BANG! BANG!
Haji swerved on the road as the mercenaries in the back of the truck opened fire. The bullets struck the pavement and asphalt, sending dust shooting up into the air.
He fired back, and sure enough, managed to take one of them down.
But that didn’t stop the others from raining bullets.
"Shit," he hissed, dodging the gunfire until he was forced to take an abrupt turn.
Once he was out of the mercenaries’ line of sight, one of them slapped the roof of the truck. "We forced him off our tail! But he’ll catch up soon if he knows the roads."
And they knew Haji knew the roads of this region. He grew up on these very streets—and later, underground.
Their voices were faint, but they still reached those inside the front of the truck. The driver hissed bitterly, convinced he was already driving as fast as he could. Couldn’t they see his effort?
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, stealing a look at Jarvis.
Had it not been for him, I would’ve...
Shoving the thought to the back of his mind, he refocused on the road.
"Taking a left!" the driver shouted, and everyone instinctively braced themselves.
A second later, the truck turned sharply. The force yanked them sideways, crushing them against the right even as they clung to anything they could grab. The rear scraped against a broken streetlight, but didn’t stop.
The truck continued forward as the streetlight crashed violently onto the road.
"Keep him from closing in once he reappears," Jarvis ordered. "As long as we reach our destination, he won’t be able to touch us."
The escape group might have been small, but once they entered a certain part of the city, Jarvis knew they’d have the advantage. Perks of planning—though he never imagined things would escalate this far.
Still, the moment he realized Lola had returned, he knew to expect the unexpected.
Good thing he did.
"Jarvis..." Gene called quietly, eyes drawn to the side of the road where people were fighting.
The escalation had spread frighteningly fast. This area was already far from the main square, yet chaos was everywhere. People clashed—those who supported the government against those it had oppressed.
It was ugly.
"Get it together, Gene," Jarvis said calmly. "That’s not important right now."
"But aren’t these people supporters of the governor?" Gene asked hesitantly, remembering Jarvis’s past favor toward this side of the city. "They supported you."
Jarvis didn’t answer. He didn’t even glance at the violence outside.
"I’ll... keep my mouth shut, then," Gene muttered, pressing his lips into a thin line as he lowered his head. Jarvis’s silence was answer enough.
*****
At the same time...
"Madam!"
Tomie’s shout echoed through the road they had sealed off as his men secured this portion of the city. He rushed to Himari, who was being assisted by the boss. When he stood before her, emotion filled his eyes until they shimmered.
"Madam," he breathed, bowing his head. "I’m so relieved you came out unharmed."
Tomie then looked to the boss, whom he had doubted before. Still, he trusted Lola’s judgment. She had approved this man as Himari’s rescuer, and so he gave him the benefit of the doubt. Good thing he did.
Tomie nodded to him in gratitude before turning back to Himari.
"Madam, we don’t have much time," Tomie said. "As much as I want to explain everything, we need to take you to the Five District."
"Five District?" Himari’s breath caught at the name.
"Yes." His voice softened as he met her gaze, offering a helpless smile. "The last place where he worked."
Makoto—the late governor—had labored extensively in the tunnels. Not only in Gigante, but across nearly every district. The Five District was the last place he worked before he passed, and merely mentioning it stirred old sentiments.
"We’ve already taken control of the Five District," Tomie continued. "It’s currently our base. Come, Madam. We’ll take you somewhere safe."
Himari reached out, her hand trembling. Just before it touched Tomie’s, she hesitated and looked at him again.
"What about Hajime?" she asked anxiously. "I understand he’s fighting alongside his friends, but... facing Jarvis won’t be easy. He’s vile and always plays his cards dirty. We can’t let the young ones sacrifice everything for us."
Tomie pressed his lips into a thin line, understanding her worry.
"Don’t worry, Madam," he said gently. "They’ll be fine."
He sighed softly. "For now, you must go to the Five District. Residents have been flooding in, and their fear is understandable. In times like this, people need someone to lean on—someone who can tell them they’ll be alright. And someone who can make them trust those words."
"What they need now," he added sincerely, "is a mother who can reassure them. The square has already fallen into chaos, and it will only get worse. We don’t have much time."
"And the residents?" Himari asked, moving to her next concern. "The civilians who knew nothing about this?"
This time, Tomie smiled. "They were already being escorted out before the event even began." He nodded reassuringly. "Everyone still here chose to stay and fight for the freedom taken from them. But our men are still checking for those who were trapped in here."
Silence fell as they held each other’s gaze. Foolish or not, Himari understood that once people chose their path, others could only respect it.
Finally, she nodded and took Tomie’s hand.
"Take me to them," she said.
"Yes, Madam," he replied.
Tomie helped her into a vehicle bound for safety. As it drove away, he remained behind.
Standing alone in the street, he let out a shallow breath and closed his eyes.
"She’ll be safe," he murmured before turning to face his men. "Men!"
Everyone on standby straightened—except the boss, who was still wiping grease off his face nearby.
Tomie took a deep breath, surveying them all. His eyes gleamed with resolve as he lifted his chin.
"Now that the residents are evacuated, and the madam is safe," he paused, letting his words settle, "it’s time to reclaim the city!"
The men erupted in cheers, their voices almost making the road tremble.
The boss flinched at the roar.
"Uh..." he muttered, stepping back because this wasn’t part of the deal. But when he took another step, he bumped into someone. Turning around, he found himself surrounded by determined faces.
"Let’s go, boss!" they cheered, dragging him toward the battlefield.
And as he was pulled along, the boss could only scream internally.
Noooo!