Chapter 97: The Rejected Corps Having just found out that Dipter was in juvie, Chad went into full panic mode. Sweat was already dripping down the side of his face, and his skin felt clammy like he was burning from the inside out. "Dustin! We have to move now! We have to find Max Stern! I... I need to figure out some way to, some way to..." He couldn’t even finish the sentence. The words caught in his throat like static. But even without saying them, Chad was already moving, storming toward the door. His head of security, Dustin, didn’t hesitate to follow. The two of them rushed down the stairs, footsteps loud and quick. "At this time of day, Max should still be near the school," Dustin said. "But we won’t be able to just blindly enter the premises without a solid reason. I could try to convince the principal to let us in." "I don’t care!" Chad snapped. "Force your way in if you have to. It’s just a regular school!" "If that doesn’t work, then fine, we’ll wait for him. But we’re not leaving without seeing Max." They were halfway across the dance floor, almost to the exit, when the doors suddenly burst open with explosive energy. The two guards stationed inside jumped forward, but before they could even react, both were slammed backward, flung across the room and sent skidding across the polished dance floor like rag dolls. "Chad!" a voice called out. A tall man stepped through the open doors, wearing a striped shirt, a fitted waistcoat, and a tall black top hat perched on his head. On either side of him were two men, both wearing berets. They weren’t trying to hide, they were making a statement. "It appears you were in quite the rush to leave," the man in the top hat said coolly. "Did you know I was coming? Were you trying to escape me?" Several of the guards inside the nightclub, what was left of Chad’s personal security, immediately sprang into action. The two who’d been thrown aside were already getting back on their feet, injured but still willing to fight. More guards moved in, surrounding the trio. "No, wait! Stop!" Chad shouted, throwing out his hand. These men were his own, loyal and battle-scarred. They’d already taken hits from Dipter and his crew, but they hadn’t broken. Not yet. They were still able to fight. Still able to protect. However, Chad knew the truth deep down, if his security team couldn’t handle Dipter, then they had absolutely no chance against these people. Before the guards could even rush forward, a large group of men, at least twenty, entered the nightclub behind the first three. Each of them wore the same signature beret, moving in with precision. The sight caught the guards completely off guard, but instincts kicked in, and they tried to fight back. The newcomers moved swiftly, weaving around the incoming attacks with practiced ease. With smooth, coordinated movements, they struck, kicks to the legs and knees, sharp hits to the sides of their faces, taking each guard down in seconds. It was clean. Clinical. Efficient. Dustin stood frozen in disbelief. The high schoolers from earlier had managed to take down his trained team, but at least that had been a struggle. This, this was something else entirely. These men were operating on another level, making the entire thing look effortless. What shook him even more was how perfectly synchronized they were, moving as if they’d been trained to operate like clockwork. "Who are these people?" Dustin asked, his voice low. "They’re... a street gang," Chad answered, his voice dry and tight. "The man in front, he’s called Chrono. He’s their leader. The group’s known as the Rejected Corps." "A gang?" Dustin blinked in disbelief. "This is who you’ve been dealing with?" "Correct," Chad replied, eyes fixed on Chrono. "But they’re not just any gang. Their name carries weight, because every single one of them is ex-military. All kicked out of their units for one reason or another. We don’t stand a chance against them." Chrono, the man at the front, was easily the best-dressed among them, striped shirt, polished waistcoat, and that unmistakable top hat. With his sharp eyebrows and calm expression, he looked more like a businessman than a gang leader. His hands were spread casually at his sides as he strolled forward. "You know," Chrono began, circling Chad like a hawk, "I was quite disappointed when I heard that our product never made it to any of our customers." His tone was smooth, but every word carried a quiet threat. "So I looked into it. I was hoping, just hoping, that maybe I could still recover it. But as it turns out..." He paused, raising an eyebrow. "The students you used? They’ve all been locked up. And the product?" He stopped in front of Chad. "Now it’s in the hands of the police." "Dipter was his name, right?" Chrono said, his voice oddly casual. "I really liked that kid. You know, I had my eye on him. We have a rule in our group, we only take in those who are like us. But he was different. Special. So special, I was even willing to make an exception." He paused, his tone sharpening. "So now I have to ask, what the hell went wrong?" Chrono stopped walking and turned, locking eyes with Chad, expecting a straight answer. "I have no idea!" Chad blurted out, panicked. "I just found out about it seconds ago, I swear! I didn’t know Dipter lost the product or anything like that. I was on my way to figure it out myself!" "Oh, I see," Chrono replied smoothly. "And I can tell you’re telling the truth..." He gave a cold smile. "Because if you weren’t, I’m sure I would’ve gotten a call from you first, right? That would have been the smart thing to do." Chrono’s smile disappeared. "After all, let’s not forget, you owe us. You’re swimming in debt, Chad. That’s the only reason you’re working for us. And now, thanks to this little disaster... your debt just got bigger." With a snap of his fingers, Chrono gave the signal. The men in berets began exiting the nightclub one by one, silent and disciplined, until only the two flanking him remained. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 "Don’t worry about finding out what happened," Chrono said calmly. "We’ll handle that. Someone decided to mess with our business. So now, we’ll either find a new supply route... or eliminate the problem." He stepped closer again, eyes never leaving Chad. "Truth is, Dipter had already come to us. He asked us to cut you out, wanted to work with us directly. We had a deal. Everything was set. And now it’s ruined." Chrono tilted his head slightly, mock curiosity flickering across his face. "Makes me wonder... did you find out? Did you try to sabotage it?" He took another step forward. Chad instinctively raised his hands, shielding his face, flinching like a man expecting a punch. But it didn’t come. "No, it couldn’t have been you," Chrono said, turning away. "You wouldn’t dare make a move." He glanced over his shoulder one last time, voice low and final. "After all, we both know the truth, Chad. The Stern family can’t protect you. Or rather... they won’t."