The alley reeked of rust and rain.
Not fresh rain.
Old rain. The kind that had soaked into concrete and never left.
Lila stood still, her breath controlled, her eyes glowing faintly.
Numbers floated again.
But this time… they weren't stable.
[Danger Level: ???]
[Target: Hunter Unit – Incomplete Data]
[Warning: Observation Interference Detected]
Her lips pressed together.
"Interference…" she whispered.
So the system could be blocked.
That meant one thing.
"They're not just tools…"
A slow smile crept onto her face.
"They're players."
A step echoed behind her.
"You shouldn't be here."
Alex.
His voice was calm… but tighter than usual.
Lila didn't turn immediately.
"Then why are you?" she asked.
Silence.
Then—
"I came to stop you."
Now she turned.
And for the first time…
She looked at him not as an ally.
Not even as a mystery.
But as a possible enemy.
"You've been following me," Lila said quietly.
Alex didn't deny it.
"You've been walking into traps," he replied.
Her eyes sharpened.
"And yet… I'm still alive."
A pause.
Then she stepped closer.
"Tell me something, Alex…"
Her voice dropped.
"How did you know where I was… the night I was taken?"
That question hit.
Hard.
For a split second—
His expression changed.
Not guilt.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Recognition.
Before he could answer—
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Click.
Then—
BOOM.
The ground beneath them exploded.
Concrete shattered.
Dust filled the air.
And from within the smoke—
They emerged.
Three figures.
All wearing black.
All masked.
All… silent.
[Danger Level: 87]
[Danger Level: 92]
[Danger Level: 95]
Lila's pupils shrank.
Higher than anything she had faced before.
One stepped forward.
"You've been interfering with operations," the figure said.
Voice distorted.
Cold.
"Subject Lila."
She froze.
They knew her name.
Alex moved slightly in front of her.
Protective.
Instinctively.
"You shouldn't have come," he muttered.
One of the Hunters tilted his head.
"And you shouldn't be protecting her."
Silence.
Then—
"Unit A-17," the Hunter continued.
"Stand down."
Everything stopped.
Even the air.
Lila's heartbeat slammed against her ribs.
Slowly…
She turned to Alex.
"…A-17?"
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't deny it.
And that was the answer.
Her mind exploded with connections.
The rescue.
The timing.
The knowledge.
The control.
"You're one of them…" she whispered.
Another Hunter stepped forward.
"Correction," it said.
"He was."
Lila's eyes snapped back.
"What?"
And then—
Everything changed.
The Hunter raised his hand.
And the system—
Lila's system—
Glitched.
[ERROR]
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE DETECTED]
[AUTHORITY LEVEL: HIGHER THAN HOST]
Her vision flickered.
Her body froze.
Fear—real fear—crept in.
"This… this isn't possible…"
The Hunter looked directly at her.
"No," it said calmly.
"It isn't supposed to be."
Then—
It pointed at Alex.
"Retrieve her."
Silence.
Heavy.
Deadly.
Lila's heart stopped.
Alex didn't move.
"Unit A-17," the Hunter repeated.
"Execute command."
And then—
Slowly…
Alex stepped forward.
Lila's breath caught.
"No…"
Step.
Step.
Step.
Her mind screamed.
Fight.
Move.
Do something.
But her body—
Wouldn't respond.
He stopped right in front of her.
Close.
Too close.
And then—
He leaned down slightly.
His voice so low only she could hear.
"Trust me."
Her eyes widened.
And in the next second—
Everything exploded.
Alex grabbed her—
But instead of restraining—
He spun.
Fast.
Violent.
CRACK.
His fist slammed into the nearest Hunter.
Hard enough to send him flying into a wall.
Shock.
Pure shock.
"What—"
The second Hunter moved—
Too late.
Lila felt it.
The shift.
The pattern.
She forced her fingers to move—
Just slightly—
And activated the only thing she could.
Observation.
Not on them.
On Alex.
[Target: Alex]
[Danger Level: ???]
[Status: Locked]
[Hidden Tag Detected]
Her breath hitched.
Hidden… tag?
The third Hunter lunged—
A blade flashing.
Alex caught it barehanded.
Blood dripped.
But he didn't flinch.
"I told you," he said quietly.
"I'm not theirs anymore."
Then he twisted the blade—
And broke it.
Lila's heart pounded.
Too fast.
Too loud.
Because now she understood.
Not fully.
But enough.
Alex wasn't just hiding something.
He had escaped something.
And whatever he escaped…
Was still hunting him.
The Hunters regrouped.
Faster now.
More aggressive.
"Traitor," one hissed.
Alex smiled slightly.
Cold.
Dangerous.
"Yeah," he said.
"I get that a lot."
Then he glanced back at Lila.
Just once.
"Can you move?"
She forced her body.
Pain.
Resistance.
Then—
Finally—
Her fingers twitched.
"…a little."
"Good."
Because the next moment—
All three Hunters attacked at once.
And this time—
Lila stepped forward too.
Because she had learned something.
Something important.
Hunters weren't invincible.
They could bleed.
And if they could bleed—
They could be broken.