Lisa smiled knowingly, her eyes soft but teasing. "Why not? It’s a perfect opportunity, Sarah. You like him, don’t you?"

Sarah’s face burned. She opened her mouth to deny it, but no words came out. Her gaze drifted back to Andrey—still on the phone, still smiling faintly, his posture relaxed in a way she rarely saw.

Andrey slipped the phone back into his pocket, his expression composed as he walked back toward the group. The faint smile still lingered at the corners of his lips, but his usual calm had returned.

Sarah crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed. "Who was that?"

Andrey adjusted his glasses. "Hope. She wanted to check on our status after the double gate. And to inform me that the Association has scheduled a debriefing for tomorrow morning."

Sein raised an eyebrow. "A debriefing? For clearing a C-rank gate?"

"They’re interested in the double gate phenomenon," Andrey explained. "It’s rare, and the Association wants to document it. We’re the only team that has firsthand experience with one in recent months."

Lisa nodded slowly, though her gaze flickered between Sarah and Andrey. "That makes sense. We should be prepared to explain what we saw."

Sarah didn’t look convinced. Her arms remained crossed, her foot tapping against the grass. "Hope could have just texted that. Why did she need to call?"

Andrey met her gaze evenly. "Because she also wanted to make sure we were all alive and uninjured. Is that a problem?"

Sarah’s cheeks flushed slightly. She looked away. "No. Whatever. Let’s just go home." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Sein snorted, but said nothing. She was already walking toward the exit portal, her crimson dress fading back into her casual clothes as she crossed the threshold.

Lisa hurried after her, glancing back at Andrey with a small, reassuring smile.

They climbed into the van, Andrey pulling open the door for the women before making his way to the front passenger seat. The driver, a middle-aged man with a weathered face and calm eyes, nodded at him as he settled in.

"Thanks," Andrey said, buckling his seatbelt. "Sorry for troubling you so often. I know our schedule is unpredictable."

The driver waved a hand, pulling the van smoothly onto the road. "Don’t worry about it. This is my job. Besides, you heroes keep the city safe. The least I can do is drive you around."

Andrey was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Do you know anyone who sells reliable vehicles? Something we could use for ourselves. More flexibility, less waiting."

The driver glanced at him, then back at the road. "I might know someone. Good quality, fair prices. Though I can’t promise the cost will be within your budget."

"That’s fine." Andrey adjusted his glasses. "Money isn’t an issue. I’m also looking for a few specific models. I’d appreciate the introduction."

Behind them, Lisa watched the exchange with a soft smile. "His communication skills are as good as ever," she murmured to Sarah. "He’s so natural at this."

Sarah crossed her arms, watching Andrey’s profile through the gap between the seats. "Of course. He dealt with clients all the time back at the office. That’s just how he is."

Lisa leaned closer to Sarah, lowering her voice to a whisper. "By the way, Sarah... if you’re not going to ask him out, I will."

Sarah’s eyes widened. She turned to Lisa, her voice also dropping. "What? But you already—last time—"

Lisa’s cheeks flushed, but she held her ground. "I still want to spend time with him. Besides, it’s been a week since our last date. I miss him."

She glanced past Sarah at Sein, who was staring out the window, her orange hair catching the afternoon light. "What about you, Sein? Do you want to ask Andrey on a date too?"

Sein didn’t turn from the window. Her jaw tightened slightly, but before she could respond—

A massive explosion rocked the street ahead.

The driver swore, wrenching the wheel. The van swerved hard, tires screeching. Lisa grabbed Sarah’s arm. Sarah braced against the seat. Sein’s hand shot out, bracing against the ceiling.

Andrey’s phone buzzed violently in his pocket. He yanked it out, eyes scanning the screen.

Emergency Alert! Gate detected – Rank A. Location: Central Plaza, 500 meters ahead. All available heroes are to respond immediately. Civilians in the area must evacuate. Repeat – Gate Rank A. Proceed with extreme caution.

"Rank A?" Sarah’s voice was sharp with disbelief. "That’s way above our level!"

Andrey’s jaw tightened. He looked at the driver. "Pull over. Let us out here. Get yourself to safety."

The driver nodded, already maneuvering toward the curb. "Be careful in there."

The moment the van stopped, the four of them spilled out onto the sidewalk. The sky ahead was turning purple, the clouds swirling around a growing vortex. Screams echoed from the plaza. People ran, clutching children, abandoning cars.

Sarah had already transformed, her pink dress shimmering as she raised her wand. "Ugh... and here I was hoping to get home quickly," she grumbled, her eyes scanning the chaos ahead.

Sein cracked her neck, her crimson gauntlets flaring to life. "Pathetic. Can’t even have one peaceful day."

Andrey adjusted his glasses, his voice calm despite the rising panic around them. "Stay calm. We’re close to the city center. There are bound to be high-rank heroes nearby. For now, our priority is evacuating civilians. Keep them safe until reinforcements arrive."

A screech cut through the air. From the swirling purple gate, creatures began to emerge—lizard-like monsters with reptilian eyes and long, forked tongues. Their scales glistened with dark mana, and their claws scraped against the pavement as they lunged toward the fleeing crowd.

One of them snatched a fallen briefcase, tossing it aside, then turned its hungry gaze on a woman clutching a child.

Sein’s eyes flashed. "I’m not exactly an expert at rescue missions... but if there’s a monster in front of me, I’ll kill it."

She started forward.

Andrey grabbed her arm. "Sein, wait! That’s an A-rank creature. You’re still only C-rank—"

Sein jerked free, not looking back. "I don’t care about ranks."

She shot forward, her gauntlet connecting with the lizard’s jaw. The impact sent the creature staggering, but it didn’t fall. It hissed, swiping at her with a clawed hand.

Sein ducked, barely evading, and drove her other fist into its ribs. Crimson flames erupted, scorching its scales. The lizard recoiled, but only for a moment.

Lisa, still in her mint-green dress, hurried to Andrey’s side. "Andrey, go after her! Stop her from doing anything reckless! Sarah and I will handle the civilians."

Andrey hesitated, glancing at Sarah.

Sarah nodded, her wand already raised. "Go. We’ve got this."

Andrey sprinted after Sein, katana already in hand. "Sein! Don’t charge in blindly!"

But Sein was already engaging a second lizard, her gauntlets blazing. "Stay back, Glasses! This is my fight!"

"Like hell it is!"

Andrey slid beside her, katana flashing as he deflected a claw aimed at her side. The impact jarred his arms, but he held. His regeneration skill was already working, knitting the small cuts that appeared on his skin.

Sarah and Lisa moved in the opposite direction, herding civilians toward a side street. Sarah’s Heartstorm Tempest kept the lizards at a distance, while Lisa’s barriers shielded the fleeing families.

"Move! Keep moving! Don’t look back!" Sarah shouted, her wand firing pink blasts to discourage a creature that was getting too close.

Lisa reinforced a barrier around a group of elderly civilians, her face pale with concentration. "There are so many of them... where are the high-rank heroes?!"

In the distance, sirens wailed. Association vehicles were approaching, but they were still minutes away.

Minutes that felt like hours.

Sein drove her fist into another lizard’s chest, but the creature barely flinched. It grabbed her arm and threw her into a parked car. The windows shattered, and Sein groaned, pushing herself up.

Andrey was there, helping her to her feet. "Sein, you need to listen to me. We can’t take these things head-on. We need to fall back, regroup—"

"Fall back?" Sein spat blood. "And let them kill more people? No."

She lunged again, and Andrey had no choice but to follow.