ᴇɴɪɢᴍᴀヾ⁠(⁠*⁠'⁠Ｏ⁠'⁠*⁠)⁠/

Chapter ~14 ᯓ★

── .✦ ── .✦ ── .✦ ──

The ground trembled beneath them as dust and debris filled the air, mingling with the acrid smell of smoke, lan instinctively shielded Lily with his body, his heart pounding in sync with the chaos unfolding around them.

"What the hell is going on?" Lily coughed, her eyes wide as she scanned the room, searching for the source of the blast.

Haejin rushed toward them, his expression grim. "We've been compromised! Carmen's men are inside the base!"

The sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway, and Lily felt a surge of panic. They were outnumbered, and the security measures they had relied on were failing them.

"We need to get to the armory!" lan shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "We can't

face them without weapons!"

"On it!" Haejin nodded, leading the way.

As they sprinted through the dimly lit corridor, Lily's mind raced. This was it-the moment they had been dreading. Carmen had infiltrated their home base, and they were in the fight of their lives.

They reached the armory, and lan quickly began loading weapons, his hands moving with practiced precision. Haejin grabbed additional gear, while Serene worked on securing the doors, her eyes darting around nervously.

"Do we have any intel on how many are inside?" Lily asked, trying to keep her voice steady despite the turmoil swirling within her.

"Just the usual estimates," Haejin replied, his expression tense. "But we can't be sure. We have to move quickly."

lan handed Lily a weapon, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. "Stay close, okay? We're going to get through this together."

Lily nodded, feeling a strange comfort in his words despite the uncertainty looming over them. She had trusted lan with her life before, and now she had to trust him with their survival.

With weapons secured, the trio moved cautiously through the base, every sound heightened as they navigated the labyrinthine halls. Lily could feel her heart pounding, each thud a reminder of the danger they faced.

Suddenly, a loud crash resonated down the corridor, and Lily tensed, instinctively raising her weapon, "What was that?"

"Stay alert" lan urged, moving closer to her. "We need to find the others and regroup."

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed, growing louder. Haejin motioned for them to hide behind a nearby corner. They waited, breath held as two guards rushed past, their voices tense.

"Check the armory, they can't be far!" one of them barked.

"Right! They have to be holed up somewhere," the second replied, and with that, they continued on their path.

Lily exchanged glances with lan and Haejin, the weight of the moment hanging heavily in the air.

"We need to get to the control room," Haejin whispered, gesturing down another corridor,

"We can lock the doors and find out how many are inside."

"Lead the way," lan replied, his expression resolute.

As they moved stealthily through the corridors, Lily's heart raced with a mix of fear and determination. They had fought too hard to let Carmen take everything from them now.

They finally reached the control room, where Serene was already working furiously at the main console. "I'm trying to lock down the facility!" she exclaimed, her fingers flying over the keys. "But there are too many entry points!"