"Attention to all Crows. Once again, attention to all Crows. Entity 03-245 and Entity 03-124 have escaped."
Lyxander looked at Quartz. He clearly didn't know what to do and instinctively expected an answer from his senior.
However, Quartz simply smiled.
"Looks like your meal will have to wait, Lie."
Lyxander gave a stiff smile.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"Hmmm," Quartz touched her chin.
"First, accompany me to get my suitcase and hat."
Lyxander was left speechless. With no other choice, he followed Quartz to the locker room.
Along the corridor, Lyxander observed people passing by as usual. It was far from the chaos he had imagined.
"Aren't people a little too calm?" Lyxander asked.
"You're just not used to it yet," Quartz replied.
"Used to it?"
"It's common for a newly active Entity to cause disturbances in older Entity seals. That's why we're stationed at headquarters."
Quartz stopped walking. They had arrived in front of the locker room.
"Is this because of the Entity I captured last week?" Lyxander asked.
"Possibly." Quartz opened the door.
Then she turned back with a smile.
"By the way, don't come in. This is the women's locker room."
Lyxander snorted. "Come on, as if I would."
Not long after, Quartz came out carrying a black suitcase.
She pointed straight ahead and mimicked the woman's voice from the station.
"The next stop is the Enigma Room."
"Enigma? What are we going to do there?" Lyxander asked.
"You've never received training?" Quartz tilted her head.
"No, I haven't," Lyxander replied.
"The Enigma Room connects all Entity sealing chambers. You must've taken its elevator when you met Orochi."
Quartz grabbed Lyxander's hand and pulled him along.
"Let's go."
Lyxander looked at her back and smiled. The two of them ran down the corridor like children racing each other.
—
The two Crows stopped in front of a massive iron door. Quartz released her grip and stepped toward the retinal scanner.
She opened her eyes wide, allowing the blue light to freeze for three blinks. The light stopped and released Quartz's eyes as text appeared.
"Two-step verification successful."
The door opened.
Quartz entered first, with Lyxander following behind. It felt like returning to the past. Lyxander compared the Enigma Room now to how it once was—this time, there was no massive hologram welcoming them.
He looked around. Many Crows from other divisions stood there. Lyxander searched for his own division members, but it seemed only he and Quartz had arrived early. Natanael didn't count—she always disappeared somewhere.
"I wonder why we rarely see other Crows," Lyxander said, glancing at Quartz's back.
Quartz turned and smiled.
"That's normal. Headquarters is circular, with a diameter of three kilometers. Other divisions enter through different doors."
"So there are entrances besides the dam?" Lyxander asked.
"There are four entrances, but even I don't know where they all are," Quartz replied, shaking her head.
"Quartz!"
A woman's voice called out.
"Ah!" Quartz smiled and waved.
"Molly, Koi."
Two Crows approached—a woman and a man. The woman had striking pink hair, a rare sight that made her stand out. Her bright blue eyes and cheerful smile gave off a friendly impression.
Behind her was a man adjusting his glasses. His straight posture and broad shoulders gave a stern impression, but his black hair was what caught Lyxander's attention the most.
"Lie, let me introduce them. These two are Crows from Division 2," Quartz said.
"This woman is Molly. And this man is Koi."
Quartz then turned and introduced Lyxander.
"Let me introduce him to you—this is Lyxander."
Their pupils contracted, but their expressions remained unchanged, showing remarkable self-control.
"I know about you. You're the one who uncovered Oscar's murder case, right?" Molly stepped closer to Lyxander.
Hearing Oscar's name, Lyxander's pupils widened.
Koi noticed the change and pulled Molly back by the collar.
"Sorry about her. She can be foolish sometimes."
"It's a pleasure to meet a fellow descendant of Tamisra here," Koi said with a friendly smile, extending his hand first as a sign of goodwill.
"I'm glad to meet you too," Lyxander replied, shaking his hand.
Lyxander's first impression of Koi had been stern, but now he realized the man wasn't simple. Perhaps this was a trait of Tamisra's descendants.
His memory activated.
*Tamisra was the Black Emperor during the War of the Nine Emperors. He was known for having many descendants, to the point that almost everyone with black hair carried his bloodline.*
"Well then, it was nice meeting you. We'll be heading down first," Koi said as he and Molly waved goodbye.
"Alright, we should head down too," Quartz said as she went to retrieve several grappling devices, returning quickly.
"Raise your hands, Lie!" Quartz called out.
"Wait," Lyxander raised one hand. "I can do it myself."
Quartz puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
"No need to be shy… come on, let mama help you."
"Since when did you become my mom?" Lyxander protested, but after being forced, he finally raised his hands.
They descended downward. Lyxander struggled against the darkness and slippery walls, but thankfully, his military boots were designed to maintain stability on various terrains.
After more than a minute of darkness, light finally returned to Lyxander's eyes. Along with the light came a breathtaking view of human infrastructure.
If he had to describe what he saw, he would say it looked like small buildings arranged abstractly—sometimes vertical, sometimes horizontal, even tilted. Each structure stood separate without colliding, yet bridges connected them, supported by gigantic pillars holding up the entire space.
Lyxander released his grappling hook and jumped down, landing on a bridge. Quartz landed beside him.
"So where are we going?" Lyxander asked.
Quartz fell silent, then smiled.
"Let's go straight."
"Why?" Lyxander frowned.
"Hmmm," Quartz looked around.
She turned back with a smile, as if she already knew her answer would be foolish.
"Instinct."
Lyxander was left dumbfounded by his senior's competence.
"Seriously?"
Quartz simply smiled, making no effort to convince him.
In the end, they continued straight ahead, searching for traces of the escaped Entity.
Lyxander glanced around, then a question surfaced.
"By the way, Quartz, when an Identity user dies, don't they leave behind their Identity power?"
Quartz glanced back at him.
"That's right. Why?"
"Then what if this incident was caused by Oscar's Fixer Identity?" Lyxander said.
"Hm… why do you think that?" Quartz turned around.
"It's not that… I don't know. I don't know why either," Lyxander lowered his head, as if he had lost something.
Quartz stopped and stood directly in front of him, staring.
Lyxander raised his head. The first thing he saw was Quartz's dark red eyes. His thoughts snapped back, and a question surfaced immediately.
"Was Oscar really a criminal?"
Quartz tilted her head.
"I'm not as smart as you, Lie. So why wouldn't he be a criminal?"
The words struck him hard.
"It's just… if he really caused the Entity escape, then maybe someone with an Identity like a manipulator deliberately influenced his mind."
Lyxander was enlightened. His eyes widened as if a missing fragment of memory had returned.
*There is something… something I forgot.*
BOOM!
An explosion shattered the wall behind them.
Fragments of metal flew in all directions, and the bridge they stood on shook violently as debris struck it.
Right behind Lyxander, the massive head of a red lizard burst through the wall.
"ROAR!"
The creature's roar echoed throughout the entire chamber.
Lyxander flinched. Before he could react, Quartz threw the black suitcase toward the railing.
Click!
Tinggg!
The suitcase bounced past Quartz's head, releasing two dark karambits. In an instant, Quartz caught them and dashed forward.
Even before the suitcase hit the ground, she had already vanished from Lyxander's sight. He turned quickly and saw Quartz leap high over the giant lizard.
Yellow eyes with black slits locked onto them. The lizard tried to pull its body out of the wall—but it was too late. Quartz spun in midair and drove her karambits into the creature's scales.
Clang!
Quartz's muscles tensed as she was repelled. The scales were too hard—the blades couldn't penetrate. She rolled across the ground before standing again.
Quartz slid a switch on the karambit. A white blade extended, replacing the black one—longer, thinner, and sharper.
Ssssh!
A hiss followed as the giant lizard freed its forelegs and aimed at Quartz.
A reddish glow gathered inside its mouth. It was preparing to breathe fire.
Quartz smiled and slid the switch once more. This time, a blue crescent-shaped blade of light emerged.
They faced each other, preparing for a final exchange—but then—
BOOM!
A bluish light slammed into the lizard's back. Lyxander had fired a coin. He now had only two shots remaining.
However, even with the tremendous force of the shot, the giant lizard didn't budge.
Rooaar!
It roared again, thrashing wildly and causing the entire bridge to tremble.
Crack!
The bridge collapsed.
The lizard fell into the depths below.
Lyxander immediately activated his pulling force and leapt, clinging to the iron wall.
"Quartz!"
He used the pulling force again, this time targeting Quartz's karambit.
Quartz realized what he was doing and jumped, allowing the blade to pull her—but it wasn't enough.
Using the attracted metal debris as footholds, Quartz leapt toward him.
"Lie!"
Quartz smiled, spreading her arms and wrapping Lyxander in a tight embrace.
"Ugh," Lyxander bit his lip, forcing his left hand onto the wall.
Smack!
He managed to secure it, pressing Quartz's chest against his own.
"Pervert," Quartz teased with a smile.
"Come on, I had no other choice," Lyxander gritted his teeth, enduring the pain in his muscles as he climbed upward.
He made it.
"Hah…" Lyxander exhaled deeply.
Still held beneath him, Quartz gently stroked his back.
Lyxander rolled to the side and collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. Quartz stood and looked down, searching for the giant lizard.
"Other Crows have already gone after it," Quartz said.
"Hah… hah… my arms are numb," Lyxander complained.
"So, which Entity was that giant lizard?"
Quartz crouched beside him and poked his cheek with her index finger.
"It seems to be Entity 03-245."
Lyxander frowned.
"How do you know? And stop that."
Quartz stopped and replied,
"I've seen the data on Entity 03-124 before. It has a humanoid form."
She leaned closer.
"We need to hurry."
Lyxander looked at Quartz's face hovering above him.
"Why?"
"Entities with higher threat levels are sealed deeper. If it keeps descending, it might awaken other Entities," Quartz answered.
"Then what should we do?" Lyxander asked.
Quartz smiled.
"There's no other choice. We have to go deeper."
Lyxander grimaced.
"At least let's come up with a plan to deal with this Entity."
"You have a plan?" Quartz stood up.
Lyxander showed a sarcastic grin.
"Hehe. Of course."