BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Erik, who was leading the group, glanced over his shoulder to check that they were still being followed. They managed to get the hell out of the thugs' sight, but it was too soon to breathe sighs of relief.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but the system immediately calmed him down. "Keep moving," he muttered, urging them forward. "We can't stay here."

The group weaved through the crowd, trying to stay together as they made their way through the city's streets. They kept their heads down, avoiding eye contact to prevent anyone who might recognize them from doing so.

Every noise made them jump, and every sudden movement made their hearts race. They couldn't shake the feeling that the Mambas were lurking somewhere nearby, waiting to strike.

Erik kept checking over his shoulder, paranoid that they were being followed.

He was aware that the mission was going to be hard when he accepted Anderson's proposal, but everything went down the drain.

As they turned a corner, they nearly collided with a group of people. The sudden jolt made them stumble, and a wave of panic washed over them. They were in the open, exposed, and vulnerable. They quickly regained their composure and continued on their way, praying that no one had noticed them.

"Hey! You fuckers, where are you going?!" one of the girls said as the group went away.

The Red Palace students quickened their pace, dodging through the crowded streets as they tried to escape far away from the last battle site. Floyd and Aaron were limping while Mikey was clutching his side.

Stella and Martha were holding each other up while Enya could barely stand, and Gwen was unconscious. Benedict and Amber were the only ones who seemed to be holding up well.

"Amber, can we go to your house?" Aaron asked.

"It's too far from here," the woman replied.

"Is there someone who lives around here and that does know you?" Mikey asked, but everyone nodded negatively. The only way for them to survive was to hide, but they couldn't stay on the streets anymore.

It wasn't long before they found themselves on a quieter street with fewer people around. Their luck ended, as the people would help them blend with the surroundings; the problem was that they were moving to the east, which led them to more private places.

"Can't we just ask for help from a nearby person?" Jacob asked. "I bet they would help us."

"And what if they sell us?" Erik said. "No, we can't trust anyone."

Then he tried to remember some places they could use to hide, and it was there that he remembered one.

"There is an area full of abandoned buildings 2 kilometers from here; we can hide there. Follow me," the young man said.

They did as he said, and as they moved, the streets became emptier and emptier. The only good thing was that Brittney's attack at least stopped the thugs from following them, and they were now far enough from them to hide.

That went on until they reached a block they had never been to, but Erik and Aaron knew well where and what it was.

This was the place where the Thaids attacked last time; it was a place of death, where many people died, and where Aaron's father lost his life. The young man saw it the last time he took a taxi.

This was the ideal place to hide, as many abandoned buildings were partially destroyed. If they chose the hiding place well, they would be safe.

The deserted street the kids had just entered sharply contrasted with the bustling ones they had left behind. The tall, gray buildings loomed overhead, casting deep shadows on the cracked pavement below.

The few streetlights flickered weakly, illuminating the surrounding darkness with a sickly orange glow.

The air was thick with the stench of decay and neglect as if the street had been abandoned for years. Empty storefronts lined the sidewalk, their windows boarded up with wood.

A few broken street signs hung limply from rusted metal poles; their letters were barely visible in the dim light.

The only sounds were the distant hum of traffic and the occasional scurry of the small animals, who had left the area and were hiding in the shadows.

It was as if the street had been forgotten by time and left to decay on its own. Even the graffiti on the walls seemed faded and worn as if the artists who had painted them had long since moved on.

The truth was that the mayor was currently constructing everything from scratch here since most of the buildings had been destroyed by the monsters.

They could observe many working sites in the surroundings. Erik's eyes scanned one of them, taking in the heavy machinery and piles of construction materials.

Towering cranes reached up towards the sky, their metal frames glistening in the sunlight. The sound of beeping trucks and clanging metal echoed through the air.

With their sharp blades and intimidating size, massive bulldozers were parked in a neat line, waiting to be put to work. Erik could see piles of bricks, cement bags, and steel bars stacked neatly next to the construction site's entrance.

As the kids walked further down the street, they felt a growing sense of unease. It was as if they were trespassing in a forbidden place, a place where they did not belong. They quickened their pace, eager to leave the deserted street behind and return to the city's safety.

It was then that Erik saw a good hiding spot. It was an inconspicuous wooden building behind an apartment complex.

Erik quickly alerted the others and pointed to the abandoned building he had spotted. They ran towards it, weaving through the deserted streets until they reached the entrance.

The door was locked, but Aaron forced it open. That was not an unusual sight around those parts, so it didn't make a difference for them.

The building was dark and damp, with a musty odor that made Erik's nose wrinkle in disgust. The floorboards creaked beneath their feet as they cautiously made their way through the corridors, trying to make as little noise as possible. The only sound was the soft thud of their footsteps and the occasional water drip from a leaky pipe.

"Let's go to the top floor; we will be able to keep the surroundings under watch," Erik said, and that was what they did.

The problem was that Enya, Jacob, and Stella started crying as soon as they arrived. That was normal since they had never faced such situations. Amber and the others did once, so they knew what to expect. However, it was clear that everything took a heavy toll on their minds.

They all knew the people who died by years; they went to school together, trained together, and competed with each other, and losing them was hard. That was especially the case for Aaron and Mikey, who lost their best friend.

Enya, Stella, and Jacob sat in a circle, their eyes red and puffy from crying. They were all still in shock over what had happened, unable to fully comprehend that Patricia, Brittney, and the others were gone.

"I can't believe this is happening," Enya said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Stella shook her head in agreement. "It's just not fair. They didn't deserve this."

Jacob let out a deep sigh. "I don't know what we're going to do now. We're down so many members, and we don't even know if the thugs have more people coming after us."

Enya wiped away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. "We should call for help now; we couldn't until now since we had to run, but this is our chance."

Stella nodded. "Amber, where is your father's team?"

"I just sent him a text message telling him where we are. The team should have departed by now, so it's just a matter of time until they arrive."

Jacob looked up with a small glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Good…"

As they sat there in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, the anger and frustration began to boil over, and their fear settled down.

"This is all just so messed up," Jacob said, his voice rising angrily. "Why did Nathaniel's father do that? Why did he think one of us killed Nathaniel? He was a prick, yes, and everyone hated him, but to go as far as to kill him? I don't think anyone would have been able to do that, even considering what we have done at the Red Lotus Lounge. It doesn't make sense!"

Stella nodded. "That is true, but I think something happened that made him think that was the case. Maybe he had been really killed by someone."