Inverted Pyramid (4)

Ezequiel turned to Rino with a direct question:

"How skilled are you at shooting?"

Rino responded with pride, his stance firm and confident:

"I'm the best in my class, sir."

Ezequiel pointed upward, where a cabin stood out among the shadows.

"See that cabin up there? Apparently, that guy controls the monster that keeps regenerating. If you hit him, you'll scare him, and he might lose control for a moment."

"Sure, sir. Yes, sir," replied Rino, adjusting his position as he drew a compact pistol from behind his waist. It was equipped with a small sight, ready to carry out the order.

However, Adia intervened calmly but firmly:

"Wait. If you want to take out whoever's up there, give me the gun."

Rino frowned, skeptical.

"Do you even have precision, ma'am?"

Adia smiled faintly, as if the question were unnecessary.

"It's not precision I need, but teleportation magic. I can end this game right now."

Rino hesitated, gripping the weapon tightly.

"But don't you need to see the location to use your magic, ma'am?"

Marie, who had been silently observing, stepped in with a practical solution. She pulled a small device from her pocket and showed it to the group.

"This is a nanocamera. Attach it to the bullet," she said, handing it to Adia. "With that, she'll be able to see the location and send Ezequiel directly there."

Adia carefully took the single-eyed visor Marie offered and placed it on it. Her expression grew focused as she peered through the device, preparing to use her magic.

Meanwhile, Gat continued battling the monster, making it explode over and over with swift, precise movements. The creature roared but always returned stronger.

Following Ezequiel's instructions, Rino raised his weapon and aimed at the cabin. Ezequiel gave the signal with his fingers:

"Three, two, one... Fire, now!"

The shot rang out, clean and accurate. The bullet struck the cabin's glass, creating a small hole. From inside, a mocking voice echoed through the speakers:

"Fools! You really thought you could get in. Ha, ha."

Though the words were arrogant, a barely perceptible tremor in the tone betrayed fear.

Rino lowered the gun and looked at Ezequiel with concern.

"It seems the glass is strong. I'm sorry, sir."

Ezequiel shook his head, his expression unshaken.

"Don't feel bad. Alright, it's my turn. I don't use this ability much, except for my eyes, since I can only activate it three times a day. I wanted to save it for what lies ahead, but there's no other choice. Adia, send me there now."

Adia nodded decisively. Ezequiel began to fade before them, reappearing moments later beside the hole in the cabin's glass.

From below, Gat observed the scene while making the monster explode once more. He muttered to himself:

"Well, I guess the old man is finally going to use that attack. Something big is coming."

Once upstairs, Ezequiel saw a shadow moving inside the cabin. Without hesitation, he struck the glass with his fist. The silhouette of a man appeared behind him, laughing with disdain. His voice boomed through the speakers:

"Do you really think you can break this unbreakable glass with a mere punch? Not even the bullet managed to damage it. What makes you think your fist will be any different?"

The man continued to mock him, confident in his safety, when Ezequiel shouted with force:

"Moonlight Fist!"

Instantly, a bright yellow crescent formed around his knuckles. He struck the glass, which shattered into a thousand pieces. An explosion shook the area, filling the air with smoke. Amidst the debris, a hand appeared gripping the broken frame. Then, Ezequiel emerged completely, delivering a kick downward onto what seemed to be a person.

On the ground, trembling with fear, was a thin man in his twenties, wearing glasses and with a shaved head. He begged for mercy while dropping a controller from his hands. Ezequiel destroyed it with a single blow, and the monster fighting Gat began to melt away, this time forever.

A sense of liberation filled the atmosphere. Ezequiel lifted the man off the ground and shook him, forcing him to open his eyes. Trembling, the man began to plead:

"Don't hurt me; I'll do whatever you ask. Have mercy! I'm just the caretaker of this floor, a simple worker."

Ezequiel looked at him firmly but calmly.

"First things first, open the door so we can leave this place."

The man pointed to a red button on the control panel. With one hand, Ezequiel held the man; with the other, he pressed the button. A grinding noise echoed, and the wall blocking the exit began to move. Ezequiel leaned out through the hole in the glass and signaled to Rino, silently asking if anything was obstructing the door. Rino understood perfectly and responded with a thumbs-up.

"I think that's enough," said Ezequiel, releasing the man. "What's your name?"

"My name is Gin, the caretaker of this floor," replied the man, still trembling.

"Good," replied Ezequiel. "Why did you attack us?"

Gin swallowed before answering:

"I saw on the monitors that there was a big explosion on the upper floors. I couldn't contact the guardians of the first or second floors. Those on the third and fourth were busy with their own affairs. When I saw people who didn't belong to the organization, my job was to protect this floor, even with my life."

Ezequiel looked at him skeptically.

"But I see you weren't willing to die."

A weak "no" escaped Gin's lips.

Perhaps those two died from the elevator impacts, thought Ezequiel or the other team might be facing them right now.

"Are there more traps until we reach the last floor?" he asked.

"If you mean things like that, yes, there are guardians on every floor," answered Gin.

"Do you know all the floors? Is there a shortcut to get down quickly to where the laboratory is?"

"There are no shortcuts. You have to go through every floor to reach the last one, and each has a guardian. As soon as you step onto one of them, you'll be detected."

"Alright, you're coming with me," said Ezequiel.

Gin looked at him, confused, wondering how they planned to descend if he didn't even know how they had gotten up there.

Ezequiel exited again through the spot where he had shattered the glass, holding the bullet in his hand. He showed it to Rino, who examined it carefully through the sight of his weapon.

"I think this is for you," he said to Adia. "If I understand correctly, what you want is for me to bring him back."

Adia nodded and gestured for him to throw the bullet toward them. Ezequiel, with vision almost as sharp as an eagle's, launched the bullet with precision. Adia used her magic, and both Ezequiel and Gin appeared before the group.

Everyone was surprised to see the man standing next to Ezequiel. He explained all the information Gin had provided. Once the explanation was over, he asked:

"Should we wait for the other group, or should we continue?"

Adia quickly responded:

"As I already told you, the others are with Eduard. There's nothing he can't handle. I trust him. Besides, like you and me, he's a unit leader, and he'll bring everyone back safe and sound."

Gin, nervous, added with a forced smile:

"If they're all like this guy, the arrival of the others will be a piece of cake."

Internally, though, Gin knew it wouldn't be easy, especially on the fourth floor.

"Good," said Ezequiel. "Without further delay, we'll continue. We'll take this guy with us. Perhaps if we bring him along, they won't harm us or activate their traps."

Gin looked at him nervously as Ezequiel grabbed him by the coat and pulled him toward the door. Upon opening it, they found a staircase and began to descend.

Meanwhile, the other group advanced toward the next floor. Billy approached Podbe, fascinated by what he had seen.

"You looked like those creatures we used to see in video games or anime, the ones that could launch attacks and stuff," said Billy, excited.

Maria interjected sarcastically:

"It's a dog; it doesn't understand you, so it's not going to respond."

From inside Podbe, Reia thought amusedly. Of course, he understood. The problem is that they don't have a bond like Aiden does. Both Reia and Podbe shared an internal laugh.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Eduard stopped abruptly. Everyone followed suit, except Billy, who kept walking while talking to Podbe and bumped into Eduard.

"Ouch!" exclaimed the boy, rubbing his forehead. "It's like I hit a rock."

"Did something happen, Billy?" asked Eduard.

"No, nothing," replied Billy, still touching his forehead.

"Why are we stopping?" the others asked.

Eduard pointed to a set of double doors in front of them.

"I don't know what might be waiting for us behind this door. We need to proceed with caution."

He opened one side of the door, went through first, and signaled for the others to follow one by one. As they entered, the door closed automatically, and the room's lights went out. Heavy footsteps and labored breathing echoed in the darkness. Suddenly, blue lights turned on, revealing a series of tables arranged in rows. They appeared designed to hold something large, like a cow. There were nine tables in total, each covered with a cloth.

The clothes began to move slowly, revealing pale human faces. One by one, the bodies rose, showing skeletal figures devoid of visible organs, armed with long swords. As they stepped down from the tables, it became clear they were giants—men over two meters tall—advancing toward the group with determined steps.

"On guard!" ordered Eduard, stepping forward with his gloves on, ready for battle.