Deep in the abandoned metro station, the crew stood face-to-face with Lucino, the man they believed was dead—the legendary former leader of Venusaa's most feared gang.
Marco (tense):
"If you're really Lucino… prove it."
Lucino (calmly, with a hint of menace):
"Remember the night we hijacked Zakrota's weapons truck? You wore a pink bunny mask and shouted, 'I am the shadow of the night!'"
Marco (grimacing):
"...That doesn't prove anything."
Rocco (bursts out laughing):
"Oh my god, a bunny mask?! I've got a new hero!"
Savio:
"Focus, people. The dead man just walked back into our lives, and you're discussing fashion choices?"
Franco (quietly):
"Why come back now, Lucino? What do you want from us?"
Lucino (sharp):
"I don't want something. I need something. You are the last hope to destroy Zakrota. But I won't trust you so easily."
---
Scene: The Tunnel of Trials
Lucino led them into a massive circular chamber, lined with rusted screens and dried blood on the walls. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut.
Lucino:
"To wear the mark of this gang again… you must survive the Blood Test."
Franco:
"Wait, are we fighting robots again?"
Lucino:
"No… you'll be fighting yourselves."
Lucchini:
"Wha—? I don't usually argue with myself unless I forget to water my cactus."
---
The screens lit up, playing dark moments from each member's past—failures, betrayals, pain.
Luca Feri (softly):
"…That's the night I ran… and left my brother behind."
Rocco:
"I never wanted to see this again…"
Franco's screen showed his family… the fire… their final screams.
Franco (dropping to his knees):
"Please… stop… not this again…"
Lucino (over the loudspeaker):
"If you can't face your past… you won't shape the future."
---
The room trembled. A section of the floor opened. From it rose a sleek black droid—identical to Franco—wearing his face twisted into a mocking grin.
Fake Franco (taunting):
"You're weak. You cried. You watched them burn."
Franco (rising slowly):
"I'm not the strongest... but I'm the one still standing."
He rushed the fake, launching into a brutal fight, while the others faced droid versions of their own worst moments.
Rocco (swinging a steel pipe):
"I've had enough! You're not me! You're the part I buried long ago!"
---
After intense battles both mental and physical, the team emerged bruised, breathless… but alive. The doors creaked open.
Lucino (reappearing):
"You passed. You're my new family now."
Franco:
"And what now? Do we bring Zakrota down?"
Lucino (nodding slowly):
"We bring them down… and burn their kingdom of lies to the ground."
Marco (grinning):
"Finally. A plan I actually like."
End of Chapter 7
They faced their past… and survived.
Now reborn, the gang known as The Shadow Crew sets its sights on a new mission—
Infiltrate a secret Zakrota facility… and spark the revolution.