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A large tendril from Scylla crashes through the chamber and strikes Ventrik, knocking him rearward into the murky green water of the cess as debris and rubble surround him.

The scene shifts to a flashback during a heavy rainstorm. Ventrik, wearing a yellow rain poncho, crouches beside armed Metascience security personnel in front of rows of vertical hydroponic plants. One soldier urgently tells him they need to get him out of the area.

In close-up panels, Ventrik questions why he is being singled out for extraction, asking whether gangs are trying to steal the plants or kill everyone involved. Another soldier explains that the attackers are from a rival corporation and that they specifically want him.

Yellow caption boxes convey Ventrik’s internal thoughts, revealing that rather than destroying the engineered protein vines, the attackers want the person responsible for creating them.

In the final panels, the soldiers discuss calling for reinforcements while another watches the perimeter with a rifle. Rain continues to pour across the scene as Ventrik looks toward the ongoing chaos surrounding the facility.