Chapter 68 - The Last Warning

As the door slid open, a massive, dimly lit chamber awaited them. At the center of the room stood Shiro, dressed in his usual pristine suit, his silver hair slicked back. He looked completely unbothered by their arrival, swirling a glass of wine in his hand.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," he said with a smirk.

Hotaru's grip on her knives tightened. "Cut the act, Shiro. You knew we were coming."

"Of course I did," Shiro sighed. He placed his glass on a nearby table and turned to them, eyes gleaming with amusement. "But I have to say, I didn't expect you to make it this far. You've been quite the nuisance."

Sai stepped forward, his expression dark. "Enough with the small talk. Where's the file?"

Shiro chuckled. "Straight to business? No pleasantries? Fine." He gestured to a briefcase sitting on a glass podium beside him. "It's right here. But do you really think I'd let you just take it?"

Tora's voice came through the earpiece. "Guys, I don't like this. I'm detecting—"

Before he could finish, the floor beneath them rumbled. Steel barriers slammed shut, cutting off all exits. From the shadows, dozens of heavily armed guards emerged, weapons trained on them.

Ryuuji sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Great. Another trap. Who could've guessed?"

Hotaru glanced at Sai. "We're not walking out of here without a fight."

Shiro smirked. "Oh, I insist. You won't be walking out at all."

He snapped his fingers.

The guards opened fire.

Chaos Erupts

Hotaru dived behind cover, narrowly dodging a rain of bullets. Sai and Mira followed, taking defensive positions.

Ryuuji, ever the daredevil, slid across the floor and launched a smoke grenade. The room filled with thick fog, throwing the guards into confusion.

"Take them down!" Shiro barked.

The fight broke out in full force.

Sai flipped over a guard, grabbing his rifle and slamming it into another enemy's face.

Mira used the fog to her advantage, delivering precise, devastating kicks that sent guards crashing into walls.

Ryuuji laughed as he disarmed an enemy and twirled his pistol. "Too slow, buddy!" He shot out the lights, plunging the room into partial darkness.

Hotaru, meanwhile, moved like a ghost, her knives cutting through enemies with deadly precision.

Kuro leaped onto a guard's shoulder, clawing his face, making him scream in pain. "Stupid cat!"

Tora's voice came through again. "Guys, listen up! That room has an emergency lock system. If I override it, you'll have 30 seconds to escape before the entire facility goes into lockdown!"

Sai blocked a punch and knocked his opponent unconscious. "Do it!"

Shiro watched the battle unfold, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning, he reached for the briefcase and threw it into the flames of a nearby incinerator.

Hotaru's eyes widened. "You—!"

Shiro smirked. "Oops."

Tora's countdown began.

30 seconds.

"Move!" Hotaru shouted.

They fought their way to the exit, dodging bullets and striking down guards in their path.

20 seconds.

Shiro, unfazed, simply adjusted his cufflinks. "This was fun. Let's do it again sometime."

Hotaru glared at him. "Next time, you won't be smiling."

10 seconds.

Sai grabbed Mira's wrist and sprinted for the door. Ryuuji slid under a closing barricade. Hotaru and Kuro leaped through at the last second.

3… 2… 1…

The doors slammed shut behind them, locking Shiro inside.

They barely had time to catch their breath before Tora's voice crackled in. "Guys… we have a problem."

Hotaru groaned. "What now?"

To be continued…

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