Chapter 10: The Chase That Reopened the Past
Chapter 10: The Chase That Reopened the Past
The dojo erupted into motion.
"Secure the exits!"
General Morrison's command echoed through the academy before anyone else could react.
The young officer immediately radioed nearby patrol units.
"All available officers, respond to the International Martial Arts Exhibition Archive. Suspects attempting to destroy historical evidence. Possible connection to the thirteen-year-old sabotage case."
Outside, the reporters scattered as several black SUVs accelerated toward the street.
Alexander Rhodes closed the wooden box containing the Belt of Humility and handed it to Dana Whitmore.
"Keep this safe."
Dana nodded firmly.
"I will."
Master Grant turned to Lena.
"You don't have to be involved."
She remained silent for a moment.
Then she looked toward the academy entrance.
"I've spent thirteen years believing the past was over."
She took a slow breath.
"If someone is trying to erase the truth..."
"...then walking away would only create more victims."
General Morrison smiled faintly.
"I knew you'd say that."
Ryan stepped forward.
"I want to come."
Everyone looked at him.
The general studied him carefully.
"Why?"
Ryan lowered his eyes.
"Because thirteen years ago, she risked everything to protect strangers."
He looked at Lena.
"Today..."
"...I'd like to do something worthy of calling myself her student."
The room fell silent.
Lena could see he was sincere.
Not because of his words.
Because for the first time...
There was no pride behind them.
She nodded once.
"Then stay close."
Within minutes, three vehicles left the academy.
The first carried General Morrison and several investigators.
The second transported Alexander Rhodes, Dana Whitmore, and Master Grant.
The third carried Lena, Ryan, Victor Hayes, and two officers.
No one spoke during the drive.
The city lights reflected across the windows as the convoy raced toward the old International Exhibition Archive located on the outskirts of downtown.
The building had been abandoned for years.
Following the accident, thousands of documents, blueprints, recordings, and historical records had been stored there while legal disputes dragged on.
Most people had forgotten it even existed.
Apparently...
Someone else hadn't.
As the convoy turned onto the final road, flashing police lights illuminated the night.
Three security guards waved frantically.
"They're inside!"
General Morrison exited his vehicle before it had completely stopped.
"How many?"
"Four... maybe five people."
"They forced the rear entrance."
The officers immediately moved toward the building.
Lena quietly followed.
Ryan noticed something.
She wasn't rushing.
She wasn't nervous.
She was observing.
Every window.
Every shadow.
Every possible escape route.
He finally understood why people had called her the Ghost of the Dojo.
She saw things others ignored.
The archive was enormous.
Long hallways stretched between rows of shelves filled with dusty boxes, engineering drawings, tournament footage, and decades of forgotten records.
Suddenly—
CRASH!
Glass shattered somewhere upstairs.
"Second floor!" one officer shouted.
Several officers sprinted toward the staircase.
Lena didn't.
She calmly looked down another corridor.
Ryan frowned.
"Aren't they upstairs?"
Lena shook her head.
"No."
"How do you know?"
"They want us to think they are."
Almost instantly...
A side emergency door slammed open.
Three masked figures burst into the parking lot carrying metal cases.
"They're escaping!" Victor shouted.
Ryan instinctively chased them.
The suspects split into different directions.
One climbed a fence.
Another ran toward a delivery truck.
The third carried a black hard case clutched tightly against his chest.
Ryan reached the nearest suspect first.
The masked man swung a steel pipe.
Ryan blocked the attack and pushed him backward.
The suspect stumbled but recovered quickly.
Meanwhile...
The second suspect was nearly at the truck.
Lena moved.
To everyone watching...
It barely looked like she accelerated.
One second she stood beside the archive entrance.
The next...
She appeared directly in front of the fleeing man.
He froze.
Without throwing a punch, Lena shifted her body slightly.
The suspect tried to dodge.
His own momentum betrayed him.
He lost balance and rolled harmlessly across the pavement.
The black case slid several feet away.
General Morrison immediately secured it.
"Evidence recovered!"
But one suspect remained.
The man carrying the steel pipe suddenly grabbed Ryan from behind.
Ryan struggled.
The attacker pulled a folding knife.
"Don't move!"
The officers hesitated.
The suspect slowly backed toward a waiting motorcycle.
"If anyone follows me..."
"...he dies."
A tense silence filled the parking lot.
Lena stood perfectly still.
Her breathing never changed.
Ryan looked at her.
For the first time...
He wasn't asking to be rescued.
He simply trusted her.
The suspect glanced sideways for less than half a second.
That was enough.
Lena stepped forward.
One movement.
One redirection.
One precise wrist rotation.
The knife clattered across the pavement.
The suspect found himself lying face-down before he even understood what had happened.
Ryan stumbled free.
The officers rushed forward and handcuffed the man.
General Morrison exhaled deeply.
"Outstanding."
The remaining suspects disappeared into the darkness, but two had been captured and one of the evidence cases had been recovered.
Dana carefully opened the recovered case.
Inside were dozens of old videotapes, engineering blueprints, maintenance reports, and sealed personnel files.
Then...
Victor noticed something hidden beneath the documents.
"There’s another folder."
He carefully lifted it out.
Across the front, in faded red letters, were the words:
CONFIDENTIAL – INTERNAL DISCIPLINARY RECORDS
Alexander Rhodes opened the folder.
His confident expression disappeared.
"What is it?" Master Grant asked.
Alexander slowly turned the first page.
His hands began to tremble.
"This..."
"...can't be right."
General Morrison stepped beside him.
"What did you find?"
Alexander looked toward Lena with disbelief.
Then he quietly spoke the sentence that froze everyone present.
"The sabotage investigation..."
"...was deliberately closed by someone inside our own Federation."
The parking lot fell silent.
Lena stared at the file without saying a word.
For thirteen years, everyone had searched for an unknown criminal.
But according to the newly recovered evidence...
The greatest betrayal had never come from outside martial arts.
It had come from someone who had sworn to protect it.
May you like
And somewhere within the Federation...
That person might still hold power.
