"Alright... our target is inside that flying capsule heading toward the Capital."

A cold voice echoed through the communication channel.

"We already locked onto their position. We’ll ambush them at this point."

A holographic map flickered in the darkness, highlighting a red line cutting across the mountains and forests below. Several dots moved rapidly toward the marked route.

"No," another voice interrupted sharply. "We shouldn’t kill them. Both girls are extremely important. Our main priority is to bring them back alive."

A brief silence followed.

"...Alright. Roger that."

The man ended the communication and accelerated forward.

He rode a sleek black jetbike that tore through the sky like a blade. Crimson flames were painted along its metallic surface, forming the symbol of the Embers—the infamous rebel faction opposing the Capital.

The rider narrowed his eyes beneath his helmet.

Far ahead, barely visible among the clouds, a silver flying capsule moved steadily toward the Capital.

Inside the Capital Intelligence Department, the atmosphere was equally tense.

Large holographic screens displayed maps, surveillance feeds, and moving troop positions. Officers rushed between terminals while alarms quietly pulsed in the background.

"The Rebels are on the move," one intelligence officer reported urgently. "They’re heading toward the Game site extraction route."

At the center of the command room stood a tall commander with silver hair and sharp eyes.

"Deploy the carriers immediately," he ordered without hesitation. "We cannot allow the rebels to obtain those two girls."

"Yes, sir!"

The officers immediately relayed commands.

"What if the rebels capture them first?" someone asked nervously from below.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The commander’s face hardened.

"Then kill them."

Several people visibly stiffened.

"Bring back their DNA samples if necessary."

The words sent chills through the room.

"But... the King specifically ordered us to bring the girls back alive," another officer said cautiously.

The commander closed his eyes for a second before sighing.

"Then pray it doesn’t come to that."

His meaning was obvious.

If the situation spiraled out of control... he would still choose the Capital over the girls’ lives.

---

Meanwhile, high above the clouds, the flying capsule continued its journey peacefully.

Inside, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different from the tension outside.

Tyler sat at a dining table together with Rose and Tansy. Warm lights illuminated the luxurious cabin while soft music played in the background.

Plates of food rested before them.

Rose silently ate while occasionally glancing at the window.

Tansy, meanwhile, looked exhausted but relieved to finally escape the nightmare of the Capital Games.

Only Tyler looked completely calm.

His expression barely changed as invisible nanobots spread throughout the pod, silently intercepting transmissions and scanning nearby signals.

He already knew.

Both the rebels and the Capital were heading toward them.

"Hmm..." Tyler muttered while casually drinking from a glass. "Looks like this won’t be a smooth journey after all."

"What do you mean?" Tansy frowned.

Before Tyler could answer—

The lights suddenly flickered.

Zzzzzzztttt—

Static erupted across the walls.

The entire pod shook lightly.

Rose instinctively stood up.

"What was that?!"

In the adjacent control room, the escorts who came to retrieve them immediately panicked.

"There’s an attack?! What the hell is happening?!" the woman in charge shouted.

"It’s the Rebels!" one of the operators yelled back. "They’re using EMP interference!"

The screens flickered violently.

Outside the windows, even the clouds seemed distorted from the electromagnetic disruption.

Inside the dining area, Tyler slowly placed down his cup.

"It started," he muttered quietly.

The automatic door suddenly slid open.

The female escort hurried inside with a forced smile.

"You three, stay inside this room. There are some... technical problems."

Without waiting for objections, she pushed all three of them into a smaller secured chamber.

The metal door slammed shut behind them.

Beep.

A password lock activated immediately.

Tansy frowned.

"Technical problems? That didn’t sound like technical problems."

Rose looked nervous.

Outside, footsteps rapidly moved through the corridor while warning sirens echoed faintly.

Tyler simply leaned against the wall.

His nanobots had already mapped everything happening outside.

And the situation was becoming dangerous very quickly.

---

Far below, in a rocky mountain region hidden beneath the pod’s flight path, a massive machine was positioned between the cliffs.

It resembled a giant cannon fused with coils, rotating rings, and glowing blue energy lines.

A man adjusted the targeting lens carefully.

"There you are..."

High above the sky, the flying capsule moved directly into his sights.

The machine hummed violently.

Electric arcs crackled around the barrel.

Then—

BOOOOOOMMMMM!

A pulse invisible to the naked eye shot upward.

The flying capsule instantly flickered.

Its engines sputtered.

The lights inside dimmed again.

The man smirked and adjusted the machine further.

A second pulse fired.

This time, the pod completely froze in midair.

Inside the cockpit, panic exploded.

"SHIT! WE’RE DEAD!"

Warning alarms screamed everywhere.

The pod began losing altitude.

But the pilot reacted instantly.

He pulled a giant emergency lever beside his seat.

CLANK!

The roof above the capsule exploded outward as massive emergency parachutes deployed from hidden compartments.

WHOOOOOSH!

The falling pod violently jerked before slowing down.

Instead of crashing, it began descending gradually toward the mountain region below.

The pilot exhaled shakily.

"We’re still alive..."

Outside, the man with the EMP cannon fired a flare into the sky.

A bright crimson light illuminated the clouds.

That was the signal.

Almost immediately, hidden rebel vehicles emerged from forests and mountain tunnels.

Heavy bikes.

Armored transports.

Combat trucks.

All rushing toward the landing point.

---

Back inside the secured room, Tansy paced anxiously.

"This is bad... right?"

Rose hugged herself quietly.

The floor trembled slightly as the pod descended.

Tyler closed his eyes briefly.

Through his nanobots, he could already see dozens of incoming heat signatures approaching from every direction.

Rebels below. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Capital forces above.

And they were caught in the middle.

"We might not make it to the Capital," Rose whispered softly.

Tyler opened his eyes.

"No," he said calmly. "We probably won’t."

Before the girls could react—

Suddenly, Tansy and Rose heard a loud clank behind them.

Both girls instinctively turned around.

A small copper pot rolled across the floor while several silver-colored medicine capsules scattered everywhere.

For a brief second, neither of them understood what they were looking at.

Then their eyes slowly moved upward.

And froze.

Tyler stood there completely naked.

Both Tansy and Rose instantly turned red from head to toe.