Chapter 6: The Hidden Fortress

The car sped along the highway, the night swallowing the chaos of the past few hours. None of us spoke. The sound of the engine was the only thing filling the suffocating silence as we clutched our bags, still shaking from the explosion that had turned our home to ash.

I stared out of the window, my mind racing. The endless highway outside was shadowed and desolate, offering no answers to the storm of questions tearing through me. Who was Ghost Warrior? Why did he keep interfering in my life? Where was this strange, armored car taking us?

Soojin glanced at me, her voice barely a whisper. "Kim… do you think we can trust this?"

"I don't know," I admitted, keeping my eyes on the road ahead. "But what choice do we have?"

Eunji let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah, because being homeless and hunted sounds like so much fun."

Her sarcasm was sharp, but it didn't hide the fear laced in her voice.

The driver stayed silent, his focus glued to the road. The tension was suffocating as we approached a towering mountain. My breath caught as the road led straight into a massive tunnel, its entrance dark and unwelcoming.

"Are we seriously going in there?" Eunji asked, leaning forward to peer through the windshield. "This looks like the start of every horror movie ever."

Soojin shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "Let's just hope it's not the ending, too."

The tunnel lights flickered on as we entered, casting shifting shadows on the sleek walls. The hum of the car seemed to grow louder in the enclosed space.

Then, suddenly, the lights in the car went out.

"What the hell!" Eunji yelped, gripping my arm tightly. "What's going on?"

"I don't know!" I said, my voice rising as my heartbeat thundered in my ears.

The tunnel lights overhead flickered and died, plunging us into complete darkness. The sound of the car's engine echoed around us, eerie and hollow. Faint metallic noises reached my ears—something shifting, creaking open.

"Do you hear that?" Soojin whispered, her voice trembling. "It sounds like… machines."

I nodded, even though no one could see me. My fingers dug into the seat as I tried to make sense of the situation.

The car slowed to a stop, leaving us in silence so thick I could hear my own ragged breathing. For five minutes, we sat in total darkness, the unsettling noises continuing all around us. None of us dared to speak.

When the lights finally returned, they were blinding. I squinted, shielding my eyes as they adjusted. As I blinked away the spots in my vision, I gasped.

We weren't in the tunnel anymore.

---

Through the car's reinforced windows, I saw a sprawling underground bunker stretching out before us. The sheer scale of it was overwhelming. The ceiling soared high above, supported by sleek metallic beams that gleamed under fluorescent lights. Military vehicles of every kind filled the space—tanks, armored cars, and futuristic machines that looked like they'd been plucked from a science fiction novel. Soldiers and engineers moved between them, inspecting and maintaining the machinery with practiced efficiency.

Soojin pressed her face against the window. "What is this place?" she murmured, her voice filled with awe and fear.

"It's… it's like a base," Eunji said, her eyes wide as they darted around the scene. "But not just any base. This is… insane."

My chest tightened as I took it all in. This wasn't just a base—it was a fortress, something built for war. The life I knew, the mundane chaos of surviving day-to-day, felt like a distant memory.

The driver's voice cut through my thoughts, calm and firm. "Do not open the door until I tell you to."

I turned to him, my nerves fraying. "Why? What's going on? Where are we?"

He didn't answer, his jaw tightening as he tapped something on a small console. The car started moving again, gliding deeper into the bunker.

Soldiers in high-tech armor patrolled the area, their faces hidden behind visors. Each one carried weapons that looked far too advanced to exist in the world I thought I knew. My stomach churned as I noticed the ghostly insignias stitched onto their uniforms—a stark reminder of where we were.

One of the soldiers approached the car, his rifle trained on the windshield. His armor gleamed under the harsh lights, and his voice, distorted through his helmet, was cold and commanding.

"Code," he barked.

"Demons are here," the driver replied smoothly.

The soldier lowered his weapon without hesitation. "Welcome. Spirit is waiting for them."

I saw the driver's hands tighten briefly on the wheel before he straightened. He tapped a message on a small device: **Spirit is here.**

"Who is Spirit?" I asked, my voice sharp. "And why are they waiting for us?"

The driver ignored me, turning off the car's engine. "Get out. Stay close to me. Don't touch anything, and don't trust anyone except me or Ghost Warrior, sir."

His words made my stomach twist. Ghost Warrior. Again. Everything always came back to him.

Soojin leaned closer to me. "This keeps getting worse," she whispered.

I nodded, my throat dry. "Let's just stay alert."

---

We stepped out of the car hesitantly, the cold air of the bunker wrapping around us. The faint scent of metal and oil lingered, adding to the sterile atmosphere. Everywhere we looked, soldiers moved with purpose, their armor gleaming under the lights. The walls were lined with surveillance cameras that tracked our every movement, and concealed guns peeked out from behind panels, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"This place is a fortress," Eunji muttered.

"More like a prison," Soojin added, her eyes darting nervously.

The driver led us through a series of heavy metal doors, each one guarded by soldiers in matching high-tech gear. We passed several interconnected sections of the base, the walls growing more imposing with each step.

In one section, I noticed a man approaching from the opposite side. His title, "Ghostly Master," was etched boldly onto his armor. The driver immediately stopped, bowing and saluting with precision.

"Master," he said respectfully.

The Ghostly Master inclined his head slightly and began speaking in a language I didn't recognize. The harsh, clipped syllables were alien to me, but I could feel their authority.

While they spoke, my curiosity got the better of me. My eyes landed on a nearby room with its door slightly ajar. I moved closer, peering inside.

"Kim, don't," Soojin hissed, grabbing my arm.

But I ignored her. The room was filled with weapons—missile launchers, explosives, and guns far more advanced than anything I'd ever seen. My stomach turned as I realized just how much destruction this place was capable of.

Another room caught my eye, this one packed floor-to-ceiling with stacks of cash. The sheer amount was dizzying.

"This isn't real," Eunji whispered, her face pale.

Then I saw a smaller room tucked away in the corner. Vibrant flowers filled the space, their rich aroma hitting me before I even entered. My chest tightened as I read the prices displayed on the shelves—$15,000 for a single flower, $2 million for a bouquet.

"What kind of place *is* this?" I murmured.

Before I could take another step, a soldier stormed over, his voice harsh and commanding. "Out! Now!"

We backed away quickly, but as I passed him, the soldier froze. He sniffed the air, his face paling. Then, to my shock, he dropped to his knees, trembling.

"Mercy…" he stammered, his voice breaking. "Please don't sacrifice me. I—I didn't know!"

The sight was surreal, and I froze in place, unable to process what was happening. Around us, every soldier dropped to their knees, bowing low. Even the driver and the Ghostly Master knelt, their gazes fixed on the floor.

"What… what is going on?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

A deep, familiar voice echoed through the space, smooth and amused. "Ah, looks like the show is starting."

My blood ran cold. It was him.

Before I could say anything, another voice joined his—a woman's, soft yet sharp, laced with manipulation. "I think so," she said.

My heart raced as the weight of the moment pressed down on me. This was only the beginning.