The underground chamber vanished into blackness.
One second there were lights.
The next—
nothing.
Absolute darkness swallowed everything.
Then came the gunshots.
A deafening crack echoed through the chamber.
Someone screamed.
Another shot followed.
Then chaos exploded.
Xiaoyu's heart slammed against her ribs as instinct took over. She dropped to the ground immediately, hands covering her head while shouting and footsteps erupted all around her.
Nobody knew who was shooting.
Nobody knew who was moving.
The darkness had turned everyone into a threat.
"XIAOYU!"
Lu Shen's voice.
Somewhere nearby.
Another gunshot flashed briefly across the chamber.
For a fraction of a second, she saw silhouettes running between the abandoned train cars.
Then darkness returned.
A hand suddenly grabbed her arm.
Xiaoyu's entire body froze.
Before she could react—
a familiar voice reached her ear.
"It's me."
Lu Shen.
Relief nearly made her collapse.
He pulled her to her feet immediately.
"We have to move."
"What happened?"
"No idea."
Another burst of gunfire interrupted him.
Bullets slammed into metal somewhere behind them.
Whoever had cut the power wasn't targeting them alone.
The entire chamber had become a battlefield.
Lu Shen pulled her deeper into the darkness between the train cars.
Rainwater dripped from the ceiling overhead while distant screams echoed through the underground station.
Something had changed.
The organization wasn't in control anymore.
And that terrified everyone.
A flashlight suddenly flickered on nearby.
Both of them froze.
The beam swept across the chamber slowly.
Searching.
Hunting.
Then—
a voice.
Not the woman in white.
Not one of the armed men.
Someone else.
"Find Subject 7."
The words echoed through the darkness.
Xiaoyu felt cold instantly.
That voice.
She knew it.
Not from now.
From before.
From the laboratory.
A memory flashed violently.
A man standing behind observation glass.
Watching children through a clipboard.
Expressionless.
Cold.
Patient.
Xiaoyu stopped walking.
Her breathing caught.
"No..."
Lu Shen noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
"I know that voice."
The words barely left her lips.
Then a flashlight beam suddenly landed directly on them.
"There!"
Gunfire erupted instantly.
Lu Shen shoved Xiaoyu sideways as bullets tore through the train car behind them.
Metal screamed.
Sparks flew.
The chase began again.
They ran.
Past rusted train doors.
Broken tracks.
Abandoned platforms hidden beneath the city.
Footsteps thundered behind them.
Getting closer.
Closer.
Xiaoyu's lungs burned.
Her legs felt heavy.
But fear pushed her forward.
Then suddenly—
a loud metallic door appeared ahead.
Half hidden behind an abandoned maintenance room.
Lu Shen froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
He stepped toward the door.
Almost in disbelief.
Then his gaze dropped toward the silver key still clutched in Xiaoyu's hand.
The exact shape matched the lock.
The memory from moments ago returned instantly.
The hidden room.
The metal box.
Her father.
The coordinates.
The key.
"This is it," Xiaoyu whispered.
Another gunshot echoed nearby.
They were running out of time.
Lu Shen grabbed the key.
His hands trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From realization.
For twenty years they had searched.
For twenty years people had died.
And now—
they had finally found it.
The key slid into the lock.
A sharp click echoed through the darkness.
Then the massive metal door slowly began opening.
Dust drifted into the air.
Cold air escaped from inside.
The room beyond remained hidden in darkness.
But one thing was immediately visible.
Rows.
And rows.
And rows of filing cabinets.
Thousands of documents.
Hard drives.
Evidence boxes.
Photographs.
Records.
Enough secrets to destroy an empire.
Xiaoyu stared silently.
Her father hadn't hidden a clue.
He had hidden everything.
Behind them—
the footsteps stopped.
The entire chamber suddenly fell silent.
Too silent.
Lu Shen slowly turned around.
And his expression hardened instantly.
The woman in white stood at the end of the platform.
Alone.
No guards.
No weapons.
No smile.
For the first time—
she looked defeated.
Then she spoke.
Quietly.
"Your father was smarter than all of us."
The words echoed through the station.
Nobody moved.
The woman looked toward the open archive room.
Years of secrets exposed at last.
Then her eyes settled on Xiaoyu.
And for the first time since they met—
there was genuine sadness in them.
"You finally remembered."
Xiaoyu stared back.
The fear was gone now.
The confusion too.
Only one question remained.
A question that had haunted her life since childhood.
"Why?"
The woman closed her eyes.
For several seconds she said nothing.
Then she opened them again.
And whispered:
"Because the person who ordered the fire..."
Her voice broke.
Just slightly.
"...wasn't me."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Lu Shen froze.
Xiaoyu's heart stopped.
And somewhere in the darkness behind the woman—
a slow clap echoed through the underground station.