Soon after, Syd, Jody, and Sally finished their conversation and returned to Autumn.
The tall teenage girl was the one to speak first, while the junior martial brother stood silently, eyeing him carefully.
"Mr. Autumn."
"...Yes?"
"...The reason you're trying to take this girl from us... is because of orders you're following, right?"
"..."
"You're the same, aren't you?"
"..."
"You kids... if you weren't under orders, you'd probably be off doing what normal teenagers do. Honestly, I could tell the moment I saw you. You've got 'orders' too, don't you? Can't be helped... That's just how our world works."
Autumn sighed as if resigned to fate.
"Let me be direct with you. We won't be telling you who we are or where we're from. And I don't expect you to either."
"...Sounds like you've got a solid grasp of the situation... girl."
"If this were under normal circumstances, you'd already be dead, you bastard," Syd added.
"I don't want to hurt my junior either... but if it's part of my duty... then I have no choice. And you... broke the sect's rules too."
Both Syd and Jody grew tense as Autumn continued.
"...Don't get me wrong. I'm not some die-hard traditionalist like the Shifu. I'm sure you had your reasons, and I've got no problem with that. But just imagine—if our fellow brothers and sisters found out you taught her our technique, what would they say, Syd?"
Syd scowled, clearly annoyed, but Jody noticed he didn't deny it.
"But let's set that aside for now... There's another faction coming after the girl too. I'm in as tight a spot as you are."
Exactly as Jody and Syd had predicted.
"That's why I have a proposal for you," Jody said.
"..."
Autumn paused. Was he really about to be propositioned by a teenage girl?
"...Jody, was it? Alright then. What are you offering?"
"...You want the girl. So do we. We know you're working for the government. We're just a mystery group in your eyes. And, well, my partner here is your junior..."
Jody took a breath before continuing.
"Since at least you two share an academy, I'm suggesting we cooperate—temporarily—until this situation is under control. Let's eliminate the group that caused... whatever the hell is going on outside. Then we settle things."
"...Settle things later, huh?"
Autumn chuckled.
"I like you... You've got a real knack for how you phrase things. I'll admit, I didn't expect to run into you lot here—or to be ambushed like this."
Then his tone shifted into something far more serious.
"But how do you plan to eliminate the enemy? Even if we work together, we still don't know who or what they are. For all we know, they're waiting for us to take each other out before they sweep in."
He was testing Jody's reaction to a rejection. But to his surprise, she smiled.
"...That's exactly the point, Mr. Autumn. You said it yourself."
"...Huh?"
Not only Autumn, but even Syd and Sally raised their brows in confusion.
"The reason I'm proposing this... is because I'm certain the enemy is watching us—right here, right now."
Suddenly, Syd grabbed her arm, pulling her in.
"Jody?! What the hell are you saying?!"
Even Autumn tensed.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
But Jody stayed calm and gently removed Syd's hand.
"...Calm down, Syd..."
Then she turned back to Autumn.
"Because I'm convinced... that the enemy is in this bakery with us."
Her words sent a chill down their spines. All three of them scanned the others in the bakery—four people, either seated or standing casually.
"...What makes you so sure?"
Autumn asked, narrowing his eyes.
But Jody didn't answer right away. She was holding her cards close.
"That's part of my offer."
"...!?"
Autumn's face hardened.
"I see... So you do know something about this bakery... And how do I know you're telling the truth?"
"The girl you and we are fighting over—her name is Sally. She has the power to see wavelengths invisible to the human eye. And if you trust me... I'm confident that with our combined strength, we can drag the enemy out."
"!!"
Autumn froze when he looked into Jody's eyes.
She wasn't bluffing. She meant every word. His years in the CIA told him that much.
This woman—Jody—knew something he and Syd didn't.
"Jody! Is that true?! You're not just making this up to trick him, right?!"
"No, Syd. It's true."
"Then why the hell didn't you tell me from the start?!"
Syd nearly pressed his face to hers, whispering harshly. He'd found out at the same time as Autumn that she knew something about this place.
"I had to hold it back, Syd... Your temper will be the bait we need to flush them out. I promise you."
She draped an arm over his shoulder and gently patted his cheek. And seeing how confident she was, Syd didn't argue.
"So, what do you say, Mr. Autumn? With your strength and Syd's, we can drag those bastards into the open. I swear it on my life."
Autumn weighed her words heavily before sighing in resignation.
"...I don't put much stock in oaths... but you're right. If we don't work together, we're not getting out. Cooperation it is."
"...Fine. But don't lay a finger on the damn kid!"
Syd pulled Sally into a tight hug and shot Autumn a warning glare.
"...Afraid I'll hurt her, Syd?"
"Of course. You've got a badge in your pocket, and you know the same martial technique I do. You could snap our necks like twigs. I'm not letting you near either of them!"
He pulled Jody in close too, holding her protectively. It brought her a bit of comfort—but they both knew this alliance was temporary. Autumn would definitely pull something when the time came. They'd have to stay on guard.
The other four people in the bakery were:
Two police officers: one older male with a thick mustache who'd threatened Syd earlier, and a quieter female officer.
A short-haired blonde woman—Amy—the only cashier on duty.
A tan-skinned female tourist with a half-shaved head who'd been scrolling on her phone nonstop.
Jody began by approaching Amy, who was trying every device in the shop to restore communication, while also cleaning up the wreckage from the chairs Syd had kicked over.
"...Need some help?"
"..."
Amy looked up to find Jody standing beside her.
"...Oh, no, it's fine."
"No, no, really—I insist. I want to help. I'm sorry about my boyfriend. He tends to blow up and break things when he gets mad. I'm really sorry. I'll pay for the damages."
"It's really okay, miss. I understand... No one knows what's going on out there. We're all stressed. I get it."
But Jody didn't back down, stepping behind the counter to help clean up the mess.
"At least let me do this. Consider it a proper apology."
"..."
Faced with Jody's insistence, Amy finally relented.
As they cleaned up the shattered chair pieces, Jody struck up a conversation.
"Service work's tough, huh?"
"...Huh?"
Amy blinked, surprised by the comment.
"Dealing with whiny customers all day. It must be exhausting—especially one like my boyfriend."
"...Heh, well... yeah. It's part of the job. I try my best."
At that moment, Jody noticed a shard of a white ceramic plate wedged between the floorboards—one that seemed out of place. She glanced at it briefly, then continued the conversation.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"...Amy."
"Amy... from Russia, right?"
"...Huh?! How'd you know?"
"Just a guess. Your accent."
Then Jody asked,
"So, where's Vivie?"
Amy froze for a moment when Jody mentioned the third party.
"...Oh... Vivie went home to visit her family. I'm on the late shift alone today. Pretty lonely, huh?"
"Vivie? Visiting family? Her?"
"...Yeah... that's what she said."
"You sure?"
"..."
Amy's face tightened.
"...Is there a problem, miss? Do you know Vivie personally?"
"Oh, no... just curious. Vivie never struck me as the traveling type, that's all."
"I wouldn't know. That's just what she told me."
"...I see. So, how long have you been working here, Amy?"
"Two weeks."
"Ah, newbie then."
"Yes, miss."
Once they'd finished clearing the mess, Jody left Amy and walked over to the tan-skinned tourist in the other corner of the shop.
"...Hi there."
"...?!"
The woman flinched a bit at her approach.
"...C-Can I help you?"
"I just wanted to apologize for my boyfriend scaring you. He's hotheaded like that. Sorry again."
"...Oh... it's fine, really..."
Despite her punkish look, Jody was surprised to find the woman polite and composed.
"What's your name?"
"Rachel."
"Here on holiday?"
"Yeah. I was supposed to meet some friends. Didn't expect... all this. What's taking the rescue teams so long?!"
Jody left her and approached the two police officers near the bakery entrance.
She peeked out beside them.
"...It's been almost an hour now, hasn't it..."
The male officer glanced at her briefly before turning back.
"Rescue might be stuck outside too. Judging by this freaky floor thing... Could be terrorism. Stay sharp."
"Right... We're lucky to have officers here with us. I'm Jody. And you are...?"
"...Harvey."
Then she turned to the female officer.
"And you?"
"Joy."
This one didn't speak much.
"I'm sorry about my boyfriend earlier. Social media's poisoned him into thinking all cops are bad. It won't happen again, I promise."
"...Let's hope so," Harvey replied.
"I could've booked him for property damage easily. Hotheads like him? I've tossed dozens in the cell. Don't let your guy become one of them, young lady."
"...Understood..."
Then she looked to Officer Joy again.
"You partnered with Harvey?"
"...Yes."
Joy responded curtly without turning around.
Jody left them and returned to regroup with her team of four.