The entire group came to a halt upon hearing us''s words, their gazes fixed on the imposing building just a few feet ahead. It stood six stories high, an imposing structure constructed entirely from dark, metallic material that glistened faintly under the pale light.


    The exterior was featureless and stark, a monolithic block of ck metal without a single window or marking to distinguish it. Its presence felt both foreboding and mysterious, as if it concealed more than it revealed.


    "This is it?" Miley asked, skepticism evident in her voice as she eyed the intimidating structure, arms crossed tightly across her chest.


    "Yup. This is the first building," us replied, his voice calm but firm. His words echoed eerily across the desertedndscape, carried by the chill wind.


    "''First building''? You never mentioned anything about a second one during the meeting," Barry interjected, his tone edged with suspicion and frustration.


    us turned slowly to face him, his posture rxed, hands still casually tucked into the pockets of his dark coat. His calm demeanor seemed to irritate Barry even more.


    "Well, it must have slipped my mind," us responded, his tone nonchnt, almost dismissive, which only served to heighten the tension.


    "How could you forget something that important, us?" Miley questioned, her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing in disbelief.


    "I told you this guy can''t be trusted! He''s leading us straight into a death trap!" Sam''s voice was loud and strained, his fear barely masked by his anger. His eyes darted nervously around the area, as if expecting an ambush.


    "What are you talking about?" Kinsey, another female staff member, asked, her confusion evident as she nced between Sam and us.


    "What Sam means," us interjected, his tone cold and cutting, "is that I''m working for the enemy and supposedly leading you all to your deaths." He began to walk slowly toward Sam, his eyes locked onto him with a predatory intensity.


    Sam''s heart pounded in his chest, his breathing shallow as us closed the distance between them. Every step us took felt like a silent threat, and the air grew thick with tension. Finally, us stopped directly in front of him, towering over him.


    "If I wanted to kill you all," us said, his voice low but filled with menace, "I would have done it the moment you set foot on this. I don''t need to lure you anywhere. So stop whining like a little coward and do us all a favor—shut up." His words sliced through the air like a de, and for a moment, Sam could only stand there, heart hammering in his chest.


    "Let''s stop wasting time and get this over with," Kara, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. Her voice was calm, but there was a sense of urgency in her tone. "Since there are two buildings, we should split into groups of three. Each group will collect the items and return to the shelter," she suggested, her eyes scanning the others for agreement.


    "Sounds good to me," Kinsey agreed quickly. "Let''s the three of us go together. What do you say?" She nced at us and Kara, her expression determined.


    "Fine. You three handle the second building. Just keep walking straight—you''ll find it. It''s not far," us instructed, his tone matter-of-fact.


    Miley and the others nodded, exchanging a brief nce before heading off in the indicated direction to begin their search.


    "Come on,dies," us smirked, turning back toward the building''s entrance. With a firm push, he opened the heavy metal door, and they stepped inside cautiously, the air inside cooler and tinged with an unfamiliar scent.


    The vast room they entered was filled with rows ofputers and chairs. Strange, indecipherable codes and sentences flickered across the screens, glowing faintly in the dim light. The atmosphere was tense, each screen seemingly hiding secrets they couldn''t yet understand.


    After scanning the room, they moved to the second floor. Here, they discovered a cache of advanced weapons, unlike anything they had ever seen. These weren''t regr mutant weapons—they were far more sophisticated, radiating a quiet, deadly power. The alien designs were intricate, almost artistic, but undeniably lethal.


    Without hesitation, they began loading the weapons into special bags. Each item shrank upon entering, a feature designed to maximize storage space. They worked quickly and efficiently, the tension in the air thick as they emptied the room. Once thest weapon was packed away, they moved on to the third floor.


    Meanwhile, Miley''s group had located the second building. The interior mirrored the first—rows ofputers disying the same cryptic codes and symbols.


    "What does any of this mean? Were they programming something?" Miley wondered aloud, her voice filled with confusion and unease.


    Barry approached one of theputers, his fingers flying over the keyboard with practiced ease.


    "I know programming code when I see it," he muttered, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "This isn''t code. These are messagesmunications with someone. I''m trying to trante them."


    A few tense moments passed, and then the symbols transformed into English. One message stood out, stark and chilling.


    "The humans took the bait. They''re here," Barry read aloud, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes widened in horror as he turned toward the entrance.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A shadowy figure loomed outside.


    "Everyone, get down!" Barry shouted, his voice filled with urgency.


    VWOOOOM!


    BOOOOM!


    A pulse of energy tore through the building, obliterating it in an instant. Metal shards exploded in all directions, and the staff members were thrown violently into the air.


    They hit the ground hard,nding several meters away, bruised and battered, bones fractured. The force of the st had left them stunned and gasping for breath.


    ''What... what was that?'' Miley thought, gritting her teeth as she struggled to rise. ''How did it destroy the entire building with one attack?''


    As she fought to stand, the ground beneath her trembled. Thunderous footsteps echoed closer, each step reverberating through the ground.


    Driven by a mix of curiosity and dread, she turned her head slowly toward the noise. Her heart froze.


    A towering figure loomed over her, its presence radiating a terrifying aura of power.


    It was a Sycrax.