*Chapter 28: Warehouse IV*

Inside the shopping complex, Sector B.

This was the third underground level. Below it was the fourth level, connected to the abandoned railway station.

Two Abyss soldiers walked through a dim hallway. Their voices were muffled and distorted behind their visor helmets as they talked about something unimportant.

A blur of shadow passed behind them.

One of the soldiers stopped. He felt something. He turned to speak, but before he could say a word, both of them collapsed to the floor.

Unconscious.

The shadows were Blade and Eyepatch.

Blade wore his dark leather jacket zipped up, the hood down. Eyepatch’s jacket was unzipped, his hands folded behind his back as if he were out for a casual stroll.

Their faces were hidden behind the white, featureless masks Shina had given them. Small earpieces rested in their ears, keeping them connected to each other and to Memeko, who was somewhere far away, inside some kind of a vehicle, guiding them through the chaos.

The connection was poor. Static constantly buzzed through their earpieces, cutting words in and out. Probably some kind of radiowave jammer.

Blade and Eyepatch dragged the unconscious soldiers into a nearby storage room and hid them behind a stack of old boxes. Blade clapped his hands together, brushing off the dust.

“Bunch of shits,” Blade said, annoyed.

“Part of the plan,” Eyepatch said calmly. “We need to find where they’re keeping the captives first. Anya’s probably in there.”

Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.

Both of them pressed themselves against the wall, melting into the shadows as a squad of Abyss soldiers marched past.

When the footsteps finally faded, Blade let out a quiet breath.

“Bro, we’re definitely gonna get caught if we keep using this hallway,” he said nervously.

“Right. It’s too risky. We need to stay out of sight until we find her,” Eyepatch said seriously.

Blade tapped his earpiece.

“Hey, hacker. What’s the plan? Give an alternative route,” he said impatiently.

Static crackled.

Then Memeko’s voice came through, slightly muffled, as if she were chewing something.

“Mmh… huh? An alternate route? Hang on a sec… lemme check…” she said distractedly.

“Do it quick, eater,” Blade said sharply.

“Yeah, yeah… got it…” she replied lazily.

A brief pause.

“Look right behind you,” she said suddenly.

Blade turned around.

“Huh? Where?” he said, confused.

Eyepatch pointed at a metal ventilation duct built into the wall. It looked barely big enough for a person to crawl through.

“I think she means that,” he said calmly.

Blade stared at the vent. They both stared at the vent. Old and dusty.

Blade let out a long sigh.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he said exhaustedly. ”…Our asses are gonna have to wiggle through that thing like worms.”

The two of them exchanged the same deadpan look.

Blade climbed into the vent first, his shoulders scraping against the rusty and dusty metal walls. Eyepatch followed close behind, pulling the vent cover back into place. Darkness swallowed them whole.

The vent was tight and hot. Dust filled the air with every movement. Their elbows and knees scraped against the metal as they crawled forward in silence.

Blade crawled behind Eyepatch, his breathing already growing heavy.

“Man, this thing’s way too cramped,” Blade complained, his voice echoing through the narrow duct. “I can barely move my arms.”

“Just keep crawling,” Eyepatch replied from the front, his tone steady and unbothered.

The vent sloped slightly downward. They passed over a grate overlooking a large room below. Blade paused and peered through the narrow gaps.

It was a huge industrial kitchen. Massive metal counters, stoves, and oversized food containers lined the room. Two of the containers were empty, their lids left open. The leftovers had been scraped to one side.

Blade’s stomach growled.

“Damn,” he muttered. “That smells good… I’m starving.”

“They probably prepared this for the captives,” Eyepatch said. “They do have to feed them and keep them alive before transporting them.”

They crawled on. The vent twisted through the darkness before splitting into two tunnels a few minutes later. One led left. The other led right.

Blade stopped and looked at both passages.

“Now what? A split,” he said flatly, deadpan. “Which way?”

Eyepatch studied both tunnels. A faint breeze drifted from the left. A dim light seeped in from the right.

“Hard to say,” Eyepatch admitted. “No way to know which one leads to the captives.”

He tapped his earpiece.

“Hey, Memeko… you got anything on the maintenance routes? Memeko? Hey?”

Only static answered.

“I think we lost the connection.”

“She always disappears when we need her most,” Blade muttered, annoyed.

“So… I guess we split up?” Blade said. “I’ll take the left. You take the right.”

Eyepatch let out a quiet sigh.

“Hah… fine. Just let me know if you hit a dead end.”

“Let’s hope I don’t. Dead ends just piss me off,” Blade grumbled.

Eyepatch turned and crawled into the right tunnel, disappearing into the darkness. Blade watched him go for a moment, then turned toward the left passage.

“Alright,” he muttered to himself. “Let’s see what’s down here.”

He crawled forward.

The vent got tighter. Much tighter. Blade’s shoulders pressed against the walls on both sides. Sweat dripped down his forehead. It was hot.

“Damn,” he panted. ”…Feels like I’m crossing a desert or something.”

The vent opened up slightly. Blade paused to catch his breath. Through a grate below him, he could see a large open space.

A loading bay.

A truck was parked there with its rear doors open. A few Abyss soldiers were carrying boxes of ammunition, unloading them from the truck.

Blade’s eyes narrowed.

“Now what’s this…” he whispered.

He reached for his earpiece.

“Eyepatch? You copy?” Silence. “Hacker? Memeko?” Nothing but static. “Come on… talk to me…”

Just white noise.

“Tch. Damn it,” he muttered. “Signal’s dead.”

He leaned forward to get a better look. His weight shifted. The vent groaned.

Then—

CRACK.

The metal beneath him gave way. The vent cover broke loose, and Blade crashed to the ground. For a moment, everything was silent.

Meanwhile, in a locked room deep within the shopping complex…

It was cold and dim. The children sat huddled together in small groups. Some were crying. Most were silent.

Anya sat with her back against the concrete wall, her hands bound behind her. Her eyes were fixed on the door, listening.

Bang.

The sound was faint and distant, muffled by layers of concrete and steel.

“Gunshots,” Anya said quietly.

Rey sat beside her. His hands were tied too. His face was pale, and his hands trembled slightly. But his eyes were sharp.

”…There must be a warzone outside,” Anya continued. Her voice was flat. “Right.”

Rey nodded. “It’s dangerous.”

He paused and looked at her. “Do you think… someone’s coming for us?”

Anya didn’t answer right away. She listened to another distant echo of gunfire.

“Maybe,” she said finally. “Or maybe not. But sitting here and waiting isn’t doing us any good.”

“So what do you expect to do while your hands are tied like this?” Rey asked.

“Aghh… I know that already, okay?” she snapped.

Rey was silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then he spoke.

“Anyways, did you happen to see someone named Jin… before or after we were taken here?”

“Huh? No. Why?” Anya asked, looking at him.

“Never mind.”

A moment passed.

”…And… thanks for saving me back there,” Rey muttered.

He sat with his hands tied behind his back, his knees drawn close to his chest, his face half-hidden behind them. Whether it was embarrassment or just pride, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her directly.

For a brief moment, the memory of Anya standing with the shining frying pan flashed through his mind.

”…It’s probably my fault you got caught up in this, too.”

“Eh?… What are you even babbling about?” Anya frowned.

Rey’s voice was so quiet that most of his words dissolved into unintelligible mumbling.

But suddenly, the door slammed open.

Everyone flinched. The children who had been crying fell silent. A few of them pressed themselves against the walls.

A single Abyss soldier stood in the doorway. His rifle was slung across his back. He scanned the room, his eyes moving over the children.

“Who is Rey Hoshimora?” he asked.

Rey flinched. His blood turned cold.

No one responded.

He asked again. “I’m asking again. Who is Rey Hoshimora?”

“I-I’m…” Rey answered midword as he stood up. “Why?”

“Get here. You’re coming with me.”

“Why? Why me?” Rey asked.

“Don’t ask questions,” the soldier said coldly.

Rey’s body refused to move.

The soldier walked forward and grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet.

“Hey, wait!” Rey tried to pull away, but with his hands bound behind his back, it was impossible. “Where are you taking me?!”

“Shut up and walk.”

“Let go of me!”

A small blur shot forward.

The little girl from earlier stepped in front of the soldier, her tear-streaked face suddenly filled with something fierce.

“No!” she shouted. Her voice cracked, but she didn’t back down. “You can’t take him! Let him go!”

The soldier froze for half a second, staring down at her.

“What did you just say, brat?”

“You heard me!” The little girl planted her feet, her tiny hands trembling, but her body stood firm like a wall. “He’s a very nice person! You can’t just take him away!”

Rey froze.

…A nice person?

He simply stared at her.

The little girl’s voice trembled, but she kept going. “He’s not a bad person! You’re the bad ones! All of you are bad!”

The soldier’s face twisted in annoyance.

“Bad person, huh? I see…” He grabbed his rifle and loaded it. “Well, you see…”

Anya’s eyes widened. Realizing what he was about to do, she immediately stepped forward.

“Wait… no!”

”…This time… I was ordered to bring Rey Hoshimora back with the highest priority… at any cost.”

He raised the loaded rifle and pointed it at the little girl.