The masked figure slowly stepped back into the pale moonlight.
Only now did they realize something felt… different.
The shape of the shoulders.
The stance.
The voice they'd heard earlier.
She reached up and removed the mask.
Long dark hair fell down over her shoulders, and sharp, tired eyes studied them carefully — not cruel, not kind, but measuring, like she was trying to solve them the way one solves an equation.
Rei tightened his grip on his bag.
"Wait— what? Who are you?" he asked quickly. "And this case has just some food for us."
Her eyes flicked to the edge of the briefcase inside his bag.
A faint, strange smile touched her lips.
"No," she said quietly. "It isn't food. It's for me."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"Can't you see the hyperbolas and parabolas crossing each other?" she continued. "That symbol means—"
She stopped herself suddenly.
Her expression changed.
"…Oh no."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Give it to me," she said urgently, "and come with me. Now."
Panic rushed through the group.
Kai frowned. "But… who are you?"
She hesitated for half a second.
Then she said, "My name is Christine. I'm a scientist working on the cure for Morphyx."
All four of them froze.
"And tell me one thing," she added softly, "were you all… trying to find me?"
Rei swallowed hard. His heart hammered.
"Yes," he blurted. "And that man was right."
Christine stiffened. "What man?"
"The one who gave me the case," Rei replied quickly. "He said the scientist would find us before we would find the scientist."
Koma whispered, "And he was right…"
Rei nodded. "Christine… we were solving a puzzle to find your lab."
Christine closed her eyes for a second.
"…Ah," she murmured. "So he really did leave the trail."
She looked up sharply. "Follow me. We don't have much time. And that boy—" her gaze flicked to Kai's injured arm, "—I can heal him in my lab."
She didn't lead them through normal paths.
They crossed five narrow forest trails, two of them barely visible beneath fallen leaves.
They crawled under a collapsed fence.
They crossed a dry stream bed that curved unnaturally — and on a rusted pipe beside it, Rei noticed a faint marking carved into the metal:
A triangle.
The same one from the puzzle.
Chuya's breath caught. "That symbol… it's in the puzzle."
Christine nodded. "It marks safe paths."
They climbed a rocky slope, walked between two massive trees that leaned toward each other like an arch, then turned sharply left at a broken stone pillar.
The jungle grew quieter.
Almost too quiet.
Finally, Christine stopped.
In front of them was… nothing.
Just a large gray rock wall.
She placed her palm on it.
A section of the rock shifted silently, revealing a hidden metal door — perfectly camouflaged.
"Welcome," she said quietly. "To what the world forgot."
They stepped inside.
The door slid shut behind them.
Lights flickered on.
All of them froze.
The space below was massive — clean white corridors, glowing panels, humming machines, transparent screens filled with floating data.
It looked like something built for the future… buried under the past.
Christine didn't waste time. She guided Kai to a tall, oval machine with soft blue light.
"Lie down," she instructed.
The machine activated.
A soft hum filled the air.
Seconds later, Kai stood up.
He slowly moved his arm.
No pain.
No stiffness.
"It's… gone," he whispered.
Koma's eyes widened. "That thing healed him in seconds…"
But now their stomachs growled.
Koma hesitated, then asked shyly, "Catherine… do you have any food? We're really hungry."
Christine blinked — then actually smiled faintly.
"Yes," she said. "You look like you walked through hell."
She gave them packaged food and warm drinks.
For the first time in hours, they felt human again.
When they were done, Christine folded her arms.
"Now you all know about me. About this lab. So I'm going to tell you everything about Morphyx that normal people don't know."
But before she could continue—
A door behind her slowly opened.
A massive shadow stretched across the floor.
It was tall. Too tall.
Its shape was blurred by darkness.
Kai frowned. "Wait, Catherine… what is that huge thing—"
The shadow vanished.
The air shifted.
And suddenly—
It was standing behind Kai.
The lights flickered.
And no one breathed.