The hologram of Kaede flickered back to life as the team regrouped, her smirk as chilling as ever.
"Congratulations," she said, her voice dripping with mockery. "You passed my little trial. But did you really think it would be that easy?"
Yukari glared at the projection. "Enough of your games, Kaede! Where's the database?"
Kaede chuckled, the sound cold and menacing. "Oh, it's here. But you'll have to work a bit harder to get it. Let's see if you can make it out of this compound alive first."
The hologram vanished, and a countdown appeared on the screen: 10:00.
"She's going to blow this place sky-high," Hana said, her voice calm but tense.
Renjiro's mind raced as he examined the control room. "Yukari, can you find the location of the database before this place goes up?"
Yukari nodded, already back at the terminal. "I'll try. But someone needs to disable that countdown."
"I'll do it," Hana said. "I've handled bomb systems before."
As Hana set to work on the countdown, Yukari accessed the facility's mainframe. Renjiro and Aiko stood guard, their weapons ready.
"I found it!" Yukari exclaimed. "The database is on a secure server in the lower levels. But it's locked behind Kaede's personal encryption."
"We'll worry about that once we get there," Renjiro said. "Hana?"
"Almost done," Hana replied, her brow furrowed in concentration. The countdown ticked down to 2:00, and she finally let out a breath. "Got it. Timer disabled."
"Let's move," Renjiro ordered, leading the way out of the control room.
The team descended deeper into the compound, the air growing colder with each step. The lower levels were darker, the walls lined with strange equipment that hummed softly.
"This place feels… wrong," Aiko whispered, her voice barely audible.
"It's Kaede's world," Renjiro said. "And we're not leaving until we tear it apart."
As they approached the secure server room, the door slid open, revealing Kaede herself. She stood calmly in the center of the room, her presence as commanding as ever.
"Well, well," she said, a wicked smile on her lips. "You made it further than I expected. But this is where your journey ends."
Renjiro raised his weapon, his eyes locked on Kaede. "We'll see about that."
Kaede laughed, her voice echoing in the cavernous room. "Let's see if you can handle the final test."
The lights flickered, and the sound of machinery filled the air as a squad of advanced combat drones emerged from the shadows.
"Game on," Kaede said.