Beneath the School

The gunshots had stopped. The only sounds left were Rika's unsteady breathing and the faint echoes of retreating footsteps.

Julian's mind was racing.

The Superhuman Mafia had been watching.

And now, they knew he was asking questions.

They wouldn't just let this go.

Rika's Fear

Rika leaned against the wall, her face pale.

"You have no idea what you've just done," she muttered.

Julian wiped blood from his knuckles. "Then tell me."

Rika hesitated, then sighed. "There's no turning back now, huh?"

She looked up, her expression grim.

"The underground lab exists," she admitted. "It's where they take the students who get hooked on the drug. The ones they think are… worth something."

Julian's fists clenched. "And the others?"

Rika shook her head. "They don't come back."

A sharp silence followed.

Julian had suspected it, but hearing it out loud made it feel real.

The missing students weren't just gone.

They were dead.

Breaking In

Julian didn't hesitate.

"I need to get inside."

Rika's eyes widened. "Are you insane?!"

"Probably."

"Listen," she hissed. "The people running that place? They're not like the gangs here. They're part of something bigger.You break in there, and you'll end up like the others."

Julian stared at her. "Then why are you helping me?"

Rika exhaled. "Because someone helped me once. And I didn't get a chance to return the favor."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a keycard.

"This won't get you all the way in, but it'll open the first door."

Julian took it without hesitation.

"One more thing," Rika said. "If you get caught… I never gave you that."

Julian smirked. "Fair enough."

Then he turned and walked into the night.

The Hidden Entrance

It wasn't hard to find.

Rika had told him it was beneath the west wing, near an abandoned storage room.

Julian moved carefully, avoiding security cameras and late-night patrols. The school was dangerous enough during the day, but at night?

It belonged to the shadows.

Finally, he found it.

A metal door hidden behind an old bookshelf. No handle. No keypad. Just a scanner.

Julian slid the keycard through.

A faint beep.

Then—the door unlocked.

Inside the Lab

The air was cold.

The underground corridor stretched into darkness, lined with flickering fluorescent lights.

Julian moved forward, his footsteps silent.

Everything was too quiet.

Then—he heard it.

A muffled scream.

Julian's blood went cold.

A Horrifying Sight

He turned the corner and saw—

A row of glass containment pods.

Inside them were students.

Some barely alive. Others unmoving.

Tubes ran from their arms, pumping a thick, glowing liquid into their veins.

Julian's stomach twisted.

This wasn't just a drug operation.

This was an experiment.

Then he saw him.

A boy in the last pod. Face pale, body shaking. Someone Julian recognized.

Kenji.

He was a junior fighter, ranked #18. He had been missing for weeks.

Now, Julian knew why.

Kenji's eyes flickered open, barely focusing. His lips moved, whispering something.

Julian leaned in. "What?"

Kenji's voice was weak.

"They… took us… because…"

His breath hitched.

Julian grabbed the glass. "Because why?!"

Kenji's dazed eyes suddenly focused—filled with terror.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper—

"They're trying to create something stronger than a Masterclass."

A chill shot through Julian's spine.

Then—an alarm blared.

The Lab is Alerted

"INTRUDER DETECTED."

The robotic voice echoed through the halls.

Julian's time was up.

He turned to run—

But a shadow appeared at the end of the hallway.

Tall. Unmoving.

And as the red warning lights flickered—Julian saw his face.

A face identical to his own.

Julian's breath caught.

Julial.

His twin. His forgotten brother.

The one who was supposed to be dead.

Julian's mind screamed at him to move, to fight—

But he couldn't.

Because Julial just stood there, staring at him.

And then—he smiled.