Climb on stage

Enko calmly unwrapped a piece of gum and placed it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. His eyes locked with Mei's as he spoke, "The final answer... is what you gave me."

"So, that's it," he continued. "As long as we deal with you, no more monsters will appear."

Mei clasped her hands together, a bemused smile playing on her lips. "Are you certain?"

Enko shrugged, his expression unchanging. "Not entirely. But what if we're right?"

"And what if you're wrong?" Mei's voice lowered, her eyes gleaming with a cold amusement.

"Better than doing nothing." Enko leaned forward slightly, the weight of the bomb strapped to his chest hanging between them like an unspoken challenge. He was betting everything—his life and his cause—on this one moment.

Mei closed her eyes briefly, contemplating the game unfolding before her. "So what's your plan? To die with me here?"

Enko leaned back, his voice steady. "That is one possibility. But I told you, I'm here to talk. My terms are simple: call your monsters here, or kill them yourself. Then, you'll receive a life sentence. If you refuse…" He gestured to the bombs strapped to his body. "We both die here."

"You don't need to question my resolve. I'm not here to convince you of anything." His voice was firm, unyielding.

Mei tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her eyes scanning his face. "In some ways, we're alike, you and I. You have conviction. I can admire that. But I've played this game before. I once bet everything—my hopes, my life, my future—on fate, and I lost."

Her gaze sharpened, fixing on Enko with deadly certainty. "This time, you're the one who's going to lose. Because, unlike you, I stand in the position of destiny."

A sudden rumble echoed beneath the floorboards, and Enko's eyes widened as the ground beneath him shook. Mei's lips curled into a sinister smile. "You're a little late," she whispered.

Before Enko could react, a figure erupted from the floor, throwing up a wall of metal between him and Mei. It was Lam, his body gleaming with metallic strength. 

"Lord Aurora, I apologize for the delay," Lam said, his voice calm but resolute.

Mei calmly reached for a mask and placed it over her face. "No need to apologize," she replied, her voice now hidden behind the mask's veneer. "If they want to play, then we'll give them a proper game."

Boom!

A shot rang out from a nearby rooftop, aimed straight at Mei. But in an instant, a single thread danced through the air, severing the bullet in half before it could reach her. Mei's gaze shifted toward the building, eyes filled with dark amusement.

"The show's just beginning," she said with a teasing smile. "Did you really think you'd end it so quickly? How dull."

More bullets came from every direction, but Lam reacted swiftly. His body morphed into carbon fiber, forming an impenetrable shield around Mei. "My Lord, let me handle this."

Mei's smile grew. "No need."

With a flick of her fingers, invisible threads shot out from her hands, carrying her puppets toward the surrounding buildings. In an instant, the snipers fell, their throats slashed by unseen blades before they could fire another shot. The puppets quickly gathered their weapons, pointing them toward a single location.

Enko, having regrouped with a middle-aged man, watched from a distance. Mei's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Now would be the time to say… cheese."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A hail of bullets rained down on Enko, but with unnatural agility, he dodged them all, weaving through the chaos. His companion grabbed his arm, pulling him away.

"The plan failed. We need to retreat," the older man muttered urgently.

Enko clenched his jaw, glaring back at Mei, his eyes burning with frustration and anger. Mei watched with amusement as they fled, her voice filled with playful cruelty. "I told you, Enko. You were always going to lose this bet."

With a snap of her fingers, her puppets swarmed the ground, countless of them rising to form an army. Enko and his companion disappeared into the distance as Lam prepared to pursue.

"Hold your ground," Mei commanded, her tone icy. "Don't chase them. They've come prepared. No doubt they've left behind more surprises for us. We don't need to see fireworks just yet."

Lam hesitated but obeyed, returning to Mei's side. "What about the base, my Lord?"

Mei's gaze turned thoughtful. "The base's exposure is not our real problem. The true issue will be what comes next. If they're planning to use more powerful weapons, I can always prepare a new potion. But if they destroy the vase…"

Her voice trailed off, a rare note of seriousness entering her tone. "Without the vase, it's all over."

Mei ascended the stairs in deliberate, measured steps, her gaze set on the delicate vase resting on its pedestal. The semi-finished potions stored in the closet she left untouched; they were incomplete, and therefore of little importance at this moment. But the little flower—a living memento she had nurtured for so long—was irreplaceable.

With a soft command, one of her puppets gently cradled the flower, swiftly moving to exit the base. Mei followed close behind, stepping into the cool evening air where Lam waited patiently.

"Lord, what are our next steps?" Lam asked, his eyes scanning the surroundings with caution.

Mei tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as she looked toward the distant skyline. "People always have weaknesses. Family, friends, even strangers."

"Strangers?" Lam echoed, his brows furrowing.

Mei's lips curled into a faint smile. "If we take the entire population of Beiling City as the stakes in a wager, do you think they would dare to bet against us?"

Lam's mind raced. "The entire city? From the Kitsune's perspective, they'd be terrified. They wouldn't dare risk so many lives. They are a national unit, bound by duty to protect the masses. They wouldn't sacrifice hundreds of thousands for the sake of a tactical strike."

He paused, considering the weight of such a move. "If I were in their position, the only logical option would be to withdraw from Beiling altogether... perhaps even abandon it entirely."

Mei's smile deepened. "Precisely. For a human, kidnapping an entire city would be impossible. But for us? For monsters, such things are well within reach."

Her tone was calm, as if she were discussing a casual gamble rather than the fate of an entire metropolis. "For Enko and his Kitsune allies, this is the perfect trap. Unless, of course, a miracle occurs."

The cool breeze carried her words into the night, leaving Lam deep in thought.

---

Suu~

CRASH!

A figure burst through the café's door, splintering it into pieces as it collided with the floor. Splitter groaned, picking himself up and rubbing his head.

"Not good... hit the ground too hard," he muttered, glancing around nervously. "Lord Aurora probably didn't see that, right?"

He surveyed the café, noticing the scattered debris and overturned furniture. There was no sign of anyone in the building, and the place had clearly been hastily abandoned. Suspicion clouded his mind as he ascended the stairs to check the upper levels.

Upon reaching the top, Splitter found nothing of significance. All the important items had already been taken, leaving only an eerie silence.

"Strange... did Lord move house?" he muttered under his breath. His eyes fell on the closet, where several of Mei's unfinished potions were still stored.

"It seems Lord was in quite a hurry this time," he mused aloud. "She even forgot to take the potions."

With that thought, Splitter pulled out his phone and dialed Mei.

"Hey, Lord, did you move? What do you want me to do with these potions? Should I bring them to your new place?"

On the other end, Mei's voice was calm and decisive. "Feed it somewhere."