Sumoto’s phone chirped. It was Hiroto. As he unlocked his phone, a lengthy text appeared. Hiroto explained that he and Aiko were on the run and Malcom was after them. Then another text in an enormous font.

  Run now, while you can!

  Sumoto immediately lost his train of thought as the clatter of breaking dishes echoed through the dimly lit space. Intruders poured in, weapons drawn. Sumoto, crouched behind his desk, his fingers flew across the hidden interface embedded in his watch. A soft click sounded, and within seconds, every camera in the restaurant—hidden in teacups, picture frames, and even the ceiling tiles—flared to life. The feed streamed silently to a private server, a silent rebellion against Malcolm’s brute force.

  “Don’t move,” one of Malcolm’s henchmen barked, stepping closer to Sumoto. His boot came down hard on Yuxi’s wrist, pinning her to the floor. She gasped, her face pale as she struggled against the pressure.

  Sumoto’s jaw tightened. “Stop it, or you’ll regret it.”

  Malcolm entered the room then, his presence like a storm cloud. He surveyed the scene with cold precision, his eyes lingering on Yuxi. “Ah, the sister,” he mused, crouching to meet her gaze. “How delightful. You’ve been quite the thorn in my side, haven’t you?”

  Yuxi’s lip trembled, but she refused to cry out. Sumoto’s fists clenched at his sides.

  Not her. Not again.

  He had spent years protecting Yuxi from the world that had tried to erase them—first in China, then here. He would not let Malcolm’s cruelty break her spirit now.

  Malcolm straightened, his attention shifting to Sumoto. “You’ve been a nuisance, but I admire your tenacity. It ends tonight.” He gestured, and one of the men stepped forward, raising a knife.

  Sumoto braced himself, but before the blade could strike, Malcolm waved him off.

  “No, no. Let’s see how long he holds out without talking.”

  The henchman hesitated, then slashed Sumoto’s arm with a flick of his wrist. Blood bloomed across Sumoto’s sleeve, but he didn’t cry out.

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  Yuxi’s whimper was barely audible, but it cut through the room like a knife. Malcolm’s smile widened. “Ah, now we have your attention.” He stepped closer to Yuxi, his hand brushing her cheek. “You know, I could make this very simple for you both. Just tell me where Hiroto is hiding, and I’ll let you go. No more pain.”

  Sumoto’s laugh was hoarse, bitter. “You think threats work on us? You’ve already lost.”

  Malcolm’s expression darkened. “Have I?” He turned to the henchman holding Yuxi. “Break her wrist if he doesn’t talk.”

  “No!” Sumoto lunged forward, but a shock of electricity from a stun baton sent him sprawling. The room fell into a tense silence as Yuxi’s cries filled the air.

  Then—a click.

  Malcolm froze. From the shadows of the restaurant, a faint hum resonated through the walls. A hidden speaker crackled to life, and a voice—cold, mechanical—echoed through the space: “Warning: Unauthorized access detected. Initiating lockdown protocol.”

  The lights flickered. The cameras, now part of an automated defense system Sumoto had installed long ago, began rotating toward Malcolm’s men. A low drone hummed as the restaurant’s security grid activated, sealing exits and deploying smoke pellets.

  Malcolm cursed, stepping back as the chaos unfolded. “Now you’ve made this personal. There’s no turning back now, Sumoto!”

  Sumoto, still dazed from the stun baton, forced himself to his feet. His eyes met Yuxi’s—full of fear, but also defiance. He mouthed trust me before turning to face Malcolm. “You want a fight? Let’s see how you handle this.”

  He slammed his palm against the counter, triggering a pre-programmed sequence. The ceiling tiles above them shifted, revealing a network of fiber-optic cables. With a flick of his wrist, Sumoto severed the main line. The entire system went dark, plunging the restaurant into chaos.

  Meanwhile in upstate New York…

  Hiroto, watching the live stream on his phone in the safety of his hideout, felt his heart stop. The footage showed Sumoto bleeding, Yuxi crying out, and Malcolm’s men scrambling in the darkness. But then—a flash of light. A hidden camera in the restaurant’s kitchen captured a glimpse of something impossible: Sumoto’s sister, Yuxi, slamming a teacup into one of Malcolm’s henchmen’s face, her eyes glowing faintly with a strange, golden hue.

  Hiroto’s breath caught. That power… He had seen it before in Aiko—the same eerie light that signaled the girls’ “progress” under Malcolm’s control. But Yuxi? She was supposed to be ordinary, just a waitress in her parents’ restaurant.

  The screen flickered as Sumoto’s voice cut through the chaos: “Hiroto! Get out of there—now!”

  But it was too late. The live feed froze mid-scream, replaced by a static-filled message: “Connection lost.”

  Hiroto stared at the black screen, his mind racing. Sumoto and Yuxi were in danger—and whatever Malcolm had done to Aiko, it wasn’t just experiments anymore. It was evolution. And Yuxi… she might be part of it too.

  Malcolm’s game had changed—and so had his.