Shields of Fire

Chapter 12

The lobby erupted into chaos as more of Minho's mercenaries flooded in, their presence a stark reminder that this was more than just a power play-it was a battle for dominance. Jennie crouched behind cover, her mind sharp as she watched Lalisa engage the mercenaries with a speed and precision that left even the professionals reeling.

Lalisa fought like a force of nature, her movements fluid and devastating. She dodged gunfire, disarmed attackers, and neutralized threats with an almost effortless grace. Jennie, in contrast, was not a fighter, but she had always been a strategist. Her eyes scanned the scene, assessing weaknesses, calculating the next move.

"Stay low!" Lalisa shouted, her voice cutting through the gunfire as she took down another mercenary with a well-placed strike to the jaw. "We need to push them back!"

Jennie ducked lower, her heart racing as she spotted more mercenaries pouring in from the front entrance. There were too many of them. Even with Lalisa's skills and the security team's efforts, they were at risk of being overwhelmed.

"This isn't working!" Jennie called out, her voice tinged with frustration.

Lalisa, who had just taken down another attacker, turned toward her with a look of grim determination. "I know. We need to cut them off. If we let them keep pushing in, we're done."

Jennie nodded, her mind racing. "What about the upper floors? If they breach those, the entire building is compromised."

Lalisa glanced around, her brow furrowed. "We can't defend the whole place at once. We need to control where the fight happens."

Jennie's eyes flicked to the elevator at the far end of the lobby, and an idea formed in her mind. "We have to lure them out-force them into a bottleneck."

Lalisa followed Jennie's gaze and nodded. "You're thinking the upper level. The elevators are narrow enough to trap them. But we'll need to get them there."

"I can handle that," Jennie said, determination hardening her voice. "We just need to hold them off long enough to pull back."

Lalisa hesitated for a second, her protective instincts clashing with her respect for Jennie's resolve. "Alright," she said, "but don't get reckless."

Without waiting for another word, Jennie grabbed her phone and issued a command to the security team through their comm system. "Pull back to the upper floors. We're going to funnel them through the elevators."

The security team acknowledged her orders, and Jennie wasted no time in sprinting toward the stairwell. Lalisa followed close behind, her eyes scanning for any remaining threats as they moved.

---

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of OddAtelier, Chaeyoung stood by her car, listening to the chatter coming through her earpiece. Her face remained impassive, but there was a sharp edge of focus in her gaze. She had been coordinating with the security team all night, monitoring the situation closely from outside, but now things were escalating fast.

She wasn't going to let Minho's men win.

Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed one of her contacts-someone who owed her a favor.

"Chaeyoung?" a gruff voice answered on the other end.

"I need reinforcements at OddAtelier," Chaeyoung said, her tone curt and urgent. "Now."

There was a pause before the voice responded, "How bad is it?"

"Bad enough," Chaeyoung replied. "And it's about to get worse. We need backup to keep Minho's men from breaching the upper floors."