt uneasy. He had traded one danger for another—he was now at the mercy of the Gaians.
Earth had long feared its overlords. An old saying among Earthlings went, "It's better to anger a devil than cross a Gaian."
Soon, the door opened, and a slender woman in a white form-fitting dress entered. Her jet-black hair framed a strikingly beautiful face, her presence exuding both elegance and authority.
Her distinctive diamond-shaped pupils marked her as a Gaian.
Without a word, she sat across from Cain, her icy gaze piercing him. The silence was suffocating.
Finally, she spoke. "Who was chasing you, and why?"
"I don't know exactly who they are, but I have a theory," Cain answered cautiously.
"Go on."
Cain recounted everything—the Casastras family, James, and the mysterious box.
The Gaian woman fell silent, processing his words.
"This is an Earthling matter," she said coldly. "It does not concern us. However, trespassing into Gaia jurisdiction is a serious offense. You must face punishment."
"I understand," Cain replied solemnly.
The woman leaned back, her expression unreadable. "From your evolver metrics, you're not an ordinary Earthling. Have you undergone evolver training?"
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"I only recently awakened my primal totem. I haven't had the chance."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "At your age, it must've been a near-death awakening."
"That's correct."
Her gaze lingered on him, thoughtful. Finally, she said, "Your punishment can be waived on one condition."
"What condition?"
"Join the Gaian Foreign Legion. Earn your freedom through service."
Cain was stunned, his thoughts racing. He had no desire to be conscripted into the Foreign Legion.
The Legion wasn't a place of honor—it was infamous for treating its soldiers like expendable pawns, sending them on the most dangerous missions. Most didn't survive long enough to see their service term end.
Cain hesitated before asking, "What happens if I choose punishment instead?"
"If you choose punishment, it's 50 years of imprisonment," the Gaian woman replied coldly, her expression as unyielding as stone.
Cain's face fell. "Fifty years?!"
"Isn't there… another way?" Cain asked carefully.
The Gaian woman shifted her posture, "You're in no position to negotiate. However…" She paused, her tone softening slightly, "You're fortunate. A new project has come up, and you may qualify to participate."