Forsaken Hunter-Chapter 30: Thunder on the Shore

The assignment came with a heavy silence, like the air before a storm.

Beno Mark stood still in the dimly lit conference room, his eyes scanning the map pinned on the wall.

Though a low-ranking hunter, something about the way he carried himself—the way he spoke, the way he listened—demanded respect. He wasn't chosen by rank, but by presence.

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His unwavering seriousness made him a natural leader in this tangled operation.

The mission was grim and urgent: rescue the women trapped in an underground experiment lab.

But there was a terrifying problem—no one knew where the lab was. No leads. No trails. Just rumors. And yet, dozens—maybe hundreds—of women had vanished.

Around him, the team assembled. Charles, methodical and quiet, and Luna, sharp-eyed and unpredictable. Sam, the tech expert who wore sarcasm like armor.

Supporting them from the perimeter were Mario, Vina, Luis, and Gin—seasoned hunters with experience in recon and data retrieval. From law enforcement, Senior Investigator Sato, a veteran with scars deeper than his years, and his assistant Mulo, the one who never spoke unless necessary.

Together, they were the only hope.

The Briefing Room – 22:47, Libeus

Maps, drones, and digital feeds glowed across the room. Sam and Charles had been working non-stop, using AI-generated overlays to scan the entire country of Libeus for patterns—clusters of disappearances, anomaly zones, and silent neighborhoods.

Charles tapped the map. "These areas... they've had missing cases going back months. But the patterns... they're too perfect."

"Exactly," Sam said, voice flat. "Whoever's behind this, they know what they're doing. No noise, no witnesses. Like clockwork."

He zoomed in on a district flashing red. Nano City. A sleek urban sprawl with a rotten core.

Sam continued, "This place—Nano City—it's been reporting unusually high cases of missing individuals. Mostly young women. Mostly students. Graduate level, smart, tall, slim. There's a preference, and that's what's creeping me out."

Beno's fingers clenched around a pen. He didn't speak—just absorbed.

Sato, who had remained silent until now, opened his laptop and spun it around. "We managed to get some CCTV footage from nearby locations."

Everyone leaned in.

The screen showed grainy night footage. A woman walking. A van slowing down. Then—nothing. The feed turned black in less than a second.

"Laser beam to blind the camera," Sato explained. "Professional level tech. And their timing is always evening or nightfall. They're targeting low-traffic zones and know every blind spot."

The room fell silent.

Then, out of nowhere, Luna leaned forward, her voice casual, "I have an idea."

Everyone turned to her.

"What kind of idea?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled mischievously. "Well, bring your ears closer."

Charles frowned. "No. Wait. I can already tell this is going to be something dangerous."

Luna winked. "Exactly."

Operation Begin – 01:12 AM

With no location confirmed, Luna volunteered herself as bait—her appearance matching the target profile almost too well. It was a plan no one liked, but everyone knew it might be the only way to draw them out.

"I'll be tracked the whole time," she said. "You'll be following close. I won't go down easily."

Sam cursed under his breath. "You better not."

As Luna walked the quiet streets of Nano City alone, wearing a concealed comm and tiny tracker in her coat, the tension gripped everyone like a noose.

Each shadow felt like an enemy.

Each second stretched longer.

Then... a van turned the corner.

Sato whispered into the mic, "Don't engage. Just wait. Follow them."

She walked calmly.

The van slowly tailed her.

Then in a flash, just as the others had vanished—so did Luna.

Panic. Chaos. Action.

"MOVE!" Sato barked. Everyone sprang into action.

Sam tracked Luna's signal—it was moving fast, deep through the underground hillside highway. The van that took her had slipped into a hidden tunnel system, long forgotten and masked from public maps.

Charles and Mario roared ahead on motorbikes, their tires screeching against the narrow bends. Gin and Vina followed on foot, cutting corners with expert precision.

Beno and Sam trailed behind in a white van, eyes locked on the tracker. The tension was unbearable.

They had it mapped—only two possible exits from that highway. Charles blocked one. Beno covered the other. They were ready.

But minutes passed.

The black van never emerged.

"Where the hell is it?" Beno muttered, knuckles white around the steering wheel.

Sam frowned. "Signal just cut. Something's wrong."

They doubled back.

The team regrouped, searching the highway until they found it—

The black van, abandoned near a jagged cave wall carved into the mountainside. This wasn't a regular tunnel. This was old, damp, and tight.

No signs of a fight. No blood. Just silence.

And Luna—gone.

"What the hell...?" Charles muttered.

Then Beno noticed it—

A massive, dark hole in the far wall, half-covered by rubble. Wind rushed through it, carrying the scent of salt and sand.

"It leads to the beach," he said.

Sam didn't wait. He launched his bee drone into the air, its wings humming. The live feed split on his tablet screen. He guided it through the tunnel, over the ridge, sweeping every direction—

Then he spotted them.

"Three targets. They've got Luna. Heading toward the old mansion by the shore."

Rage ignited.

"They outsmarted us," Vina hissed.

"No," Beno stepped forward, lightning sparking at his heels. "They delayed us."

In a single motion, Beno vanished from view—

Lightning Step.

A thunderclap echoed through the tunnel as he launched from the highway's edge, down the cliffside, tearing through the air like a comet. Dust exploded in his wake.

The enemy barely had time to react.

As the figures sprinted across the beach with Luna's unconscious body slung over a shoulder, Beno landed in front of them like a bolt from the gods. The sand cracked under his feet, electricity arcing along the ground.

"Put her down," he said coldly.

The kidnappers pulled weapons—plasma daggers, shock blades. One of them, a hulking hybrid with cybernetic arms, roared and charged.

Beno didn't flinch.

"Lightning Wheel—THUNDER SLASH!"

A crack of thunder split the air.

Beno's Lightning Wheel Slash tore through the trees and scattered stones like glass. The shockwave scorched the ground, a streak of raw power surging toward the three figures fleeing with Luna.

One of them raised a hand—a shimmering shield of magic flared to life, absorbing most of the impact, but the sheer force still sent them staggering.

The masked man growled, "So you came to capture us, huh?"

Beno didn't reply. He stepped forward, lightning still crackling along his blade.

From behind, Charles and Marco arrived—Charles landed with a flaming dash, his boots leaving scorched trails. Marco bent gravity itself, the ground rippling as his pressure field slammed into the enemies.

The fight exploded into chaos.

Charles unleashed fireballs, igniting the trees around them, forcing the kidnappers to split up. One tried to cast a binding spell—but Marco's gravity field pulled him off balance, slamming him into the dirt.

Another pulled twin daggers, rushing Beno. Sparks lit up the beachside night as blade clashed with blade—Beno parried, pivoted, and kicked the man into a boulder.

They weren't elite—just low-rank Hunters, but they were desperate, vicious, and drugged with fear.

Within moments, the three collapsed. Bloodied, groaning, defeated.

Beno grabbed one by the collar, lifting him off the sand.

"Who are you? Where are the other women?"

The man chuckled, face bruised and teeth bloodied. "You're too late... Free us, Joker... will come for us..."

His eyes suddenly glowed crimson.

"BENO!" Sam shouted.

Instinct kicked in—Beno hurled the man into the air just as a volatile surge of mana built up in his chest. In midair, the man detonated—a twisted magic suicide bomb.

Chunks rained down.

The other two began convulsing, their bodies twisting, glowing red—Beno's eyes widened. Too late. Heads burst like fruit. It was vile.

Even hardened Hunters turned their eyes away.

Beno sprinted toward Luna—still unconscious, still breathing.

"Luna! Luna!"

She stirred, groaning weakly.

"Where... where am I?"

Beno gently helped her sit up. "You're safe now. Thank god..."

Her eyes widened as memories surged back. "Wait... I was in a van... they injected me with something—I... I passed out."

A voice echoed from above.

"This is Investigator Senire! From the cave entrance above! Are you all okay down there?"

Beno responded, "We're fine. But we found a trafficking route. Get your team—we're searching this entire area. They were hiding something big."

Sam rushed toward the massive hole in the wall, his drone buzzing beside him. His face went pale as he pointed.

"Guys... the old warehouse near the beach—it's worse than we thought."

They ran.

When they reached it, the stench of chemicals and rot hit them like a wall.

Inside: six women, barely alive. Chained. Drugged. Unconscious. Human trafficking victims.

They freed them fast. Vina and Gin checked vitals, Charles lit emergency flares, and Sam called for medical evac.

And even as dawn broke, casting a silver light over the waves—

Beno knew this was just a scratch on something far more monstrous.

The real war had just begun.

Aftermath – Dawn

They couldn't save everyone.

But they saved some. Dozens of women traumatized, but breathing. Luna limped to Beno, who looked at her silently before nodding.

"You pulled it off," he said.

She smirked. "Told you I had a good idea."

Sato walked past them, shaking his head. "We've barely scratched the surface. This wasn't the lab. This was just an outpost."

Beno's jaw tightened. "Then we go deeper."

And as the sun broke the sky, so did a promise—

Inside Underground well

Inside the well, Ella sat in a corner, eyes locked on the wolf boy. She still couldn't trust him. No matter how human he looked, he carried monster genes in his blood.

She could defend herself if needed, but her right hand was broken during her fight with Joker. All she had now was her left hand—and that wouldn't be enough if he turned on her.

Climbing out was impossible. She was trapped.

Fenris stood nearby. His eyes glowed red, almost like a beast eyeing prey. But he didn't move.

He looked... conflicted. The hunger was there—deep, raw—but he didn't act on it. He wasn't just a monster. He was a prisoner of something darker.

Ella saw the hatred in his eyes, a fury born of years of torment. But it wasn't directed at her. When he looked at her, his gaze softened.

Not like a man looking at a woman—but like something broken recognizing something fragile.

"How long have you been like this?" she asked.

He hesitated, his voice low. "I was born in a lab... So... sixteen years. I've been locked here ever since."

"Sixteen? Are you serious?" Ella blinked. "Then how do you speak? Who taught you language... humanity?"

Fenris looked at her. Something in her voice—maybe the question—unlocked something buried.

He trembled, then turned away and walked to a pile of bones in the corner.

He picked up a skull, holding it gently like it was sacred.

And then he wept.

Tears poured down his cheeks as he clutched the skull to his chest, memories crashing into him—ones he had long forced himself to forget.