The roar of an explosion ripped through the forest.
BOOM!
The ground trembled beneath Lia’s feet, and flocks of birds burst from the canopy, scattering into the sky. Lia froze in her tracks.
She turned toward the blast. A thick pillar of black smoke churned above the trees, miles in the distance. Her chest tightened.
Big Brother...?
She pivoted and sprinted toward the smoke. Branches whipped against her arms as she weaved through the dense woods. Her feet barely grazed the dirt, leaping over exposed roots and rotting logs.
Please don’t let anything happen... Please...
She pushed her legs harder.
WHOOSH!
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her instincts screamed. Lia threw herself to the dirt.
THUNK!
A throwing knife buried itself deep into the bark of the tree where she had just been standing. Lia rolled across the forest floor and sprang back to her feet, her gaze sweeping the shadows.
Silence hung in the air.
Then, three figures stepped out from the treeline. One from the left. One from the right. One dead ahead. They spread out in silence, blocking every possible escape route.
Lia’s expression hardened. Three candidates. She narrowed her eyes.
"...Working together?"
That shouldn’t have been possible. This examination was a battle royale. Only two people could survive. An alliance meant guaranteed betrayal down the line.
Candidate Number Two smiled faintly.
"Looks like you’re smarter than I expected."
Lia kept her mouth shut. She studied their stances, searching for a gap in their formation.
One of the men broke the silence.
"Everyone here knows how terrifying Candidate Number One is."
"We’ve all seen what he’s capable of."
Another candidate continued,
"So we all agreed..."
"...that he has to die first."
"But fighting him head-on..."
"...would be suicide."
His gaze settled squarely on Lia.
"So we decided to target his only weakness."
"You."
Lia’s breath caught. The plan made perfect sense now. They weren’t trying to kill her. They wanted to capture her. If they held her hostage, Leo would never leave her behind.
Candidate Number Two smiled even wider.
"As long as Candidate Number One wants you alive..."
"...he’ll have no choice but to surrender."
For the first time since entering the forest, a trace of genuine killing intent flashed through Lia’s eyes. Absolutely not. She refused to become Big Brother’s weakness.
Before the three men could blink, her hands darted to the pouches at her waist. Three small black spheres appeared between her fingers. She slammed them into the dirt.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dense gray smoke erupted in a thick cloud, swallowing the surrounding trees and choking the air. Visibility dropped to nothing.
"She’s escaping!"
"Split up!"
"Don’t let her get away!"
Hidden inside the haze, Lia shifted her direction twice. She slipped through the fog like a ghost, her footsteps silent against the dead leaves. A faint smile touched her lips.
You won’t catch me...
Just as she reached the edge of the smoke, a hand shot out from the gray haze and clamped around her wrist like a vise.
Lia gasped. There was a fourth person.
Miles away, Leo caught sight of the thick column of smoke rising above the canopy. He skidded to a halt, his sharp eyes fixed on the distant plume.
"...Smoke?"
The blast was far too loud to be a natural accident. His expression darkened.
"Lia..."
He pivoted and sprinted toward the source. His dark figure darted through the dense woods, weaving between towering trees at a breakneck pace. With every passing second, the knot of unease in his chest pulled tighter.
Please... don’t let anything happen.
Leo leaped over a fallen tree trunk, and just as his boots hit the dirt, a blaring sense of danger flared in his mind.
Something’s wrong!
Instead of taking his next stride, Leo stomped his heel hard into the earth. The sheer force launched him sideways toward a nearby oak.
The moment his weight left the dirt—
WHOOSH!
A massive steel-wire net burst from beneath the leaves where he had just stood a heartbeat prior. The heavy trap snapped shut, crashing back onto the forest floor. A fraction of a second slower, and he would have been caught.
Leo landed lightly on a thick branch ten feet in the air. His cold eyes scanned the surrounding canopy.
Silence.
Nothing.
A faint rustle among a cluster of leaves caught his attention. There.
He flicked his wrist.
Whoosh!
A throwing knife tore through the air, and the cluster of leaves exploded apart. A figure in black leaped down from the tree just as the blade buried itself deep into the wood. The moment the attacker’s boots hit the ground, Leo dropped down after him.
The distance between them vanished.
Clang!
Steel slammed against steel. The masked candidate barely raised his weapon in time to block Leo’s hidden blade. Before the man could regain his balance—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Leo unleashed a brutal barrage of slashes, elbows, knees, and kicks. The woods rang with the sound of colliding metal. The masked candidate had skill, yet every single exchange forced him another step backward.
Leo’s strikes grew faster. Sharper. Deadlier. A shallow cut tore open across the man’s shoulder. Another slashed across his forearm. Crimson drops began splashing onto the dead leaves beneath their feet.
The masked candidate gasped for breath.
"Damn it..."
He managed to block one last strike before stumbling away. Leo closed the gap in a heartbeat. Their blades met one final time.
CLANG!
The sheer impact sent the man’s weapon flying from his grip. All color drained from the attacker’s face. Realizing he stood no chance, panic flooded his eyes.
"Wait!"
"I was never supposed to kill you!"
Leo didn’t slow down. The hidden blade aimed straight for the man’s throat. In desperation, the candidate shouted,
"I was only ordered to delay you!"
Leo’s blade stopped less than an inch from his flesh. The candidate gulped.
"The others..."
"They’ve already gone after Candidate Number Seven!"
"If you keep wasting time fighting me..."
"...she’ll die before you ever reach her!"
The moment those words hit Leo’s ears, the air around him turned ice-cold. A heavy, suffocating killing intent poured out of him. The masked man took a shaky step back, his entire body trembling.
For the first time since the examination began, Leo’s calm expression vanished completely.
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