At the bottom of the cave where the water was slowly receding,a shadow figure walked siletly among the ruins. Vin walked through the debris and mud without a single stain on his clothes. With a flat expression, .he looked at the chaos unfolding while gripping the artifact knife, then turned with quiet step toward the collapsed upper walls of the cave where the VaultaCorp Drill Snowship was located.
From the hole in the cave ceiling shattered by the drill's impact, Vin cast a brief glance down at the chaos below, then turned and walked away into the void outside.
Far below, Rian moved quickly alongside his loyal Golem. With ragged breaths, he tightly shut the emergency door of the secret cave, then secured an unconscious Salsa and an injured Anya inside the sterile pod on the emergency craft. Just before pressing the button panel, Rian stared sharply out the viewport, knowing full well that this escape was merely the beginning of the real war. Hiss. The craft hissed and shot forward, hurtling into the tunnel previously pointed out by the elderly guardian.
Elsewhere, the floodwaters gradually receded. Evan walked calmly through the shattered ruins until a few remaining VaultaCorp soldiers gathered amidst the debris.
"Executive Evan! Over here, quickly! We found him!" shouted one of them.
Evan stopped his steps, then walked closer. Beneath the concrete rubble and ice, Moris lay motionless, his body covered in bruises and turning blue. His purple dagger had vanished without a trace. Evan stared at Moris's body for a moment, then muttered coldly, "Looks like he's dead."
Evan then shifted his sharp gaze toward his terrified subordinates, letting out a low growl. The small remaining VaultaCorp squad was instantly enveloped in a suffocating silence—realizing that the mission had failed completely, and the true disaster had only just begun .
(--- STATUS: COMPLETED ---)
(--- TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT STORIES ---)