Deep in the Vault

The passage leading to the vault was deeper than expected.

One heavy metal door followed another, and each one had an identity verification device in front of it.

Kurapika walked at the very front.

He held the access badge Beyond had given him, swiping it once at every door.

The badge's authorization only covered the outer area. They couldn't enter the sealed inner zone.

Gon followed beside him, his eyes darting around as he stared at the precision instruments covering the walls with curiosity.

Killua kept both hands in his pockets, sweeping his gaze over every corner with his guard fully raised.

Leorio carried a medical kit on his shoulder, muttering that this place was even stricter than a hospital laboratory.

Genos walked in the middle, his blue eyes flickering nonstop as his full-area scan continued running.

"Abnormal movement detected." He suddenly spoke. "The private soldiers on the third level are moving toward the vault. Their numbers are continuing to increase."

Kurapika's steps faltered slightly.

"How far away?"

"They're expected to reach the outer area in twenty minutes."

"We have enough time." Kurapika withdrew his gaze and continued forward. "We'll finish this quickly."

Saitama walked at the very back.

With both hands in his pockets, he ambled along slowly, completely unaffected by the heavy security around them.

He had only agreed to make this trip because he'd heard the vault contained delicious royal delicacies.

The vault's main entrance stood at the end of the passage.

A massive alloy door was covered in intricate patterns, with three layers of locks embedded in its center.

Kurapika walked up to the door but didn't immediately swipe his authorization.

He crouched down and leaned close to examine the locks carefully.

There were several extremely fine scratches around the keyhole.

They were very shallow—so shallow