— Hero Association: Aftermath of the Attack —
The heroes murmured in frustration.
They still had no solid lead on the people responsible for the attack.
Valley, another ranked hero, entered the room and updated them.
> "Star is alive… the one who clashed with one of the attackers," he said. "But she's still under heavy medication. We'll have to wait another week before she's stable enough to talk."
The heroes fell silent.
Waiting wasn't what they wanted—but they had no choice.
---
— Scene Change: London City —
In a luxurious residential space within London, Bunny was just waking up.
She stretched lazily and shuffled down to the living room.
To her surprise, she found Lexy and Pandora seated alongside a group of students from Ascenders High.
Everyone turned the moment she appeared.
All eyes landed on Bunny.
Her sleepy gaze scanned the room, confused and slightly annoyed.
Lexy stood up and approached with a soft smile.
> "Welcome to Ascenders High Special Force," she said.
Bunny's eyes widened.
Shock, followed by sharp irritation, flashed across her face.
She turned to her sister, Pandora—trying to form words… but nothing came out.
---
— Scene Change: CODE Organization —
Meanwhile, back at the CODE base, Lawrence and Void had returned with their squad.
They were greeted by Gunther, who seemed visibly pleased with their success.
> "You all did well. Go get changed," Gunther said. "Meet me in the gathering room. I want to hear exactly how you pulled this off."
The team dispersed.
Minutes later, the room was full.
Soldiers lined the walls. Eyes fixed forward.
Gunther stood at the front, facing Demon.
---
— Demon's Report Begins —
Demon stood.
He scanned the room—feeling the weight of every gaze.
A heavy silence settled in the air.
He slowly removed his jacket and began.
> "Firstly... when we landed in Lagos City, we didn't know where to begin the search.
But like every nation in the world, the streets are always a good place to start.
That's where we found who was sponsoring Anthony and tracked the location where he'd be staying.
The problem?
The building was heavily guarded—not just by soldiers, but by heroes."
Murmurs filled the room.
Demon continued, unfazed.
> "So we chose the day of Dr. Anthony's arrival. That was the only time the heroes wouldn't be on alert.
That gave us a window. But we also needed a strong defense to keep them distracted.
We didn't want interference."
Gunther nodded slightly, his arms crossed.
Then he asked:
> "How did you know Anthony would bring out that humanoid monster?
You also brought a Slay Beast. Coincidence?"
Demon exhaled.
> "We didn't plan for the humanoid.
The beast was meant to counter the heroes from the association—to stall them, distract them. None of us wanted a direct confrontation.
So, when the monster showed up, we improvised.
We chose to deal with the monster… it made the mission smoother."
The soldiers listened closely.
Some began scribbling notes.
Gunther leaned in, voice curious.
> "So, how did you distract the heroes enough that they didn't respond quickly?"
Demon's lips curled into a wide smile.
He began pacing like a lecturer.
> "Simple.
We hacked into their wave of communication and blocked all signals leaving the country.
That way, no distress call, no report, no leak.
Of course, that raised suspicion. But by the time neighboring nations caught on, it would already be too late.
We had a four-hour window. And trust me… it was close....so close."
Gunther frowned.
> "What do you mean, 'so close'?"
Demon stopped pacing.
His fingers ran through his messy hair, disheveling it further.
Then he looked at Gunther.
His red eyes were intense—too intense.
A look that unsettled even Gunther.
The room fell into a brief silence.
Something about Demon's gaze…
Something wasn't right.
---
To be continued...