The last enforcer hit the ground with a thud, groaning as his visor flickered and then went dark. The battleground’s underground corridors were now littered with unconscious guards, their bodies sprawled across the cold steel floors like discarded equipment.

Cora exhaled sharply, lowering her tablet as her drone hovered back to her side. “Alright, that’s enough of that. We need to move before reinforcements show up.”

Tempo wiped some sweat from his forehead. “For once, I actually agree with her.”

Greg, standing in the middle of the chaos, stretched with a yawn, his sheep-printed pajamas somehow still spotless. “Man, that was a great warm-up. You guys ready to do this for real now?”

Cora narrowed her eyes. “That was supposed to be stealth, Greg.”

Greg smirked. “And yet, here we are. Everyone’s still standing—well, except them.” He nudged an unconscious enforcer with his foot. “And I got in a solid nap. I’d say things are going perfectly.”

Tempo chuckled, but Cora wasn’t amused. “We don’t have time for this. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets. This whole place isn’t just an arena. The fights upstairs? They’re a cover for something bigger.”

Greg raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess. Secret Syndicate science project that probably shouldn’t exist?”

Cora pulled up a holographic display from her wrist device, showing a schematic of the arena’s underground sections. “The energy from the fights is being redirected into something massive beneath us. I don’t think this place is just for betting or entertainment—it’s fueling something.”

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High above the underground corridors, inside a sterile, dimly lit control room, Sylvia sat at the central terminal, her icy gaze locked onto the surveillance monitors.

The screens displayed live footage of Greg, Tempo, and Cora making their way deeper into the restricted zone. The static-filled voices of panicked security personnel crackled through the speakers as they scrambled to respond.

Sylvia remained still, her sharp features illuminated by the glow of the monitors. A single flick of her fingers silenced the alarms and rerouted patrol routes.

A subordinate hesitated behind her. "Commander, should we deploy additional units?"

"No," Sylvia said, her voice emotionless. "Let them proceed."

Her fingers tightened slightly around the terminal's edge as she watched Cora scan the room below, unaware of who was watching her.

She came back.

For the briefest of moments, a flicker of something unspoken crossed Sylvia’s expression. Then, just as quickly, it vanished.

"Prepare the containment unit," she ordered coldly. "Let's see how far they get before they break."

The subordinate nodded and hurried away. Alone in the control room, Sylvia leaned back in her chair, watching as Greg and the others unknowingly walked deeper into the heart of her project.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

You don’t get to walk away from the Syndicate, Cora. Not completely.

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Moving through the underground passages, the neon glow of the battleground above faded, replaced by dim industrial lighting. The deeper they went, the more unsettling the silence became.

Cora stopped at a junction, quickly typing commands into her tablet. “Give me a second to disable the next set of security cameras.”

Tempo leaned against the wall, his leg bouncing slightly. “You know, for a secret Syndicate facility, this place sure does have a lot of convenient vents and hallways. Almost like it was designed for people to sneak around.”

Greg peered down one of the dark corridors. “That’s because it probably was. You don’t think people actually want to work for the Syndicate, do you? They need escape routes just in case someone higher up decides they’re disposable.”

Tempo frowned. “That’s... kind of messed up.”

“Welcome to reality, kid,” Greg muttered.

Cora suddenly tensed. “Wait.”

The team froze as she pressed a few more buttons. Her expression darkened. “Something’s wrong. The security logs... someone already shut down half the cameras in this area before we got here.”

Greg and Tempo exchanged glances.

“You’re saying someone else is sneaking around?” Tempo asked.

“Not just sneaking,” Cora said, her fingers flying across the screen. “Whoever they are, they have access to the Syndicate’s systems. And they’re deeper in the facility than we are.”

Greg sighed, rubbing his temples. “Great. So now we’re dealing with mystery Syndicate hackers too.”

Cora’s voice was low. “I don’t think it’s a hacker. I think it’s someone inside the Syndicate. Someone who wants us to find something.”

The air grew heavier.

Greg rolled his shoulders. “Well, only one way to find out.”

----------------------------------------

Just as Cora pulled up more schematics on her tablet, the air in the room changed. The lights flickered. A low, mechanical hum rumbled from deeper within the facility.

Then, a voice crackled through the overhead speakers.

“So. You’ve made it this far.”

The team froze.

Cora’s screen flashed with interference as the security system activated. Heavy steel doors slammed shut behind them. The room was now sealed.

Tempo’s fists clenched. “Cora… tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

She shook her head, her expression unreadable. “We just walked into a trap.”

A hiss of hydraulics echoed through the chamber. In the farthest test tube, something began to move. Thick cables disconnected one by one, and glowing red eyes flickered to life.

Greg exhaled. “Yep. Called it. Secret Syndicate science project that shouldn’t exist.”

The reinforced glass cracked.

Then it shattered.

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Elsewhere, above the battleground but still within the shadows of the underground city, Arden sat on the edge of a rooftop overlooking the arena. His latest fight had ended hours ago, but he hadn’t left.

He could feel it in the air—an unease, a shift in movement. The Syndicate was stirring.

Arden took a slow breath, adjusting the grip on the hilt of his sword. “It’s about to get messy,” he muttered to himself.

Below, the usual crowd was unaware, still placing bets, still watching the fights. They had no idea that something beneath their feet was about to explode—figuratively, or maybe even literally.

He stood, rolling his shoulders. “Time to move.”

With one last glance at the chaos brewing below, Arden disappeared into the shadows.

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To Be Continued...