Inside the Interrogation Room.
"What's happening out there?"
Dino Cabane tensed. The power outage had swallowed the entire room in pitch-black darkness, and he couldn't see a thing. The faint noises echoing through the corridor only made his chest tighten further.
"Relax," came a calm male voice from somewhere near the door. "I'm here to get you out."
Ren Kuroda crouched beside the unconscious Inspector Megure, found the key ring by touch, and clicked open the handcuffs on Dino's wrists.
"Of course," he added smoothly, "there's a price. All the maple-leaf gold coins are mine."
"Fine," Dino answered instantly.He'd already decided those coins were his bargaining chip for freedom. If this man could get him out alive, so be it. The alternative was dying in a Japanese prison cell.
"Move fast," Ren warned. "Backup power will kick in any second."
He grabbed the man by the shoulder and pulled him toward the door.
They'd barely stepped into the hallway when the bulbs ahead began to flicker to life—one after another—like a line of fire sweeping through the dark.
Ren knew what that meant: emergency power restored.
He ripped off his night-vision goggles, slipped on his crimson Azu mask, and said quickly, "We'll have to fight our way out. Stay close."
The words had barely left his mouth when the lights overhead flared on with a loud click.
At that exact moment, Detective Shiratori Rensaburō stepped out of the observation room—and froze.
A man in a red mask stood in the hallway, the infamous robber Azu, with Dino Cabane right behind him.
For half a heartbeat, Shiratori just stared. Then realization hit. "It's—!"
He never finished.
Ren's fist snapped forward like a gunshot, smashing straight into Shiratori's nose.
Crack!
The detective staggered back, clutching his face in pain.
"Go," Ren ordered curtly, sprinting forward.
Dino didn't hesitate. He'd seen this man before—the same masked criminal who'd fired an RPG in downtown Tokyo weeks ago.If anyone could pull off a jailbreak, it was him.
They tore through the corridor. Shouts erupted behind them almost instantly.
"It's the Azu bandit!""He's infiltrated HQ!""Block the exits—don't let him escape!"
The noise spread like wildfire. Officers poured in from every direction.
One brave sergeant lunged to block the way—only to be slammed aside as Ren plowed into him shoulder-first. Another officer swung a fist; Ren ducked, caught the man's arm, twisted, and drove a brutal punch into his gut.
As the officer doubled over, Ren shoved him backward into two others charging from behind, then used the momentum to leap forward—two lightning-fast kicks sending both policemen flying.
He kept moving, every motion smooth and controlled.No one could even slow him down.
"Martial arts…?" Dino gasped, awe and disbelief flashing across his face. It felt like watching an action movie come to life.
The stunned officers behind them exchanged looks of panic. One of them finally shouted, "Don't be scared! He's just one man! There are dozens of us—he can't fight everyone!"
He roared and lunged forward to grapple the masked intruder.
Ren heard the intent in his voice and sidestepped cleanly, pulling two flashbang grenades from his System inventory.
He tossed them into the advancing crowd, clapped his hands over his ears, and shut his eyes tight.
BOOM! BOOM!!
Twin explosions burst like thunder, flooding the hallway with searing light and a deafening shockwave.
The unprepared officers cried out, staggering blindly. Their vision went white, their ears ringing, their sense of direction gone.
Even Ren felt the blast rattle through his skull—his vision spun for a second despite covering his ears. But his genetically enhanced body recovered almost instantly.
He turned to Dino, who was still reeling, clutching his head.
"Some ringleader you are," Ren muttered, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him onward.
They rounded a corner—and found Detective Chiba waiting, pistol drawn, hands shaking slightly.
"Freeze!" he shouted. "Don't move or I'll shoot!"
Ren's crimson mask tilted toward him. "Shoot? You sure about that?"
He took a step closer, voice cool and dangerous. "If you pull that trigger, I can't promise how many of your colleagues walk out alive."
Chiba hesitated. Sweat rolled down his temple.Right—this was the same man who'd fired an RPG in broad daylight. If he shot first, this lunatic might blow the entire building.
But if he didn't… would that make the police look cowardly?
Before he could decide, a sharp, commanding female voice cut through the tension.
"Chiba! Lower your weapon!"
Chiba turned—and almost sagged with relief. "Detective Sato!"
Miwako Sato strode down the corridor, eyes blazing. She pushed his arm down firmly. "Leave this to me."
Chiba nodded quickly, holstering his gun and fumbling for his phone to call for reinforcements.
Sato cracked her knuckles with a cold grin. "You're not getting out of here, Azu."
Ren tilted his head slightly. "No offense—but you really don't stand a chance."
Her expression hardened. "What's that supposed to mean? Because I'm a woman?"
"Exactly."
"Bastard!" she snapped. "Don't underestimate women!"
She lunged forward, fury blazing.
Ren didn't move. He just stood there, letting her close the distance—five meters, three, one—until she grabbed the front of his shirt.
Then he moved.
Both hands shot up in a claw-like motion. "Dragon-Claw Grip!"
"Wha—?!"
Sato yelped, face flushing scarlet as she jerked backward, stumbling several steps away.
"Y-you—you pervert! You're disgusting!" she stammered, cheeks blazing.
Ren spread his hands innocently. "See? That's why I didn't take you seriously. Women have… two very big weaknesses—and you've still never overcome them."
"W-what woman could overcome that?! You filthy—!" Sato trembled with rage, but she didn't charge again. Not after that.
Ren sighed. "Thought so. If you're done, we'll be on our way."
He turned and yanked open the nearby conference-room door. Dino slipped in after him, and Ren shut it behind them with a solid click of the lock.
Outside, Chiba pumped a fist. "Ha! They've trapped themselves! There's no way out from there!"
Sato pressed a palm to her forehead. "You really think they're that stupid?"
"Huh? You mean they can still—?"
Before he could finish, a massive explosion rocked the hallway.
BOOOOM!
Smoke and dust billowed from the conference-room wall, alarms shrieking in response.
Chiba stared, slack-jawed.
"…They blew through the wall," Sato muttered grimly. "Unbelievable."
Her hair whipped in the hot wind from the blast as she clenched her fists.The Red-Masked Bandit had escaped again.