July 16, 2026 – Silas Varga's Ship (Lower Deck)05:40 AM
The massive metallic groan coming from the ship's hull resonated in the depths of my soul. As water rushed into the corridors like a hungry beast, I hoisted Natalia's unconscious body onto my back. Ivy followed, cradling the chemically sedated Elara, trying to keep up through the falling debris. The 15-year-old bullet in my chest throbbed with every heartbeat, as if saying, "I am still here."
"Michael, the exit is underwater!" Ivy screamed. "We can't go up; the ship is going to drag us down!"
"Look at that breach!" I shouted, pointing to the massive crack opening in the hull. "The water will push us out—just hold your breath and don't let go of Elara!"
At that exact moment, a black metallic capsule slid into the wounded hull. It wasn't a torpedo; it was an infiltration pod. It bore that sinister symbol I had seen in my father's old files: A Broken Sword.
The pod's hatch hissed open, and three fully geared figures emerged. Ivy raised her weapon, but they didn't fire. The lead figure removed her helmet. It was a young woman, her eyes as cold as ice.
"Michael Hale," she said, her voice piercing through the roar of the water. "Time is running out. If you want to survive Thomas, you must give us the notebook and your sister. We are 'The Discarded.' The real Unit 4 that your father built, but the system erased."
"My father's unit?" I asked, unable to hide my shock. "Then who is Silas Varga?"
"Silas is a salaried clerk for Thomas, Michael. He lured you here on Thomas's orders. Now choose: drown in Silas's ship of lies, or take refuge in your father's true legacy?"
Ivy leaned in, her breath hot against my ear. "Michael, don't trust them. The Broken Sword was the symbol of those who ordered your father's execution. The Alchemist told me this."
Natalia groaned on my back, regaining consciousness. "Michael... run..." she whispered.
As the ship made its final lurch into the depths, I faced a dark alliance in front of me and icy death rushing in from behind. And at that moment, I saw a shadow beyond the underwater glass partition. Thomas Hale, inside a small submersible, holding a glass and smiling as if watching a play, pointed to his watch.