The sound of Dhoost's body scraping against the slide pipe rang loud in his own ears. As soon as he reached the lobby of the underground headquarters, he quickly scanned his surroundings. Silent. Only the faint hum of electronic equipment broke the stillness.
"Why is it so quiet?" he muttered under his breath. His heart was pounding erratically. "Is it really just me who got summoned?"
Walking cautiously, he made his way down the corridor illuminated by blue neon lights. The central hall of the headquarters opened up before him. And sure enough, there were no signs of Radhif, Ryn, Nadhyfa, or Dzoavha. The only ones there were Minji and Kazuha from Team D, standing stiffly in front of the five PILLAR mentors whose expressions were unreadable.
"This is definitely not a regular mission," Dhoost thought to himself.
Agent Fuad, with his characteristically sharp gaze, swept his eyes over the three of them. Dhoost hurriedly positioned himself between Minji and Kazuha, his eyes fixed on the floor, trying to avoid eye contact.
Without any preamble, Agent Fuad pulled an object from his pocket and placed it on the table with a precise motion. A black hair ribbon, torn at the end, decorated with Hangeul characters that spelled "숫자."
Dhoost unintentionally read it softly, "Sutja…"
Minji suddenly turned her head, her eyes full of surprise. "You can read Hangeul?"
"Yeah, just... just reading it. I don't know what it means," Dhoost answered quickly, his cheeks flushing because Minji's attention had suddenly turned to him.
Agent Fuad then cut in, his voice flat yet carrying weight. "This is evidence from the intruder who tried to steal Neotrixite last night. The presence of this Korean script," he pointed at the ribbon, "is the reason why only you three were summoned today."
Dhoost froze. "H-How could I be involved? I have nothing to do with South Korea!"
Before Dhoost could protest further, Agent Fuad continued, "PILAR has access to the data of all its agents, Dhoost. And the PILAR watch you took home isn't just for receiving messages." His gaze was sharp.
"It performs a full environmental scan of your surroundings, including... the collection of K-Pop girl group posters covering your bedroom wall."
In that instant, Dhoost's world seemed to collapse. Blood rushed to his head, making his ears ring. It felt like being stripped naked in public, especially in front of Minji. He stared at the PILAR watch on his wrist, the gadget he once thought was cool now felt like a spy device that had invaded his privacy to its deepest corners. His hands clenched, but he couldn't speak. There was only shame and a simmering, suppressed anger.
---
On the outskirts of Maykarta City, far from the glittering holograms and the hum of electric cars, time seemed to move slower. Among the ruins of a dilapidated old warehouse, two shadows were hiding. Sunlight crept through the cracks in the walls, illuminating Hana's tired, sweaty face. With a weak groan, she dropped her body onto a dusty, worn-out sofa.
Dul, unable to stay still, sat on the windowsill where the glass was long gone. His eyes, full of unease, stared toward the city skyline. The gleaming technology of Maykarta in the distance was like another world that had now become their enemy.
"Argh, Failed again!" Hana grumbled, breaking the silence, her voice hoarse. "We studied the entry route, our timing was perfect. How did PILAR know? Could it be they're spying on us too?"
Dul let out a long sigh. As he turned to answer, his gaze fell on something that made him freeze. "Hana... your hair ribbon," he said, his voice low but full of alarm.
Hana touched her braids. The left one was still neat, but the right one... was loose. The ribbon inscribed with "숫자" that she always wore was gone.
"No way..." she whispered, her face pale.
Dul slammed his fist against the dusty wall. "WE ALREADY LOST THE NEOTRIXITE, AND NOW YOU LEFT THEM A CALLING CARD?! DAMN IT!"
"Don't blame me!" Hana retorted bitterly, rising from the sofa. "You think I wanted this? That PILAR agent... his movements were too fast!"
Tension filled the stuffy room. Their breathing was ragged, facing each other like two wounded lions. However, after a few seconds of that heated stare, Hana turned her face away. Arguing wouldn't bring back the ribbon, or the Neotrixite. They were already in big trouble.
Taking a heavy, controlled breath, Hana bent down and pulled an old suitcase from under the sofa. With quick movements, she opened it and took out a simple yet sophisticated satellite communicator. Her finger pressed the single call button.
Several long seconds passed before a voice came through the speaker. The voice sounded distorted, cold, and authoritative. Yeong.
"Reporting, from Hana and Dul," Hana said, getting straight to the point. "We lost the Neotrixite... and one of my hair ribbons was left behind…."
There were no shouts or curses from the other side. Only a piercing silence before the command came, short and clear. "Leave your base. Now. They will trace your location, sooner or later."
Without wasting any time, Hana and Dul packed their gear. The moment they stepped out of the fragile building, Dul pressed a small hidden button behind the door.
They walked away, never looking back. Just ten steps from the building, a low explosion shook the ground. A wave of heat hit their backs, followed by the sound of collapsing rubble. When they finally glanced back, all that remained of their base was a smoldering pile of debris, erasing all their traces in a blaze of fire.
They vanished back into the folds of Maykarta's darkness, two fugitives now even more cornered, while the first clue to their identity was now in PILAR's hands.
---
Not long after the explosion subsided, a car carrying PILAR Agents approached the location of Hana and Dul's base. As the doors opened, Dhoost, Minji, and Kazuha; accompanied by Agents Rusdi, Fuad, and Thomas, were immediately greeted by a grim sight. Remnants of black smoke still billowed, and the smell of burning filled the air. A few spots of fire still flickered among the rubble, illuminating their failure to capture the fugitives.
"They're gone... and destroyed all the evidence," Kazuha murmured, her eyes sweeping the area alertly.
"But how did they know we would come here?" Minji asked, her voice full of suspicion.
Meanwhile, Agent Thomas immediately moved to extinguish the embers with a portable fire extinguisher on his suit, preventing the flames from spreading to the nearby residential area.
Dhoost remained silent, as if rooted to the spot. This was his first experience at a real investigation site, and without his four best friends by his side, he felt like he'd lost half his courage. His hands were sweaty, and he tried to swallow to ease the stiffness in his neck.
"Junior Agents," Agent Rusdi's voice broke through his confusion, "help us comb this area. Report anything suspicious, no matter how small."
Minji and Kazuha immediately fanned out nimbly, exploring the ruins with confidence. Unlike Dhoost, who stepped forward hesitantly, his eyes still darting around as if afraid of lurking danger.
While the others worked in a group, Agent Fuad chose to search a more remote area. Behind a pile of debris, he initially found nothing. However, his sharp instincts suddenly tingled. With incredible reflexes, he pulled out his equipment. A pair of scissor, drew out one of its blades, and threw it into the air!
BOOM!
A mini insect-shaped robot was split in two and fell to the ground. Before the scissor blade could land, Agent Fuad caught it again with an elegant spinning motion. He picked up the drone's carcass, examining the "숫자" symbol on its body. As he tried to get a closer look, suddenly the buzzing of insects was heard everywhere; dozens of similar insect robots emerged from behind the rubble and trees, surrounding him in a neat formation.
From a distance, Dhoost saw Agent Fuad starting to get cornered. Without a second thought, he charged.
"Hey, Dhoost! Where are you going?!" shouted Agent Thomas, before finally realizing the situation Agent Fuad was in. "Everyone, assist Agent Fuad! Now!"
With two blades drawn from the sides of his arms, Dhoost charged into the swarm of robots. His movements were still stiff, but his determination burned. Kazuha followed at his side, unleashing swift katana slashes. Meanwhile, from behind, Minji aimed with her energy crossbow, which automatically locked onto targets and fired precise light arrows.
That moment became their first test. Nadhyfa would definitely be jealous seeing how well they used their new equipment. For a moment, Dhoost forgot his nervousness, focusing only on his movements, dodging, attacking, and defending.
"Don't destroy all of them!" ordered Agent Fuad amid the noisy skirmish. "Leave one intact to take back!"
Once the fight was over, Agent Fuad picked up one insect robot unit that was still in decent condition. He looked at Dhoost, who was still panting heavily, and for a moment, his eyes seemed to say, "Not bad."
"We're returning to base," said Agent Rusdi. "This time, we're bringing something back."
TO BE CONTINUED...