In the middle of the wilderness, a black armored car sped across the rough terrain.

The road ahead was uneven and filled with cracks, causing the vehicle to shake slightly as it moved through the dense forest. Tall trees surrounded the area from every direction, their shadows covering the narrow path like dark claws reaching toward the car.

Inside the vehicle, the atmosphere was surprisingly calm.

Without warning, the car accelerated straight toward a massive waterfall ahead.

Rose’s eyes widened.

"Wait—WAIT! We’re going to crash!" she shouted.

But Ariel, who was driving, remained completely calm.

The roaring waterfall rapidly approached the vehicle. Water crashed down heavily like a giant curtain, hiding the rocky wall behind it.

Then—

The car passed through the waterfall.

Instead of smashing into solid rock, the vehicle phased through an invisible barrier hidden behind the falling water.

Rose blinked in shock.

The scenery instantly changed.

A long underground tunnel appeared before them, illuminated by dim blue lights embedded into the walls. The passage was massive enough to fit several vehicles side by side. Strange symbols were carved across the metallic walls, giving the entire place a secretive and futuristic feeling.

"Whoa..." Rose pressed herself against the window excitedly. "So this is the way to the Rebel Camp?"

Ever since learning that their parents were still alive, her mood had improved dramatically. The fear and sadness from earlier had mostly disappeared, replaced by excitement and curiosity.

Ariel smiled faintly while keeping her eyes on the road.

"Nope," she replied. "This is only one of the paths."

"One of the paths?" Tansy asked from the passenger seat.

"The real Rebel Camp is hidden far deeper," Ariel explained. "Even the Capital failed to locate its true position after all these years."

Her tone carried a hint of pride.

"The Rebels survived because nobody can find the actual headquarters. Every route leading there changes constantly."

Rose whistled softly.

"That’s kinda cool..."

Meanwhile, while the girls were talking seriously about hidden bases and secret routes, Tyler was peacefully sleeping in the back seat.

Completely unbothered.

His head rested against the window while his arms were crossed casually. The slight shaking of the car didn’t disturb him at all.

Rose stared at him for a second.

"How is he sleeping at a time like this?"

Tansy sighed helplessly.

"He can probably sleep during an apocalypse."

Ariel glanced at Tyler through the rearview mirror.

The sleeping young man looked strangely relaxed despite everything that had happened recently.

Then a teasing smile slowly appeared on Ariel’s face.

"So..." she said casually, "is he your boyfriend?"

Tansy instantly froze.

Her face turned red almost immediately.

"W-What?!"

Before she could deny it properly, Rose quickly leaned forward with a huge grin.

"Nah," she said proudly, "he’s her future brother-in-law."

BONK.

"Ow!"

Rose rubbed the top of her head after Tansy smacked her lightly.

"Tansy!" she complained.

"H-He’s not!" Tansy shouted with an embarrassed face and slightly annoyed with face, "You are too young."

Ariel burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... He seems pretty popular with girls."

Tansy became even redder.

Meanwhile, Tyler continued sleeping peacefully in the back seat, completely unaware that he had become the topic of discussion.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

"Tyler... Wake up..."

Tyler’s body shook slightly.

His eyes slowly opened, only to see Rose leaning close to him with an annoyed expression.

"You sleep too much," she complained.

Tyler let out a long yawn before lazily sitting up from the back seat.

"Mm... five more minutes..."

"No."

He rubbed his eyes and looked around.

The vehicle had already stopped.

They were inside a gigantic circular chamber hidden underground. The ceiling stretched incredibly high above them, covered with steel beams, pipes, and hanging industrial lights. Several armed Rebel soldiers stood nearby while vehicles moved in and out of different tunnels connected to the chamber.

The entire place looked like a secret military base.

Tyler noticed Ariel standing a short distance away, talking with a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat.

No—

They weren’t talking.

They were arguing.

The scientist looked visibly agitated while Ariel crossed her arms coldly, blocking his path. Several soldiers stood behind the man awkwardly as if unsure whose side they should take.

"Are we there?" Tyler asked casually.

"Yeah..." Rose replied before hesitating. "It’s just..."

Tyler narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then he understood.

Ariel wasn’t defending herself.

She was defending him, Tansy, and Rose.

At that moment, Tansy noticed Tyler had woken up and immediately walked toward him.

Her expression looked slightly troubled.

"Looks like your Rebels aren’t very united," Tyler commented lazily.

Tansy sighed helplessly.

"Even inside the Rebel Army, there are different factions," she admitted quietly. "Some people support us. Others think we’re dangerous."

Tyler glanced toward the scientist again.

From the way the man kept pointing at Tansy and Rose nervously, it was obvious what he wanted.

Isolation.

Containment.

Possibly experimentation.

Interestingly...

Nobody seemed to care much about Tyler himself.

To them, Tansy and Rose were the real problem.

"Did you see your parents yet?" Tyler suddenly asked.

Tansy shook her head.

"They said it’ll take time to safely bring them here."

"Hm..."

Tyler nodded calmly.

Then he leaned closer and whispered something into Rose’s ear.

Rose’s eyes widened slightly before she grinned mischievously.

The next second, Tyler casually jumped off the vehicle.

Thud.

The surrounding soldiers immediately became alert and stared at him cautiously.

Tyler ignored every single one of them.

Instead, he stretched his arms and let out another huge yawn as though he had just woken up at home instead of inside a secret rebel base filled with armed people.

Then he casually walked toward Ariel and the scientist.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

The soldiers instinctively gripped their weapons tighter.

Tyler stopped beside Ariel and spoke calmly.

"We can discuss everything after their parents arrive safely."

The scientist immediately frowned.

"That’s not—"

Behind Tyler, Rose suddenly looked directly at the man.

The scientist froze.

His expression instantly softened.

"Ah... yes. Right. Of course," he said awkwardly. "That sounds reasonable."

He quickly adjusted his glasses and turned around.

"Let’s leave for now."

The soldiers behind him looked confused but still followed obediently.

None of them noticed the tiny pink heart shapes briefly appearing inside the scientist’s eyes.

After the group disappeared into another corridor, Ariel let out a tired sigh.

"You really shouldn’t use your abilities so casually here," she warned quietly.

Rose innocently looked away.

Tyler chuckled softly.

Ariel rubbed her forehead.

"That scientist was terrified," she explained. "He suggested locking both girls inside solitary confinement as a precaution."

Tansy’s face darkened slightly.

Tyler, however, remained relaxed.

"Oh?" he said lightly. "Then we’ll have to rely on Madam Ariel to protect us."

Ariel smiled bitterly.

"This situation is partly my fault. I apologize."

She glanced toward the distant corridors before continuing.

"My husband isn’t currently at the base. That’s why certain people are becoming bold."

Her eyes turned colder.

"But don’t worry."

A faint confidence appeared in her voice.

"He’ll return soon."

The nearby soldiers unconsciously straightened their backs after hearing that.

"And when he does," Ariel continued calmly, "those people won’t even dare to speak against us."

"Now follow me. You can all rest at my place," Ariel said warmly.

She led the group toward a massive metallic elevator located at the end of the corridor. The elevator doors opened silently, revealing a surprisingly spacious interior.

Everyone stepped inside.

The doors closed behind them with a soft hiss before the elevator began ascending rapidly.

Numbers flashed across the glowing panel as they moved through countless underground levels.

"Are we still outside?" Tyler suddenly asked while leaning against the wall casually.

"Nope," Rose replied while looking around curiously. "We’re actually very, very deep underground now."

She paused before adding,

"I honestly don’t understand why it isn’t hotter down here."

Tyler’s eyes flickered slightly. He already knew the answer. This world itself was incomplete. A broken fragment without a true planetary core. The normal laws of nature probably no longer functioned properly here. The world functions normally only because of Orion Tesseract.

But Tyler kept those thoughts to himself.

There was no reason to explain something even he barely understood.

The elevator suddenly slowed down.

Then, instead of continuing upward, it began moving horizontally.

Rose blinked in surprise.

"Huh?!"

Through the transparent side panels, they could see countless other elevators traveling in different directions through enormous underground tunnels. Some carried people, while others transported cargo, weapons, or strange machinery.

The entire underground structure resembled a hidden city buried beneath the world.

Soon, the elevator came to a smooth stop.

Ding.

The doors slowly opened.

Ariel stepped forward first before turning around with a smile.

"Welcome to my home."

The group walked out—

And instantly froze.

Behind Ariel was not another underground corridor.

Instead, an enormous artificial world stretched before them.

A bright blue sky covered the ceiling high above, glowing softly like real daylight. Strange tube-shaped houses connected through floating pathways filled the area. Small gardens, streams, and glowing lights gave the entire place a peaceful atmosphere completely different from the cold military base below.