For a brief moment, the T. Rex simply stood there—imposing, terrifyingly dangerous, just... existing.

  Until a human scream came from the food court.

  Luca clenched his jaw. It was a woman. But it was probably already too late for her —even if it was Liona.

  The T. Rex tilted its head toward the sound, its tail swinging as it turned, its foot slamming into the pavement with enough force to shake the ground. Without making any particular noise, the predator began to move away, heading west—toward the source of the noise.

  Of course, the animal didn’t follow the road but instead took the garden as a shortcut—and Luca was very fortunate not to have taken refuge in the bushes on that side. Otherwise, he would have been crushed —or discovered and eaten, maybe.

  Luca waited, counting the seconds, until the tremors faded and the giant figure moved away, looming over the food trunks in the food court. He didn’t stay to watch what happened when the screams kept going, echoing on the air, but instead quickly slipped—more like crawled through the mud, but who was going to call him out?—through the bushes, using the tree trunks as cover.

  The T. Rex wasn’t the only danger of the night, after all.

  For a brief moment as he tried to reach the museum, everything seemed to have ‘calmed down’—a deceptive calm that Luca knew wouldn’t last. And indeed, it didn’t. The unmistakable sounds of the Orkoraptors shattered the quiet like a piece of cheap glass. Their high-pitched, angry screeches echoed through the night, piercing the air.

  Luca tilted his head, frowning. Those noises were coming from—

  He peeked out from the bushes, his night vision cutting through the darkness of the night, aided by the sparse, weak lights in that area. Four Orkoraptors moved swiftly, sliding like shadows between the food trucks at the opposite where the T. Rex was standing. Judging by the amount of noise—they were communicating with bursts of sounds, clicks, and screeches—it seemed they were coordinating an attack.

  His thoughts briefly flew to his coworkers, but a powerful roar from the T. Rex snapped him out of his musings.

  It vibrated through the air and into his bones. An obvious warning and, at the same time, a challenge. The Orkoraptors reacted instantly. They split into pairs: two of them disappeared among the food trucks, while the rest turned and ran back north.

  Luca’s mind raced. There were seven Orkoraptors in total, which meant three hadn’t shown up yet. Were those two going for reinforcements? He didn’t know, and he didn’t have time to find out. As much as part of him wanted to witness the inevitable clash between the T. Rex and the Orkoraptors, he valued his life more than a front-row seat to ancient nature’s brutality.

  Besides, if they were as smart as the posters —and general culture— said, the Orkoraptors wouldn’t dare confront the T. Rex.

  With one last glance toward the food court, Luca turned and slipped through the garden, moving as quietly as he could. Supposedly, his stealth skill was active, reducing his presence by 20%, but that didn’t mean he could throw caution to the wind.

  He emerged near the lake—its surface rippling under the downpour. Beyond it, the museum entrance loomed, its doors wide open and a faint glow coming from the upper level. The wall separating the T. Rex exhibit from the entrance stretched along the doorway, blocking his view of what might be inside.

  The open space between the entrance and his current position was cut by an asphalt path. Luca hesitated for a moment, weighing his options. Running across it without looking back would be reckless, but going too slow wasn’t an option either. Once he stepped onto the path, there would be no cover until he reached the museum.

  No time to waste, he thought, bracing himself. He grimaced as soon as he took the first step forward, the squeak of his boots echoing in the air. And idea crossed his mind then, and his eyes went down at his feet. Was he doing what he was thinking? Yes. The answer was ‘yes’. He crouched for a moment and took them off, leaving them by the bushes.

  The ground was wet and cold, not to mention muddy, but it made less noise that way —and was less slippery than he had originally expected. The splashing of his steps was muffled by the storm, which had turned into a full-blown tempest. Relentless, the rain pounded the ground, drowning out all sounds except the loudest.

  The echoes of thunders still resonated through the night—both in the sky and on the ground.

  Somehow, he made it to the entrance without incident, slipping inside and following the wall along one side of the exhibit. He kept his breathing under control, scanning his surroundings with sharp eyes and his ears finely tuned. The faint light came from the upper floor—the mezzanine—so even without his night vision, he could have seen something. However, there was no doubt that the imposing, very real models of the exhibits would have frayed all his nerves.

  Peeking toward the stairs and into the center of the exhibit, he scanned the area but saw nothing there, so he darted toward the area under the mezzanine. Although it seemed quiet, there was no way he’d leave his back exposed, so he pressed himself against the wall immediately, tilting his head just enough to see the doors—one of which was the one he was looking for.

  He pulled out the red capsule and separated it, activating the map again. Only this time, it no longer reflected the entire park but the museum. How convenient. The closest point of interest was marked with a glowing dot, hidden in a corner. Luca looked in that direction, spotting a discreet door blending into the wall on the opposite side.

  Turning off the map, he began heading toward the door, his steps silent against the polished floor, except for the dripping sound caused by his wet clothes and footprints. Halfway there, a loud crash echoed through the museum, the sound reverberating off the walls. Luca froze, his heart leaping into his throat. The noise had come from... above? Maybe. It was impossible to tell exactly where.

  Not good, he thought, tightening his grip on the capsule. Before he could run toward his destination, another door opened, and a familiar baby-face framed by dark hair appeared.

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  "Come on," Nagato whispered, gesturing with his hand.

  Luca hesitated for a fraction of a second before following him inside.

  It was a messy office, dimly lit by the glow of a flashlight and filled with papers and equipment scattered everywhere. The air smelled of dust and old electronics, a strange comfort amid the storm. As Luca quickly glanced around, Nagato closed the door behind them with a soft click, the sound barely audible over the distant rumble of thunder, and then walked past him.

  Looking at the younger man leaning against the wall opposite the door, Luca noticed that he looked exhausted, his boyish features shadowed by the faint light. He approached, and did the same, supporting his weight against the wall. "Thanks."

  Nagato waved a hand dismissively, his tone casual but his eyes sharp —not so tired as it looked at first glance. "Consider it payment for the Interview."

  Luca’s mouth twisted slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners. "Fair enough."

  The room fell into a brief silence but the tension was palpable. Nagato broke it first, whispering. "You got the Guide, right? How did you survive?" He looked Luca over, scanning him as if searching for something. "You don’t seem to be missing a limb or two, just like you rolled in a pigsty."

  Luca offered him a small, ironic smile. "Got lucky." Then, his expression turned more serious. "Did you see Liona?"

  A flash of irritation crossed Nagato’s face before he answered. "Saw her earlier. She was working as a food vendor." He shrugged, his tone indifferent but his eyes betraying a hint of something. "Don’t know where she is now. Probably still in that area?"

  Luca grimaced. "The T. Rex and the Orkoraptors were there."

  Nagato’s eyes widened, then narrowed. "You—you’re not thinking of going after her, are you?"

  Luca blinked, surprised by the question. "No. Why should I?"

  A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Nagato’s lips. "Well, I saw you throwing her some looks earlier. Not thinking of playing the white knight?"

  Of course not. Luca’s response, though not the first thing he thought of, was immediate. "She doesn’t need that. Besides, I’m busy right now." His fingers brushed the red capsule in his pocket, thoughtful. Could he solve the small hitch in his plan with this...? He didn’t know Nagato well enough, but there weren’t many options.

  If he didn’t meet Liona then it was none, really.

  Nagato raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? With what?"

  Luca hesitated for a moment, weighing how much to reveal. And how to explain it. "Remember the Splint Rules?"

  "Yeah..."

  "I got lucky,” he repeated his previous words. “And triggered a Hidden Mission. It’s called 'Leave the Park.'"

  Nagato’s eyes narrowed, confusion and not so little skepticism written on his face. "But the manual said you can’t leave. We have to wait for the security mechanism to pull us out."

  "It wasn’t a rule, per se. More of a recommendation," Luca pointed out, his tone matter-of-fact. "Understandable, since you have to unlock the door before attempting it. Which, apparently, no one did." And that’s why they got eaten, he added in his mind.

  Nagato leaned slightly forward, his interest clearly piqued. "What do you have to do?"

  "Pull three levers," Luca said simply.

  Nagato stared at him with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. For a moment, he seemed to be deciding whether Luca was pulling his leg or something. Seeing the doubt in the other man’s eyes, Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out the red capsule. Without a word, he pressed it.

  The holographic map sprang to life, its lines and glowing red markers spreading out in front of both of them. It was still centered on the museum interior, but the other two points of interest were represented by arrows pointing out of the park.

  Nagato’s eyes widened as he watched the projection, his initial skepticism melting into reluctant acceptance. He let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Alright. I believe you." Then, his eyes fixed on Luca. "So, what’s the plan? I assume you have one that doesn’t involve just throwing ourselves out there and hoping for the best."

  Luca suppressed a smile. He could, if he were more desperate and reckless, do something like that. The blue capsule was safely tucked in his pocket, after all. But he didn’t mention it. Instead, he kept his tone firm and focused. "One of the levers is here, but the other two are outside. One’s in the Administration building to the north, and the other’s in the garden between the T. Rex and Yutyrannus enclosures."

  Nagato’s expression wasn’t good. "Ah." He frowned, his brow furrowing as he processed the information. "You want us to split up?"

  "It’d be faster," Luca admitted, his voice low. "But it’s too dangerous to go out like that." The corner of his lips curved slightly. "Didn’t you say earlier you wanted a weapon?"

  Nagato’s eyes sharpened, a flicker of interest breaking through his grim expression. "You have one?"

  Luca shook his head. "No, but we’ll find weapons if we follow the path to the first lever."

  "Which way?" Nagato asked, gesturing with his hand as if to say, You first.

  Well. It seemed like Luca had convinced him so he didn’t waste any more words. If Nagato was willing to follow, he wasn’t going to argue. He rose up and moved to the door, pressing his ear against it for a moment to listen. The occasional distant rumble of thunder were the only sounds —perhaps some other deep, resonant sounds more at the level of the ground.

  Nagato took his flashlight.

  Luca opened the door cautiously, the hinges creaking softly. He extended his hand toward the opposite side of the hallway, pointing. "That door." It was only then that he remembered: technically, he shouldn’t be able to see it in the dark. His night vision skill was active, but Nagato didn’t know that.

  Nagato stepped closer, peering into the gloom. "I don’t see anything," he whispered, squinting. He raised the flashlight, its beam cutting through the darkness. "Ah, there." He didn’t ask further questions, surprisingly. Maybe he hadn’t noticed the oddity of Luca’s ability to see in the dark. Or maybe he was too focused on the task to care.

  "Wait. Should I give it to you?"

  Luca weighed the pros and cons for half a second before declining the offer. "It’s fine."

  Before Nagato could say more, a loud crash echoed from the other side of the wall separating the Yutyrannus exhibit from the area under the mezzanine. The sound was like something heavy being thrown, or something large moving aggressively.

  Something told him they weren’t alone.

  "Quick," Luca insisted, and both of them moved toward the door without looking back.