So, this is the place. I never thought that rich, spoiled girl would accidentally lead me straight to such a valuable stronghold, the white-haired girl thought, adjusting the sleek mask covering her face.
She moved like a ghost through the shadows, but the moment her eyes caught a subtle glint of glass, she reacted instantly. With a flick of her wrist, she launched a kunai so fast it blurred through the air, perfectly shattering a hidden security camera.
Slipping on her specialized, high-grip climbing gloves, she began scaling the concrete wall toward the nearest window like a seasoned professional. But just as her fingers gripped the ledge, a shadow fell over her. The masked boy materialized out of nowhere, stepping forward silently to grab her.
Sensing the danger at the absolute last millisecond, she pushed off the wall and flipped backward, landing lightly on the ground below.
"Who—?" she started, but stopped the moment she recognized the outfit. A sharp, mocking smile spread beneath her mask. "Oh. You're just Jake's little lackey."
The masked boy remained completely silent, his posture lethal.
"Now that you've seen me, I'm afraid I'll have to kill you," she purred.
In a flash, she unleashed a barrage of shuriken directly at him. But in the span of a single heartbeat, the air rippled—and the masked boy was gone. Before she could even process it, she felt a cold presence directly behind her.
What?! her mind screamed. She violently threw herself sideways to create distance. Re-centering her stance, she hissed, "You're fast."
The masked boy slowly raised his hand, casually twirling an object between his fingers. The girl's eyes widened in genuine surprise. He stole one of my kunai right off my belt without me even realizing it. Nice.
Drawing another blade, she lunged forward, unleashing a vicious flurry of slashes. The masked boy dodged effortlessly, weaving through her strikes. He prepared to deliver a counter-strike that would damage her, but the final words Jake had whispered before leaving slammed into his mind:
"One more thing... don't kill her."
Forced to hold back, the masked boy adjusted his weight, and the two continued exchanging a rapid, breathless blur of blows in the dark corridor.
Desperate to break the stalemate, the girl lunged low to tackle him. The masked boy used her momentum to leap high into the air—but that was exactly what she wanted. While he was airborne and defenseless, she whipped three shuriken straight at his chest.
The masked boy's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. Trapped in mid-air, he pivoted his body, taking the hit directly into the reinforced padding of his knee to protect his vitals. He dropped like a stone, unleashing a brutal downward heel-drop. She barely managed to roll out of the way as his foot shattered the concrete.
Before she could even scramble back to her feet, a massive, oppressive presence loomed directly behind her.
She spun around defensively, her breath catching in her throat. "Who are you?"
A man stepped out from the deep architecture of the shadows. The dim light caught his face—it was Mr. Murphy.
Murphy opened his mouth and quietly spoke a single sentence. The girl's eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated horror.
It can't be... she thought, her hands trembling.
She glanced between Murphy and the masked boy, realizing she was completely trapped.
"I'll deal with you boys another day," she spat, throwing a smoke pellet and vanishing like a professional into the dark layout of the facility.
The masked boy stepped forward, preparing to question the intruder, but before he could speak a single word, Murphy addressed him first.
Meanwhile, inside the dimly lit room, the psychological standoff had reached its boiling point.
"There is something I need to give you," Jake said flatly. He stood up, walking over to a desk, and pulled open a heavy drawer. He retrieved a thick, sealed package and handed it directly to Madison. "Give this to your father."
Madison stared at the object, her grip tightening. "What is this?"
"Those are the files," Jake replied, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. "They are the exact reason I am currently in this place."
Fueled by a sudden rush of anger, Madison aggressively slapped his hand away. The package slipped, and the loose papers scattered across the concrete floor.
She stared hard into Jake's stone-cold, gray eyes, searching for a fracture in his composure. But he remained completely normal, entirely unfazed.
Is he playing mind games with me? Madison thought, her heart hammering. "Why did you give Ethan that dangerous mission?!" she demanded.
Jake remained perfectly calm. "Ethan wanted information. I simply needed to test him to see if he was worthy of receiving it. That is the sole reason for—"
"Stop your absolute nonsense! Who the hell are you?!" Madison screamed, her voice cracking as it echoed off the hollow walls of the forbidden building.
Jake didn't answer. He smoothly turned around, walked over to a wooden chair, and sat down, casually crossing his legs to face her.
He's trying to manipulate me, Madison thought, clenching her teeth.
"Is that any way to talk to an elder?" Jake asked quietly. His tone was perfectly measured, carrying the calm, authoritative weight of an adult reprimanding a misbehaving child.
Madison's eyes widened, a cold shock paralyzing her system.
It's exactly the same...like back then. she thought in horror.
That specific line, delivered in that exact, chillingly calm cadence, triggered a deeply buried memory. Years ago, her own father, Mr. Murphy, had sat across from her in their study in the exact same posture Jake was using now. He had looked down his nose at her and uttered those identical words:
Is that any way to talk to an elder?
The parallel sent a wave of fury through her. She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "WHO ARE YOU?!" she yelled again.
Jake didn't respond. For a few agonizing minutes, a slow, knowing smile crept onto his face as he looked down at the floor, completely ignoring her outburst.
Madison had finally had enough. Losing all control, she bolted forward, throwing her weight into a vicious punch aimed directly at his face.
Suddenly, a booming, familiar voice shattered the room.
"Madison!"
She froze mid-strike, her fist hovering inches from Jake's face. She whipped her head around toward the doorway. Standing there, his eyes blazing with absolute authority, was the man whose voice she knew better than anyone else's.
Her father, Mr. Murphy.