BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the collapsing facility.
But Lee Hyun was fast.
He twisted at the last second, Seojin's bullet grazing his shoulder instead of hitting its mark.
And then—he moved.
Seojin barely had time to react before he was on her.
A blur of motion—his fist slammed into her ribs, knocking the air from her lungs. She staggered back, pain exploding through her body, but she didn't fall.
She couldn't afford to.
Not when the exit was right there.
Not when her mother's life depended on it.
Minji and Kade raised their guns, but Lee Hyun was too fast.
Before they could fire, he grabbed Seojin and used her as a shield.
"Drop your weapons," he ordered, his voice eerily calm.
Minji's hands shook with rage. "You bastard—"
Kade gritted his teeth. "Seojin?"
Seojin's mind raced. She could feel the cold metal of Lee Hyun's gun pressed against her spine.
Her heartbeat thundered. This was it.
No hesitation.
No fear.
She acted.
With a sharp, sudden movement, she stomped on his foot, twisting her body just enough to throw him off balance.
It was only a second.
But it was enough.
Minji and Kade fired.
Lee Hyun's body jerked as the bullets tore through him.
For the first time, his cold, amused expression faltered.
He stumbled back, looking down at the blood spreading across his chest.
"…Hah," he exhaled, almost laughing.
Seojin's breath was ragged as she stepped forward, gripping her gun. She aimed directly at his head.
Lee Hyun smirked. "Do it."
Seojin didn't blink.
She pulled the trigger.
BANG!
Lee Hyun's body hit the ground.
This time, he didn't get back up.
The ground rumbled violently. The facility was seconds from collapse.
Kade grabbed Seojin's mother while Minji pulled Seojin forward. "Move, move, move!"
The exit door was just ahead—and then they were outside.
Cold night air rushed over them as they sprinted away from the building.
Behind them—
BOOM.
The facility imploded, the ground shaking as flames erupted into the sky.
Everything—**the Council's labs, the mind control project, the horrors inside—**was gone.
They had won.
Seojin fell to her knees, gasping for air.
Her mother was alive.
Minji and Kade were alive.
And the Council was burning.
For the first time in years, she felt it.
Freedom.
But deep down, she knew—
This war wasn't over.
Not yet.
End of Chapter 96