Neo-Tokyo - Sector Zero, Underground Communication Node
Mao's voice crackled through the secure line, his breath labored, soaked in pain and anger. His right hand trembled as he gripped the encoded terminal within the shadows of a forgotten underpass. Blood dripped from a gash over his temple.
"You failed to contain him," came the voice on the other end, slick, emotionless. A woman. One of the Syndicate's Whispered Handlers.
"I didn't call for a report," Mao snapped. "I need extraction. I was ambushed near the Zero Ruins. Lin's not just rogue anymore—he's activated something inside the pendant."
"That pendant was not part of the agreement."
"Well, it is now. And Hina is comtose. Project ZERO is gone. You want results? Then let me regroup."
There was silence. Then a click. Then another voice—deeper, edged like glass.
"Mao, we are giving you one final opportunity. Lin Shoafeng must be neutralized before he uncovers the core link to Subject Rune. New orders will be sent. Until then, do not contact us again."
The line died. Mao stared at the static, then smashed the terminal against the wall.
---
Safehouse 7C – Two Days Later
The rain hadn't stopped.
The glow of surveillance monitors lit the dark room. Nel had left for supplies. Lin sat cross-legged, studying the fragmented drive retrieved from Project ZERO. A flicker of static resolved into a mission briefing.
:: OPERATION BLACK LOTUS ::
Objective: Terminate President Masaki Shizuma
Secondary: Extract classified data from Shizuma Medical HQ
Threat Level: S-tier. Targets are suspected of trafficking Asetter embryos under the guise of synthetic medicine.
Operatives: Lin (Primary), Nel (Support), Chi (Infiltration)
A knock echoed against the metal door. Lin turned.
Nel entered, expression unreadable as ever. Pale skin, platinum hair, eyes like frozen mercury. She didn't blink. Never did.
"Chi's in position," she said, her voice flat. "Waiting for your mark."
Behind her fluttered a shadow—Chi, known as Crow, his mask shaped like a bird's beak, red lenses glowing faintly. He nodded once. Silent as breath.
Lin stood.
"We move at midnight."
---
Shizuma Medical HQ - Midnight
A monolith of glass and black chrome, the Shizuma tower rose above the district like a blade aimed at heaven. Drones patrolled its perimeter. But they never saw the shadows move.
Chi landed first, claws digging into the steel ledge. He sliced a gap in the security field. Lin and Nel followed, each a ghost in the night.
Inside, they moved like nerves in a dying god—silent, swift. Lin's hand crackled faintly with dormant power, just enough to override biometric locks. Nel incapacitated guards with pressure-point precision. Chi vanished between floors.
On the top floor, Taro Shizuma stood by the window, sipping aged brandy.
"I wondered when they'd send you," he said without turning.
Lin stepped forward, raising his palm.
"You trafficked Asetter children. Created weapons out of lives. This ends now."
Masaki turned, revealing a glowing eye. His arm unfolded into a mechanical cannon.
"No," he said, voice cold, proud. "This is only the beginning."
The fight lasted forty-seven seconds.
Lin's Red Pulse shattered the cannon. Nel impaled his spine with a single blade. Taro Shizuma collapsed.
The data drive was secured. But as Lin looked down at the dying man, Taro laughed.
"You think you're free, Lin? You were made in the same lab. Project Rune wasn't hers. It was yours."
---
Neo-Tokyo, Café Amoura - Three Days Later
Disguised as a college student, Lin wiped tables in a small, quiet café near Sector 3. His black hair had been dyed brown. His aura, dampened. No trace of the Reaper remained.
Nel had chosen the cover.
"Normalcy is armor," she said. "Be forgettable."
The bell above the door chimed.
In stepped a girl dressed in silk and starlight. Her heels tapped like metronomes of wealth. Her eyes glinted with inherited arrogance. Rika Shizuma.
Behind her entered another woman in sleek uniform, glasses sharp as razors. Yumi Kisaragi.
Lin nearly dropped a tray.
Yumi hadn't changed.
She scanned the room with a soldier's precision. Her eyes passed over Lin.
Paused.
Then moved on.
"You call this cozy?" Rika pouted, twirling a pearl-studded umbrella.
"It serves the investigation," Yumi replied.
Lin vanished behind the counter.
"My father died mysteriously," Rika said, inspecting her nails. "But at least the Board granted me full control. I'm having a celebration tomorrow night. Come."
Yumi blinked. "Why invite me?"
"You were my childhood friend, remember? Before you joined the military. Besides, I want protection. People are... afraid."
Yumi hesitated.
"I'll think about it."
"Don't think too long. I have fire dancers, and catered spirits from the Ninth Sector."
Rika left with a flourish of silk.
Yumi stayed a moment longer, then approached the counter. Lin didn't move.
"Your hands are too steady for a waiter," she said softly.
Lin looked up slowly.
Their eyes met.
Yumi said nothing more. Then turned and walked out.
---
Later That Night – Safehouse 7C
"The President is dead," Lin said.
Taro nodded. "And the daughter just handed you a way into the lion's den."
He stared at the invitation card Rika had slipped onto the tray before leaving.
A single word burned across the gold edge:
Welcome.
Nel stepped from the shadows.
"You should not go."
"I have to."
"Emotions will compromise your logic."
"So will ignorance."
Chi perched near the window, silent. Watching the stars.
Taro placed a hand on Lin's shoulder.
"Be careful. Rika is more than she seems. And Yumi... she is not an ally ."
Outside, the rain finally stopped. But the storm had only just begun.
To be continued...