The moment Snowflake pressed down on the red button of the detonator in his hand, everyone in the room froze in place. An eerie silence took hold as each person held their breath, tense and braced for the explosion they thought was imminent.
But in that charged stillness, Kante seized the chance to act. Without hesitation, he moved toward his targets—the old surgeon and the Kim couple. He couldn't let them live to recount the secrets he'd revealed.
Just as he raised his sword, intending to cut them down, Uche crashed into him from the side. The unexpected hit jolted Kante, giving Sergeant Kim enough time to regain his senses. The sergeant's voice rang out, strong and clear:
"It's a distraction, not an explosive!"
Realizing the deception, Sergeant Kim aimed and fired, his shots shattering the equipment around Kante and Uche. But before they could react further, the room was suddenly filled with a strange, dense fog that stung the senses, blindly everyone in an instant.
The officers, caught off guard, began collapsing within seconds, choking on the fog. Sergeant Kim staggered toward the exit, his vision blurring, and shouted over his shoulder,
"Everyone, retreat! It's a toxic smoke bomb!"
Uche, recognizing the smoke's effects, held his breath, closed his eyes, and blindly stumbled toward the shattered window. He couldn't see Snowflake again, so he guessed that he had escaped through the window, using the chaos as cover. With a final lurch, Uche threw himself through the opening, landing on the muddy ground outside.
As he opened his eyes, Uche spotted several armed officers stationed at the building's entrance, weapons raised. Inspector Ray stood at the front, looking both determined and uneasy.
Uche suppressed a curse—he hadn't forgotten how rude and reckless the young inspector could be. Staying low, Uche began to slip away, hoping no one would notice him.
But before he could vanish into the shadows, someone stepped in front of him, blocking his escape.
He froze, his pulse racing as he looked up. A familiar pair of beautiful, sharp eyes met his.
"Mira?"
He breathed, surprised.
Mira gave a brief nod.
"Let's go. Snowflake got away,"
She said, then turned without another word, glancing back to make sure he followed.
---
Several minutes later, Uche and Mira returned to their safe house, where Uche recounted everything he'd experienced. He left no detail unspoken, explaining how he'd been ambushed in the alley and kidnapped, the twisted plan Kante had hatched to steal his organs, and the grim legacy of Kante's cursed bloodline—a family doomed to die young, a curse that had given rise to Snowflake's dark ambitions.
He even mentioned the unusual wound he'd suffered from Snowflake's weapon, one that, although it had healed, still seemed important to mention.
As he spoke, Mira's face remained calm, her eyes unwavering. Finally, he finished, taking a long, steadying breath. To his surprise, Mira didn't seem shocked at all. In fact, she already knew everything.
"How do you already know all this?"
He asked, bewildered.
Mira flashed a small smile.
"Did you forget that I gave you that watch? It's more than just a tracker—it also transmits everything you say and hear straight to me."
"Oh,"
Uche muttered, feeling a bit foolish. Then, a look of realization crossed his face.
"Then why did you make me explain it all again?"
Mira just smiled and changed the topic, her tone shifting to urgency.
"Now that the police are aware of Snowflake, we're on borrowed time. He'll try to leave the city soon, if he hasn't already. We have to move quickly if we want to get your eye back."
She paused, glancing at Uche with a fierce determination.
"I've done some digging, and I found his last known address. He might not go there tonight, but it's the best lead we have."
---
Back at the building, the aftermath of Snowflake's toxic smoke bomb was grim. Many officers lay unconscious, their bodies scattered like fallen soldiers, while a few lucky ones managed to crawl out before succumbing entirely.
Sergeant Kim was among them, dragging himself over the muddy ground at the entrance, his breaths shallow but steady. Other officers rolled out after him, coughing and clutching at their chests, weakened but alive.
Inspector Ray, watching them emerge one by one, felt a surge of panic at the sight of Sergeant Kim's limp form, fearing the worst. But then he noticed the old sergeant's chest still rising and falling, however faintly, and relief washed over him.
"You tough old bastard,"
He muttered to himself.
After a few minutes, when no more officers emerged and nothing dangerous coming after them, Inspector Ray nodded grimly, gesturing for a handful of his men to move in.
"Get them back...they're still alive!"
He shouted, and his team quickly pulled their fallen comrades to safety. They searched each officer for injuries, but the toxic gas had left no visible marks—only an eerie, silent suffering.
Sergeant Kim was the first to regain full consciousness. Shakily, he rose to his feet, meeting Inspector Ray's intense stare with a weary sigh.
"I thought you'd kicked the bucket in there, old man,"
Inspector Ray teased, though his voice held a touch of genuine relief.
"This isn't the time for jokes,"
Sergeant Kim replied, brushing himself off. He turned to the nearest officer.
"Contact HQ. Tell them to shut down all exits out of the city—immediately."
He reclaimed his weapon from one of the younger officers, who still stood with his eyes fixed on the building, anticipating danger.
"Stand down,"
Sergeant Kim commanded.
"There's no threat inside, not anymore."
But Ray, raising his hand to halt the others, regarded the sergeant with suspicion.
"Then what happened in there?"
He asked slowly.
"Where are the others? Why did you rolled out on your butt if there's no threat inside."
Sergeant Kim hesitated, then began moving back toward the building.
"Other officers are inside,"
He replied.
"Let's get them out before I explain."
Inspector Ray and the others followed, their guns raised as they cautiously advanced into the dim, smoke-saturated lab.
Inside, the scene was worse than they'd anticipated. Most of the team that had gone in with Sergeant Kim lay unconscious, their bodies sprawled across the lab's cold floors. A few unfortunate officers lay dead, their heads cleanly severed, their faces frozen in expressions of terror. Inspector Ray felt a shiver run down his spine, wondering what manner of opponent could have done this so ruthlessly, so quickly.
As Ray continued his cautious survey of the room, he noticed three figures lying at the far end, their forms gaunt and malnourished. Recognition struck as he focused on one in particular.
"Isn't this the surgeon we were supposed to bring in?"
He called Sergeant Kim over, who confirmed that the man was indeed the surgeon they'd come for. Kim checked the pulses of all three captives—the surgeon and the Kim couple—and confirmed they were still alive.
The sergeant took a deep breath and began his report.
He went on to explain the situation before they got in and what happened after they get in.
Ray's expression turned skeptical, his gaze narrowing.
"So you're telling me Uche's innocent in all this? And Kante may actually be Snowflake. Uche… might have just been a bait?"
Sergeant Kim nodded.
"At first, we only saw Uche with the captives when we got in. But we heard sounds of fighting before we entered, so we thought Uche was trying to kill the three of them. It wasn't until the surgeon pointed out under the table and said Snowflake having a detonator, that we spotted Kante.
The first five officers that approached him have their heads cleanly chopped off. We opened fire, and then the room was filled with that toxic smoke. Both Kante and Uche escaped in the chaos."
Ray opened his mouth to speak, but Sergeant Kim raised a hand to stop him.
"And no," he continued, "they aren't working together. Remeber they are fighting before we got in, and Kante tried to kill the captives after the smoke filled the room, but Uche intervened. I suggest we get these captives treated immediately and question them as soon as they're able to talk. We don't have the luxury of time anymore."