In the ruined wastelands of the Sahara Desert, where sandstorms never seemed to rest, hidden deep beneath the dunes, stood a secret laboratory. Inside, rows of cages lined the halls—not filled with animals, but people. Humans. Test subjects.
In the deepest room of the lab, a giant glass capsule stood upright. Inside it was a small container, holding a strange crimson-red liquid that gave off a faint glow. A man stood in front of it, wearing a white lab coat. He had white hair, looked young, and had a wild, almost unhinged smile stretched across his face. Staring at the capsule, he let out a twisted laugh.
"Finally… FINALLY, it's done—my greatest creation," he muttered, his laugh echoing off the steel walls.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened.
A young woman stepped in. She had long black hair and wore a sharp, black military uniform. Calm and professional, she spoke clearly:
"Preparations are complete, Professor Krishima."
Krishima turned toward her, still grinning like a madman. "Good," he said, voice low and excited.
---
A Mil Mi-17 helicopter flew across the eastern edge of the Sahara, slowly descending as it approached a flat stretch of sand. As it neared the ground, the sand started to shift and sink—revealing a hidden entrance to a secret underground base owned by the Futaba Corporation.
As the helicopter passed through the open gateway, the massive steel doors closed behind it. Then, like an elevator, the platform beneath it began to descend—dropping over a thousand feet underground.
At the bottom was a massive, high-tech facility. Researchers moved quickly, focused. Soldiers stood alert. The entire place buzzed with tension, like it was preparing for something big.
Inside the helicopter was Kentaro Shion, along with his group. As they stepped out, Captain Lily walked up to them.
"You should all head to your rooms and get some rest. Anri, take them," she ordered.
Kentaro was a bit surprised. The rooms were already prepared, like Lily had known he'd accept the mission before he even said yes. As the group started following Anri, Lily suddenly spoke again.
"Not you, Kentaro. You stay."
The old man in Kentaro's team looked back, but Kentaro nodded. "Go ahead," he said. Then he turned to Lily. "Why do you want me to stay?"
"There's someone who wants to meet you," she said with a small grin.
Kentaro raised an eyebrow. "And it's that important?"
"Yeah," she replied, her tone serious now.
They began walking through the base. For a while, they said nothing. Kentaro noticed how quiet Lily was—too quiet. Someone like her being silent? That was suspicious. Something was definitely up.
After a few minutes, they stopped at a random wall. Lily placed her hand on a scanner. A hidden door opened.
They stepped inside and walked through the core of the base. Kentaro saw labs full of strange experiments, people in hazmat suits, machines humming, tubes bubbling. Whatever was going on here—it wasn't normal.
Eventually, they reached a black steel door. Without a word, it opened.
Kentaro stepped in—and stopped.
His eyes widened. His brows furrowed.
The room was clean, almost too clean. A desk sat in the center, covered in files and documents. And sitting behind it was a man Kentaro hadn't seen in a long time.
Wearing a sharp military uniform, the man looked up and said calmly, "Long time no see, Kentaro Shion. Or should I say… ex–Vice Commander of Team 10?"
Kentaro clenched his fists. "You're General Kyler. The founder of the Futaba Corporation."