FAMILIAR ENEMY

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Udo carried Alko on his back, making his way toward the gate with a sense of urgency.

Udo muttered to himself, "Was that Fiend aura? Are they really here? Where's Kimberley? We can't win against them. We need to leave! Now!"

Alko, confused by Udo's sudden insistence, questioned, "What are you doing? Didn't you sense that?"

Udo, maintaining his pace, replied, "I did, that's exactly why we need to get out of here!"

Alko, displeased with the idea of retreating, retorted, "Huh? You want us to run away like a pair of bitches?"

Udo, resolute in his decision, argued, "We're not being bitches, we're being reasonable. Look at you, you're in no shape to fight right now...and even if we were....that aura..."

Alko, seemingly undeterred, activated his Benedi, proclaiming, "Benedi: Hangover Cure." Instantly, Alko's arms completely healed, and with a swift kick, he freed himself from Udo, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Udo, taken aback, exclaimed, "What the- hey!"

Alko, now on his feet, urged Udo, "Come on, Udo. We didn't come this far just to run. I mean, you can leave if you want, but I'd be pretty confused I can't lie. What happened to the kid you wanted to save? Are you just going to abandon him because you sensed some aura you didn't like?"

Udo's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the ground, contemplating Alko's words.

Alko, with a casual farewell, said, "See ya, bro," and bolted away, leaving Udo alone in deep reflection.

As Alko raced towards the building to join the ongoing fight, he spotted someone from afar—a girl with a sizable drawstring bag slung over her shoulder.

Alko muttered to himself, "Who's…she?"

Changing his course, he hastened towards the mysterious figure.

Reaching her motorbike, the girl began arranging the contents of the drawstring bag on it.

Alko caught up to her, maintaining a safe distance.

Alko called out, "Hey!"

The girl paused, acknowledging his presence.

Alko continued, "Surely you didn't think you'd just be able to sneak out with everything right? Sharing is caring."

The girl retorted, "Not really in a generous mood today, sorry."

Alko clarified, "You can keep the stuff, that doesn't interest me. Do you happen to know anything about the chaos going on in the auction hall right now? The way you took advantage of that seemed so...calculated."

The girl evaded the question, stating, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Undeterred, Alko pressed on, "There was a really strong aura coming from the building as well, did you sense that too?"

The girl maintained her innocence, replying, "Still don't know what you're talking about."

Alko, growing more serious, posed his final question, "Do you two work for The Herd?"

A moment of silence hung in the air.

The girl chuckled, "What's the Herd?"

Alko smirked confidently, stating, "Everyone knows the Herd."

Entering a fighting stance, steam blowing out of his body, he declared, "You're caught."

With lightning speed, Alko bolted at her.

In an unexpected turn, the girl turned towards him, and Alko's world seemed to slow down as her face was revealed, leaving him in complete shock.

Alko stammered, "Leah…?"

Seizing the moment of his surprise, Leah delivered a powerful punch to the centre of his mask, shattering it to pieces. The impact sent Alko hurtling through a palm tree and a massive wall.

Meanwhile, Leah retrieved a firework from her back pocket, announcing, "Our job here is done, Volker."

She shot the fireworks into the sky, signalling the completion of their mission.

Meanwhile, in a massive parking lot, Ren leaned casually against his car, effortlessly juggling his keys with his right hand. Before him stood Kara Hawkins, a 21-year-old with short, jet-black hair and dark eye shadow that complemented her biker outfit.

Kara, eyeing Ren with curiosity, inquired, "I've never seen you around. What squad are you on?"

Ren, maintaining his cool demeanour, replied, "None. I'm not a Dove Officer."

"Huh? Wait," Kara chuckled, "don't tell me you're one of the guys who drive those old rich guys around."

Ren smirked, retorting, "Do I look like a chauffeur to you?"

Kara, with a teasing smile, replied, "No. Chauffeurs look more classy."

Ren's smirk faded, replaced by a glint of irritation in his eyes. Before the tension between them could escalate, their attention was violently diverted by the abrupt intrusion of Alko's body smashing through Ren's windshield.

Both Ren and Kara stared in absolute shock at the unexpected turn of events.

"A-Alko...?" Ren stammered, disbelief evident in his voice.

Kara and Ren rushed over to Alko, finding him in a gruesome condition. His mouth and nose were smashed in, rendering his face a ghastly sight with missing features.

"Oh my God..." Kara gasped, horrified by the gruesome scene.

"Bro..." Ren muttered, his shock resonating in his voice.

As they stood over Alko, his face began to miraculously heal, with his nose and mouth popping back into shape.

"H-how is he doing that?" Kara questioned, her amazement mixed with horror.

Ren explained, "It's his Benedi, Hangover Cure."

Alko, having fully healed, looked up at Ren and Kara, confusion evident in his eyes.

"Alko! What happened?" Ren urgently inquired.

"I...I don't know," Alko responded, leaving them all perplexed.

Back in the chaotic auction hall, Volker prepared for another clash with Kimberley and Charlotte. As he took the first step towards them, their impending bout was abruptly interrupted by the booming sound of Leah's firework.

"Oh... she's done already?" Volker mumbled, momentarily halting his advance.

Kimberley and Charlotte exchanged confused glances, trying to discern the source of the noise.

"What was that?" Charlotte questioned, squinting through the haze.

"Sounded like a firework. He's here with someone..." Kimberley muttered, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

"...and that might be a signal for-" Charlotte began, but their conversation was cut short by the sudden deployment of multiple smoke bombs.

Coughing heavily within the thick smoke screen, Kimberley and Charlotte struggled to see and breathe.

"What's going on?" Kimberley tapped her earbud, seeking information from Atamai.

Through the earbud, Atamai's urgent voice conveyed the unfolding situation. "Kim! Th-there's this girl who had all of the auction items in her bag somehow! Th-then Alko tried stopping her but he couldn't! She just rode off on a motorcycle but she popped a firework before leaving! N-now the guy you two were fighting is rushing towards that same entrance gate where there's another motorcycle-"

"Shit! We can't let him get away!" Kimberley exclaimed, her mind racing.

She clasped her hands, activating her Benedi: 360 vision. Their field of vision expanded to a 360-degree angle, enhanced significantly to cut through the smoke screen.

Navigating through the chaos, she rushed towards the exit of the building. As she emerged into the front yard, she spotted Volker making a beeline for the gate.

But Kimberley's enhanced vision caught a familiar figure sitting on the ground in Volker's path.

"Is that... Udo?" Kimberley questioned, her focus divided between the escaping assailant and the unexpected presence of Udo on the ground.

Udo's inner turmoil echoed in his muttered self-reproaches. His head hung low, grappling with his fears and doubts.

"They're here, the people who took Bowen are here, why am I not moving? Why am I not doing anything about it? Why am I so...afraid?" Udo questioned himself, his internal monologue revealing the inner conflict he was experiencing. "Alko was right. Am I going to abandon Bowen because of fear? Get up, Udo! Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up..."

As Udo wrestled with his inner demons, Volker continued his rapid approach toward the gate. Kimberley's urgent shout pierced through the chaotic scene.

"Stop him!" Kimberley's command echoed across the courtyard.

Udo's eyes lit up at the call to action. With a sudden surge of determination, he refused to let fear paralyze him any longer.

In a brief moment, his world seemed to slow down, allowing him to register Volker rushing past him.

Reacting swiftly, Udo reached out, his hand grabbing onto Volker's arm with an unexpectedly tight grip. Volker felt the force pulling him back, halting his sprint abruptly.

"What the..." Volker began, surprised by the sudden resistance.

An intense, venomous tone emanated from behind as Udo confronted the escaping assailant.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going, sheep?" Udo's voice was fierce, a stark departure from his earlier contemplation.

Volker, now facing this new adversary, examined the masked figure with a mix of confusion and intrigue. The grip on his arm seemed unusually strong.

"He's a first-rate host... how is he managing to produce this level of strength?" Volker wondered, taken aback by Udo's unexpected resistance.

Swiftly breaking free from Udo's grip with a knife-hand strike, Volker followed up with a spinning kick aimed at Udo's jaw, sending him hurtling through the air.

Kimberley's frustration boiled over as she watched Volker escape on his motorcycle, her bullets futile against his hardened skin. The courtyard echoed with the revving of the engine as Volker sped away.

"Shit!" Kimberley exclaimed, realizing the missed opportunity to apprehend the attacker She sprinted towards the gate, intending to catch up, but the motorcycle raced off into the distance.

"Ata! Follow him!" Kimberley ordered through her earbud, desperation evident in her voice.

Atamai's response brought more disappointment.

"Kim, he's heading out of my range!"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Kimberley slammed her gun on the ground, frustration evident in her every movement. Crouching down, she ran her hands through her hair with force, grappling with the weight of the missed opportunity.

"We had them... we had them right in front of us... and we messed up," she muttered, the regret palpable.

Atamai attempted to console her, "Kim, it's okay-"

"No!" she snapped. "No, it's not okay. And we're going to make this right. We're going to find them once again, and next time, we'll finish the job."

Determination replaced the initial frustration as Kimberley vowed to correct their failure. The chase was far from over, and she was resolved to bring those responsible to justice.