Chapter 21: — “Into the Umbra: Part 2 — The Smart Leader Can Also Be the Stupidest”

The steel corridor swallowed us whole.

Rin and I stepped into the narrow passage, and the heavy door behind us sealed with a hiss that echoed like a final warning. My stomach tightened. The walls were smooth metal, no windows, no panels, just a single strip of flickering light running along the ceiling, buzzing faintly. The air smelled recycled, cold, like this place hadn’t been walked in for years.

Each of our footsteps clicked against the floor, bouncing down the hall. It felt too loud. Too exposed.

“Creepy ass tunnel,” Rin muttered under her breath, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets like it would make her seem casual. “Like they’re herding us.”

I swallowed, trying not to let her words stick in my brain, but… she was right. Everything about this corridor felt deliberate. A funnel.

I glanced over my shoulder, half-expecting Kaito to appear, but all I saw was the sealed door and the faint reflection of my own nervous face in the metal. He wasn’t here. It was just us.

“Don’t overthink it,” Rin said suddenly, catching the look on my face. She flashed me her usual cocky grin, but it looked strained, like even she was trying to convince herself. “It’s just a hallway. Big deal.”

I gave a weak laugh. “Yeah. Just a hallway.”

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching us walk through it.

The long, so called "mantrap" spit us out into a chamber, and instantly my stomach dropped.

It was bare, clinical, four walls, a smooth floor, and right in the center a faint red glow pulsing from a panel above. My heart stopped when I realized what it was. A scanning room.

“Shit,” I whispered, freezing in place.

The panel let out a low hum, then beams of light stretched across the chamber like a net, sweeping slowly downward. My chest tightened, every nerve screaming at me that if we moved, if we breathed wrong, alarms would go off.

“They’re gonna catch us,” I hissed, clutching my blaster too tightly. “Rin, it’s over—”

Rin squinted at the panel, head tilting. “Relax. That’s old tech.”

“Old tech that’s about to fry us!”

She rolled her eyes, raising her blaster with a smirk. “Then let’s make it shut up.”

Before I could stop her, she fired. The shot cracked against the wall, sparks flying as the control panel hissed open like a can of soda. A mess of wires spilled out, buzzing and crackling.

The beams froze for half a second… then started sweeping faster.

My panic spiked. “Rin! You made it worse!”

“Then do something!”

And I don’t know what came over me, maybe pure desperation, maybe instinct, but I dropped to my knees, shoved my hands into the wiring, and yanked as hard as I could.

A sharp jolt shot up my arm, but then the hum cut out. The beams flickered once, twice, then vanished.

The room went still. Silent.

I sat there on the floor, breathing hard, staring at the now-dead panel like it was a wild animal I’d somehow tackled. My hands were trembling, but we weren’t caught.

Rin let out a low whistle. “Well, damn. Look at you, hacker girl.”

I blinked at her, stunned. “I just… pulled wires.”

“Yeah, and it worked. Teamwork, baby.” She grinned, nudging my shoulder.

A nervous laugh escaped me, and despite myself, I felt this flicker of pride warm my chest. We’d actually handled it. Together.

The mantrap spat us out into another corridor, and for half a heartbeat I thought maybe, just maybe, we were in the clear.

Then I froze.

Guards. At least half a dozen of them, patrolling the hall like it was their personal living room. Guns slung over their shoulders, chatting like this was just another night shift.

My pulse thundered in my ears. One wrong step and we were toast.

Rin yanked me back against the wall, both of us holding our breath. We couldn’t fight them, not this many. We couldn’t even sneak past without being spotted. My brain scrambled for an answer, anything. I prayed that there was a way out.

And it was like god listened to my prayers and answered instantly... a vent...

A small vent was tucked against the wall, low to the ground, just big enough for… well, for desperate people who had no other choice.

I gave Rin a quick glance, then darted my eyes toward the vent.

She followed my look, and her face immediately twisted. She shook her head so hard I thought it might snap off. Leaning close, she whispered, “Claustrophobic.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course.

But I didn’t waste time arguing. I dropped low and started crawling toward it.

Behind me, Rin groaned. “Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

She followed anyway, muttering curses under her breath as we squeezed into the narrow metal tube. It was tighter than I’d thought, my shoulders brushed both sides, and the air was hot, stuffy. My knees scraped with every push forward.

Rin’s grumbling echoed behind me. “This is hell. This is actual hell.”

“Calm down,” I whispered back.

“Calm down? I can’t even move my arms! I’m basically a human sausage stuffed in a tin can.”

I bit back a laugh. “Better a sausage than dead.”

Then she groaned again. “And why is your butt basically in my face? This is—” She cut herself off, then hissed, “You better not fart, Yuzuki. I swear to god.”

My entire face went red. “I’m not going to fart!”

“You say that now…”

“Rin!”

She chuckled, and weirdly enough, it eased the tension. My embarrassment somehow smothered the panic that had been rising in my chest.

“See? Distraction works,” she said smugly.

I shook my head, crawling faster just so I wouldn’t have to answer.

—

Kaito moved like a shadow through the territory, every step calculated, silent. Guards passed mere meters away, chatting and laughing, completely unaware of his presence. He ducked behind crates, slipped under railings, and even used the shadows of abandoned vehicles to hide his approach.

A few guards came too close, and without hesitation, Kaito neutralized them. Quick, precise movements, no time wasted. Each takedown was silent, leaving the bodies slumped in corners or hidden behind boxes. So far, the infiltration was flawless.

He reached a building that seemed promising, a shortcut leading closer to the basement. Kaito crouched low, scanning the area. His hand grazed the wall as he moved, careful not to alert anyone. He adjusted his footing, leaned forward… and suddenly stumbled.

His forehead slammed against the wall. Pain shot through him, and he blinked, disoriented. That’s when he noticed it: a red button, small but prominent, with a label blinking ominously: “Umbra Security Trigger.”

“Shit… shit! Fuck!” Kaito muttered under his breath, his heart racing. Alarm bells rang almost immediately, red lights strobed across the walls, and automated security systems activated.

The guards he had so carefully avoided moments ago would soon converge. He ducked instinctively into a side corridor, cursing again. “Goddammit… I just triggered the entire fucking territory!”

The heist had officially turned deadly.

The moment the alarm blared through the building, my heart jumped into my throat. Red lights flashed through the vent cracks, casting eerie streaks along the walls.

“What… what was that? Did I... did I do something wrong?” I whispered frantically, my hands clutching the sides of the vent as I tried to steady myself.

Rin shrugged, keeping her eyes ahead. “Impossible… we didn’t touch anything. It has to be…” She trailed off, and then realization dawned. “Kaito…”

My stomach dropped. “Kaito? What do you mean, Kaito?” My voice shook, panic clawing at me.

Rin’s phone buzzed. She grabbed it quickly, swiping to answer, and immediately put it on speaker.

“Kaito?!” Rin called, her tone sharp but not panicked.

“Rin! Listen, I fucked up. I stumbled into some stupid-ass button, and it just… alerts the entire territory!” His voice was steady, controlled, but there was no hiding the slight edge of stress.

“What…” Rin’s single word was sharp, incredulous. “You did what?!”

“I know, I know! Don’t yell at me! I need you guys to just… follow the plan. Go toward the basement. I’ll handle—”

“You idiot!” Rin barked, exasperation coloring her words. “How are you always this clumsy? Seriously, one second you’re sneaking like a ghost, the next you’re a walking alarm trigger!”

“Rin, not now!” Kaito cut in, his tone sharp. “Stick to the plan. Don’t get caught up in the yelling, just move!”

I shook my head violently, tears threatening to spill. “No! I… I can’t just leave you! You can’t face all those guards by yourself! I—I’ll go with you, I don’t care about the box!” My voice cracked with desperation, my hands gripping the sides of the vent like I could physically hold him back.

“Kaito, I’ll—” Rin started, but I was already pleading.

“Kaito! Don’t you dare try to handle this alone!” I yelled into the phone. “I swear I’m coming! I won’t just sit here and—”

“Yuzuki, shut up! Stick to the plan!” Kaito’s voice was louder now, tinged with frustration. “I’ll be fine. Just trust me! You’re not supposed to come after me!”

Tears welled up and streamed down my face. “No! I… I can’t just trust you! There’s thousands of guards, Kaito! You can’t—”

“Yuzuki!” Kaito snapped, firm. “Stick. To. The. Plan. I’ll handle them. Just move to the basement. I promise I’ll be fine, but if you come after me, you’ll get caught too!”

Rin finally spoke, her voice sharper than usual. “Enough, Yuzuki. He knows what he’s doing. Kaito’s smart. He’s not going to just throw himself at them. We follow the plan or we get caught. Period.”

“…Thank you,” Kaito muttered quietly into the phone before the call ended.

I stared at Rin, tears pooling in my eyes, voice trembling. “Rin… what if... what if something happens to him?!”

Rin didn’t flinch, didn’t look back. She just coldly said, “Keep moving. Crawl.”

I hesitated, my chest tight, but the alarm blaring all around us left no room to argue. My hands felt clammy as I edged forward, inching through the cramped vent, the sound of the sirens and my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.

I wanted so badly to run after him, to protect him, but Kaito and Rin’s stubbornness left me no choice. I swallowed hard, tears still blurring my vision, and kept crawling.

Every red flash, every alarmed clang, made me flinch. Every shadow I passed reminded me that Kaito was out there, alone, fighting against what felt like the entire building.

I muttered under my breath, voice barely audible: “Please… be safe… Kaito…”

And with that, I pushed forward, determination and fear warring in my chest as we pressed further into the unknown.

—

Kaito's chaos was unbearable. The moment he storms out of the building, it’s absolute mayhem. Guards swarm toward him, shouting orders, weapons raised, but he doesn’t even hesitate. Every instinct is survival, every movement lethal.

He sprays with his blaster, bullets tearing through the air, sparks flying from walls as some bullets ricochet. He ducks, rolls, curses, and curses again, loud, angry words that echo against the walls. “Fuck! Move, move, move!” “Die, you bastards!” “I’m not going down today!”

Each guard that steps up gets met with a rapid spray, their bodies falling back, and Kaito doesn’t pause to process the carnage. Every shot, every movement is pure survival. There’s no hesitation, no room for mercy, just raw instinct.

But even a force like Kaito can’t predict everything. One guard, careful and quiet, sneaks up behind him. Before Kaito can react, he’s pinned against a nearby box, hands on his throat as a knife presses sharply under his jaw.

“You shouldn’t have snuck into the fucking territory,” the guard growls, his voice low and threatening.

Kaito struggles, twisting and pushing, trying to break free, but the blade presses closer. Then, something sparks in him, raw, unstoppable strength. With a violent shove, he boxes the guard in the face. The guard staggers, holding his bleeding nose, and Kaito spins around to pin him against the wall. In one swift motion, he snatches the knife and swings, but the guard resists, fighting for his life.

The struggle is brutal, but Kaito wins. The guard falters, fear now etched across his face. 

"W-wait... have some m-mercy... p-please."

Kaito leans in, scoffing and voice filled with carelessness: “Too late to pray now… your God’s offline.” 

With that, Kaito held his blaster and shot the guard, ending him for good. Kaito doesn’t waste a second. Drones descend, firing pulses toward him. Kaito ducks, weaves, and blasts each one out of the sky, sparks and smoke filling the air. But then, one drone shoots a shockwave beam, blasting him backward. He crashes into a stone pillar, skidding across the pavement. Dizziness hits, his vision swirls, but he scrambles to grab his blaster.

And that’s when the real nightmare hits.

A honking. A deafening, guttural, mechanical honking that freezes him mid-motion. Kaito lifts his head slowly, and sees a massive Truck Rammer. The kind that can crush walls, shred fences, flatten anything in its path. And it’s barreling straight toward him.

He’s pinned. Stuck behind the rubble, one hand scraping at the stone that traps him, the other gripping his blaster uselessly. He fires shot after shot at the truck, but the reinforced windows shrug off every bullet. The tires grind against the pavement, coming closer, closer.

“HEY! HEY! STOP! FUCKING STOP! THIS ISN’T FUNNY!!!” Kaito screams, his voice raw, full of panic and fury.

The truck rams closer, metal screaming against concrete. Sparks fly, and the ground quakes beneath him. His eyes widen, muscles tensing. There’s no way to escape, no place to hide…

And as the horn blares again, closer than ever, it’s clear: Kaito might finally have met his match.