Chapter 74 - The Betrayer’s Shadow

The weight of the revelation hung over the room like a storm cloud. Renji—a trusted ally, a friend—was a plant this whole time.

Hotaru's fingers dug into the edge of the table as she stared at his name on the screen. Subject #045. Reprogrammed. Infiltrator.

"This doesn't make sense," Sai muttered, pacing the room. "Renji never showed any signs of manipulation. If he was a sleeper agent, wouldn't he have been activated earlier?"

"Maybe he didn't even know," Mira suggested. "What if the 'activation' hasn't happened yet?"

Ryuuji crossed his arms, expression dark. "Or worse… what if it already has?"

Silence.

Tora's fingers flew across the keyboard. "I'm running a trace. If Renji's in the system, maybe I can find his last location."

Hotaru's mind was racing. The signs—were they there? Renji was reliable, skilled, always one step ahead in fights. What if that wasn't just experience? What if…?

Her stomach twisted.

Tora cursed under his breath. "He was here."

Everyone turned.

"What do you mean 'here'?" Sai asked sharply.

Tora's screen showed a heat signature from an hour ago—right outside the safe house.

Mira tensed. "Tell me you're kidding."

"I wish I was." Tora zoomed in. "Whoever it was, they didn't enter. Just… stood there."

A cold shiver ran down Hotaru's spine.

"Renji."

Ryuuji clenched his fists. "Then what the hell was he waiting for?"

The answer hit Hotaru instantly.

"…He wanted to see if we knew."

The realization sent a wave of tension through the team.

"If he was watching us," Sai said slowly, "then he knows we found out."

Mira grabbed her gun. "Then we need to move. Now."

"No," Hotaru interrupted. "We don't run."

Everyone turned to her.

"We set a trap."

Tora smirked. "Now you're talking."

Kuro flicked his tail. "Finally, something interesting."

Sai's brows furrowed. "You sure about this, Hotaru?"

She nodded.

"If Renji has truly turned against us, then we have no choice. We end this."

Ryuuji's grin was razor-sharp. "I like the sound of that."

Mira cracked her knuckles. "Let's see if he's still the same Renji… or if he's already too far gone."

Tora tapped the screen, pulling up blueprints of their surroundings. "Alright. We have one shot at this."

Hotaru's eyes burned with determination.

This was no longer about survival. This was a reckoning.

To be continued…

---