The crash of the truck into the building created a loud noise, with small rubble and thick dust raining down onto the vehicle. The engine’s smoke also rose, forming an even thicker cloud around it.
"Ugh..." Lola grunted seconds later, grinding her teeth as she still felt the impact despite the "protection" she got. Pushing off one man at her side, she forced her eyes open and looked around.
"I’m... I’m alive," she told herself, checking for any major injuries.
All she saw was blood—lots of blood—on her all-black attire. Just to be sure, she ran her palms over her body before heaving a sigh of relief and leaning against the body beside her.
"Goodness," she breathed out, letting her body rest, even for a moment.
Thankfully, before this mission came to the Order, she had trained extensively with Izu and the team. That endurance training and all the muscle soreness were clearly paying off. She didn’t remember being this agile herself.
She had already been agile and skilled before, but experience had honed her abilities without her even realizing it.
Pleased, Lola was about to relax when she heard engine noises echoing in the air.
"Over there! The gunfire came from that side!"
She winced, knowing the mercenaries would reach her soon. Forcing herself to move, she shoved the bodies off her and turned toward the driver’s seat. To her delight, the driver... was gone.
"Where did he go?" she murmured as she crawled forward. Before settling in, she spotted a body several meters away from the vehicle. "Oh. There he was."
That was why one should wear seatbelts.
Lola shook her head to clear her thoughts, even slapping herself lightly to stay alert. As engine sounds and shouts grew closer, she scanned every possible route she could take.
"Oh, well," she shrugged, glancing down at the dashboard.
Her fingers loosened on the blood-smeared steering wheel as she stretched them before gripping it tightly.
When the first group drew closer, she stomped on the pedal and drifted, spinning the truck across the street and kicking up thick smoke from the tires.
The group approaching the crash site suddenly saw the smoke, and then a truck burst out of it, barreling straight toward them.
The men in the oncoming truck held their breath, eyes widening.
For a second, time seemed to stand still, their minds struggling to register what was happening. In those stretched moments, all they saw was a woman behind the wheel, speeding directly at them.
And she was smiling.
SCREECH!
The driver instinctively swerved to avoid the crash. At the same time, Lola veered the opposite way. Her truck squeezed through the narrow opening, while the other vehicle slammed violently into a building.
Lola glanced in the rearview mirror, watching the thick smoke rise from the wreck. But her focus shifted quickly as another engine roared nearby.
Slowly, she looked ahead. A glint flickered in her eyes as the corners narrowed slightly.
"Time to end this cat-and-mouse game."
*****
Meanwhile, in the underground of Five District...
A muffled cry echoed through the tunnels, making the people of Gigante flinch. Their eyes darted to the captive Lola had knocked out earlier. She had given them one task, and they intended to do it perfectly.
They didn’t wait for the man to wake up. Instead, they woke him themselves and began interrogating him. As people who had never been given power over anyone before, everything they did was improvised.
They blinked at him, their confusion deepening.
How could he not know them? Hadn’t Gigante already fallen? Weren’t they checking the underground for them?
"What are you doing here?" one of the townsfolk asked grimly. "Why are you checking the underground tunnels?"
The mercenary didn’t answer until the man grabbed his clothes and raised a fist.
"The bar!" he finally yelled. "We’re looking for a way into the underground place beneath the bar!"
Silence followed his yelling, eyes on him.
Then someone asked slowly, "You’re not... looking for us?"
"Why would I look for you?!" the mercenary snapped. "Who are you, even?!"
Another silence settled over them until a faint rumble rolled through the tunnels.
They froze, brows knitting as dust drifted down. The rumble grew stronger, followed by engines roaring above and distant gunfire.
No one moved. They just listened, minds racing as the chaos unfolded overhead.
Had they known what was happening aboveground, they would’ve realized—
A madwoman had just decided to drag an entire horde of enemies straight into the heart of the chaos.
Long Bar.

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