The walk back to Ethan's apartment felt tense, like danger was stalking them from every shadow.
The girl kept glancing behind them. Ethan kept her close, scanning every corner, every parked car, every passerby. He couldn't risk being ambushed again.
When they reached his building, she whispered, "Is it… okay for me to go inside?"
"You'll be safer," Ethan said. "The system won't stop until the mission is over."
"The… system?" she repeated.
Ethan froze.
He hadn't meant to say it out loud.
Before he could answer, the system itself interrupted.
DING.
[CAUTION: Revealing system information to civilians may affect future missions.]
[Proceed carefully.]
The girl blinked at him. "…Ethan?"
He exhaled slowly. "I'll explain later. For now, just trust me."
She hesitated—but nodded.
Inside the apartment, Ethan locked the door, then checked the windows, the kitchen, the bathroom—every corner.
Only when he was sure they were alone did he let himself breathe.
She stood awkwardly in the living room, clutching the hem of her shirt. "I've never been chased like that before…"
"Me neither," Ethan said.
He sat on the edge of the couch, wincing from his bruises.
She approached him slowly. "Let me see."
"It's fine."
"It's not."
Before he could argue, she gently lifted his sleeve. His arm was already swollen, purple spreading beneath the skin.
She inhaled sharply. "You need ice."
"It's nothing."
"Ethan. You fought three men for me."
He fell silent.
She got up and fetched a bag of ice from the freezer, pressing it against his arm.
He hissed quietly.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"It's okay."
Silence settled between them.
Then she asked the question he'd been dreading:
"Why are they after me?"
Ethan paused.
"I think… because of what happened earlier. They saw your face. You called the police. They want payback."
She looked down, trembling.
"And you got dragged into this because of me."
Ethan shook his head. "You didn't drag me into anything. The system… it puts me in these situations."
She looked confused but didn't press.
The system chimed again.
[MISSION CHECK-IN]
[Time remaining: 02:11:42]
[Threat proximity: Medium]
Ethan stiffened.
Medium?
That meant the thugs were closer than he thought.
He got up quickly and closed the curtains.
"Are they coming back?" she asked, voice cracking.
"They might."
Her hands tightened.
"Then… what should we do?"
Ethan looked around his small apartment. There were no weapons, no hiding places, and no easy escape routes. But giving up wasn't an option.
He needed to survive.
She needed to survive.
The timer wouldn't stop for either of them.
He checked the hallway peephole.
Empty.
But the system flashed a warning:
[CAUTION: Threat movement detected within 200 meters.]
[Prepare for confrontation.]
His pulse quickened.
"They found us," he whispered.
The girl covered her mouth, eyes wide with fear.
Ethan approached her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
She nodded shakily. "Then… I'll stay right behind you."
The system chimed once more:
[OBJECTIVE UPDATE:]
[Protect the target until mission ends.]
[Threat approaching rapid proximity.]
Knuckles pounded on the door.
Three times.
Hard.
Heavy.
The same voice growled from outside.
"Open the door, hero."
The girl froze.
Ethan stepped between her and the door, fists clenched, heart pounding.
He had two hours left.
Two hours until sunrise.
Two hours until the mission ended.
Two hours to survive—
—against men who didn't plan on letting him live that long.