Ren and Izumi stood in front of the deserted construction site.
"So, this is where your friend was kidnapped?" Ren asked, eyeing the empty area around them.
"According to the location Naomi sent me, this should be it," Izumi replied, scanning the surroundings.
Ren glanced around, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "Not to doubt your friend or anything, but this place looks... pretty dead. Just rubble and dust."
Izumi gave a small sigh and motioned for them to start searching. "Let's look around. But don't go too far from me."
As they scoured the site, Ren suddenly stopped in her tracks. She had stepped on something that echoed with a strange, hollow clang. Curious, she stomped the spot again. The sound repeated.
"Hey, I think I found something," she called out. Kneeling down, she brushed away the debris and uncovered a metal trapdoor.
Izumi rushed over. The two stared at it, silently acknowledging how out-of-place it was—no typical construction site would have an underground access point like this.
Izumi opened the trapdoor, revealing a ladder descending into darkness. Without a word, they climbed down, closing the hatch behind them.
They found themselves in a large, dimly lit underground room. The place was a chaotic mix of makeshift tables, notes, books, syringes, vials, and a large monitor. It looked like a secret lab.
Izumi picked up one of the scattered notes and read aloud:
"Daily dose = 1. Urgent = 2. Overdose = 10 minutes of sanity (regained after energy wears off). 1 liquid = 1 gem. Notes — melts quickly with nitric acid. Overdose limit = 5, above that = unknown. Dosage requirement = sanity."
"Is this some kind of... medication guide?" Izumi muttered.
Ren leaned over his shoulder. "What kind of medicine requires sanity? Whatever it is, leave it. We're here for your friend, remember?"
Izumi pocketed the note and nodded.
Before they could move, a noise echoed from another room. They crept toward a glass window and peered inside.
There he was—Wrath—still masked, holding Kenji hostage.
"Hey, that's the guy! The gas mask freak from the mall!" Ren whispered.
Izumi clenched his jaw and fists, eyes locked on Wrath. His body trembled—not from fear, but rage. Kenji was alive, but Izumi couldn't even feel relief. Only fury.
Without thinking, he moved toward the door. But Ren grabbed his arm tightly.
"Izumi! Calm down. I know you want to get him—but not now. If he sees us, you and your friend are as good as dead. Please."
Izumi froze, realizing the danger. He was letting his emotions take over again. He nodded silently.
They waited until Wrath left the room. Once he was gone, they rushed in.
Kenji looked badly beaten—bruises covered his face, his clothes torn. He was tied to a pipe but still conscious. He didn't seem surprised to see Izumi. Instead, he pointed weakly at a nearby table.
"Take... the laptop," he murmured.
Izumi grabbed the device while Ren worked to untie Kenji's arms. Once freed, Kenji tried to stand—but collapsed immediately, unconscious.
"Help me carry him!" Ren cried, panic rising.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Wrath was on the phone.
"Do you have the item I asked for?" he asked coldly.
"Yeah," Lust replied. "But THE FIRST wants to see you. Says he found the next Fragment. Might be hard to get, so he wants to plan it with you."
After hanging up, Wrath returned to the room—only to find it empty.
He froze.
Kenji was gone.
Rage filled him as he began searching the area.
Back at the escape route, Ren had already climbed the ladder. Kenji was halfway up, while Izumi prepared to follow.
Suddenly, the trapdoor burst open—Wrath stood there, pistol in hand.
Izumi looked up. Kenji had made it out.
A gunshot rang out.
Pain shot through Izumi's back—but he didn't fall. Something in his bag had stopped the bullet.
He scrambled up the ladder, shouting, "We've been seen! Get out of here—NOW!"
The three fled the site and piled into Ren's car, speeding away into the city. Izumi, breathing heavily in the back seat, opened his bag.
The bullet had hit the laptop.
Kenji stirred briefly, looking at Izumi before blacking out again.
They arrived at Ren's house. Izumi laid Kenji on the guest bed while he and Ren sat down, staring at the battered laptop.
"Please," Izumi whispered, powering it on. "Please let this thing work."