Chapter 330 Spotted

"What happened up there then, if you don't mind me asking?" One of the adventurers asked.

"We were sent to aid the Techs with fixing the light system in Zone 1R." Liz answered. "The Shifters sprung a trap and our friend was scouting at the end of Zone 1R. We got separated from him and multiple Shifters came after us."

"We had to get the Techs out but they all stayed behind to fight the Shifters while I guided the Techs out. I tried to come back but Ms. Victoria told me I couldn't go back. I was to await orders at the top." Ritsuka continued.

"We managed to secure one of the Shifters and kill the other one." Manny told them. "When I saw that wall go down at the end of the Zone, Lee Seng was gone. Everything was gone. No supportive columns, no trace of the two Shifters that fused together, no Lee Seng. Not a clue left."

"His comm jewelry pinged him on the Fourth Floor. It's actually still there… In an odd spot that isn't mapped." Chan-Yeol continued. The group of adventurers all looked at him. "We're headed to that spot in hopes that Lee Seng is there. If he isn't, we'll find the comm ring and come back up like planned." The adventurers all knew what the students were going through. The anxiety, the uneasy feeling, the emotions that came with potentially losing a team member. They watched as Manny and Evan kept their heads down. Manny trying to fight his emotions while Evan hung his in shame.

The others seemingly kept their poker faces on. They hung onto the small hope that he would be alive. He would be down there. <strong>He would be fine</strong>. Loud screams alerted everyone, turning their attention to a blood stained woman as she stopped and caught her breath.

"I need medics now! My team! They're… They're hurt." She pointed behind her. A large group of adventurers pulled away and followed after her.

'This is the reality of adventuring.' Chan-Yeol sighed. He turned to look as a random assortment of people moved with the woman to gather her injured teammates. 'I will have to ask some questions and assess the situation. I need information if I can potentially get someone who recognizes Lee Seng.'

The bloody group came back, being pushed into one of the buildings. It was a set-up hospital. The medics/healers went in, leaving the bloody woman behind with the rest of the adventurers.

"You guys sit for a bit." Chan-Yeol told Zephyr. "I need to make sure they're all right and ask her some questions. Don't run off. If you do, we're going back, alright?"

"Yes, sir." The group mumbled. Some of them began to sat as Ritsuka watched with arms folded. He leaned against the stone wall and watched as Chan-Yeol made his way over.

"'Scuse me." Chan-Yeol pushed through the group to the woman. She was wiping away tears as she silently cried. Chan-Yeol sat next to her as someone placed a water bottle in her hands.

"Drink it." They told her. She hesistated and took a large gulp of water. She downed the whole bottle, bits of water dripping off her face as she wiped the water and blood away.

"What happened down there? Where are you coming from?" Chan-Yeol asked. The woman looked up and gave Chan-Yeol a small salute.

"Seventh Floor, sir. We were tasked with finding the lost group." The bloodied woman spoke. "Something bad has happened, sir. Corrupted creatures linger down there. They guard a large opening in the floor that leads deeper underground… M-my team and I stumbled upon the opening. Hundreds of goblins were dead. A single humanoid was standing amongst them."

"What were they wearing? Did you get any facial features?" Chan-Yeol asked.

"A black suit with gold lines across its chest and white lines along its legs and back area. The lines looked like nano coding. His eyes were… Those eyes… They looked dead." The woman shuddered. Another water bottle was set on the table where she sat as Chan-Yeol and the others listened. Ritsuka and the group had made their way over and were listening in on this.

"By chance, did you see someone like this?" Chan-Yeol pulled the picture of Lee Seng up. As soon as the woman saw it, she panicked and tried to protect herself. Chan-Yeol slipped the phone back and tried to get a hold of the woman..

"Get away from me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Please, have mercy! We aren't mosnters! We aren't monsters!" The woman screamed.

"Calm down." Chan-Yeol spoke. "Did he have a tail? Do you remember a tail?" The woman shook her head.

"Why are you looking for a monster? That thing is a monster!" She screamed.

"Hey calm down." An adventurer spoke. The adventurer tried to console her but she quickly pulled her weapon and cocked the gun at them.

"Stay away from me!" She shouted. The adventurers moved back.

"Woah!" The adventurer spoke with their hands up. "It-It's fine. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"GET THE FUCK OFF!" Her finger started to pull the trigger when Chan-Yeol quickly covered the gun. The gun went off and a shimmer went off in Chan-Yeol's hand. The woman looked up and realized Chan-Yeol was standing in front of her. "S-s-s-sir…" She looked at the hand as Chan-Yeol quickly pulled the gun away from her.

"Get her into the hospital." Chan-Yeol ordered. Two adventurers grabbed her and pulled her up and out of the seat. They moved to the hospital as she, wide-eyed, stared at Chan-Yeol. He removed the gun, bullet dropping. She noticed his hand wasn't bleeding and he pulled the ammo out and handed it to someone to deal with.

"S-s-sir… I—"

"Rest for now." Chan-Yeol calmly spoke. "You didn't hurt me. I will handle this." He turned around and noticed Ritsuka and the others pulling away from the group.

"He's in the Seventh Floor?" Liz whispered.

"He must've came from the Eighth Floor." Manny adamantly said.

"But you heard her!" Olivia motioned. "His eyes looked dead. How could his eyes look like that?"

"We have to find him." Manny insisted. "We have to!"

"But you heard Chan-Yeol. We're only going to the Fourth Floor." Ritsuka reminded them.

"Don't you want to save him?!? Aren't you his friend, too?"

"Manny, we aren't on opposite sides." Evan reminded him.

"You're the one who didn't want to come in the first place. You had to sit in that room and think about it. What're you so scared of? If you don't want to go then get out!" Manny motioned. Ritsuka sighed and stepped in between Manny and Evan.

"Hey, don't be a dick." Ritsuka's voice turned serious. "We all want to see him, again, but we're not qualified to even be that far down. Hell, we're not even supposed to be going to the Fourth Floor. Do we need to remind you we only got this chance because Mr. Kato is willing to let us go? Do you want us to go back to the Academy and be locked up?" Manny lurched forward, swinging at Ritsuka.

Ritsuka caught Manny's hand and immediately threw Manny onto the ground, pinning him on the ground.

"Ritsuka!" Liz shouted. "W-what're you doing?"

"You know we all want to save him! I want to save him, Manny!" Ritsuka shouted. "Don't push your personal feelings onto the team and jepardize the mission further!"

"Enough!" Chan-Yeol moved pass the group and pulled Ritsuka away. Manny immediately tried to swing, but Chan-Yeol quickly shimmered, blocking the attack as he whipped the dagger on his side out. He pointed the blade at Manny. "Valentin stand down. Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of the mission."

"Why would you even care? You're on orders from Akio." Manny spat in Chan-Yeol's face. Chan-Yeol quickly grabbed Manny and threw him into the wall. The group of people watching yelped as Chan-Yeol stood up and threw the dagger at Manny.

"SIR!" Zephyr screamed. The dagger landed inches from Manny's face, embedding itself in the stone.

"Valentin, do not test me." Chan-Yeol hissed. He moved and grabbed Manny, pulling him out of the wall and holding his shirt tight. Manny smiled, spitting blood onto Chan-Yeol.

"You're just some whore who bends his ass over to Akio. You don't even understand—" Manny began to speak when Chan-Yeol slammed Manny back into the wall. The stones crumbled around him as Chan- Yeol pulled his dagger out and pointed it at Manny.

"My loyalty to Kato doesn't have anything to do with this, Valentin. Last I remembered, you hated Kato because Chang actually loved him more than you." Chan-Yeol spoke. Manny's face froze. Chan-Yeol nodded. "That's what I thought." He slipped the dagger back and pulled cuffs out of his pouch. He put them on Manny and pulled him out of the wall. Manny stumbled around, shocked.

'W— How did he… What just…' Manny's brain lagged. He couldn't process what was happening.

"S-sir!" Liz shouted. Chan-Yeol turned to see the group in their same exact spots. "P-please don't hurt him anymore."

"Valentin is just a spoiled brat who needs to know his place. He's blown your opportunity to find your friend. I am pulling us out. You all understand?" Chan-Yeol asked, sternly.

"Y-yes, sir." Thee group all answered. Ritsuka balled his fist.

'It's better this way.' Ritsuka told himself. 'They won't get to see the Protocol… I'm pretty sure that's the Protocol Lee Seng spoke about… I wonder what happened. Lee Seng, please wake up and come back to us.'