Saito and Lily slipped through the rear entrance of the base, watching as more scientists rushed past toward the growing commotion outside.
Lily smirked.
"This is our chance."
She moved quickly, ducking inside. Saito followed close behind, both of them slipping into the shadows of the corridor.
They found a small office lined with shelves and scattered paperwork.
Lily grabbed a stack of documents, flipping through them rapidly.
"Useless."
She tossed them aside carelessly.
Grabbing another folder, she scanned it briefly.
"...Useless. Again."
Saito moved to a nearby table, unrolling a large paper.
"Hm..."
He studied it for a moment.
"Just a map of Feerus City."
He frowned, setting it back down.
"Not very useful."
Lily huffed, moving to another cabinet, yanking it open.
"Come on..."
"There has to be something here."
Saito glanced around the room, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"They wouldn't leave anything obvious lying around."
"Not if they're this organized."
He crouched, checking beneath the desk.
"Maybe there's a hidden compartment or something."
Lily paused, glancing over at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You've done this before?"
Saito shrugged. "Not exactly. But every villain hideout in every story always has a secret stash somewhere."
Lily snorted. "This isn't a storybook, Saito."
Still, she crouched down as well, running her fingers along the edges of the floorboards, searching for anything unusual.
The sound of distant gunfire and clashing steel echoed faintly from outside, a reminder that time was limited.
Outside, the battle raged fiercely.
Hashima moved like a blur, blade flashing in wide, sweeping arcs. Three scientists collapsed in quick succession, their weapons clattering uselessly to the ground.
Nearby, Makuto struck with precise, brutal efficiency — driving his blade through one scientist's shoulder, kicking another aside with enough force to send him crashing into a crate, then pivoting smoothly to land a sharp punch across another's jaw.
A gunshot rang out.
Hashima twisted aside, the bullet grazing past his shoulder, and closed the distance instantly.
His blade sliced clean through the shooter's weapon, rendering it useless, before his boot slammed hard into the man's stomach, doubling him over.
Another scientist lunged from the side, swinging wildly.
Hashima caught his arm mid-swing, using the momentum to hurl him bodily onto the ground.
CRACK!
The man groaned, unmoving.
Hashima straightened, rolling his shoulders, scanning the chaos around him.
"Getting easier the longer this goes."
Makuto, standing a few feet away, wiped a streak of blood from his blade.
"Don't get overconfident, my Lord."
"There's still plenty more where these came from."
As if on cue, a fresh wave of scientists and armed guards poured out from another section of the base, weapons raised, shouting orders at one another.
Hashima grinned, cracking his neck.
"Good."
He raised his sword, stance shifting.
"I was getting bored anyway."
The two of them braced themselves, ready for the next wave as the sounds of battle continued to thunder across the base's perimeter.
Saito's eyes scanned another stack of documents when something caught his attention.
"Wait—"
He pulled a folder free, flipping it open.
His stomach dropped.
"This is about my crew."
Photographs stared back at him — Kaito, Bomb, Rin, Fanny, even Saito himself, along with detailed notes scrawled beneath each image.
"But how—"
His grip tightened on the papers.
"We've stayed hidden this whole time."
Lily leaned over his shoulder, scanning the documents quickly.
"Hmm..."
Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Maybe they're not after all of you."
"Maybe they're looking for something specific."
"Something one of you is holding."
Saito flipped through the pages faster, heart pounding.
Then he stopped.
Alya's photo.
Circled in thick red ink, notes scribbled around the margins.
A cold, uneasy feeling settled deep in his gut.
Without a word, he turned and started walking swiftly toward the exit.
Lily's eyes widened. "Hey—wait up!"
She hurried after him, folder still in hand, footsteps echoing quickly down the corridor as Saito's pace quickened with mounting urgency.
Saito burst out of the base, shouting toward Alpha.
"Alpha! They're at Dan Village!"
Alpha's eyes snapped open.
"What—"
In an instant, he vanished.
Saito's heart pounded.
"Crap—"
"We have to go, now!"
Lily sprinted toward the rooftop, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Dad! Can you hold on for a second?!"
Below, Hashima swung his blade, sending another scientist sprawling.
"Hey—let me talk to my girl for a sec!"
He glanced up, shouting back.
"Yeah, Lily! What's wrong?"
"Saito thinks they're already at Dan Village!"
Hashima's expression sharpened instantly.
"Wait—why would they—"
Before he could finish, Makuto stepped in, blocking an incoming strike, voice firm.
"We'll hold them off here."
He glanced toward Hashima.
"You two, go. Now."
Hashima hesitated only a second before nodding sharply.
"Right."
He turned toward the rooftop.
"Lily! Saito! Move!"
Saito was already sprinting toward them, folder still clutched tightly in his hand.
"They're after something Alya has—we need to warn everyone!"
Lily leapt down from the rooftop, landing beside him.
"Let's go, then!"
Together, they took off toward Dan Village, urgency driving every stride as the sounds of battle faded behind them.
Saito and Lily sprinted down the road, breath ragged, the base disappearing behind them.
Lily glanced over, still running. "So, what exactly does Alya have that they'd want?"
Saito shook his head, brow furrowed.
"I don't know..."
"Maybe her device?"
"The one she always uses to help us out?"
He frowned deeper.
"But that doesn't make sense... it's just tech."
Lily's expression hardened.
"Whatever it is..."
"We need to get there fast."
Saito nodded, pushing himself harder, legs burning with the effort.
"Right."
He clenched his fists, eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"Hang on, guys."
"We're coming."
The two of them pressed forward, the road stretching long before them, urgency driving every step as they raced against time toward Dan Village.
Chaos erupted through Dan Village.
Kaito lunged forward, driving a sharp kick into an incoming scientist, sending him sprawling across the dirt.
Nearby, Bomb slammed his fist into another attacker's jaw.
"What's wrong with these guys?!"
He ducked another swing.
"They've never attacked like this before!"
Rin spun, slicing cleanly across another scientist's chest.
"I don't know what the hell happened—"
He kicked the falling body aside.
"But we need to protect the civilians. Now!"
Fanny leapt in, delivering a powerful kick that sent a scientist crashing into the nearby wall.
She glanced toward Kaito; brow furrowed.
"You think Saito knows about this?"
Kaito gritted his teeth, blocking another strike.
"I don't know."
He pushed the attacker back, eyes scanning the chaos around them.
"But we hold the line until they get back."
Bomb grunted, grabbing a scientist's arm and slamming him hard into the ground.
"Easier said than done!"
"There's a lot of them!"
Alya, tucked behind a half-collapsed wall, tapped frantically at her tablet, eyes wide.
"They're specifically pushing toward this side of the village—"
Her breath caught.
"...Toward me."
Fanny's head snapped toward her. "Wait, what?!"
Before anyone could respond, more scientists surged forward, weapons raised, converging directly on Alya's position.
Kaito's eyes widened. "Protect Alya! Now!"
The crew scrambled instantly, forming a defensive wall around her as the assault intensified, the fight growing more desperate with every passing second.
Kaito's eyes darted toward Bomb.
"Bomb! Get Alya inside the hotel! Now!"
Bomb didn't hesitate.
"On it!"
He rushed forward, scooping Alya up over his shoulder despite her surprised yelp.
"H-hey, I can walk, you know!"
"No time!" Bomb shouted back, already sprinting toward the hotel entrance, weaving around scattered debris and fallen scientists.
Behind them, Kaito and Rin held the line, cutting down anyone who tried to pursue.
Rin gritted his teeth, slicing through another attacker.
"Go, go! We've got this side!"
Fanny darted alongside Bomb briefly, kicking away a scientist who tried to intercept them.
"Keep moving! I'll watch your back!"
Bomb grunted under the added weight, legs pumping hard.
"A little warning next time you decide to save my life by carrying me like luggage would be nice!" Alya called out, gripping tightly onto his shoulder.
"No promises!" Bomb shot back, bursting through the hotel doors, skidding to a stop inside.
He set her down carefully, glancing back toward the chaos outside.
"Stay here. Lock the door if you can. We'll handle the rest."
Alya nodded quickly, though concern flashed across her face.
"Be careful out there!"
Bomb flashed a quick grin before turning back toward the fight.
"Always am."
He sprinted back out to rejoin Kaito, Rin, and Fanny, the battle for Dan Village raging on around them.