The two cars, armed with machine guns, locked their sights on the helicopter, their barrels adjusting with deadly accuracy. Inside those vehicles, two men received the command—
"Fire."
Without a moment's hesitation, they unleashed a torrent of bullets, tearing through the air toward the chopper.
"Shit, we've got bullets on our six!" Assad shouted, panic lacing his every word.
Shuren shot a glance at Shō, a cigarette dancing between her lips. "Old man, does this thing of yours actually dodge bullets or what?"
Shō remained unfazed, that infuriating confidence still plastered on his face. "You worry too much, Shuren. Just relax and watch us come out on top."
Shuren looked at him as if he'd just claimed the sky was green. Her expression screamed: 'Nah, screw you and your ridiculous chopper.' She lunged forward, slammed a button on the control panel, and switched the helicopter to manual, cutting off the Qi that powered it.
Assad and Mya froze, eyes wide as they saw the bullets racing toward them—so fast they blurred, bright enough to leave afterimages burned into their vision.
Shuren gripped the controls, jerking the chopper left, right, up, and down in a frantic dance, doing everything she could to evade the incoming fire.
But it wasn't enough.
The bullets struck—
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
They hit something… but not the helicopter.
A thin, shimmering veil of water wrapped around the chopper like a protective guardian.
Shō grinned. "Water Master Technique. Fourth Form: Water Display."
Shuren shot him a flat look. "So THAT'S why you were so sure? You couldn't have mentioned that before I nearly had a heart attack, you old coot."
"That," Shō replied with a knowing smile, "is why the saying 'respect your elders' exists."
"Yeah, not a chance. Over my dead body," Shuren said, taking a drag from her cigarette.
She sighed. "So we're in the clear now, right?"
Shō nodded, pressing his palm against the panel, sending Qi surging back through the chopper. "As long as my barrier is up, none of those bullets will—"
He didn't get to finish. Shuren stepped away from the controls, allowing the chopper to steady itself. The group let out a collective sigh of relief… though it felt a bit awkward. Bullets continued to pelt the barrier, loud but ultimately harmless.
Then—
BANG!
The entire chopper jolted. For a moment, everything went still.
Then—
BANG!
Assad rushed to the window, squinting into the chaos. "What the hell just hit us? I can't see a thing!"
That's when a second helicopter swooped into view behind them… and opened fire. More bullets rained down on the barrier from above and below, trapping the Merry in a vicious crossfire.
Inside, a shrill alarm blared to life:
BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!!
Red warning lights flashed frantically across every screen.
Assad felt his stomach drop. "Uh… what just happened?"
Shō leaned in, his eyes glued to the diagnostic readout. His usually composed face betrayed a flicker of concern.
"Oh… crap."
Shuren turned sharply to him. "What is it, old man? What's going on?!"
Before Shō could respond, Mya's voice quivered:
"…Does anyone smell something?"
Everyone froze.
Assad was the first to sniff the air. Shuren followed suit. Both recognized the scent immediately—
Sharp. Burning. Suffocating.
Their eyes widened in unison.
"The chopper's on fire."
Assad spun around. "But where?! I—I don't see any flames!"
Shuren glanced back at Shō.
He didn't scream. He didn't panic. But his eyes—those eyes were screaming panic like they were in full-on CPR mode. And that was all the motivation Shuren needed.
"We're done," she snapped, her voice sharp.
She yanked open the emergency compartment, flinging parachutes at everyone around her.
"Strap in," she commanded, a cigarette somehow still dangling from her lips.
"We're jumping."
The warning light above the hatch blinked ominously in red.
Everyone scrambled for their parachutes, metal clips snapping and straps tightening under trembling hands. The deafening roar of the wind outside drowned out every thought except one: jump or die.
Shuren was the first to act decisively.
She grabbed Mya by the wrist, pulling her in front of her.
"I'm jumping with her," she declared, already fastening Mya's harness to her own. Mya didn't protest; she just swallowed hard and held on tight.
That left Shō and Assad.
Assad gave a single nod—calm, steady, unreadable. As if leaping from a flying aircraft was just another ordinary Tuesday for him.
Shō, on the other hand, was anything but calm.
His fingers trembled as he tightened his straps. His mind kept spiraling around the same thought, stabbing at him harder than the wind slicing through the open hatch.
Why didn't I reinforce the blades too?
How could I have overlooked something so crucial?
It felt like the kind of blunder that could cost someone their life.
He clenched his jaw, trying to shove the panic down, but the disbelief lingered—heavy in his chest, refusing to budge.
Shuren didn't think twice. With a fierce slam, she hit the release bar—the side door flew open, and the wind rushed in like a wild creature. Without a moment's pause, she stepped forward and leaped.
Mya's voice trembled as Shuren lunged into the open air. "S-Sister Shuren, wait!"
But Shuren was already a blur, disappearing into the dark abyss below. Mya's scream faded into the distance. Then it was Assad's turn. He gripped the frame tightly, hurled himself into the void but hesitated for just a heartbeat, glancing back.
Sho was still inside.
He stood frozen, lost in his own mind, staring blankly. The disbelief, the guilt, the self-loathing—all swirling behind those weary eyes. Then, with a deep breath…His shoulders squared, his back straightened, and that infuriating, cocky grin returned.
"Ehh~ nothing to worry about. I'm still me."
Sho jumped out of the helicopter as if it were just a step off the sidewalk.
Assad blinked in disbelief. "What in the bloody hell did I just see…?"
He didn't have time to finish that thought.
BOOOOM—!!
Another explosion rocked the chopper. The entire cabin shook violently, metal clanging as if it might come apart at any moment.
The force threw Assad sideways, slamming him against the wall and then across the floor. He scrambled for balance, reaching for the door, but something inside the helicopter snagged his parachute pack.
He heard the tear before he felt it.
RRRRAAATCH—!!
The straps ripped clean off.
"Wait—!"
But it was too late.
The next jolt sent him flying right through the open door catapulted into the sky without a parachute and certainly not by his own doing. The scream he tried to hold back never even had a chance to escape his lips.