They made their way back to the museum, where Munkan and the others were already waiting.

  They had arrived precisely at sunset.

  Shortly after, the plan for the night was explained to them.

  This time, the ground floor would be more heavily guarded, so San and his fellow recruits were assigned to patrol the upper floors.

  San was sent to the fourth floor along with two comrades.

  The three of them walked through the level, carrying flame lamps, chatting briefly as they moved.

  Once again, they discussed Funo, theorizing about what could have made him so unhinged.

  They all hoped they wouldn’t anger him any further and could finish their time in Kunkan without incident.

  Eventually, they split up to search the entire floor more efficiently.

  San hesitated at first but ultimately agreed.

  Now, he was alone again.

  But this time, he had made a decision.

  If he got the chance, he would catch the intruder.

  Yes, he feared Funo’s wrath, but he would rather risk it and solve this problem quickly rather than wait for their lazy commander to finally feel compelled to deal with it himself.

  So, he started thinking.

  Where would the intruder likely enter from?

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  Just like the other floors, there were no windows to break in through.

  There was, however, a ventilation system…

  But there was no way someone would squeeze through that.

  It would be far too noisy.

  So, if he were trying to break into the museum, where would he enter?

  Suddenly, he heard the faintest creak behind him.

  He spun around quickly.

  An emergency exit!

  The door was slightly ajar.

  San swiftly turned off his lamp and crept toward it.

  Could the intruder be standing right on the other side?

  Was he just waiting for the right moment to slip inside?

  If so, San was about to surprise him.

  Now, he was right next to the door.

  The darkness made it nearly impossible to see anything.

  But that was his advantage.

  Silently, he raised his lamp, preparing himself.

  He took one last deep breath and counted down in his head.

  One.

  Two.

  THREE!

  He lunged through the door, swinging blindly—

  But he hit nothing.

  Quickly, he switched the light back on.

  There was no one.

  He stood still for a moment, listening closely.

  No sounds.

  Except for the distant footsteps of his comrades.

  He exhaled in relief.

  Maybe he was starting to get paranoid.

  Then—someone shoved him from behind.

  Before he could react, someone grabbed him by his uniform and dragged him at lightning speed through the exit.

  The emergency exit led to the rooftop.

  And now, here they were.

  But before the assailant could throw him off, San instinctively grabbed onto them, clutching their clothes.

  This caused both of them to tumble across the rooftop, making a loud commotion.

  San barely managed to catch a glimpse of the person—

  They were wrapped in a thick cloak.

  The intruder!

  He was sure of it!

  As quickly as possible, he scrambled to his feet and lunged at the figure.

  Somehow, he managed to tackle them down.

  The intruder fell, and San pinned him to the ground.

  "Let’s see who you are, criminal!" he growled, yanking back the hood.

  Then—

  Confusion.

  San didn’t recognize the man beneath him.

  But…

  He had seen this face before.

  His mind scrambled, trying to recall where.

  Then it hit him—

  Back in Kaisan, just before their deployment, he had seen this man’s wanted poster.

  It was him.

  The one who, a month ago, had caused a massive uprising in Kurani.

  The one who had fought against Commander Fetu.

  The one who had escaped the army’s grasp.

  San had just caught Kawao!