Ethan kept his eyes on her, pretending to continue working while his gaze was fixed on Aria. "You're usually so tough, and now you're getting all jittery at the crucial moment," Ethan teased, even in the tense atmosphere.

Aria wheeled the cart up to Butler, who was engrossed in a conversation over the intercom. She took a deep breath and deliberately tipped the cart over, sending the Petri dishes crashing to the floor. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the hall, drawing everyone's attention. Butler's face twisted in anger and panic as he saw the precious Petri dishes reduced to shards.

"What the hell are you doing?" he roared, his voice thick with fury.

Aria seized the moment, grabbing the collar of Worker 18, who was standing nearby, escalating the chaos further. "You idiot, why did you push my cart?" she shouted, her voice shaking.

Worker 18 quickly caught on, his expression darkening. He grabbed Aria's collar with force, causing her to lurch forward. "I didn't do anything! You clumsy tomboy!" he bellowed.

The scuffle between Aria and Worker 18 immediately caught Butler's attention. His calm demeanor quickly turned into anxious agitation as he watched the escalating fight. Ethan saw his chance. He swiftly moved through the crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion, his eyes locked on the silver uniform Butler was wearing, particularly the unique golden phoenix emblem on the pant leg.

"That's the one," Ethan thought, taking a deep breath as he reached out, his fingers brushing against the keyring hanging from Butler's belt.

"Just a little closer," he urged himself, his eyes glinting with determination.

But just as his fingers closed around the keys, a gunshot rang out. Butler sensed something was amiss and turned, firing a shot into the ceiling. The room fell silent, and Ethan froze, his hand still suspended in the air.

"Everyone, back to your stations!" Butler roared, his voice quivering with anger.

The crowd dispersed, leaving Ethan kneeling on the ground, just inches away from Butler's pocket. Butler glared at him, his eyes blazing with fury.

"You," Butler growled, "Number 324, back to your station. Now."

Ethan slowly stood up, glancing at Aria being dragged away by Butler. Their eyes met, and a silent understanding passed between them.

"You two, follow me to the office," Butler ordered, pulling Aria and Worker 18 along. He motioned for another worker to clean up the mess. Meanwhile, Leander, who had been observing the scene, stepped forward to help clean up the broken glass and spilled liquid.

Aria and Worker 18 were led to the office, where Butler unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse. Aria stood silently, her gaze downcast, as if every word he hurled at her bounced off without leaving a mark. After all, ignoring him was the best approach.

Back at the workstation, Ethan anxiously awaited Aria's return. Two hours later, she finally appeared, her cheek bruised. Despite the pain, she forced a smile when she saw Ethan.

"Does it hurt?" Ethan asked softly, concern etched on his face.

"No, it's nothing. Really. You know me," Aria said, trying to sound tough.

Ethan gently touched her slightly swollen skin with his fingertips. He noticed her flinching, despite her efforts to hide it.

"You're lying. It does hurt," Ethan replied.

Despite the discomfort, Aria let out a small laugh. "Okay, maybe just a little."

They stood there until a shadow loomed over them. Leander approached, his eyes as deep and inscrutable as a bottomless well. He extended his hand, revealing the keyring he had taken from Butler.

Ethan's eyes widened in shock. "Leander... how did you get the keys...?"

Leander shrugged. "I slipped them off while I was cleaning. I thought you might need them."

Aria and Ethan exchanged puzzled glances. Leander's sudden involvement felt like an out-of-place piece of the puzzle—impossible to ignore, yet difficult to understand. Ethan reminded himself that escaping was their top priority.

"Well, thank you, but I don't know how you knew about our plan," Ethan said, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "But tell me, what do you want?"

Leander nodded. "I'll explain everything later, but for now, I want you to take me with you when you escape."

"And if I refuse?" Ethan asked, his voice wary.

"If you refuse, I can't guarantee Wilson won't find out about this..." Leander's words carried a subtle threat. Ethan sensed that Leander was more complicated than he appeared, but he had no choice but to face the threat head-on.

After Leander left, Ethan and Aria stood there in silence. Ethan was the first to speak.

“Aria, don’t you think Leander is a bit suspicious? He knew every detail of our plan, even though we’ve never shared it with anyone else.” As he voiced his concern, a deep sense of fear began to creep into his thoughts.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It definitely wasn’t me who told him,” Aria quickly defended herself.

“Of course, it wasn’t you. What I’m saying is, there’s a good chance someone’s been eavesdropping on our conversations. If that’s the case, we need to get out of here, fast.” Ethan couldn’t help but shiver at the thought.

“Ethan, listen, this is really important to me because I won the ‘Paradise Island’ lottery ticket. I’m desperate to get out of here. For the past two years, I’ve been dreaming of leaving this place every single day. I can’t stand the monotony of adding nutrients to those jars and dealing with those freakish, androgynous individuals.”Aria said

“Aria, you just reminded me—we crossed William’s people this morning. Knowing him, he’s bound to come after us soon. Aria, I need to take you to see someone,” Ethan said.

They walked through the long tunnel bathed in dim, cold light until they reached the end, where a freight elevator waited. It was the only way down to the fifth underground level. As the elevator doors opened, they were greeted by the strong smell of coal smoke and ash.

“Ethan, where are we?” Aria asked, covering her nose and waving her hand in the air, trying to dispel the dust.

“The boiler room…” Ethan replied as he moved forward, searching for Victor.

“Why did you bring me here?” Aria asked, puzzled.

“You’ll see,” Ethan said as he rounded the mountain of coal, finally spotting Victor. The old man was half-asleep, lying beside a small cart, surrounded by empty bottles.

“Victor, wake up. Wake up!” Ethan said, shaking him, but Victor didn’t budge.

“Aria, go get me a cup of water—no, a bucket of water,” Ethan said, squatting beside Victor, exasperated by the drunken old man.

Splash! A bucket of water came crashing down from above, drenching Victor in an instant.

“Ethan!” Victor sputtered as he woke up, startled by the sudden soaking. Seeing Ethan, Victor grabbed a handful of coal dust from behind him and hurled it at Ethan. The dust hit its mark, covering Ethan’s face and making him look like a “little black cat,” which sent Aria into fits of laughter.

After the commotion died down, Victor noticed the new face, Aria.

“So, what’s going on? And why’d you bring a woman?” Victor asked as he stood up, brushing off the now-muddy coal dust that clung to his pants.

“Old man, you can think of her as anything but a woman,” Ethan joked. “She’s probably tougher than me!” He chuckled as Aria lunged forward and smeared more coal dust across his already dirty face, rubbing it in with exaggerated motions.

“Aria, I surrender! I surrender! Let me go! Hahaha!” Ethan laughed, and Victor cheered her on, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Once the playful brawl was over, Victor invited them into the back room. Ethan looked around, taking in the small but well-furnished space, with old furniture and a battered TV. The dim, yellow light from a worn-out bulb cast a warm glow over the room, giving it a cozy feel that was worlds apart from the harsh environment of Fortress Omega. This place felt more like a home.

“So, what’s the urgent matter?” Victor asked as they settled down.

“There is something important,” Ethan replied. “This is Aria. She won a “ticket” to Paradise Island.”

Victor froze, his face showing a mix of helplessness and worry.