Zone E.
The military containment line.
"Professor X is currently moving inside the danger zone."
Kai Mercer stood at the edge of the blockade boundary.
Several rear-line personnel nearby heard the message as well.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
Then confusion slowly spread across their faces.
One soldier muttered a quiet curse.
Another turned to Kai, as if hoping he'd confirm they had heard wrong.
But no.
The information remained unchanged.
The professor—currently a Priority SS protection target—was apparently "taking a stroll" in the middle of the monster field.
As if it were his own backyard.
Kai Mercer clenched his jaw.
Only one thought ran through his mind.
What the hell is going on…
He raised his left hand and tapped the watch on his wrist, opening the comm channel.
His voice came through quickly, urgent.
"Boss, do you want me to go reinforce the professor?"
"I can move fast. I'll grab him and—"
Kai stopped mid-sentence.
"…ah. I mean, escort the professor back to a safe zone."
Several teammates beside him exchanged glances.
One man was digging at his ear.
Another shook his head.
But the worry in their eyes was obvious.
Far ahead.
Dane Volkov and Bravo Team were closing in on the red zone.
The distance between them and the monster was now less than thirty meters.
The ground trembled faintly beneath the slow, synchronized steps of the squad.
Dane frowned.
Kai's image appeared on Dane's wrist display, his voice coming through the wrist comm, clear and sharp.
Tilting his head slightly, Dane raised his left hand and responded immediately.
"No."
His voice was firm.
"Stay where you are."
His gaze swept over Bravo Team, moving in a dispersed formation.
"Bravo and I will go there."
A brief pause.
Then Dane continued, his voice lower.
"Even a small change could compromise the entire team."
On the other end of the channel, Kai still wasn't ready to give up.
"But—"
"No buts."
Dane's voice cut across the line like a blade.
"If you dare disobey orders…"
He paused for half a beat.
"…I'll personally lock you in a latrine and make you scrub it for the rest of your life. On behalf of your father."
The channel went silent for a second.
Then Kai's voice burst out.
"Woaaa."
An exaggerated sigh followed.
"Understood."
A few members of the team chuckled quietly.
The tension eased a little.
Just a little.
Dane's voice turned sharp again.
"Alpha Team, hold position and await orders."
He stepped forward.
"Bravo Team, move with me."
"Roger, sir."
Low, concise replies echoed through the night.
The formation began advancing.
The moment Dane's first step crossed into the battlefield ahead, he immediately felt that something was wrong.
Years of combat experience and instinct were warning him.
Something was off.
Very off.
But Dane didn't stop.
He was the commander.
No matter what happened, the mission had to be completed.
A few minutes later.
Bravo Team slowly approached the edge of the sonic disturbance zone.
The air here felt completely different from behind the blockade.
Heavier.
Colder.
Fog began pouring into the battlefield like a gray-white curtain.
The darkness thickened.
Visibility dropped rapidly.
The figures of Bravo Team blurred within the mist.
Dane tilted his head slightly and asked the soldier beside him,
"How far from the professor's position?"
The soldier immediately checked his device.
"Very close, sir."
He looked up toward the front.
"Right ahead."
Dane said nothing.
He raised his left hand.
A light tap.
The thermal vision system in his eyes activated.
The world in front of him instantly changed.
The gray-black fog became layers of cold interference.
The ground was cold.
The air was cold.
The rocks were cold.
But ahead—
A heat source.
A human figure.
Standing in the middle of the mist.
Body temperature fluctuating slightly.
As if… swaying gently.
Dane narrowed his eyes.
The professor?
At that moment—
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield.
The fog stretched thin for an instant.
And Dane saw it.
A man in a white coat.
Hair split between black and white.
Standing in the mist like a ghost.
His head tilted slightly.
His shoulders trembled.
He was laughing.
But it wasn't a normal smile.
His mouth stretched.
Wider.
Wider still.
Until—
The grin split all the way to his ears.