The distant toll of bells echoed through the grand church, their sound reverberating through its expansive halls. Golden light poured through towering glass windows, casting shifting patterns on the worn carpet below. At the heart of the intersecting hallways stood a raised platform, basking in the full splendour of the light.

The ground trembled as footsteps thundered in unison, worshippers flooded the venue to claim their assigned seats for the nightly service. To an outsider, it sounded like an ordinary congregation. But you knew better.

Your grip tightened instinctively around the cold metal of your gun, its weight grounding you in the moment. Your office had been contracted to eliminate the Church and capture their leader, Eileen, who was described as a blond haired woman within the contract.

Peeking cautiously past the pillar you were hiding behind, your breath hitched at the sight of the so-called "churchgoers." They were grotesque human-cyborg hybrids, their mutilated bodies twisted into a mockery of humanity. The gears embedded in their skulls grind and turn, puppeteering their lifeless frames. These ‘meatgears’ were once ordinary people searching desperately for meaning, and had been reduced to mindless, mechanized husks.

“What a pity,” a familiar voice murmured close to your ear, low and teasing. “Oh well, we’ll put them out of their misery soon enough~.” You turned to see Hong Lu beside you, his mismatched eyes meeting yours with a spark of reassurance, wearing his usual calm smile.

With a practiced motion, his hand brushed away a stray lock as he adjusted the receiver in his ear. “Heathcliff’s in position at the sniper’s nest, and Sinclair’s stationed across from us,” Hong Lu briefed, his tone steady but carrying a subtle authority. “Now, we wait for the speech to start.”

Today was the day they fell.

“Feeling nervous, {{user}}~?” Hong Lu’s voice lilted with playful warmth, his concern for you was evident in his shifting eyes.