*Chapter 27: Warehouse III*

The night air outside the Estate Shopping Complex was cool and still.

Kanako Isuha lay sprawled against the side of an ambulance, her back resting against the cool metal. Her arms were tucked behind her head like a pillow, and her legs stretched out in front of her. She lazily chewed a piece of bubblegum.

Pop.

She blew a small bubble, watched it swell, then sucked it back in with a wet snap.

“Man…” she muttered, staring up at the cloudy sky. “Ugh… Why is it so quiet? It’s creeping me out.”

Beside her, Aiko Kisara stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her posture straight and her eyes fixed on the dark entrance of the shopping complex. Her uniform remained neat despite the late hour, and she showed no signs of fatigue.

“I hope there won’t be any casualties in there,” Kisara said quietly.

“I hope so too.”

Kanako chewed her gum in silence for a few moments before tilting her head back to look at her partner.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Where’s Shiro?”

“I don’t know,” Kisara admitted. “But I heard he’ll be here soon.”

“I see.”

Kanako looked up at the cloudy sky. A cool breeze swept through the parking lot, sending dead leaves skittering across the pavement. She shivered slightly and pulled her jacket tighter.

“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “where’s the rest of Division Two? I thought they were supposed to help us with this whole ‘perimeter security’ thing.”

“They were assigned to assist us, as far as I know,” Kisara replied.

“So it’s really just the two of us standing here?” Kanako gestured toward the nearly empty parking lot. “Just us?”

Pop.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Kanako resumed chewing her gum, an annoyed look lingering on her face.

“Zzz… Zzz… Zzz…”

Kanako stopped mid-chew.

”…Did you hear that?”

Kisara tilted her head.

“Hear what?”

“Zzz… Zzz… Zzz…”

“There it is again.” Kanako sat up, her eyes narrowing. “What is that weird little sound? It sounds like… buzzing.”

She looked around the parking lot. Empty. Nothing moved. Just abandoned cars and flickering streetlights.

“Zzz… Zzz… Zzz…”

“It’s coming from…” Kanako turned slowly, following the sound. Her gaze settled on the ambulance beside her. “…the ambulance?”

She exchanged a puzzled look with Kisara before slowly pushing herself to her feet. Together, they walked to the rear of the vehicle.

The sound was definitely coming from inside.

Kanako grabbed the rear door handle and pulled.

The doors swung open.

Inside, sprawled across a stack of folded blankets, was Kanzaki Kenzai. His brown hair was messier than usual. His eyes were closed. A small bubble of drool clung to the corner of his mouth.

“Zzz… Zzz… Zzz…”

The sound was coming from him.

Kanako stared. Kisara stared.

The ambulance’s interior light flickered, bathing Kanzaki’s sleeping face in a pale white glow.

”…You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kanako muttered.

She reached out and poked him.

“Hey. Wake up.”

No response. Just more snoring.

“Zzz… Zzz…”

Kanako poked him harder.

“WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD!”

Kanzaki’s eyes fluttered open. Slowly. Blearily. He blinked up at the two girls standing over him, looking like a man who had just been dragged out of the best sleep of his life.

”…Huh?” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. “What time is it? Is the operation over?”

“The operation hasn’t even started, you idiot!” Kanako snapped. “What the hell are you doing sleeping in the ambulance?!”

Kanzaki yawned and stretched his arms above his head without the slightest sense of urgency.

“Ah… I thought I could use a power nap,” he said, his eyes still dreamy. “Everything felt so calm… and clumsy out here. Figured nothing would happen for a while.”

“Calm and clumsy?!” Kanako’s voice rose an octave. “We’re on duty! We’re supposed to be securing the perimeter! And you’re back here taking a nap like you’re on vacation!”

Kanzaki blinked slowly, processing her words.

”…Perimeter,” he repeated. “Right.”

He didn’t move.

“Well? Get out of there!” Kanako demanded.

“Okay, okay…”

Kanzaki let out another yawn before slowly untangling himself from the blankets. He climbed out of the ambulance and stretched again, letting out another enormous yawn.

“Ahhh… that was refreshing.”

Kanako stared at him in disbelief.

Kisara, who had watched the entire exchange in silence, finally spoke.

“Kanzaki-san,” she said, her voice carefully neutral. “How long have you been in that ambulance?”

Kanzaki thought for a moment.

“Hmm… since the beginning, I think.”

“The beginning?!” Kanako’s voice cracked. “You mean you were there before we even arrived?!”

“Mm-hmm.” Kanzaki nodded, still looking half-asleep. “I got here early. Decided to scout the area. Looked around, found the ambulance, and… it looked comfortable.”

“So you climbed in and fell asleep?” Kanako deadpanned.

”…Pretty much.”

Kanako slowly raised a hand to her forehead.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this…”

Before she could continue…

RUMBLE.

The ground trembled as the roar of engines shattered the silence.

Kanako, Kisara and Kanzaki turned toward the sound.

Four black tactical armed vans rolled into the lot, their tires crunching over loose gravel.

A second ambulance followed close behind in silence, its emergency lights off but instantly recognizable.

The vehicles came to a stop in a neat formation.

The van doors slid open, and a squad of heavily armed SWAT officers poured out, moving with practiced efficiency.

The second unit had finally arrived.

The ambulance pulled in beside the first one before its engine fell silent.

Meanwhile, inside the shopping complex…

The corridor had fallen silent. One wrong move was all it would take to start a bloodbath.

Zen Yoshiro stood behind Sao Yaome with his pistol pressed against the back of her neck. His finger rested on the trigger, but his expression remained calm.

Sao stood frozen. Her hands were slightly raised, but her fingers twitched, itching to reach for the pistol at her hip.

“Now, now,” Zen said, his voice carrying that familiar mocking lilt. “Let’s all just take a deep breath and think about our life choices, shall we? One wrong move and your precious Commander’s head becomes a very messy decoration.”

The Abyss soldiers didn’t lower their weapons. Neither did the SWAT squad.

“You’re gonna pay for this,” Sao hissed through gritted teeth.

“Woo… looks like somebody’s eager to bite me hard,” Zen cut her off. “But you see… right now, I’m the one with the gun to your head. So why don’t you tell your little friends to—”

CRACK.

The shot echoed through the corridor.

A bullet tore through the air from somewhere in the darkness, aimed straight at Zen’s head. Time seemed to slow. Zen’s eyes widened. He couldn’t dodge. He couldn’t react. The bullet was already…

THWIP.

Kai Yanagi moved before anyone could blink.

She threw herself sideways, shoving Zen out of the bullet’s path with her shoulder. The bullet that should have struck Zen instead tore through her left arm, ripping through flesh and muscle before disappearing into the concrete wall behind her.

“Agh—!” Kai gasped, stumbling backward as blood sprayed across the floor.

Zen’s composure shattered for just a moment, but there was no time to react.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

More shots rained down from the shadows above.

The Abyss soldiers opened fire, and the SWAT squad reacted instantly. The corridor erupted into chaos.

The SWAT officers scattered, diving behind doorways, overturned debris, and whatever cover they could find. They returned fire with practiced discipline.

Daichi threw himself behind a rusted filing cabinet. Satome fired three shots, dropping one Abyss soldier before ducking as return fire shredded the wall beside her head.

Zen dragged Kai behind a concrete barrier and immediately pressed both hands against her wound. Blood seeped through his fingers.

Aizawa fired three rounds, dropped another soldier, then ducked as bullets chipped away at the concrete beside his head.

The Abyss soldiers pressed their advantage, advancing in coordinated formations. The NSIA team fought back desperately, but they were slowly being pushed farther down the corridor. The corridor echoed with gunfire, shouted orders, and the cries of the wounded.

Amid the chaos, Sao stood frozen for a brief moment. Her hands were finally free, but her body trembled with rage. The humiliation burned through her veins like acid. That bastard had held a gun to her head, mocked her, and treated her like some helpless kid.

Her eyes locked onto Zen’s position behind the concrete barrier.

“Bastard,” she hissed. “Bastard… bastard… bastard…”

She ripped her pistol from its holster and fired wildly toward him. Bullets slammed into the concrete barrier, showering Zen and Kai with dust and debris.

“I’LL KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME?!”

She emptied the magazine and was already reaching for a fresh one when…

Jokirin stepped out of the shadows.

It was her who had fired the shot that released Sao from Zen’s gunpoint. Unlike the other Abyss soldiers, Jokirin wore the same black combat uniform as Sao instead of the newly issued tactical armor. Her face was hidden behind a dark visor helmet.

Bullets flew past her from both sides, but she remained unfazed. She didn’t duck. She simply walked through the chaos as though it were a gentle rain.

“You’re being quite reckless,” Jokirin said, her voice gentle and calm even over the gunfire. “We need to leave.”

“Shut up!” Sao snapped, her eyes blazing with rage.

“Listen.” Jokirin stepped closer. Bullets cut through the air between them, but she didn’t even blink. “I’ve received orders from above. We need to move.”

“I DON’T CARE!” Sao screamed, her voice cracking. “Just shut up!”

Jokirin stopped in front of her.

“I don’t have a choice.”

Before Sao could respond, Jokirin’s hand moved.

A single, precise karate chop landed on the side of Sao’s neck. It was clean, fast, and perfectly placed.

Sao’s eyes rolled back. The pistol slipped from her hand, clattering onto the floor as she collapsed like a ragdoll.

Jokirin caught her before she hit the ground, lifting the unconscious Sao onto her shoulder with effortless ease.

“There, there,” Jokirin murmured, gently brushing dust away from Sao’s visor helmet. “You’re just tired. A little rest will do you good.”

Without another word, she turned and disappeared into the darkness behind.