1029 Turn Back Now! When Xin came out of her own thoughts for a moment, she could see the large number of vehicles in front of her, and seeing who it was, a spark of hope ignited inside. Kai had brought along a large force of the Howlers, and there had to be at least around five hundred people in the vehicles. The Howlers, since their start, had grown strong as well. It wasn’t just filled with new gang members. There were a large number of Altered among them, and Crowley, who had made it out of the attack from the Phoenix Gang, was present as well. It was clear that Kai was serious about his words. He was ready for war, and just maybe, they would be able to save Jayden. However, as she asked her question, Xin could instantly see the conflicting look on Kai’s face. “What’s wrong?” Xin said. “You said you brought everyone because we might have to go to war. My brother is still there—let’s go and get him!” Xin’s cries were met with silence, but Kai knew he had to give an answer. “Xin, we can’t go back to help your brother,” Kai answered. “What did you say!” Xin went to dash forward, but before she could reach for Kai, Austin grabbed her and held her slightly up in the air before placing her behind him, making sure that he was in-between the two of them. “I understand your feelings!” Kai said. “Bullshit!” Xin shouted. “If it was Gary in there, you would head in without a second thought. Because it’s my brother, you won’t! Is it because he isn’t a member of the Howlers? How is that fair? If Gary was awake, he would go back in there—I know it!” “And would you want him to?” Kai replied. The question made Xin pause for a moment. “That is why I can’t let the Howlers go in there—it’s because of Gary,” Kai answered. “Right now, Gary is in this state because he went against that One Gang. He went in to help your brother.” “From what I can see, it’s lucky Gary made it out of there alive, and you want to send everyone back in?” “You want to send everyone after an opponent even Gary couldn’t beat?” Kai raised his voice. It was one of the few times he had done so, especially against an ally, a friend. In situations like this, when everyone was hot-headed, he needed to be the level-headed person in the group. Otherwise, they would all run into their deaths. “He’s right, Xin,” Austin said. “Think about it—even if Gary was awake, we weren’t able to do anything. We need to prepare.” “But Jayden… he’s so close. He was right there. It was only because of him we were able to escape. How can you all live knowing that? How can you?” Maybe if Xin were in the others’ positions, she could understand, but being so closely related to the individual, she couldn’t think straight and was acting purely on emotion. “Xin!” Kai said, wanting to get through to her, because he could tell she still hadn’t given up. And there was a worry for Kai—if Gary woke up at any moment and heard the words she was shouting, there was a chance he would run back in there. “You can go back if you want. I’m not in control of you. But if something happens to you, it would ruin your brother’s sacrifice, and even Gary’s.” “To send in the Howlers and risk the lives of so many others for Jayden—we can’t do that. It’s different for Gary.” “He is the Howlers, which is why everyone can take that risk. Because without him, we don’t exist.” “But to lose our lives for someone we don’t even know is alive or not—I won’t risk their lives.” “Take that back!” Xin shouted, her body already transforming. Austin turned around to see her, but she had already zipped past him and was in the air, aiming for Kai. “Jayden is alive!” Xin shouted. In a flash, Kai’s entire body transformed, revealing his light grey fur. His body had grown partially, and at the perfect moment, Kai grabbed Xin by her neck and slammed her onto the concrete floor. Her electrical powers surged through Kai’s body, but bearing through the pain, showing his front teeth, he continued to hold Xin down. “How are you even meant to save your brother if you can’t even beat me!” Kai yelled. Watching everything unfold was Daphne Bree, who was standing to the side. Her eyebrows raised the moment she saw Kai transform. ‘He has the same Altered base as Gary Dem, but something feels different about it all,’ she thought. ‘Either way, it seems that Gary isn’t the only strong member in the Howlers. He has quite the diamond aiding him by his side.’ As Xin’s transformation ended, she began to sob on the ground, and Kai let go. “Alright, everyone, we’re heading back to Slough!” Kai ordered. Everyone started to head back into their vehicles while Austin lifted Xin off the ground. Just as Kai was about to turn around, someone approached him. “I hope you don’t mind, but I would like to pay a visit to Slough.” Looking at who it was, Kai instantly recognized one of the Kings from his research, but as to why she was here, he could only guess. “You’re welcome until you’re not,” Kai said. The group returned to Slough, anxiously looking over their shoulders. They wondered if Harvor would come after them at any moment, but he never did. They stayed updated on the news channels and more, but there was nothing—no mention of Jayden for now. The news of a giant flying dragon was pretty much all that was covered. As they saw the sign for Slough and entered the city, Kai was worried mostly about one thing. ‘When you wake up, Gary, with everything that’s happened, what are you going to do? What can you do?’ ***** *******