The sound was maddening—sharp beeps echoing from every corner of the ruined office, overlapping like a chorus of countdowns. Each tone marked the final moments before the building turned into their tomb. Lin's ears strained, tracking the layers of noise, trying to calculate how much time they truly had. Seconds? A minute at best. His instincts screamed at him: move now or die here.
"Down!" Lin barked, yanking Keller by the shoulder just as a section of ceiling gave way. Concrete and steel rods thundered onto the floor where Keller had stood a breath ago, sparks leaping as exposed wiring snapped free. The scout cackled in the shadows, his voice full of manic glee.
"You can't outrun him," the man taunted, sweat gleaming on his temples. "Jin doesn't need to kill you—he just wants to watch you burn."
"Shut him up," Keller growled, his pistol snapping up, but Lin pushed the barrel down.
"Not now. We need every second."
