Grandmaster Eldric is cornered. His king is trapped in the corner of the board, surrounded by Adrian's pieces. With one final, elegant, and decisive move, Adrian moves his Queen.
"Checkmate."
His voice is calm, yet deadly. The room, which had fallen silent, erupts into applause and cheers. "Woo! Woo!"
Adrian says little. He immediately grabs the pile of bet money and smoothly transfers it into Leo's open suitcase.
Eldric slams the table, sending chess pieces flying everywhere. His face is flushed red, radiating uncontrollable fury. Adrian only responds with a faint smile, which infuriates Eldric even more.
"It would be very bad if news of this defeat got out," Eldric growls, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion.
"Relax, Grandmaster. I won't spread news of your loss," Adrian replies coldly, that smile still playing on his lips.
"It's not the loss I meant. It's your cheating," he answers softly yet clearly intimidating, his voice echoing through the room. "Grab him!"
"What do you mean, cheating?!"
Eldric's two large bodyguards immediately grab Adrian from both sides, stomping on his feet until he falls and slamming his head roughly onto the hard wooden table. *Bam!*
"Oy! How can you even cheat at chess?!" Adrian protests, his voice strained by the pressure on his head.
Everyone in the room is stunned, but fear keeps them rooted, mere spectators. No one dares to oppose or defend him.
Eldric stands arrogantly on his chair, looking down at the crowd with a judgmental gaze. "This is a lesson for all of you! This is the punishment for anyone who dares to taint the purity of the game with cheating!"
Leo tries to step forward to help, but another guard immediately blocks him with the threat of a weapon. Leo retreats, frightened.
In his humiliating position, cheek pressed against the table with pain throbbing at his temple, Adrian rebels. "You bastard!! You're just an oppressor! People like you don't deserve to live! You... You should di—!"
His head is pressed harder into the table, cutting off his words. The metallic taste of blood fills his mouth.
My pride can't accept this... this humiliation. I—!
A massive explosion shakes the very foundations of the casino, followed by panicked screams. All eyes, including Eldric's and his guards', snap toward the source of the sound. From behind a cloud of smoke and dust, three humanoid robots, followed by others with glowing red insignias on their shoulders—the symbol of the rebels—emerge, large weapons cocked and ready.
"EVERYONE, FREEZE!" barks a synthesized voice from the lead robot, sounding like grating metal.
Terrorists?
The grip of Eldric's guards on Adrian loosens as one of the robots approaches with heavy footsteps. Eldric himself hides under the table in fear.
Adrian sees the rebel symbol on the robot—a claw gripping a sun. His mind immediately flashes to Nina, waiting at home. I have to get back. I can't die here.
"WE ARE TAKING THIS PLACE HOSTAGE!" announces the white robot in the center. The atmosphere grows tense; everyone freezes.
The chaos reaches its peak. From another side, a second explosion rocks the casino! A group of robots with a different design—likely the casino's security forces—counter-attacks. Bullets fly, destroying one of the rebel robots. Return fire erupts, and the previously tense atmosphere descends into total mayhem. People scatter, running for their lives.
"LEO, OVER HERE!" Adrian yells, using the situation to pull his friend's arm and run for cover.
Dodging falling debris from pillars and collapsing structures, the two of them dash through plumes of smoke toward the exit. Leo, with his physical advantage, runs faster ahead but loyally doesn't leave Adrian too far behind.
"Adrian! Hurry!" Leo shouts, already reaching the exit they had entered through.
However, just as Adrian is about to follow, a stray bullet slams into the ceiling right in front of him.
The supporting pillars collapse chaotically, followed by a cascade of earth and concrete that seals the exit shut, separating the two of them.
"NO!" Adrian screams, his face filled with panic and horror. The image of Nina immediately haunts his thoughts. I promised I'd come home...
Through the gaps in the rubble, he sees Leo's pale, terrified face.
"Leo... Tell Nina... Tell her... Her big brother will be home late," Adrian says, trying to sound calm though his voice is hoarse from dust and despair.
"We have to go home together!" Leo protests, his eyes welling up.
"I CAN'T! GO! NOW! I promise I'll survive," Adrian barks, his voice cutting through the surrounding chaos.
Leo nods weakly, tears finally falling. With a heavy heart, he turns and hurries down the violently shaking stairs, leaving Adrian alone in the escalating madness.
Adrian quickly glances back. The two robots that were fighting are now motionless, defeated. The third robot—the white one—hisses open its cockpit capsule, and an operator in combat gear emerges, starting to tie the hands of the hostages still cowering in fear.
What should I do?
Suddenly, two other robots pivot, their weapons whirring and aiming straight at his chest. Adrian takes a step back, raising his hands high in surrender.
"Just a kid," one of the robots says in a flat, synthetic voice.
"Alright, the area is secure!" shouts the operator from the white robot in the center of the room. "Tie up everyone who's still moving!"
What?
One of the robots still aiming at him suddenly opens its cockpit. From inside emerges a woman with a messy short haircut and sharp, gleaming eyes. Her face is pretty but hard, and she doesn't look much older than him. She jumps down and approaches Adrian with determined steps.
"You can choose to be quiet and get tied up gently," she says, her voice low but sharp as a knife, "or choose the hard way."
Adrian swallows hard. For some reason, I feel like I've seen her before, he thinks.
Her gaze is serious, cold, and full of threat. This is no joke. His heart pounding, he gives a slow nod, choosing to cooperate—for now. If I make a wrong move, I'm dead.
Even though he nodded, Adrian's heart is rebelling. His mind screams, refusing to submit so easily. His body slowly edges backward, unconsciously moving away from the woman.
The woman immediately catches his body language. Her sharp eyes narrow in annoyance. "Fool," she mutters under her breath.
Without further warning, she moves. Incredibly fast!
A kick sweeps toward Adrian's head. His instincts kick in—he ducks with an almost inhuman reflex, and the kick misses his temple by mere centimeters.
But the woman doesn't stop. The momentum of her first kick seamlessly flows into a perfect body spin. A second kick drives forward with much greater speed and power.
The kick lands squarely on Adrian's cheek. His world spins, his vision blurs, and he crashes hard to the floor. Before he can even try to get up, a boot is already pressing his head firmly down, mashing his face into the cold floor. His hands are roughly yanked behind his back and bound with hard cable ties.
"Stubborn fool!" the woman says, her voice a mix of irritation and a hint of respect.
I lost to a woman? This is utterly shameful Adrian thinks, his head still throbbing with pain and his world feeling like it's spinning.
...His head is still throbbing, and the world feels like it's spinning. The metallic taste of blood is still in his mouth. The pain from Iris's kick truly sets in now, pulsing at his temple.
"Alright, the situation is under control!" the woman shouts. In response, the cockpits of the other robots hiss open mechanically. One of her comrades, a stocky man with a side-shave haircut, jumps down and approaches.
"Good work, Iris," the man praises, giving a small salute.
The man then looks at Adrian, tied up and clearly in pain on the floor. "Wahahaha! You're so pathetic, getting beaten by a girl!" the man roasts, laughing uproariously as if he'd just heard the best joke.
"What do you mean? I could take you down in three moves too," Iris retorts sharply, her hands on her hips.
Suddenly, Iris crouches down, bringing her face close to Adrian's. Her expression turns serious, almost seeming somewhat apologetic. "Sorry for kicking you so hard earlier. I was just doing my job. I think you're alright... just a kid who got lost in the wrong place."
"What exactly do you want?" Adrian asks, staring at her intently.
"We just need a temporary base. Don't worry, we won't harm civilians," Iris answers bluntly.
They're just Astonian terrorists. Phew, I can finally relax.
Suddenly, his survival instincts kick into high gear. He realizes something.
"Did you raid this place just with robots and guts, without an escape plan?" Adrian asks, his voice flat and confident, stunning the two rebels.
"Yeah. We have a mission, that's enough," Iris replies, slightly confused by the question.
"IDIOTS!" Adrian yells, shocking them. "If the mafia finds out their gambling den has been raided, they'll send everyone from all directions! You won't just die. You'll be surrounded and slaughtered in here like rats!"
Iris and her comrade's eyes widen immediately. They look at each other, and for the first time, their faces are filled with the grim reality just laid out by the boy they had captured. Their confidence seems to crumble, replaced by the terrifying vision of a siege.