Joan allowed herself to fall feet first, giving herself a few seconds before attempting her plan.

Now, she thought to herself.

She braced her body, angling her boots toward the cement wall. But this time, instead of falling onto her back, she used her hooper upgrade properly. Sparks shot out beneath her boots, stabilizing her upright position. Instead of sliding straight down, she spiraled along the wall at full speed, her movement fluid and controlled. Her ponytail whipped wildly in the air as she extended her arms outward, slightly bent, to maintain balance.

The wind rushed against her face, making her squint as she descended. Adjusting her arms, she created a momentum that sent her spinning around the hole, faster and faster.

In survival mode, her mind couldn't focus on anything else—not Robin, Max, her mom, Erik, or even the mysterious woman with the dragon tattoo.

What felt like an eternity passed as Joan continued to slide down, fine-tuning her movements to maintain equilibrium. She worried the lights lining the cement wall would vanish, leaving her in total darkness. But instead, they seemed to detect her, illuminating her descent as she plunged deeper into the abyss.

Minutes later, a new kind of light caught her attention—neon lights.

Gaining confidence in her ability to maneuver, Joan tilted her body to speed up, eager to discover what lay at the end of this enigmatic tunnel. She didn't know if she was rushing toward her death or if this was an elaborate, cruel prank orchestrated by Erik.

Then she saw it.

After several more minutes of spiraling down, the sight before her stopped her breath. She had never imagined she'd see anything like it. Even from miles away, she could make out the vibrant glow of a neon-lit underground city.

The view was so mesmerizing that she didn't notice when she reached the end of the hole. Her foot slipped off the cement wall, and suddenly, she was airborne.

Joan didn't think about the consequences—whether she would survive the fall or not didn't matter. Hell with her survival mode. Her eyes were locked on the stunning underground city.

She recalled the awe she'd felt atop Tokyo Tower and the Skytree during a school field trip, marveling at her hometown's skyline. But this...this was entirely different. This was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of view.

From her vantage point, she could see the entire hidden city: its towering skyscrapers, its sprawling rooftops, a massive river cutting through its heart, and the colossal pillars with windows and neon supporting the cavernous ceiling. It was similar to her hometown, yet something was different. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

A few seconds later, her moment of wonder ended abruptly as she plunged deep into the water below.

Is this what it feels like to drown?

Joan swallowed what felt like the entire river. Flailing her arms wildly, she realized she wasn't getting anywhere—the hooper upgrade was utterly useless underwater.

As she sank deeper, her gaze lifted to the water's surface, where neon lights shimmered like a distant dream. She was so close. Miraculously, she hadn't been injured when she hit the water, yet escape felt impossible.

Just as her consciousness began to fade, a figure dove into the water above her. It was Erik.

His platinum-blonde hair appeared dark beneath the surface, but his icy blue eyes seemed to glow with an ethereal light. A confident smile spread across his face, and his pearly white teeth practically shone as he reached for her. His strong hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her toward the surface.

Joan clung to Erik's neck, her face pressed against his chest. When they broke through the surface, she gasped for air, her breaths coming fast and shallow. Coughing and sputtering, she looked up, locking eyes with the handsome medic. He grinned, calm and collected despite the chaos.

Then she did something she wasn't particularly proud of. Joan projectile-vomited all over Erik's face.

"Oof. Uh—my bad," Joan muttered, her voice small and sheepish.

But as she caught her breath, the memory of how Erik had gotten her into this mess resurfaced. Her guilt dissolved, and she decided he'd earned it. Muttering under her breath, she retracted her apology.

"Honestly," Joan said, pushing herself away to float in the water while Erik wiped his face, "not the grossest thing I've touched."

Erik raised an eyebrow, his lips quivering up into a teasing smirk. "Medic, remember?"

"Oh, right."

"Come on, this way," Erik said, finishing his impromptu face wash. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her close again to guide her toward a set of stairs embedded in the canal wall.

Joan yanked her arm free. "I'm fine," she snapped. Despite her usual distaste for physical contact—especially with men—her adrenaline had left her flustered. She felt a flicker of embarrassment, which only annoyed her more.

Erik raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay. Just wanted to make sure you got to the stairs."

The river's slow current and warm water made the swim manageable, but Joan was still relieved when they finally reached the stairs. Erik climbed up first, slumping onto the bottom step and extending a hand to help her. She ignored him, pulling herself up and collapsing onto her back beside him.

Both of their legs dangled in the water, toes skimming the surface. Now that she wasn't in survival mode, Joan took in her surroundings. The "river" was more of a canal, its high walls looming overhead. It was impressively wide, and she silently congratulated herself for not drifting too far. More importantly, she hadn't missed the canal entirely—becoming a human pancake on the concrete below would have been a lot worse.

Erik broke the silence with a groan. "Of all places, you just had to hurl yourself into the canal. Do you know how disgusting this water is?"

Joan glared at him, her irritation flaring. "Well, maybe I could've come up with a better plan if it weren't for you and that chick! Who the fuck is she, anyway?"

Erik arched his brows at Joan quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, *what do you mean*?" she groaned.

Joan sat up, her irritation evident, and splashed water at him with her feet.

He closed his eyes, raising his hands to shield his face. "I mean," he said in an annoyed tone, "what do you mean by *chick*? Are you talking about Max?"

"No! I'm talking about the woman in the red dress. She was sitting by the window with her feet out. Like this." Joan kicked off her boots, set them aside, and wiggled her toes in the water.

Erik chuckled quietly, watching her antics. "Yeah, I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, brushing her off. "Where's Max, by the way? Didn't he come down with you?"

"I just told you! The woman? In the red dress? She fucked it all up. It wasn't like we had a plan or anything, but she definitely didn't help." Joan's frustration spilled out.

Erik's expression darkened. His eyes took on a serious edge. "Okay, okay. I'll figure out what happened to him."

Joan's heart sank. What *did* happen to Max? They hadn't been close in the past year, but his well-being still mattered to her. She didn't want him hurt—or worse. As the adrenaline wore off and the cool river refreshed her, worry settled in.

"Wait, you don't know what happened to him? Wasn't this whole thing, like, a test or something?" Joan grabbed Erik's arm, her grip tight.

"I mean—it was sort of a test. This is the only passageway in or out of this place. You have to be a skilled hooper user and crazy enough to jump into the hole. I've been doing it for a while, so I'm used to it. Both of you would've been fine. If either of you had messed up, I could've helped—that's why I was able to pull you out of the river." Erik's voice was calm, but Joan's grip tightened.

*The only way in or out?* she thought, her stomach knotting.

"I was waiting for you guys by the opening, but you took longer than I expected," Erik added.

"Well, what are you going to do about Max?" Joan demanded, releasing his arm and standing up.

She loomed over him, ready to kick him until he got to his feet.

"I'll figure something out. He's got his upgrades; he can handle himself," Erik replied nonchalantly.

Joan frowned. Her worry hadn't eased. "The woman breathed fire—and she had a dragon tattoo."

That made Erik pause. His expression shifted. "Well, shit," he muttered under his breath.

Concern etched into his face, he opened a hologram and started typing feverishly. His focus left Joan feeling ignored. Irritated, she put her boots back on and stomped on his foot.

"Fuck!" Erik yelped, wincing in pain.

"Don't ignore me."

"I'm not ignoring you," he grumbled. "I'm trying to figure out what happened. Come on, let's go."

They climbed a set of cement stairs until they reached the top. Joan's breath caught as the view opened up to a city that reminded her of her hometown, yet it was undeniably different.

"So, did you find out what happened to Max?" she asked, her eyes darting to every moving figure and structure in the city.

The place was old yet remarkably clean compared to where she'd grown up. The people seemed happy, healthy, and focused on their routines. They zipped through the streets and up buildings with their hooper upgrades, the city functioning like one giant skating rink.

"I'll tell you when we get to the flat," Erik said, his tone casual again. "But first, let me introduce you to the greatest underground city in the world: The G-Can."