Gunfire echoed endlessly through the warehouse.
The sound of bullets tearing through metal and concrete shook the entire building while sparks burst across the darkness like brief flashes of lightning. Xiaoyu crouched behind overturned steel shelves, her breathing uneven, the silver key still clenched tightly in her hand.
Lu Shen fired once more from behind cover before pulling back sharply as bullets ripped through the wall beside him.
"They're moving around us," he said quickly.
Xiaoyu looked toward the shadows beyond the flashing red emergency lights. Shapes were moving between the shelves now.
Closing in.
Fast.
Fear tightened around her chest again.
"Lu Shen—"
"East corridor," he interrupted sharply. "Now."
Another gunshot exploded nearby.
Concrete shattered above them.
Xiaoyu flinched instinctively.
Lu Shen grabbed her wrist and pulled her through the warehouse just as more bullets tore through the space they had been hiding in seconds earlier.
The air smelled like smoke, metal, and rain.
Alarms screamed overhead.
Everything felt unreal.
They ran through narrow rows of storage crates while footsteps thundered behind them. The attackers were spreading through the building with terrifying precision.
"They know the layout," Xiaoyu gasped.
"Yes."
That single word made panic rise even faster.
If the attackers already knew the warehouse—
then nowhere inside was safe.
Lu Shen shoved open a heavy steel door at the far side of the building. Darkness waited beyond it.
A narrow corridor.
Cold air drifted upward from somewhere below.
The underground tunnel.
"Go," he ordered.
Xiaoyu rushed inside first while Lu Shen slammed the door shut behind them. A loud metallic lock clicked into place immediately.
For one second—
silence.
Then violent pounding erupted from the other side.
They found the door.
Xiaoyu's pulse hammered violently as Lu Shen moved quickly down the narrow stairway beneath the warehouse. Emergency lights flickered weakly along the walls, barely illuminating the underground passage.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
"What is this place?" Xiaoyu asked breathlessly.
"Old evacuation tunnels," Lu Shen replied without slowing down. "My father built them after the fire."
The fire.
Everything always came back to the fire.
Another violent bang echoed above them.
The attackers were trying to break through the steel door.
"They'll get through eventually," Lu Shen said quietly.
Xiaoyu looked at him immediately.
"You sound way too calm about that."
"I'm calculating time."
"You're bleeding again!"
The bandage around his side had darkened completely now.
Blood dripped slowly onto the concrete floor beneath him.
But Lu Shen kept moving as if he barely noticed.
That scared her.
Because people only ignored pain like that when they were used to it.
The tunnel stretched endlessly beneath the city, lit only by weak emergency lights and the distant rumble of thunder above.
Then suddenly—
Lu Shen stopped.
Xiaoyu nearly walked into him.
"What happened?"
He raised one hand slightly for silence.
The tunnel became completely still.
Then she heard it too.
Footsteps.
Ahead of them.
Her stomach dropped instantly.
"No…"
Someone else was inside the tunnel.
A flashlight beam suddenly appeared far ahead in the darkness.
Slowly moving closer.
Lu Shen's expression hardened immediately.
"They cut us off."
Xiaoyu's breathing became uneven again.
"How is that possible?"
But deep down—
she already knew the answer.
The organization had planned every route.
Every escape.
Every move.
The flashlight stopped.
A voice echoed calmly through the tunnel.
"You're running out of places to hide."
The same man from the warehouse.
Xiaoyu's chest tightened violently.
Lu Shen stepped slightly in front of her again.
Always in front of her.
Always protecting.
The flashlight beam grew brighter as the man slowly walked closer through the tunnel. Water dripped from the ceiling around him while several armed figures appeared behind him in the darkness.
Too many.
Again.
"You're injured," the man observed calmly. "This ends badly for you."
Lu Shen's hand tightened around his weapon.
"Maybe."
The man smiled faintly.
"But not for her."
Xiaoyu felt cold all over.
"She comes with us willingly," he continued, "and nobody else has to die."
"No," Lu Shen answered immediately.
The man sighed.
"You really think you can protect her forever?"
Lu Shen didn't respond.
Because maybe—
for the first time—
even he knew the answer was no.
The tunnel fell silent except for dripping water and distant thunder.
Then the man looked directly at Xiaoyu.
"Do you know why your father stole the research?"
Her heartbeat slowed.
Lu Shen's voice turned sharp instantly.
"Don't listen to him."
But the man continued anyway.
"Your father discovered what you really are."
Xiaoyu froze.
"What I… am?"
"He told you experiments were done on children," the man said softly. "But he never told you why."
Lu Shen stepped forward immediately.
"That's enough."
The man ignored him.
"Subject 7."
The words slammed into Xiaoyu's chest.
Another violent flash exploded inside her mind—
White walls.
Doctors shouting.
A child crying.
Then a voice saying:
"Her response rate is abnormal."
Xiaoyu staggered backward.
The tunnel suddenly felt too small.
Too cold.
"What did you do to me?" she whispered.
The man's expression darkened slightly.
"We made you valuable."
"No," Lu Shen said sharply. "You destroyed children."
The man finally looked annoyed.
"Necessary sacrifices."
Rage flickered across Lu Shen's face instantly.
Real rage.
For the first time, Xiaoyu saw something dangerous break through his calmness completely.
"You call torture sacrifice?"
The air changed immediately.
Even the armed men behind the stranger seemed tense now.
The man sighed softly.
"You always were emotional where she was concerned."
His eyes shifted toward Xiaoyu again.
"Come with us willingly, and he lives."
Lu Shen laughed quietly.
Cold.
Sharp.
"You really think she'd trust you?"
"No," the man admitted calmly. "But fear is usually enough."
The gunfire started without warning.
Lu Shen shoved Xiaoyu down as bullets exploded through the tunnel walls. The narrow underground passage erupted into chaos instantly.
The sound was deafening.
Concrete shattered everywhere.
Screams echoed.
Lu Shen fired back while pulling Xiaoyu deeper into the tunnel.
"RUN!"
They sprinted through darkness while bullets chased them through the narrow corridor. Emergency lights burst overhead one after another, throwing the tunnel into flashing darkness.
Xiaoyu's lungs burned violently.
Footsteps thundered behind them.
Closer.
Closer.
Then suddenly—
the tunnel ended.
A massive underground chamber opened before them.
Old train tracks stretched through the darkness beneath the city.
Abandoned.
Silent.
And waiting at the center of the tracks—
was a train car covered in dust.
Lu Shen stopped instantly.
His expression changed.
Xiaoyu noticed immediately.
"What?"
He stared at the train car silently for several seconds before speaking.
"…I thought this place was destroyed."
Before Xiaoyu could ask what he meant—
a low mechanical sound echoed through the chamber.
Then slowly—
the train car lights turned on by themselves.
And someone inside whispered through the darkness:
"Welcome back, Subject 7."