Five years had passed since Lindsey was brought to the Houdoug residence. Tonight, at a hospital somewhere in the city of Surabaya, where Lindsey now lived.
"Come on, hurry up," said someone, his voice low and commanding, like a grown man leading the way.
And indeed, the silhouettes of three figures could be seen creeping through the dim, nearly lightless hospital corridor. Since we don't know their names yet, let's call them Rob1, Rob2, and Rob3.
Rob1 pressed his palm flat against the wall and slowly dragged it along the surface, feeling his way through the cold, rough concrete as if searching for a gap or some difference in texture that didn't belong.
"What exactly are you doing, boss?" Rob2 asked, tilting his head as he shuffled over to Rob1 with uncertain steps.
Hearing that, Rob1 growled. "SHUT IT!!" he snapped, whipping his head around to glare at Rob2.
"Can't you see I'm looking for the opening?" Rob1 continued in a biting tone, jabbing his finger toward the wall.
Rob3 stepped carefully toward where Rob1 was standing. He bent down and leaned his head in to get a better look at the wall being examined.
"There's nothing here?" Rob3 asked, eyebrow raised, eyes narrowed.
"That's exactly why I'm still looking," Rob1 shot back, moving in closer.
"Move," he said, shoving Rob3's shoulder aside to make room.
Rob1 pressed his palm and ear back against the wall, holding himself close, listening and feeling.
"Instead of just standing there, start doing the same thing!" Rob1 ordered without turning around.
Rob2 and Rob3 startled, exchanged a quick glance, then hurriedly pressed their own hands against different sections of the wall and began feeling along the surface.
"A-alright!" they replied in unison.
Time passed. After more than half an hour of creeping along the corridor and pressing their hands against nearly every inch of the wall, Rob2 suddenly felt something different under his palm. He stopped and pressed in closer to examine the spot.
"Boss, boss!" Rob2 called out, bouncing slightly on his feet, his hand pointing to the area with excitement.
"What?" Rob1 asked, striding over quickly.
"There's something here, boss!" Rob2 replied, patting the section of the wall that felt off.
Rob1 stepped forward and shoved Rob2 out of the way. "Move, move!" he barked, then studied the spot Rob2 had found with intense focus.
Rob3 leaned in, resting an arm on the wall to peer in closer. "What are you going to do, boss?" he asked, watching carefully.
Rob1 slipped his hand into his trouser pocket. His fingers searched around inside, then pulled out a small, square-shaped object. It was a piece of clear plastic, slightly frosted.
Carefully, Rob1 pressed it against the surface Rob2 had pointed out. The moment it made contact, a mechanical hum rang out from somewhere deep inside the wall.
Then, the floor beneath them shifted and descended, forming a staircase on its own. A hidden underground space slowly opened up before them.
All three stumbled back a few steps. "Wh-what the...?" Rob1 murmured, eyes wide.
After a few frozen seconds, Rob1 stepped forward first, making his way down the stairs with careful, deliberate steps. Rob2 and Rob3 followed close behind, moving just as slowly.
"Uwah..." they murmured almost at the same time, eyes sweeping across the vast room below.
And it was quite something. The place looked like an abandoned laboratory. Dozens of chemical bottles and scientific equipment were scattered across dusty metal tables. The sharp smell of chemicals hung thick in the air, stinging the nose slightly, though it didn't seem to bother them much.
"So what are we supposed to do here, boss?" Rob2 asked, shrugging as he looked around.
"Hah!? We're obviously here to find the thing," Rob1 answered with a sharp tone.
"Is it in this room?" Rob3 asked, walking a slow circle around the large table in the center, eyes combing over every object lying on its surface.
The table was covered in bottles filled with colored liquids. Some had already spilled, leaving sticky stains and sharp smells across the wooden surface and the floor below.
After a moment, Rob1 approached the table and crouched down. He ran his palm along the underside of the table, feeling along it carefully.
"Hmm... what's this?" Rob1 murmured, fingertips tracing a small groove beneath the table.
Suddenly, the large table split apart with a mechanical motion. Several bottles of chemical liquid toppled from the vibration, shattering loudly. Some of the liquid hit the floor, and one of them immediately ate through the concrete, carving a hole straight down into the earth below.
Rob2 and Rob3 flinched, their bodies trembling as they watched the liquid's destructive effect up close.
But Rob1 stayed calm. He took a few steps back and studied the mechanism beneath the table with sharp, focused eyes.
From the gap that had opened, a small platform rose slowly from below. It lifted a transparent jar that was fixed permanently to its surface. Inside the jar sat dozens of capsules, each one glowing a vivid green.
"T-this is...!?" Rob1 murmured, his face overtaken by a look of sheer awe.
— — — — —
The next day, at the Houdoug residence. Or more precisely, at the Houdoug complex, where Lindsey was currently living.
Lindsey was sitting on the sofa. She held a warm cup of tea in both hands and sipped it slowly. In front of her, the television was on, showing the morning news. Five years had passed since she first arrived, and physically, the only real change to her was her height.
Not long after, the sound of a door opening. Ryuu walked in with a casual wave.
"Yo! Lindsey!" he greeted her, strolling over with his usual laid-back pace.
Lindsey turned her head slowly, then set her teacup down on the small table in front of her. She waved back briefly without changing her flat expression.
"Where's Grandpa Yolan?" Ryuu asked, glancing around the living room.
"Oh, he's..." Lindsey began.
"...he's at the hospital," she continued, picking up the teapot and refilling her cup.
"Oh, is he sick?" Ryuu asked, his voice carrying a hint of concern.
"He's had cancer for a long time," Lindsey answered calmly, setting the pot back down and taking another sip.
"But he mentioned earlier that he just wanted to catch up with an old friend," she added, her voice quiet.
"A friend? Huh," Ryuu murmured, looking down as if turning it over in his head.
"Anyway, what brings you here, Ryuu?" Lindsey asked, turning to look at him.
Ryuu jolted slightly. "Huh!? Oh, right. My dad wants Lindsey to go to school," he answered quickly.
Lindsey blinked a few times, then turned back toward the television. "Pass," she said flatly.
Hearing that, Ryuu looked taken aback. "Huh!? Why not?" he asked, his voice going up.
"That would cost a lot, wouldn't it?" Lindsey replied, lifting her cup and sipping again.
"My grandfather already said I've been enough of a burden to Mr. Houdoug," she continued.
"So I can't keep accepting things from you all," she added, setting her empty cup on the table.
Ryuu looked down. He let out a long breath and drew a deep one. "About that, don't worry..."
"...it's actually my dad who's been pushing for this," Ryuu added quickly, trying to make his case.
"School's great, you know! You'll get to make a lot of friends!" he went on, his tone turning enthusiastic.
Lindsey gave him a sideways glance, clearly skeptical. "Yeah, yeah, sure," she replied, not sounding very convinced.
"So you'll go? Hworrey!" Ryuu beamed, a big smile spreading across his face.
Lindsey let out a long sigh and refilled her cup. "Don't get too excited. I also want to know why Mr. Houdoug is so insistent about this," she replied, pouring the tea in a slow, deliberate motion.
"A-about that, just... ask my dad directly," Ryuu answered, his voice coming out a little uneasy.
Then, "Drrrrr~ Drrrrr~" a phone buzzed from Ryuu's trouser pocket.
Noticing it, Ryuu immediately reached in, pulled it out, and quickly swiped the green button on the screen to answer.
"Hello? This is Ryuu Houdoug," he said, opening the call.
Someone on the other end spoke quickly. Ryuu listened with a serious expression.
"What? You want to speak with Lindsey?" he asked, sounding puzzled.
Lindsey, who had caught that, immediately lifted her head and looked at Ryuu.
"Y-yeah, she's with me right now," Ryuu replied, giving a small nod.
He then held the phone out to Lindsey. "Here," he murmured.
Lindsey took it with a raised eyebrow. "Hello?" she murmured, her voice a little hesitant.
The person on the other end spoke in a low, broken voice.
Until finally...
"What!? He suddenly collapsed in the hallway!?"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nhfiWc6Ek
and then Add to home screen.