Chapter : 335
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Chapter : 335
"Well, that went perfectly," Ken thought to himself lazily. "The bad guy confessed. The building exploded. And I did not have to do a single bit of cardio. I will just wait here until the girls catch him. Then we can finally go home and order a massive pizza."
Ken popped the candy into his mouth. He chewed happily. He waited in the dark, totally comfortable and completely unfazed by the massive, violent destruction happening all around him.
---
The subterranean courtroom was a total disaster. Thick gray smoke filled the air. Chunks of white marble fell from the ceiling and crashed onto the floor. People ran in every direction. They yelled and scrambled over the broken wooden benches. The red emergency lights flashed wildly. The loud security alarms blared without stopping.
Dr. Raven did not scream. He did not try to help anyone. He just ran.
He pushed a wealthy politician out of his way. He tripped over a broken chair but quickly caught his balance. His expensive black suit was completely covered in white dust. He coughed loudly. The thick smoke burned his throat and made his eyes water. He wiped his face with his sleeve. He looked over his shoulder.
The girls from the 13th Unit were right behind him.
Naomi dashed through the smoke. She moved with incredible speed. Her green eyes locked directly onto him. She held her twin silver daggers tight. She looked completely determined to catch him.
"Cut him off!" Naomi shouted. Her voice echoed clearly over the loud alarms. "Do not let him reach the back wall!"
Laxmi jumped over a shattered marble pillar. She slammed her fists together. Bright orange flames burst into the air. She threw a massive fireball. The flames lit up the dark, smoky room. The fireball hit the floor right behind Dr. Raven. It exploded with a loud bang. The blast of hot air pushed him forward.
Zinia stomped her boot on the ground. A strong wall of solid rock ripped out of the floor. She used the rock to block falling debris from hitting Princess Iris. Sayma cast a golden barrier to shield the rest of the team. They were working perfectly together.
Dr. Raven scrambled away from the flames. His heart hammered in his chest. He was totally terrified. He knew he was going to prison. He knew his political career was destroyed. The truth about the toxic radiation bomb was fully exposed. If they caught him, his life was over.
He reached the tall wooden desk at the front of the room. He slid behind it. He fell to his knees. He crawled frantically on the floor. He found the hidden button under the wood. He pressed it quickly.
A small section of the marble wall silently slid open. It revealed a dark, narrow tunnel. It was a secret escape route. The corrupt politicians built it years ago for emergencies exactly like this one.
Dr. Raven dived inside the tunnel. He hit a red button on the inside wall. The marble door slid shut right as Naomi reached the desk. Dr. Raven heard Naomi hit the wall from the outside. She yelled in frustration.
Dr. Raven let out a huge gasp of air. He leaned against the cold concrete wall of the tunnel. He was safe. They could not break through that door. It was reinforced with solid steel and magic.
He started walking down the tunnel. The escape route was long and dark. Faint yellow emergency lights flickered on the ceiling. The air smelled like damp dirt and old concrete.
"I can still fix this," Dr. Raven whispered to himself. His voice shook. "I have money hidden in the outer districts. I have fake passports. I can escape to a rival nation. I will just leave Senator Norman behind to take the blame."
He walked faster. He started to jog. His polished dress shoes clicked loudly against the floor. Click. Click. Click. He breathed very fast. His chest hurt. He was a politician, not a runner. But fear pushed him forward. He just needed to reach the exit at the end of the tunnel.
Meanwhile, back in the ruined courtroom, Ken Eliot was still hiding under the witness desk.
He had his hands over his head. He listened to the chaos. He heard the girls chasing the politician. He heard the secret door slide shut. He heard Naomi complain about losing the target.
Ken reached into his pocket. He pulled out a wrapped strawberry candy. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. He chewed the sweet candy slowly.
"Well, that guy is definitely running away," Ken thought to himself casually. "He probably has a secret tunnel. Bad guys always have secret tunnels. If he escapes, Princess Iris will be very upset. Naomi will yell about it all week. I really do not want to listen to a week of complaining. It is very bad for my relaxation schedule."
Ken sighed. He swallowed the candy. He decided to take a small shortcut. He needed to stop the politician. But he needed to do it far away from the girls.
Ken did not crawl out from under the desk. He just stayed in the shadows. He raised his right hand. He snapped his fingers softly. Snap.
The air around him bended. The shadows wrapped around his body. In the blink of an eye, the lazy boy completely vanished from the courtroom. He teleported.
Dr. Raven jogged down the long concrete tunnel. He wiped sweat from his forehead. His legs ached. He saw a metal door at the end of the path. That was the exit. That was his freedom. A cruel, arrogant smile returned to his face. He had won. He had outsmarted the 13th Unit.
He turned the final corner.
Dr. Raven crashed to a sudden halt. His shoes slid on the concrete. He almost fell over. He stared straight ahead in pure shock.
His path was completely blocked.
Someone was standing right in the middle of the tunnel. It was the messy boy in the navy blue suit. It was Ken Eliot.
Ken leaned comfortably against the concrete wall. He had his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His shirt was untucked. His tie was totally crooked. He looked completely bored. He let out a loud, highly dramatic yawn.
"This tunnel is very dusty," Ken complained lazily. He dusted off his sleeve. "You really need to hire a better cleaning crew. My suit is going to get ruined down here."
Dr. Raven stared at the boy. He was totally bewildered. He looked back down the tunnel. The door was locked. He looked back at Ken. How did this useless servant get ahead of him? It was impossible.
"You," Dr. Raven sneered. His shock quickly turned into explosive anger. He remembered this boy from the trial. This was the boy who mocked his lawyers. "How did you get in here? Move out of my way right now!"
Ken did not move. He crossed one foot over the other. He looked at the angry politician with sleepy, half-closed eyes.