"What's going on?" Elwin suddenly shouted.

"What is it?" the Principal asked, stepping beside him. Seeing the static on the computer screen, he knew trouble had struck.

"The signal just cut out. We've lost contact with them," Elwin said, fiddling with the equipment. It seemed useless.

"Why does this keep happening lately...?" Elwin muttered helplessly.

"Why... why does this damn situation keep popping up?!"

Meanwhile, deep in the underwater base, three figures stumbled blindly in the dark. Static crackled in their earpieces. Lixin snapped, yelling as he hurled his earpiece to the ground.

"Quiet! Stay silent or we'll be spotted," Melly scolded his impatience. "Scouting demands calm under pressure. This tiny issue isn't worth worrying about. Really."

"So that's why you're clinging to Teacher Chris's arm?" Lixin sneered.

"Shut up! I'm... I'm just cold. It's deep down here—the temperature's low. Didn't you know?"

Chris hadn't spoken. Suddenly, he clamped a hand over both their mouths and dragged them into the shadows.

Chris's ability manipulated others' vision. He could vanish himself and anything he touched from sight. Perfect for hiding and scouting.

...

What a fierce-looking musclehead with such a cowardly power!

He'd already activated his ability. Hiding was just extra insurance. Scouting required caution. Nearly all enemies were Ability Users; every detail mattered. The approaching figure was likely drawn by his two idiot teammates' noise.

Tap... tap... tap...

The footsteps were slow, unnerving. But they couldn't jump to conclusions yet.

"If anything goes wrong, stick to the plan: I restrain, Lixin kills, Melly handles emergencies..."

Two nods.

Footsteps neared. In the darkness, a shadow emerged. Their suspicions were confirmed.

Damn it, it really was abnormal!

"What is this..." Melly blurted out. That person wasn't walking slowly for any reason—he staggered like a drunk... no, worse.

"Shh..."

Strange as it was, Chris trusted his ability's cover... or so he thought!

The helmeted "drunken" guard in security uniform, unsteady yet unwavering, marched straight toward them.

"No way..."

Watching the guard close in without hesitation, Chris broke into a cold sweat.

!!

"Holy crap!"

At three meters, the man lunged—truly lunged—and pinned Chris against the wall.

Was he insane? Did everyone here swing that way?!

"Stop gawking! Help me..."

Chris choked out the words. It was bizarre—was this guy a strength-type Ability User? He looked scrawny, yet Chris was utterly overpowered. He was nearly choked to death!

"Oh, right!"

Ignoring Melly, the support-type little girl, Lixin reacted instantly. He kicked hard at the guard's head. The helmet shattered; the neck twisted sideways... but it did nothing?!

The neck was bent—any normal person would be dead. Yet the crushing force on Chris's throat didn't ease. "What the hell?! Is this even human?!"

Crackle...

The helmet split open, fully exposing the face beneath.

It was human. But not alive.

Despite the dark, Chris saw the face inches away: bloodless, lifeless, skin shriveled. The eye sockets held no eyes—only two black pits.

"What is this..."

He'd heard tales, but seeing this living dead firsthand shook his usually unflappable calm.

Whoosh!

Thud!

A black spear pierced the guard's head, pinning him to the wall.

Phew—

Pressure vanished. Chris gasped, scrambling up quickly.

"Teacher, are you okay?" Melly stepped forward. Her combat skills were weak, but healing was her strength. She held a palm-sized cube—the portable med-kit.

"I'm fine. No injuries," Chris waved her off. No need to open it.

"Team, we should fall back," Lixin said. Ahead in the corridor, faint shadows swayed.

Now they knew why the lights were off. These things needed no sight—perfect ambushers, right? The earlier noise had drawn a crowd.

They switched paths immediately. The base was vast; dodging these creatures, they could map a route.

These beings had shed human limits. Fighting physically meant death. Lixin could "kill" many, but it wasted time. Better to find the way out, have Melly teleport them up, or eliminate the mastermind. Failing that—retreat.

"Melly, if things go south, we retreat. Any issue?" Chris asked.

"...No. I'm completely cut off from outside. I can't teleport out." She'd hesitated to say it—she'd noticed this long ago.

"What? Then we're..."

No words were needed. Everyone understood.

They'd drawn the worst lot, trapped by design. Only one escape:

Kill the base's manager—the mastermind—and shatter this "cage."

...

"Invincible?" Cleyna sounded doubtful.

"Yes. In a sense, within his ability's domain, he's invincible."

"How?"

"He kills all Ability Users inside the moment he activates his power. Then, he seals the space like a barrier. No one entering after can leave unless they kill him. Worst of all—he can 'plunder'."

"'Plunder'?"