A Name That Shouldn’t Exist

Chapter 18

The air inside the hideout was thick with tension.

The assassin's body lay motionless on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. Reina kept her gun trained on the corpse, her finger still tense on the trigger.

Toshiro didn't care about the body. His eyes were glued to the screen.

"Project Satori…" he muttered. "This… this doesn't make sense."

Kaito leaned in. The decrypted files scrolled endlessly. Bank transactions, government contracts, missing persons reports… and one name.

Yoshinori Kyosei.

The CEO of Kyosei Corporation. Dead for three years.

Kaito's stomach tightened. "That's impossible. He died in the fire."

Toshiro's fingers flew across the keyboard. "That's what I thought too. But look at this."

He opened another file—an internal memo dated two weeks ago.

Subject: Satori Phase Two—Orders from Yoshinori Kyosei

Reina's breath hitched. "No. That can't be right."

Kaito read the document again. Not a fake. Not a ghost.

If Yoshinori Kyosei was dead, then who was giving the orders?

The Hunter Becomes the Prey

A buzzing sound filled the room.

Toshiro paled. "They're here."

Kaito turned just as the hideout's metal doors burst open.

More assassins.

They were faster this time. Smarter. No wasted movement.

Reina fired first, dropping one before he could react. Three more flooded in.

Kaito charged. His knife met flesh, cutting deep into the nearest attacker's shoulder. No scream. No hesitation. These men were trained to ignore pain.

The second assassin swung a baton—electric. Kaito barely dodged, feeling the static hum as it missed his ribs by inches.

Reina kicked over a desk, using it as cover while she reloaded. Toshiro was still at the laptop.

"Toshiro!" she barked.

"I just need a few more seconds!" he shouted back.

They didn't have seconds.

One of the assassins lunged at Toshiro—Kaito intercepted.

The two crashed into a row of monitors, sparks flying. The assassin twisted, wrapping his arm around Kaito's throat.

He was stronger. More precise. Trained for this.

Kaito gasped for air—then slammed his head backward, cracking the man's nose.

Reina's gun barked. Another body hit the floor.

Toshiro snapped the hard drive out of the laptop.

"Got it! We need to go!"

Escape Through Fire

Kaito grabbed the drive as Reina fired one last time, forcing the remaining assassin to retreat.

Then—

BOOM.

The ceiling caved in.

An explosion rocked the hideout, throwing Kaito against the wall. His ears rang. Smoke. Fire. Debris.

Toshiro coughed. "They're trying to bury us alive!"

Reina yanked him to his feet. "Move!"

Through the smoke, Kaito saw it—a back exit.

They ran.

Another explosion roared behind them. The heat licked at their backs as they burst into the alleyway.

No time to breathe.

Toshiro clutched the hard drive. "We need to find out what's on this thing."

Kaito nodded, mind racing.

If Yoshinori Kyosei was truly alive…

Then this war was only beginning.

To Be Continued…