The next day, Saito and his crew relaxed in the hotel lobby, still full from breakfast, chatting idly.
Then—
Hashima strode in, expression sharper than usual.
"Saito. Let's go."
Saito sat up immediately. "Whoa, what's wrong?"
Hashima's jaw tightened slightly.
"Looks like we've got a situation."
"At Berkeley Village."
Saito nodded, rising to his feet. "Alright."
Shiro walked over, expression calm but focused.
"Ready?"
Saito nodded firmly.
Kaito stood as well, stepping forward.
"We'll come with you."
Hashima raised a hand, shaking his head.
"No."
"You all stay here."
He glanced around at the rest of the group.
"We can't risk them recognizing all of us at once."
"Better to keep some faces unfamiliar, just in case."
Kaito hesitated for a moment, then nodded in understanding.
"...Got it."
Bomb crossed his arms. "So we're just supposed to sit here again?"
Fanny sighed dramatically. "Second stakeout in two days and I still don't get to do anything."
Alya patted her shoulder. "Patience. Our turn will come."
Saito glanced back at his crew, offering a small reassuring nod.
"Stay sharp. We'll update you as soon as we know more."
With that, Saito, Hashima, and Shiro made their way out of the hotel, the morning sun casting long shadows across the street as they headed toward Berkeley Village.
In Berkeley Village, chaos erupted through the streets.
Scientists moved swiftly, cornering fleeing villagers, dragging them toward waiting carts.
A man sprinted forward, gripping his wife's hand tightly, his young daughter clutched against his chest.
"Don't look back!"
"Just keep running!"
Before they could escape—
A scientist lunged from the shadows, slamming the man hard against a nearby wall.
"Ugh—!"
"Honey!"
His wife's scream tore through the chaos.
The little girl burst into tears, clutching her mother's leg.
Another scientist rushed over, examining the pinned man with clinical detachment.
"We found the subject."
Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate.
Brody stepped into view, adjusting his glasses, expression cold and calculating.
He surveyed the panicked village with an unsettling calm.
"Capture all the people in this village."
His voice carried no urgency, no hesitation — only cruel efficiency.
"Let's make them our subjects."
The scientists moved instantly, spreading out through the streets, nets and restraints in hand, closing in on terrified villagers who had nowhere left to run.
The man struggled against the wall, desperation flooding his voice.
"Please—not my family—take me, just leave them alone—!"
Brody merely tilted his head, unmoved.
"All of you will do just fine."
Brody adjusted his black glasses, unbothered by the chaos surrounding him.
The scientists moved quickly, seizing the woman and her daughter, dragging them toward a waiting transport cart.
Then—
A blur of motion.
Makuto appeared suddenly, blade flashing, slicing clean through one scientist's arm mid-grab.
"Argh—!"
The man staggered back, releasing his grip instantly.
Brody's expression shifted, sharp and alert.
"Crap."
He scanned the surroundings quickly.
"The gangsters are here."
He barked orders immediately.
"Move! Get the subjects transported now!"
The scientists scrambled, rushing to load the captured villagers before reinforcements could interfere.
Then—
"Oh, no you don't."
Hashima's voice rang out as he lunged forward, sword slicing clean through one of the cart's wheels.
CRACK!
The cart tilted violently, spilling equipment across the street.
The scientists reacted instantly, raising sleek, advanced firearms, opening fire in controlled bursts.
Makuto twisted sharply, weaving between the shots, blade deflecting one bullet that came too close.
"My Lord—"
He gritted his teeth, dodging another volley.
"There are too many of them!"
Hashima's expression hardened, already moving.
"Then we prioritize."
"Evacuate the civilians first."
He rushed toward the terrified father, still shielding his family against the wall.
"Hey."
He crouched briefly, voice firm but urgent.
"Run. As fast as you can. Get out of this village. Now."
The man's eyes widened, then he nodded frantically, scooping his daughter up and grabbing his wife's hand.
"Thank you—thank you so much—"
Without another word, the family sprinted away, disappearing down a side street as chaos continued to rage behind them.
Brody's eyes darted toward the second carriage — now overturned, wheels shattered, the last of the villagers scrambling free.
His jaw clenched.
"Crap."
"Grab at least one!"
A nearby scientist lunged, snatching a young girl by the arm.
She screamed, twisting and thrashing against his grip.
"Let go—! Let go of me—!"
Before the scientist could drag her further—
A blade pierced clean through his back.
The man's eyes went wide, body going rigid before collapsing to the ground.
Standing behind him, cane in one hand, blade extended from within it in the other, was Alpha.
The villagers turned instantly, relief flooding their faces.
"Sir Alpha!"
"It's Sir Alpha!"
Alpha's expression darkened as he stared down at the fallen scientist, voice low and seething.
"You dare operate in my city."
"Bastard."
Brody took a step back, adjusting his glasses nervously.
Before he could react further—
"Mist Wall."
Shiro's calm voice rang out.
A thick, swirling wall of mist surged upward between the villagers and the remaining scientists, cutting off the two groups entirely.
The scientists' shouts became muffled, disoriented within the sudden fog.
Alpha turned toward the girl, gently helping her to her feet.
"You're safe now."
He glanced toward the rest of the fleeing villagers.
"Everyone, move quickly. Get to safety while the mist holds."
The villagers nodded frantically, hurrying past him, disappearing down the street as the barrier of mist thickened, sealing Sector X's remaining forces away from their intended targets.
Brody's jaw tightened, eyes darting through the thinning mist, searching for an escape route.
Before he could react—
A shadow dropped from above.
Saito lunged down from the rooftop, blade already swinging in a wide arc toward Brody's head.
Brody twisted aside at the last second, narrowly avoiding the strike, the blade slicing through empty air where he'd stood.
"Tch—"
Before Saito could press the advantage, another scientist lunged from the side, reaching for him with gloved hands.
Saito reacted instantly, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting hard, using the momentum to swing him bodily into the nearby wall.
CRACK!
The scientist crumpled, dazed.
A gunshot rang out.
Saito's instincts flared, and he dropped low, the bullet whistling just over his head.
Without missing a beat, he spun on his heel, driving a sharp kick straight into the shooter's face.
The scientist staggered back, weapon clattering from his grip.
Saito rose fully, sword steady in hand, eyes locking back onto Brody through the dispersing mist.
"You're not getting away."
Brody adjusted his glasses, expression tightening.
"...We'll see about that."
Brody stepped back, voice sharp with command.
"Let's go!"
The remaining scientists scattered instantly, breaking formation, retreating deeper into the mist-covered streets.
Saito surged forward. "Not so fast—"
Hashima followed right behind him, sword drawn, closing the distance fast.
Then—
A sharp beeping sound cut through the chaos.
Shiro's eyes snapped toward it instantly.
"Get down—!"
BOOM!
An explosion ripped through the street, force rippling outward in a violent shockwave.
"Mist Shield!"
Shiro's voice rang out, sharp and immediate.
A dense wall of swirling mist condensed rapidly, wrapping protectively around Alpha, Makuto, Hashima, and Saito just as the blast reached them.
The explosion slammed against the barrier, smoke and debris scattering harmlessly against the mist's surface before dissipating into the air.
Silence followed, save for the faint crackle of dying flames nearby.
Slowly, the mist shield thinned, revealing the group standing unharmed, though visibly shaken.
Saito coughed, waving smoke away from his face.
"...Everyone okay?"
Hashima straightened, brushing debris off his shoulder. "Fine. Barely."
Makuto nodded curtly. "Unharmed, my Lord."
Alpha's expression darkened as he scanned the now-empty street where Brody and his scientists had vanished.
"They planned that escape route in advance."
His grip tightened around his cane.
"This wasn't improvised."
Shiro lowered his hand, the mist around them fully dissolving.
"Confirmed."
"Sector X is more organized than we anticipated."
Saito clenched his fists, staring at the scorched ground where Brody had disappeared.
"...We'll get him next time."