The Carter estate remained quiet under the pale moonlight.
From the outside, nothing looked unusual.
Security guards continued their patrols.
Garden lights illuminated the paths.
Inside the mansion, the family members were either working late or preparing to sleep.
But hidden within the shadows of the estate, a silent battle had already begun.
Inside Bruce's bedroom, two unconscious Black Serpent agents lay tied securely with reinforced cable ties taken from the space system.
Bruce stood calmly beside them.
He quickly checked their pulse.
Stable.
Alive.
Good.
Bruce had no intention of killing them unless necessary.
Dead enemies attracted too much attention.
And right now, secrecy was more important than anything.
Bruce returned to the window and focused on the drone feed inside his mind.
Three agents remained.
Two had entered through the back garden.
The third was moving along the eastern corridor of the mansion.
Bruce studied their movements carefully.
"They've noticed something is wrong."
Their formation had changed.
They were moving more slowly.
More cautious.
The disappearance of their teammates had alerted them.
Bruce crossed his arms.
"Good instincts."
But they were already too late.
Bruce stepped into the hallway again.
The mansion corridors were quiet.
The thick carpet absorbed most footsteps, making movement easier.
Bruce walked silently toward the staircase.
Through the drone feed, he saw one of the agents approaching the back door.
The man slowly pushed the door open.
He stepped inside.
Bruce moved first.
The moment the agent entered the hallway, Bruce rolled another sleep capsule across the floor.
The gas spread quickly.
But this time the agent reacted faster.
He jumped back and covered his mouth.
"Gas!"
The man pulled a small mask from his belt and secured it over his face.
Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"Prepared."
The agent spotted Bruce standing calmly at the end of the hallway.
The man froze.
"A kid?"
Bruce tilted his head slightly.
"You're number three."
The agent immediately raised his pistol.
Bruce moved instantly.
Despite his young body, his movements were extremely precise.
He kicked the pistol upward.
The weapon fired once into the ceiling.
Before the agent could react again, Bruce struck the man's wrist.
The gun fell.
Bruce spun and drove his elbow into the man's ribs.
The agent staggered.
Bruce grabbed the mask and tore it away.
The sleep gas in the hallway quickly affected him.
The man struggled.
But within seconds, his legs collapsed.
Bruce caught him before he fell loudly.
"Good fight."
He dragged the unconscious agent into a nearby guest room.
Three down.
Two remaining.
Bruce returned to the corridor again.
But suddenly—
He heard footsteps behind him.
Bruce turned.
Standing near the staircase was Scarlett Carter.
His third sister.
She wore simple training clothes.
Her red hair was tied back in a tight ponytail.
Her sharp eyes scanned the hallway.
"Bruce?"
Bruce froze internally.
Scarlett rarely slept early.
She often trained late at night.
Her instincts as a strategist were extremely sharp.
She looked at him with confusion.
"What are you doing awake?"
Bruce's mind reacted instantly.
"I heard a noise."
Scarlett frowned slightly.
"I heard it too."
Her gaze moved down the hallway.
Then she noticed something unusual.
A faint smell.
Gas.
Her eyes narrowed.
Bruce spoke quickly.
"Maybe one of the cleaning chemicals spilt."
Scarlett stepped forward slowly.
But before she could investigate further—
A loud crash echoed from the back garden.
Both of them turned.
The remaining two Black Serpent agents had panicked.
They had realised their teammates were missing.
Now they were attempting to enter through the back entrance aggressively.
Scarlett's eyes instantly sharpened.
"That's not a chemical spill."
Bruce sighed internally.
This situation had just become more complicated.
Scarlett immediately ran toward the back entrance.
Bruce followed.
They reached the hallway near the kitchen.
The two agents had already forced the door open.
Both men held pistols.
The moment they saw Scarlett and Bruce, they froze.
Scarlett instantly moved.
Her speed was terrifying.
In one step, she closed the distance.
Her fist struck the first agent's throat.
The man collapsed instantly.
The second agent tried to aim his gun.
Scarlett twisted his wrist violently.
The weapon fell.
She slammed him into the wall.
Within seconds, both agents were unconscious.
Bruce watched silently.
"So that's the War Goddess."
Even without weapons, Scarlett was incredibly dangerous.
Scarlett checked the two agents quickly.
Her expression turned serious.
"Professional operatives."
She turned toward Bruce.
"Go back to your room."
Bruce nodded obediently.
"Okay."
Scarlett pulled out her phone.
"Security team."
Her voice became cold.
"Two intruders were captured in the kitchen corridor."
Bruce quietly walked away.
But inside his mind, he sighed.
"So much for secrecy."
Scarlett had already seen too much.
Still…
It could have been worse.
Bruce returned to his bedroom.
The two agents he captured earlier were still unconscious.
Bruce quickly hid them inside the space system storage.
Then he sat calmly at his desk.
Minutes later, security alarms activated across the estate.
Guards rushed through the halls.
The Carter family began gathering in the living room.
Bruce joined them shortly after.
Richard looked serious.
"What happened?"
Scarlett spoke calmly.
"Two armed intruders."
Victoria frowned.
"Who sent them?"
Scarlett shook her head.
"We'll find out."
Luna leaned against the wall quietly.
Her silver eyes slowly moved toward Bruce.
She studied his face carefully.
Bruce simply looked confused, like any normal ten-year-old boy.
But Luna's instincts were screaming.
Something tonight didn't make sense.
At all.
And somehow…
Her little brother was standing right in the middle of it.