Chapter 230 : The Hunt in the Ghost Labyrinth

The silence after the brief confrontation with Uraraka felt heavier than the darkness itself. Inside the cold metal corridor, Tatsumi and Mine stood still, the sound of their ragged breaths loud in their own ears. They had survived their first encounter, not as individuals who hated each other, but as a functioning team. The brief moment where Tatsumi's armor glowed to provide light for Mine's precision shot was a spark of unspoken trust, a reluctant acknowledgment that they were indeed stronger together.

"She'll report our position through her still-functioning communicator," Tatsumi said, breaking the silence. His analytical mind was already at work, processing the new information. "Her team now knows there are at least two people in this sector. We have to keep moving, and move fast."

"Where to?" Mine retorted, her voice no longer filled with anger, but with a focused tension. "We're still blind here, genius. And we just wasted our only flare."

Tatsumi wasn't offended by her sarcastic tone. He saw it as a sign that Mine was starting to think tactically. "Not completely blind," he said, pointing towards the corridor where Uraraka had fled. "She attacked from above, which means there's a level above us connected to this area. And she retreated towards the east corridor. A trained hero wouldn't retreat towards the objective or towards her other teammates, because that would give away their position. So, most likely, her teammates or the objective she's guarding are in the opposite direction. We're going west, towards the direction she was trying to protect by moving away from it. It's just a hypothesis, but it's the only clue we have."

Mine contemplated the logic. It was a gamble, but a smart one. It was far better than just walking aimlessly in the dark. "Fine," she said, her tone showing a reluctant agreement. "You lead the way."

Their movement now had a new rhythm. Mine's hand on Tatsumi's shoulder no longer felt like an awkward necessity, but an efficient point of contact. She could feel every small change in Tatsumi's movement—when he slowed, when he tensed—and react accordingly. She became an extension of Tatsumi's vigilant senses, while Tatsumi became her eyes in the darkness. They moved down the silent corridors, a strange duet of the dragon and the sniper, a single two-headed shadow in a ghost labyrinth.

Elsewhere in the Facility

While Tatsumi and Mine were hunting by deduction, other teams were hunting by their own methods. At a wide corridor intersection, Momo and Todoroki moved with professional silence. The small flame on Todoroki's left palm danced, creating long, frightening shadows, while the thin layer of ice beneath their feet told them of the slightest vibration around them.

"I detected a small skirmish a few minutes ago in the west sector," Todoroki whispered, feeling the faint echo through his ice. "A muffled energy blast."

"That must be one of us encountering an opponent," Momo replied, her sharp eyes scanning the darkness beyond the reach of Todoroki's flame. "We need to be careful. Based on my analysis of the Shiketsu students' personalities, Inasa Yoarashi will create a major disturbance, while Seiji Shishikura will try for a silent ambush. And Mine... she'll go for the highest-profile target."

"Tatsumi," Todoroki said, finishing Momo's sentence. They both knew who the Shiketsu sniper's most sought-after target was.

"Exactly," Momo said. "If we can find Tatsumi-san first and confirm he's our teammate, we'll have a huge advantage."

They didn't know that the person they were looking for was currently working with the very target he was supposed to be avoiding.

A Dangerous Intersection

"Stop," Tatsumi whispered suddenly, pulling Mine into a doorway.

"What is it?" Mine asked.

"Two heat signatures ahead. Moving closer. Very slow and methodical," Tatsumi reported. From the distinctive heat pattern—one side cold, one side warm—and a normal heat signature beside it, he knew immediately who it was. "It's Todoroki and Yaoyorozu."

Mine's heart beat a little faster. The two strongest and smartest students from U.A. She instinctively raised Pumpkin, ready for a fight.

Tatsumi quickly held her rifle down. "Don't," he whispered firmly. "We don't know if they're friend or foe. And even if they are foes, we can't fight both of them in a direct confrontation in these conditions. We'd lose."

This was a new lesson for Mine. Her competitive mind always told her to fight every challenge head-on. But Tatsumi thought differently. He thought about how to win, not just how to fight.

"We'll let them pass," Tatsumi continued. "We'll learn from their patrol pattern without giving away our position."

Mine, though her pride was stung at having to hide, knew that Tatsumi was right. She lowered her rifle reluctantly.

They held their breath as the two figures walked past the end of the corridor, illuminated by Todoroki's small flame. They were so close that Tatsumi could feel the chill from Todoroki's ice. After they passed and disappeared around another corner, Tatsumi and Mine could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"They're moving towards the central sector," Tatsumi reported. "Most likely, that's where the objective is."

"Then let's go there and grab it before them," Mine said, her competitive spirit returning.

"No," Tatsumi said. "We'll follow them from a distance. Let them clear the path and possibly engage other opponents. We'll be their shadow and take our chance when they're off guard."

Mine looked at Tatsumi's vague figure in the darkness. She was beginning to understand. This young man didn't fight like a hero-in-training. He fought like an assassin. He fought to win, by any means necessary. And that was something she could respect.

The Heart of the Labyrinth

Following the heat trail left by Todoroki and Momo, they finally arrived at a different area. The narrow corridors now opened up into a large central laboratory, filled with overturned workbenches and damaged research equipment—all part of the disaster simulation.

And in the center of the room, they saw it. An unmoving heat signature, lying beside a destroyed main console. It was the injured "researcher," their objective mannequin.

"We found it!" Mine whispered excitedly.

"Wait," Tatsumi said, holding her back. "This is too easy."

His thermal visor scanned the room. Most of it was cold, except for the mannequin. But there was one other anomaly. A human heat signature, sitting casually on a desk in the farthest corner of the room, almost invisible. The person wasn't moving, their breathing calm and regular. They were waiting.

Tatsumi zoomed in on the thermal image, and a thin, bitter smile appeared on his face behind his helmet. The spiky hair silhouette and the arrogant posture were unmistakable.

"The Explosion Freak," he muttered.

"Bakugo?" Mine asked.

"He didn't find a teammate," Tatsumi explained. "So he found the objective first and decided to use it as his bait. He's turned this entire room into his personal fortress, a minefield waiting for anyone foolish enough to walk in."

Mine looked into the dark room with a new perspective. The darkness was no longer empty; it now felt filled with an unseen threat.

"So, what's the plan, genius?" Mine asked, her tone now more of a genuine challenge than a taunt. "How are we going to get the cheese from the world's biggest mousetrap?"

Tatsumi observed the room, his analytical mind working at high speed, processing every variable. "He's expecting a frontal assault," he whispered. "He wants us to come in and try to fight him. We're not going to do that. We're going to give him what he doesn't expect." He turned to Mine. "I need the biggest diversion you can create. And I need you to trust me completely."

Mine looked at his vague figure in the darkness. A few hours ago, she would never have considered it. But now, after moving with him, after seeing how he thinks, after he had protected her... something had changed.

"Just tell me what to do," she replied, her voice steady.

In the darkness, a crazy and dangerous plan began to form.