The light from the computer screen reflected off Akari's face as she skimmed through the last lines of code, her fingers rhythmically on the keyboard as if playing an intricate piece of music. The space in the room was cramped, only the click of the keyboard broke the silence.
Kaito sat across from him, his eyes fixed on the screen. Despite trying to make sense of what's going on, his mind is quickly overwhelmed by the complexity of a series of characters and charts.
"Lila, do you think you can make some coffee?" Akari said without looking up, his tone was half-truthful and half-joking.
"Okay. "We look like we're going to need more caffeine for tonight." Lila stood up, stretching her shoulders languidly.
When Lila left, the tense atmosphere seemed to get heavier. Kaito frowned slightly as he looked at the screen. He bent down to take a closer look, but while he was in a daze, his arm accidentally bumped into the glass of water next to him, causing it to spill onto the table.
"Do you know how much this computer is worth?!" Akari jumped up, quickly lifting the machine out of the puddle.
"I'm sorry!"
Kaito frantically searched for a towel, while Akari glared at him reproachfully. But instead of getting angry, she laughed lightly and shook her head.
"You're really a mobile disaster, you know?"
"I'm just trying to help..." Kaito smiled embarrassedly.
At that moment, Lila returned to the coffee tray. Looking at the scene in front of her, she sighed, and placed the tray on the table.
"Nexus probably won't cause as much trouble as you guys do."
The group laughed, and the laughter gently dispelled the tension in the air. After cleaning up, Akari sat back in front of the computer, his hands continuing to type on the keyboard.
"It's done," she declared, her voice full of pride.
"We have a location an old warehouse that used to belong to Nexus. "Data shows they used it as a storage hub before withdrawing from the area."
"Is there anything dangerous?" Kaito asked, his eyes wary.
"Always dangerous," Akari replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"But if we want to go further, this is the best chance."
Lila nodded. "We'll go right away. Get ready."
On the way to the warehouse, the group's car rolled on a narrow road, the street light flickering through the glass door. The air in the car was silent, and each person was immersed in their own thoughts.
When approaching the location, a figure stopped in front of the road. Under the faint light, Kaito realized that it was Ryu Gyokuryu.
"I've been waiting for you guys for a long time." Ryu leaned against the motorcycle, arms crossed in front of his chest.
Akari tilted her head to look at him, her voice full of sarcasm:
"Are you waiting for us, or are you watching us from a distance?"
"I don't need to follow up. If you want to, you will never know I'm here." Ryu smirked, but his eyes were still cold.
"Come on," Lila interjected, her voice even.
"What are you here for?"
"I have information," Ryu said, glancing at Kaito.
"But I'm not going to deliver it for free."
Akari laughed, sarcastically:
"So what do you want? A thank you or a praise post?"
"You should know when to keep quiet," Ryu replied simply, his eyes flashing with discomfort.
"Enough," Lila interrupted, her voice cold.
"Ryu, if you have anything important, tell me. We don't have time to argue."
Ryu nodded, but his gaze remained wary.
"This warehouse doesn't just store data. Nexus used it to hide something bigger possibly related to a secret project they used to work on." Ryu said, in a low voice.
Lila turned to Kaito, her eyes full of determination.
"If that's the case, we can't delay any longer. Let's go."
The group entered the warehouse in silence. The space is cold and covered with dust, and the smell of mold and humidity hits the nose. They found a secret door leading down to the basement.
Kaito felt a shudder as he landed in the basement. Vague memories flashed through his mind: a bright white room, echoing footsteps, and someone's voice whispering his name.
"Your memories are coming back?" Lila noticed the look of confusion on his face.
"... Not sure," Kaito replied, his eyes vague.
"But I've been here. I know that."
As the team searches for information in the basement, the sound of metal colliding from above causes the three to stop. The sound of heavy footsteps gradually approached, signaling an imminent danger.
"We have uninvited quests," Ryu said, his voice cold.
As soon as the sentence ended, a group of Nexus agents rushed down the stairs. They wore black uniforms, carried modern weapons, and their eyes swept through the basement like predators.
"Don't let them slow us down!" Lila shouted, her hand pulling out a small knife.
Ryu quickly rushed forward, his eyes cold. An agent swung a baton at him. Instead of dodging, Ryu took a step back, raised his hand to grab a steel pipe on the floor, and used it to block the blow.
The sound of electricity passed, but Ryu quickly turned around, used the steel bar to dismiss his opponent's hand, and then threw a kick to the knee completely. A cry of pain rang out as the agent lost his balance.
Without stopping, Ryu used the steel bar to control another agent. He hooked his legs and pulled the enemy down, then knocked him down with a powerful blow to his temple.
Lila was confronted by two approaching agents. She stepped back, her eyes scanning quickly to find an advantage. Behind her was an old shelf. Lila lifted her kicking leg hard against the foot of the shelf, dropping a series of iron boxes.
Noise distracts the enemy's attention. Lila took the opportunity to swing a knife, slashing at the wrist of one of them, causing him to drop his weapon. Immediately, she turned around, used a piece of metal from the shelf as a temporary weapon, and attacked the other one.
Both agents were knocked out in a matter of seconds. Lila turned around, her eyes sharp. "You don't seem to have enough strength to chase me."
Despite not having much experience, Kaito gradually felt the fighting instinct in him. An agent rushed over, swinging a powerful punch. Kaito stepped back, but his foot accidentally hit a piece of wooden plank on the floor.
Instead of throwing it away, he picked up a piece of wood and used it as a weapon. As the enemy continued to attack, Kaito leaned to dodge, then swept across the piece of wood into the opponent's leg.
The agent lost his balance, and Kaito did not miss the opportunity. He jumped up, using both a piece of wood and his knees to knock him down.
"Not bad," Ryu said quickly as he glanced over.
When the agents were almost defeated, a heavy footstep sounded from the stairs. A tall man, wearing light armor and holding an energy sword, stepped down.
"I'm going to clean up this mess," he said, his voice cold.
Ryu rushed forward, trying to distract himself. But the leader's sword was faster, slashed horizontally, and almost touched his neck. Ryu stepped back, his eyes more vigilant.
"Be careful, he's not an ordinary person!" Lila shouted.
The leader attacked continuously, pushing both Ryu and Lila into a defensive position. Meanwhile, Kaito tries to find an opportunity to assist. He picked up a metal bar on the floor and rushed over from behind.
"Playing dirty?" The leader sneered, turned around and slashed back.
But Kaito quickly ducked, then hit his leg hard with a metal rod. Realizing that the leader was too strong to fight individually, Lila shouted:
"Let's coordinate!"
Ryu leads the attack by constantly harassing, attacking from various angles, causing the leader to focus all his attention on defense. Meanwhile, Kaito took advantage of the opportunity to attack from behind, using everything he could pick up on the floor to increase the pressure. At the same time, Lila chose the right time to sneak close to the leader, quickly cutting his armor belt, causing a significant decrease in flexibility. Although not directly involved in the battle, Akari played an important support role when using the control panel to activate an old alarm system, thereby distracting the leader for a few decisive seconds.
In the end, Kaito used all of his remaining strength to deliver a powerful blow to the leader's chest, while Ryu delivered the final blow with a direct kick to his face. He fell, unconscious, breathing heavily but still alive.
The whole group breathed heavily, sweat dripping on each person's forehead.
"We must go right away," Lila said, her wary eyes scanning the basement.
After escaping the warehouse, the group gathered at a safe location. Akari opens the newly collected storage device and reads through the data.
"We have a name," she said, her voice serious.
"The 'Black Reality' project. And if what I read is true, Nexus isn't just manipulating memories anymore. They're trying to change the reality."
"That's why I appeared. But this is only the surface." Ryu nodded.
"We're not going to let them change anything. Not my memories, not our reality." Kaito clenched his hands, his eyes steadfast.
After the team defeats the Nexus agents and checks the surrounding area again, they gather in a safe corner of the basement. Ryu, still cold, crossed his arms against the wall. Lila sat down on the ground, checking the documents she had collected.
Akari carefully opened the storage device obtained from an old server. She attached the device to the laptop, and the lines of code began to appear on the screen again. Kaito was silent, standing behind her, his eyes fixed.
"Incomplete data." Akari said after a few minutes.
"Some parts are too deeply encoded. I need more time to solve the problem."
"It's a 'time' story again," Ryu said, with a hint of sarcasm.
"We don't have too much. Nexus never leaves important things without a reason."
Akari glanced at him, his voice no less sarcastic: "Then do you have any ideas? Or is it just standing there like a talking statue?"
"Enough. We can't waste time arguing. Akari, keep deciphering the rest. Ryu, stand guard." Lila laughed slightly at the response, but quickly regained her seriousness.
Kaito sat down in a corner, his head resting against the cold wall. When staring at an old server in the corner of the basement, memories suddenly rushed back.
He found himself standing in a similar room, wearing a black uniform on his body. In front of him is a control panel, with a series of strange symbols flashing. A voice sounded from behind:
"Kamaji Kaito, are you ready?"
Kaito turned around, but the speaker's face was obscured in the darkness. Only cold eyes stared directly at him, as if they wanted to penetrate all the thoughts in their minds.
Discovered an important piece of the puzzle!" The memory came to an abrupt end when Akari called out loudly.
Akari rotates the computer screen towards the group. On it, an intricate graph appears, with the name "Black Reality" in the center, connected by a series of sub-branches.
"This project is not just about memory," Akari explains.
"Nexus is trying to change the way we perceive reality. If they succeed, they can reshape the whole world the way they want."
"Reshaping? What do you mean?" Kaito frowned.
Akari typed a few more lines of command, opening up a partially encrypted document.
"Here! According to this data, they are developing a technology that can synchronize people's memories. That means... they can manipulate the way we all see reality."
"This is what they want," Ryu said, his voice lowering.
"A world where everyone is programmed to think the same, act the same. A society that is completely controlled."
Lila was silent for a while, her eyes shining with determination.
"We can't let this happen. Kaito, this could be the reason they erased his memories. I used to play an important role in this project.
As Akari continued to work, Kaito stepped out of the basement to breathe in the air. Ryu, as usual, silently followed.
"You know something we don't know, right?" Kaito asked, without turning his head.
Ryu leaned against an iron pillar, his sharp eyes staring directly at Kalto.
"I'm not a good secrecy. But I know one thing your memory is more important than anything here."
"How important is it?" Kaito turned around, his eves steadfast.
"So important that Nexus is willing to sacrifice everything to prevent him from recalling.
The moment of silence lasted for a long time, only the sound of a cold wind blowing through. Finally, Kaito nodded, his eyes filled with determination.
"If my memory is the key, I'll do everything I can to get it back."
Akari finished collecting the data, closed the lid of the laptop with a gentle but urgent "click". The group decided to leave the warehouse immediately. As they stepped outside, the flickering light from the car's headlights in the distance brought the air to a standstill-the Nexus was still following them, step by step like patient predators.
Lila frowned, her eyes flashing with caution as she swept around.
"We can't stay here any longer," she said, her voice deep but urgent, each word coming out like a command.
"They'll come at any time."
Ryu reached out and lightly pulled out the dagger attached to his waist, which was the knife he had taken from a defeated agent. He kept his voice up, deep and firm, as if he was making an irrefutable decision.
"This time, I'll go with you." He glanced at Kaito, his eyes cold but determined.
"If they want to find you, Kaito, then you'd better need someone who knows how to fight.
Kaito didn't say anything, but his gaze met Ryu's for a brief moment. Without words, he knew that Ryu was really serious.
The group quickly left, but the atmosphere of tension still prevailed. Kaito looked up at the night sky, his eyes full of thought.
"Reshaping reality... Nexus won't stop. But I won't give up either."
While the team was leaving the warehouse, they suddenly discovered a small door at the end of the basemem that led to a room filled with old documents and complex technical equipment. Lila began to analyze what they found again, but her eyes couldn't help but frown at a new discovery.
"These devices..." Lila said, her voice slow.
"It's not just storage. These are hallucinogenic machines, used to manipulate reality."
"This means that the people who use these devices will live in a world that is completely controlled by Nexus, without knowing anything." Akari tilted her head, her eyes lit up with this discovery."
Kaito looked at the strange devices, a suffocating feeling rising in his heart.
"I've worked with these things. I know how dangerous they are."
Ryu stood quietly in the corner of the room, his cold gaze sweeping over each device as if recalling memories hidden deep in his mind.
"If we don't stop it, it's very likely that everything we know about reality will be wiped out."
When the group returned to a safe area outside Tokyo, they gathered in a small house. Akari puts important data on the table, while Lila and Ryu discuss the next direction. Kaito sat quietly to one side, his distant gaze looking out the window.
"We need to act faster," Ryu said with seriousness.
"Nexus is controlling every piece of the puzzle, and if we don't do anything, they're going to take over the whole world."
"Akari, what about the information about the Dark Reality? Can you find something new?" Lila nodded, agreeing.
"Analyzing," Akari replied, his hands still rattling on the keyboard.
"But things are more complicated than we think. They've installed a very deep layer of encryption."
Kaito stood up, feeling the pressure from all the information around him.
"We can't wait any longer. Nexus has gone too far, and if we don't stop it, it will be too late."
Lila turned to look at him, patting her shoulder gently.
"We're all here for that reason, Kaito. Don't think you have to carry it all alone."
While the group was discussing, Akari suddenly looked up at Kaito, his eyes full of curiosity.
"You haven't told us everything yet, have you?"
Kaito paused, his eyes vaguely looking down at his hand.
"There are so many things... which I'm not ready to say."
Lila sighed, but didn't ask.
"When you're ready, Kaito, we'll be here. No one forces you to share, but don't hide it for too long."
"Anyway..." Ryu interrupted, his eyes deep.
"Your memories are the key, Kaito. And if you don't want to remember, I can't force it. But remember, there are things that need to be faced."
The group ended the meeting with many uncertainties but high determination. They are tasked with deciphering more information, each of whom plays an important role in shedding light on the "Dark Reality" project.
Lila and Ryu focus on data analysis, while Akari continues to protect the information network. Kaito, though a little vague about the future, knows that they cannot back down from the encirclement of the Nexus.
"We can't let the past get in the way of walking," Kaito said, his voice firm.
"If the world is really changing, then we have to change the way we fight it."