Ch 30 : The Path Of No Return

Renji sat on a broken desk, staring at their unconscious captive.

Shirogane leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You sure about this?"

Renji didn't answer.

Because he wasn't.

The man tied to the chair—an agent of the Black Talon—held answers.

Answers Renji needed.

But a part of him knew—there was no turning back.

If he took this path, he wasn't just fighting to survive anymore.

He was hunting the truth.

And truth? It came with a price.

---

A splash of cold water.

The man gasped awake, his body jerking against the restraints.

Shirogane cracked his knuckles. "Rise and shine."

Renji's voice was low. "Talk."

The man groaned. "If I refuse?"

Renji's claws extended.

The man's smirk faltered.

"Alright. Fine." He exhaled. "What do you want to know?"

Renji's eyes were like steel.

"What do you know about me?"

The captive hesitated. Then—

He laughed.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

Renji's fingers twitched. "Get what?"

The man leaned forward, eyes burning with something close to pity.

"You're not the only one, Kuroya."

Silence.

Renji's chest felt tight.

Shirogane tensed. "What do you mean?"

The man grinned. "You think you're the first infected to evolve? The first to survive?"

Renji's heartbeat thundered.

No. That wasn't possible.

The organization had always hunted infected. Eliminated them.

There was no way someone else had—

Unless…

The organization wasn't telling the whole story.

"You're lying." Renji's voice was cold.

The man shook his head. "Think whatever you want. But the truth is, the organization has known about cases like yours for years."

Renji's claws clenched.

Years?

Then why had he never seen anyone like him?

Unless…

They were hiding them.

Or worse—using them.

---

Shirogane was the first to speak. "Where are they?"

The man's smirk returned. "Now, why would I tell you that?"

Renji moved faster than thought.

One moment, the man was grinning. The next—Renji's claws were at his throat.

The captive froze.

Renji's voice was quiet. Dangerous. "Because if you don't—"

His nails pressed deeper.

"You die here."

The man swallowed hard.

Then—he chuckled.

"Go ahead." His eyes gleamed. "See how much of your humanity is left."

Renji's body stiffened.

Because for a second—just a second—

He wanted to.

Shirogane's voice cut through the tension. "Renji.

Renji's breathing slowed.

His grip loosened.

Because he knew.

If he crossed this line—there was no coming back.

The captive smirked. "That's what I thought."

Renji exhaled sharply, stepping back.

"Start talking."

The man tilted his head.

"Alright. I'll tell you."

His smile was slow.

"But only if you're ready for the answer."

Renji's eyes darkened.

Because deep down—he already knew.

He wasn't ready.

But he had no choice.

He had to hear it.

No matter the cost.

---

Renji's fists were clenched.

The air in the abandoned warehouse felt thicker, pressing against his skin like an unseen force.

His captive—an agent of Black Talon—had just revealed something that shook him to his core.

"You're not the first infected to evolve."

Those words rattled inside his skull.

He had believed that he was alone—that he was the only one who had survived past the point of no return.

But now, reality was shifting.

He wasn't unique.

He wasn't the first.

And that meant there were others.

---

Shirogane exhaled. "If that's true, then where are they?"

The agent smirked, shaking his head. "That's the question, isn't it?"

Renji's gaze sharpened. "Enough riddles. Start talking."

The agent sighed. "Fine. The truth is, the organization doesn't just eliminate infected like you."

"They study them."

Renji's blood ran cold.

He had always suspected that the organization was hiding something.

But this?

This was worse than he imagined.

"How many?" His voice was dangerously low.

The agent hesitated. Then—"Dozens. Maybe more."

Renji's breath caught.

Dozens?

That meant—some were still alive.

Shirogane stepped forward. "Where?"

The agent let out a dry laugh. "You think it's that easy? They're ghosts, Kuroya. Locked away in places no one can reach."

Renji's patience was thinning. "Try me."

The agent studied him. Then—

"There's a facility. Underground. The place where they take the ones that survive." His smirk widened. "The ones like you."

Renji's hands trembled.

An underground facility.

A prison for infected survivors.

A place where the organization kept its secrets.

And if he went there—he would be walking into the lion's den.

---

Shirogane glanced at Renji. "This could be a trap."

Renji knew that.

But at this point?

He didn't care.

Because if there were others like him—trapped, experimented on—

He had to find them.

Even if it meant stepping into hell itself.

The agent chuckled. "You're really going, huh?"

Renji's eyes burned. "Watch me."

And with that, he turned, stepping into the shadows.

A new hunt had begun.

---

Renji stood at the entrance of the abandoned military bunker, his breath fogging in the cold night air. The ruins around him were nothing more than a cover—beneath this place was the real secret.

A hidden facility.

A prison.

The organization's experiments went deeper than he had thought. He had suspected as much, but now, standing at the precipice of revelation, the truth felt heavier.

Beside him, Shirogane Arata adjusted his gloves, scanning the ruins with sharp eyes. "If this information is correct, then we're walking straight into the lion's den."

Renji cracked his neck. "We've been walking in it since the day we were infected."

With that, they stepped forward.

The entrance was hidden beneath layers of collapsed stone, but Shirogane's informants had provided the exact coordinates. After moving debris and uncovering a rusted hatch, they pried it open. A cold gust of air rushed from below.

It smelled like decay.

They climbed down the rusted ladder, their boots clanking against metal rungs.

The bunker wasn't just a shelter. It was something far worse.

The deeper they went, the stronger Renji could feel it—the pulse of dungeon energy leaking from below.

Then, they reached the main elevator shaft.

Rust-covered. Ancient. Still functional.

Shirogane pressed a button on the battered control panel. For a moment, nothing happened. Then—

CLUNK.

The doors groaned open.

They stepped inside.

The descent began.

As they descended, the lights flickered, casting twisted shadows. The further they went, the more Renji felt something pressing against his senses.

Dungeon energy.

Thick. Suffocating. Wrong.

It wasn't just lingering—it was alive.

Shirogane exhaled. "This place… doesn't feel like a normal facility. It's like a—"

DING.

The elevator stopped.

The doors slid open.

Darkness.

The corridor stretched before them, lined with reinforced steel doors.

Cells.

Renji stepped out.

The air smelled of blood and death.

Shirogane muttered, "They weren't just keeping them here. They were waiting for something."

Renji's fists clenched. "Let's find out what."