Moments ago...
CLACK!
Once the spotlight lit up another area, everyone shifted their gaze to what it revealed. Chuck and the entire squad near the stage blinked, following the beam.
There, they saw her—Lola.
"What?!" Chuck gasped in horror when he saw Lola standing dangerously close to the stage. She wasn’t even near the center stage, but she was close to their cage.
"She—she’s been there the whole time!?"
"No!" Tyga tried to get up, but to no avail. "Why would she... why would she expose herself?"
"It’s obvious the governor was provoking her to reveal her location," Kean muttered, dread settling in his voice. "This isn’t the right call at all."
"What in the world is she thinking?" Scarlet whispered, brows drawn tight as she stared at Lola’s figure. "Is she really trying to get all of us killed?"
"God!" Chuck whimpered, tempted to slam his head against the metal bars in frustration. "What are you doing?! You’re going to die!"
At this point, hope was slipping away. More than that, they were terrified. Terrified that Lola had let the governor’s provocation get the better of her. Where was the rest that was supposed to stop her from doing this foolishness?!
"Madam! Don’t—hey! Turn off that light!" Tyga screamed, but it was useless. The loudspeakers drowned out his voice long before it could reach anyone who mattered.
"Damn it!" Kean punched the metal bar beside him, eyes locked on Lola. "She’s... how could they let her be alone?"
It didn’t make sense—unless Pika, Izu, and the others were already dead. But that didn’t seem right. After all, Lola still had time to exchange mockeries with the governor. Then again, why would she mourn the deaths of those she barely knew?
"Shit..." Chuck ground his teeth, gripping the bars tightly. "The big boss is gonna kill us—that’s what she’s trying to do, isn’t it?!"
Then, just as they feared, the governor chuckled. His next words boomed across the square.
"Seize the bitch!!"
The governor’s voice was loud and hysterical, exposing not only his arrogance but also his nervousness. At his command, men began marching toward Lola.
Trapped inside the cage, Chuck and the entire squad felt their bodies stiffen. Their breaths hitched. Their faces paled.
But then...
"Huh?" Scarlet, Tyga, and Kean blinked as they heard a series of heavy thuds.
A moment later, three gunshots rang out across the square.
Chuck’s jaw literally dropped. Still clutching the metal bars, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His mind went blank as he watched Lola take down several men with frightening ease. But what shocked him—and everyone else in the cage—was that she didn’t just incapacitate them.
She executed one of them.
Three bullets. Straight to the neck.
"That woman is insane..." Kean muttered once he found his voice again. "She’s... she’s crazy."
"Isn’t that a little overkill?" Tyga murmured. "One shot is enough."
Scarlet, meanwhile, was completely speechless.
The four of them could barely believe what they were seeing. If they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, there was no way they would have believed it.
Even Scarlet—who had only heard vague rumors about the penthouse incident and had been punished without knowing the details—was shaken. All she’d known was that Lola could "handle herself."
Now she understood.
Now she could imagine the kind of chaos that had unfolded in that penthouse—the kind that pushed Atlas to retreat to his private mansion in Novera.
But before they could process anything further, their cage suddenly caught fire.
"Ahh!" Chuck screamed as he stumbled back, gasping when flames burst along the metal bars. "Holy—help!"
Panicking, he turned to his squad and saw them retreating from the flames. Their clothes were soaked in gasoline, forcing them to keep their distance as they desperately bought themselves time—even though it felt pointless.
There was nowhere to go.
The fire spread rapidly, swallowing the cage.
"Shit!" Chuck yelled, craning his neck toward Lola. "Hey—help us first!"
He screamed for her, but she was already deep into the fight, halfway toward the building where the governor had been shouting earlier.
"Damn it..." Chuck clenched his teeth and looked back at the others, and at the flames creeping closer.
The fire hadn’t reached them yet, but the heat alone was enough to scorch their skin. A few more seconds, and they were done. Lola couldn’t save them. No one else seemed close enough to try.
Helpless, Chuck collapsed to his knees, ignoring the searing heat. The moment he did, the other three felt their hearts drop.
This was exactly what Lola had warned them about.
If they were caught, they were finished.
"We’re..." Chuck lowered his head, staring at the floor with hollow eyes. "...doomed."
CLANG!
A sudden metallic crash rang out, shaking the ground beneath them. The cage rattled violently, snapping all four of them upright.
When they saw who stood beside the cage, their pupils dilated, and hope flooded back in an instant.
"Baby!" Tyga shouted, relief flooding his voice.
Baby let out a quiet sigh, stepped back, hoisted a sledgehammer, and brought it down on the padlock without hesitation.
CLANG!
Flames licked the hem of his pants as the hammer struck, but only left a dent.
"Baby! Hurry!" Chuck lunged forward, then recoiled as fire surged closer. "Break the lock!"
"It’s impossible now," Baby said calmly, tossing the sledgehammer aside. "It’s melted."
Without another word, he stepped forward, completely unfazed by the flames reaching for him. He grabbed two metal bars, his flesh sizzling instantly as the heat scorched him.
"Hey—what are you—" Chuck gasped. "You can’t force it open like that! If the sledgehammer didn’t—HUH?!"
To his horror, the bars began to bend.
Not just Chuck, but everyone inside the cage felt their eyes widen impossibly.
Baby gritted his teeth and pulled harder, using nothing but brute force. Slowly—agonizingly—he forced an opening wide enough to step through.
"Let us go," Baby muttered, grabbing Chuck and yanking him free. The man nearly flew from the cage as Baby underestimated his own strength.
Then he returned, lifting the others like children. Scarlet was slung over his shoulder, while Kean and Tyga were carried in his arms. Facing the gap he’d created, Baby lifted his foot and kicked it with all his might.
This time, the weakened metal snapped.
And just like that, Baby dragged the four so-called "elite" squad members out of the cage—saving them from being burned alive.