Read Novel Full Chapter 455 455: The Betrayal
Chapter 455 455: The Betrayal
"My Lord," he said, lowering his head in respect. "I oversee this facility. I did not expect you to visit."
Gabriel walked past him, already examining the weights.
"These are the heaviest sets available?"
"Yes," the man replied. "They are designed for awakened bodies. Even among them, very few can use the upper ranges safely."
Gabriel stepped toward a loaded barbell.
The label on its side read 1,200 kg.
The manager quickly spoke. "My Lord, that one requires preparation."
Gabriel lifted it. There was no buildup. No visible effort. He simply raised the bar, held it steady for a moment, then lowered it back into place with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
Perhaps it was too light for him.
The sound of metal settling echoed softly across the room.
The manager stopped talking.
Gabriel moved to the next station without pause. This one was configured even heavier. He tested the grip, then lifted again with the same controlled motion.
Seraphina leaned against one of the support pillars, watching silently.
Gabriel continued moving from one setup to another. Each piece of equipment was tested only briefly. He did not repeat movements. He did not slow down. Every lift was clean and direct, as if he were measuring rather than exercising.
'I need something that would give me a challenge…' he thought, continuing to check out the equipment.
The manager finally found his voice again. "That station is calibrated to one thousand five hundred kilograms."
Gabriel had already completed the lift and set it down, still not satisfied.
He walked to another rack.
This one held an even larger bar reinforced with additional locking rings. The weight markings exceeded two thousand kilograms.
The manager took an unconscious step forward. "That one has…"
Gabriel grasped the bar and lifted it.
The reinforced frame creaked slightly from the sudden transfer of force, but the bar rose without hesitation. Gabriel held it steady, then returned it to the rack with exact control so the metal would not slam.
Silence filled the gym.
The maid who had guided them covered her mouth, eyes wide. She clearly did not understand the numbers, but she understood the reaction of the manager.
Gabriel continued testing another machine designed for resistance pushing rather than lifting. The built in gauge spiked immediately as he applied force. The reading climbed past the marked safe zone and stopped near the maximum threshold, which was a whopping 10,000 kilograms.
He released it and stepped back.
"That will do," Gabriel said, finally finding the right equipment.
The manager did not answer.
He was staring at the equipment, then at Gabriel, then back again as if trying to confirm what he had just witnessed was real. His hands were still frozen in place from when he had tried to intervene earlier.
Gabriel glanced at him and said, "You maintain this facility? Are you trying to say no one has been able to lift 10 kg? Then how was it placed here in the first place?"
The man nodded slowly, still unable to take his eyes off Gabriel. "Yes… but… those weights… they are extremely heavy. Not even Sir Dominic can lift that. As for how it was placed there, it was done with the help of heavy vehicles."
Gabriel picked up another barbell which read about 9,000 kilograms casually, testing the balance once more before setting it down.
He lifted a couple more, and at some point even the 10,000 kg became boring and too easy.
Seraphina watched him for a while and stated the obvious. "I do not think the gym is for you. You are beyond that."
"That seems to be the case," Gabriel replied. "And I have yet to distribute my remaining stat points. Once I do that, everything here would be useless."
While Gabriel was currently testing how far he could push himself, in the real world, inside an abandoned warehouse, a young man in his early twenties with a muscular build was tied to a chair. His hands were bound tightly behind him, and a gag prevented him from calling out. Sweat ran down his face, not entirely from fear, but from the mental strain of knowing exactly why he was here.
The light revealed faint bruises forming along his arms and neck, evidence of repeated questioning and intimidation.
He was not just anyone. He was BrawlerX, one of Gabriel's subordinates in the game. His friends had been concerned when he disappeared online for weeks, assuming it was family problems or perhaps he had simply lost interest. Nobody could have guessed the truth.
BrawlerX's eyes darted toward the corner where a man stood, his features concealed by the darkness.
"You understand the deal, do you not? You work for us, and we let you and your family go. No one would know about that."
He swallowed hard behind the gag, the words echoing in his mind. He had been forced into this position after refusing to share information about Broken Heaven.
The mysterious people had made it clear. Cooperate and survive. Refuse and they would make an example out of him and his family.
At first, BrawlerX had thought he could hold on, resisting every demand, refusing to share secrets or betray his friends. He had told himself they were bluffing, that they would not risk harming innocent lives for a game.
But the bruises, the hunger, the long nights of confinement had eroded his defiance gradually.
Was he really going to risk the lives of his family for an NPC that was not real and friends who only knew him through a screen?
His fists tightened, nails digging into his palms. The answer came slowly, painfully.
"…I will cooperate," he finally muttered, his voice filled with reluctance.
The man gave a small nod, already expecting it.
BrawlerX lowered his head, heart heavy, knowing that from this moment on, he would log back into the game not as a player, but as their spy.
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