The corridor erupted into chaos as Lea and her companions clashed with the guards. Lea’s body hardened into its impenetrable form, her fists smashing into her enemies with bone-crushing force. She felt the familiar rush of adrenaline, her senses sharpening with each blow.

Yumi darted between the guards, her blades flashing as she struck with deadly precision. Her movements were a blur, too fast for the human eye to follow. She moved like a shadow, her strikes leaving a trail of fallen enemies in her wake.

Hiroshi, with his immense strength, bulldozed through the guards, his fists like sledgehammers. He roared with fury, each punch sending his enemies flying. The corridor shook with the force of his blows, the walls echoing with the sounds of battle.

With fierce determination, Lea assumed the frontlines, her mind focused on one goal: escape. She blocked a guard’s strike with her hardened torso, countering with a powerful punch that sent him crashing to the ground. She spun around, her fist connecting with another guard’s jaw, shattering it with a sickening crunch.

But more guards kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless. Lea’s muscles burned with effort, but she refused to back down. She fought with everything she had, her body a whirlwind of strength and power.

Yumi and Hiroshi fought beside her, their teamwork impeccable. They covered each other’s backs, their movements synchronized. They were a force to be reckoned with, their combined strength pushing back the tide of guards.

But despite their efforts, the guards were relentless. Natsuki could see the strain in Yumi’s eyes, the fatigue in Hiroshi’s movements. They were fighting a losing battle.

"We need to find another way out!" Lea shouted, her voice barely audible over the sounds of battle.

Yumi nodded, her eyes scanning the corridor. "This way!" she called, pointing to a side passage. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Lea and Hiroshi followed her, their bodies moving on instinct. They fought their way through the guards, their movements growing more desperate with each passing second. They had to escape, or they would be captured again.

As they turned down the side passage, they found themselves in a large chamber. The walls were lined with monitors and scientific equipment, the air thick with the scent of chemicals. In the center of the room stood a large metal door, their only way out.

"We have to get through that door!" Lea shouted, charging towards it.

But before they could reach it, a group of elite guards appeared, their armor gleaming in the dim light. They were stronger and faster than the regular guards, their eyes filled with cold determination.

And to top it all off, they were the select few that the captain had chosen as the strongest Hybrids in the stronghold.

Lea’s heart sank, but that didn’t stop her from steeling her resolve as she assumed her fighting stance.

If the strongest were here, then they just have to defeat them and their escape would be back in the picture. It was that easy... or so that’s what Lea thought to herself as she tried to be optimistic.

With that thought in mind, Lea charged forward, spurring the others to spring into action as well. Their teamwork was now akin to a well-oiled machine. This was it, their final stand.

Either they see their escape through or die trying.

—

Meanwhile, the captain could be seen sitting by his office with a smile plastered on his face. As soon as the alarms resounded all throughout his office, he was already informed about the escape attempt of the prisoners.

Normally, the captain would be in a state of panic at this point, assembling his elite guards and doing everything in his power to stop the escape. After all, the Hybrids were an invaluable asset to the West Yamanashi Stronghold.

Just experimenting with them alone would yield great results and further their advancements and understanding of the virus. Objectively, this should’ve been an alarming situation for the captain.

Nevertheless, he remained calm. Everything was within his calculations, and he knew that no matter how hard they struggled, things would work out as planned. In fact, he didn’t even need to use his trump card of gathering all the Hybrids available in the stronghold, or pitting them with one of the Omega Zombies the stronghold had imprisoned.

"I guess it’s time for phase three." He said to himself as his lips devilishly curled up.

—

"Guys, I just got a good idea." Lea called out as her eyes turned a darker shade of red. What she had in mind was definitely a risk, but knowing herself, she knew she could pull it off.

If she let go of her anxiousness and went all in on the fight like a rabid dog, she knew that it was possible.

"What is it?" Yumi asked. Nevertheless, she already knew what Lea had to say. Based on her expression, it was clear that she was planning something far riskier than they had imagined.

"You guys go on ahead, I’ll follow shortly after." Lea forced a smile on her face as she charged forward, barreling towards the group of elite guards and pushing them out of the way thanks to her Bulwark capabilities.

"Natsuki-san!" Yumi screamed since it was already pretty clear she intended to get left behind. However, before she could run up to her, Hiroshi grabbed her by the arm, dragging her away.

"Trust in our squad captain, Yumi, she’ll definitely make it out alive." Hiroshi gritted his teeth. Notwithstanding his doubts, he assumed Lea’s position and took the lead, all of them safely getting out of the building where they were in.

One of the elite guards tried to outmaneuver Lea, but she was faster than him. It was thanks to their drills when they were still in training that Lea had become a somewhat speedy Bulwark.

"Not on my watch." Lea’s eyes glowed in the natural light of the corridor.

A flash, and then one of the elite guards fell on the ground with a bite mark on his neck. It was all so fast that the other elite guards didn’t even catch Lea’s movements.

"Now, who’s next?"

From the windows, Lea could see the her group making their way out of there. Since the elite guards were occupied at the moment, the group made easy work with the other weaker Hybrids who stood on their way.

Giving herself a pat on the back, she continued with the onslaught, not daring to give the Hybrids some space for a breather. It didn’t take long before she had bitten more than half of them.

BAM!

CRACK!

A powerful blow struck her from behind, sending her crashing to the ground. Lea gasped in pain, her body trembling with exhaustion.

As she struggled to get up, she felt a heavy weight pinning her down. The elite guards had captured her, their grips unyielding. She fought against them, but her strength was gone.

"We have her," one of the guards said, his voice cold and emotionless.