All night long, Noir didn't sleep.
Her red-and-blue eyes stayed quietly open, watching every small movement inside the house. Orion snored comfortably in a corner, Kaelith curled up while hugging her small knife, and Specter couldn't fall asleep either. He leaned against a chair, glasses already removed, lashes trembling slightly, sometimes tilting his head to look in her direction.
Noir pretended not to notice.
What kept weighing on her mind was the feeling that something was always watching them. She knew, if she let her suspicion about that signal device surface, the whole group would fall straight into panic. And that would only please whoever was tracking them, while also making it easier to narrow down their location.
It was a quiet battle inside her own head.
Outside, the night still wrapped everything tightly.
Tonight, there wasn't even any wind…
The next morning, when everyone gathered around the wooden table for breakfast, Ari prepared a few simple dishes for them.
"Eat more." *handing over bread*
Noir gently set her cup down.
"We shouldn't stay here long. With their technology, tracking us won't take much time."
Hearing that, the group agreed instinctively. Then Doctor Aurel spoke up.
"I remember there's an old laboratory nearby. It was once used to research special drugs for defective products. It's abandoned now. But the structure is reinforced, and there's a food storage bunker. It's safer here."
Orion raised a brow, propping one leg on the chair, still wearing his usual playful look.
"Sounds like a game. Waiting here for them to sniff us out just means more blood on my hands."
Kaelith widened her eyes, her voice still childlike.
"There's really a place like that? Like… a fortress?"
Specter stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Let's finish breakfast first."
Noir nodded lightly as well, her gaze still cold and guarded.
After breakfast, the small house quickly became busy.
The doctor and his wife packed necessary equipment: metal boxes full of components, signal scanners, and notebooks only they could understand.
Ari carefully wrapped everything, her blue eyes briefly glancing at Noir. When their gazes met, Noir simply turned away, revealing nothing.
Orion chuckled, slinging a heavy crate onto his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
"Feels like an emergency move. The good thing that I'm still strong."
Kaelith struggled with several packs of medicine, jogging along as she asked.
"Orion, does the new place have beds? Are there insects? I really hate them…"
"Bad luck for you then, " Orion laughed.
"There's tons of bugs there. They'll probably carry you away."
Specter silently helped the doctor secure devices into a steel case. Before leaving, he leaned slightly toward Noir.
"Noir, do you need to bring anything? I can carry it for you."
She answered shortly.
"Bring the sound-detection kit."
Specter nodded.
The journey took nearly half a day.
They moved through forest trails, staying far from main roads. When night fell, a rusted steel structure finally appeared before them, buried under thick vegetation.
They shone their flashlights around, seeing vines completely covering the entrance. Orion and Specter cleared them away, then Doctor Aurel stepped forward to activate the bunker—but time had taken its toll. The outer system no longer worked, so they had to force it open.
The outer steel door screeched loudly as Orion and Specter pushed together. Inside was another stainless steel door. This time, the doctor entered the old passcode.
Luckily—it worked.
The bunker below was pitch dark, but the concrete path downward was still intact.
The doctor set the equipment down and let out a long breath.
"It's old… but this place can hold for a while."
Ari smiled softly at him, her eyes gentle.
"At least the children don't have to keep running."
Noir entered last. Her red eye flickered briefly as she scanned the area, checking every corner. Just like the doctor said—sealed, secure.
Still, her caution never faded.
Unlike its rusted, gloomy exterior, the interior was shockingly modern.
Hidden neon lights switched on automatically, casting a cold white-blue glow. Pipes covered the ceiling, alloy walls gleamed clean, and automatic doors slid open as if they'd just been maintained.
Orion whistled.
"Damn… from outside it looks like a junk pile. Inside it's like a rich villain's base."
Kaelith's eyes sparkled in awe.
"Oh wow… it's clean, bright, and there's electricity! This is amazing!"
Specter stepped in slowly, his hand brushing the cold metal wall.
"VOID built this to last for years… It's a fortress."
The doctor looked around, slightly shaken, then recognized familiar symbols engraved into the walls.
"That's right… this used to be a processing station for 'defective products.' I didn't think it'd still be intact."
Noir walked slowly through the hallway. The power and water systems still worked. Each private room had beds, desks, even a stockpile of dry food and medicine neatly stored underground.
"We'll stay here for a while," Noir said firmly.
"It's safer than anywhere else out there."
Orion leaned back against the steel wall, laughing.
"Guess that means… we got a new home."
…
No one knew it—
Their path had already appeared on VOID's screen.
Every sound…
Every movement they made…