Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner - Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Breaking and Entry into Eight Chapter 108: Breaking and Entry into Eight The faint hum of an approaching vehicle cut through the night air.

A sleek, black hover car descended just beyond the academy’s perimeter, its underlights casting a faint blue glow on the pavement.

At the same moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor leading back to the dorms.

Micah.

Breathless, slightly disheveled, but here.

“Alright, I’m good,” he huffed, jogging up to them.

“Told you I wouldn’t ditch.” Lucas shot him a sharp look.

“You sure?

Stomach isn’t acting up anymore?” Micah scoffed.

“Don’t push it, Lucas.” The others ignored the banter as the car settled just outside the high-tech gates.

The security interface scanned the vehicle, cross-referencing its registration with the temporary clearance the gate guard had arranged.

A few seconds later, a discreet beep signaled approval, and the gates slid open just enough for them to step through.

Lucas turned to the group.

“Alright.

We go in, keep it quiet, and discuss the rendezvous point with the driver once we’re inside.

No mistakes.” Bailey and Oba nodded, Micah simply rolled his shoulders, and Noah adjusted his backpack.

Then, without another word, they stepped out of Twelve’s academy grounds and into the waiting vehicle.

The moment they stepped through the gate, the hover car’s door slid open with a soft hiss.

The driver, a lean man with a sharp jawline and tired eyes, glanced at them through the rearview mirror.

“Five of you, yeah?” His voice was gruff, and he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the dashboard.

“Get in.

We ain’t got all night.” Lucas motioned for them to pile in.

Noah slid in first, taking a spot by the window, while Micah dropped in beside him.

Bailey and Oba squeezed into the back, leaving Lucas in the front passenger seat.

The interior smelled faintly of machine oil and cheap cologne, the seats worn from years of use.

As the doors sealed shut, a soft vibration rumbled beneath them, and the car lifted off the ground with a smooth ascent.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

Lucas leaned forward, lowering his voice.

“Eastern school 8.

We need a spot close to their exit and entry.

Somewhere with a quick exit route.” The driver exhaled through his nose.

“Bold.

You sure about that?” “Yeah,” Lucas said without hesitation.

The driver nodded.

“Alright.

I know a place.

A parking dock near one of their old supply depots.

It’s been out of commission for a while, but it’ll give you cover.

I drop you there, then circle back in an hour.

You miss the window, you find your own way back.” “Fair enough,” Lucas said.

The car hummed louder as it accelerated, city lights below blurring into streaks of neon.

Noah leaned back, exhaling slowly.

‘So this was happening.

No turning back now.’ Micah tapped a rhythmic beat against his knee.

“Hope y’all stretched before coming out.” Bailey scoffed.

“You worried?” “Please,” Micah snorted.

“I just hope Twelve doesn’t embarrass itself tonight.” Lucas turned in his seat, leveling a look at him.

“Then don’t slow us down.” The tension between them was obvious, but neither pushed further.

Not now.

Noah stared out the window, watching the city lights smear past in streaks of blue and red.

His reflection ghosted over the glass, sharp eyes and a face that looked far too calm for someone about to start a war.

‘Man didn’t even blink.

Not a single question beyond the basics.

Five students, all in black, moving toward a different academy near midnight, and he just rolls with it?’ The hover car thrummed beneath them, smooth, almost soothing in its ascent.

Noah let his head rest against the seat, eyes narrowing slightly.

‘Either the world’s decaying faster than we thought, or this guy’s got twelve months’ rent due and no other way to pay it.’ The thought made him smirk, just a little.

A few minutes later, The hover car descended smoothly onto the cracked pavement just outside School 8’s perimeter.

A low hum filled the quiet night air as the vehicle steadied, the city’s neon glow reflecting faintly off its dark exterior.

Lucas leaned forward, tapping the driver’s seat.

“We won’t be long.

Payment’s made when we get back.

Consider it your motivation to comeback,” Noah caught the way the man stiffened.

His fingers tightened slightly on the controls before relaxing, his gaze flickering toward the rearview mirror.

He wanted to argue.

It was obvious-the slight parting of his lips, the way his throat worked as if swallowing down words.

But he didn’t.

‘Smart man.’ Noah studied him, taking in the barely concealed tension in his shoulders.

He wasn’t just thinking about the money.

He was assessing, running the numbers in his head.

Five students, all in black, stepping out past curfew toward enemy grounds.

Five students, all from the academy.

Meaning they’d awakened.

Meaning they had power.

And he was just a cab driver.

‘He knows the odds.

Knows that even the weakest of us could rearrange his face with a flick of the wrist.

Knows it’s past midnight, and if anything goes south, he’s got no one coming for him.’ The man let out a slow breath, his hands gripping the wheel a little tighter before he finally nodded.

No words, just a small jerk of his chin in silent agreement.

He watched as they exited the car, his expression unreadable, but Noah knew.

He was probably already regretting taking this job.

They gathered just outside the perimeter of Academy 8, the military academy standing tall like a fortress under the dim glow of the city lights.

The reinforced walls, the high-tech security grid, and the disciplined patrol patterns-it was clear this wasn’t just any school.

Lucas turned to Bailey.

“Recon.” Bailey smirked, reaching into her bag and pulling out a sleek black headset.

“Noise cancellation,” she muttered, slipping it on.

Then, with a sharp stomp of her foot, she sent out a pulse.

The sound waves spread like ripples in water, bouncing off structures, mapping the area in real-time through frequency shifts.

Bailey’s brows furrowed as she processed the feedback.

“Alright.

Perimeter security is tight-no surprise there.

Main gate has four guards, synchronized rotations every ninety seconds.

They’re not slacking.

East side’s got motion sensors and thermal cameras covering the fence line, but the calibration’s off-delayed response by about 1.2 seconds.

That’s an entry window.” She adjusted the frequency, sweeping further.

“Rooftops?

Sniper nest on the admin building, but he’s not in position-probably relying on ground units.

No aerial drones active, which means they’re confident in ground coverage.

That’s either arrogance or protocol.” Bailey exhaled.

“Best entry point?

Western perimeter, behind the dorms.

Less patrol overlap, weakest sensor coverage.

Once we’re in, we stay low.” Lucas nodded.

“Copy that.” He turned to the others.

“Bailey, you’re on surveillance and comms.

Keep us updated in real-time.

Oba, rear guard-if we need an exit, you make it happen.” Micah cracked his knuckles.

“What about me?” “You’re high ground surveillance.

Find an overwatch position and keep us covered.” That left him and Noah.

Lucas locked eyes with him.

“We take point once we’re inside.” Noah gave a short nod, adjusting the strap of his backpack.

The plan was solid.

But that was the problem-it was too solid.

‘Security this predictable?

Weak spots that obvious?

Either Academy 8 got lazy, or we’re walking into something we don’t see yet.’ Too early to call it, but the unease sat heavy in his gut.

As they moved toward the western perimeter, the night stretched silent around them.

Lucas handed Noah a small comm earpiece before they moved.

“Sync up,” he said.

Noah slid it in, hearing the faint crackle as the channel connected.

Bailey’s voice came through first.

“Comms live.

We move quiet.” Lucas gave a final nod, then they moved.

The western perimeter was their entry point, just as Bailey had pinpointed.

They moved like shadows, keeping close to the walls, avoiding the open spaces where the moonlight could expose them.

Micah took the first initiative, lifting himself effortlessly with a slight gravitational shift.

His boots barely made a sound as he ascended the side of a storage building, finding a perch where he could scan the area.

High ground surveillance-secured.

Bailey stayed low, fingers brushing the ground every few steps, adjusting frequencies, reading the soundscape.

Every creak, every step, every shift in the wind-she heard it all.

Oba stayed at the back, a silent wall of defense.

His power was the most deceptive.

Kinetic absorption.

Which meant that if someone made the mistake of hitting him first, they wouldn’t live to make another mistake.

Noah and Lucas took point, leading the approach toward the dorms.

As they rounded the building, Noah felt it before he saw it.

Something was off.

The air was too still.

The academy’s dormitory wing should have had faint noises-students whispering, the hum of electronics, maybe even a faint sound of water pipes.

But there was nothing.

Noah narrowed his eyes.

‘Too easy.

Why is it too easy?’ Then, Bailey’s voice cut through the comms.

“Hold.” Everyone froze.

Noah glanced at Lucas, but Lucas was already tense, waiting for her report.

Bailey’s breathing was controlled, but there was something sharp in her tone.

“There’s a rhythm,” she whispered.

“A… beat.” Noah frowned.

“What?” “A pulse,” Bailey clarified.

“Like a heartbeat.” A slow, deliberate thump-thump.

Faint, but consistent.

Bailey’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“Someone’s watching you.” Silence.

Then-