Ria and Zain (8)

As Ria ventured into the tunnel, her nose was assaulted by an unbearable stench wafting from deep within.

"I must be close. Looks like I got lucky," she muttered to herself.

The tunnel was both narrow and wide in sections, with a diameter of approximately 30 meters. Compared to the vastness of the tunnel, Ria felt incredibly small as she carefully traversed its shadowy depths.

After half an hour of walking, she finally stumbled upon the venom she had been searching for. Without wasting any time, she collected it in the tubes she had been given, carefully sealing each one before storing them in the spatial compartment integrated into her suit.

As she finished her task, she felt faint tremors beneath her feet.

It's coming, she thought, her heartbeat quickening.

Without hesitation, Ria began sprinting back toward the exit. The tremors grew more intense with each passing second. Fortunately, the light at the end of the tunnel was already in sight. Summoning all her strength, she leaped out of the tunnel and continued her desperate run across the desert.

The Sand Snake was the apex predator of the desert, which meant most other creatures avoided becoming active in its presence. However, the sight of Ria sprinting through the training grounds proved too tempting for some predators.

A pack of mutated dogs, drawn by her movement, began pursuing her. These creatures were grotesque, with an extra set of legs on their forelimbs and unnaturally muscular frames. Though they were roughly the size of regular dogs, what they lacked in height, they more than made up for in speed.

Within minutes, the pack caught up to her. They lunged at her from behind, though as long as they remained at her back, they posed little threat. Ria continued her full-speed sprint, glancing back just long enough to gauge their positions.

One of the mutated dogs veered to her side and lunged. Spotting a tilted metal ramp in her path, Ria leaped onto it. As she sailed through the air, she twisted her body, reaching for the gun strapped to her thigh.

In one smooth motion, she fired. Her shots were precise, and one by one, the mutated dogs dropped lifeless to the ground, each with a bullet hole in its head.

A moment later, Ria landed in the sand. She lingered briefly, catching her breath, before resuming her run toward the desert's exit, this time at a more measured pace.

When she finally reached the exit and passed the entry point, Ria came to a halt, bending over to catch her breath fully. She unclipped the communicator from her waist and activated it.

"This is Ria. Mission complete," she reported to the academy's Tests and Training Department.

---

Later, Ria sat in the secret room with Kelsey, sharing a meal and recounting her mission to both her and Zain.

"Wow, Ria, that must've been hard," Kelsey said, wide-eyed.

"It wasn't that hard," Ria replied, though her tone betrayed a hint of fatigue. She glanced at Zain's capsule with a somber expression. "So... when do your missions start?"

Kelsey hesitated before answering. "Next week. But they won't be as... interesting as yours."

Ria smiled faintly. "Oh, you think getting chased by a pack of mutated dogs is interesting? You should come with me next time, then."

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" Kelsey said quickly, and the two burst into laughter.

Ria stood and walked over to Zain's capsule. She leaned against it, staring at him through the glass.

"Hey, Zain. That guy asked me out again. What do you think?" she said softly.

The room was silent.

Ria banged on the capsule with her fist. "We'll be busy with missions these coming days, so wake up! Wake up! Now!" Her voice carried both frustration and desperation, but Zain remained motionless.

"Ria, I don't think that will help," Kelsey said gently.

"No. If he's too lazy to wake up, if he's too lazy to see that two people care enough to be here, then we'll leave him be. After all, we've entertained this long enough. He's a corp...."

Before she could finish, Kelsey clamped her hand over Ria's mouth.

"Don't take it too far," Kelsey said firmly.

Ria sighed, pushing Kelsey's hand away. She turned and walked toward the small hall leading out of the room. Before leaving, she called out, "Kelsey, let's go. Oh, and we aren't coming to visit you again."

Reluctantly, Kelsey stood and followed. She cast one last glance at Zain, still suspended in his coma, before leaving the room.

---

Hours later, as the secret room lay silent and dark, the lights dimmed for the night.

In the stillness, Zain's fingers twitched. Slowly, his eyes opened, burning with an intense and unfamiliar determination.

End of Part One:[ Ria and Zain]