The lab's eerie silence was broken only by the hum of Luca's scanner as he sifted through encrypted files salvaged from the shattered consoles.
Ava crouched beside him, eyes narrowed, the flicker of golden flames illuminating her focused expression.
"This… this is Winterglass's work," Luca murmured, fingers trembling as he decrypted the data. "A secret project codenamed 'Nemesis.' They engineered the Viral Shadow as a bioweapon — to control the population through fear and infection."
Kaela's jaw tightened. "No wonder they've been hunting us so relentlessly."
Outside, the faint rumble of engines approached, growing louder — the unmistakable sound of Winterglass's drones.
"No time to waste," Noah said, drawing his weapon. "They found us."
Sable's eyes scanned the dim corridors. "We have to move — now."
Ava's gaze hardened with resolve. "We know their plan. Now we fight it. For the city. For freedom."
As alarms blared and red lights bathed the lab in a hellish glow, the team prepared to make a stand — the battle for the city's soul reaching a fever pitch.
Darkness may surround them, but their fire would never die.
To be continued...