Nadia instructed Elizabeth to go back inside and lock her door. Then, she turned to Noah. "Let's go." As they approached the stairwell and opened the door, Nadia was about to step out when Harrison suddenly pulled her back and moved ahead, taking the lead down the stairs. Nadia, now relegated to second in line, was speechless. Uh, alright. SWAT-trained Harrison had far more experience in combat. Leading the charge to draw fire made sense strategically. Still, this wasn't an orderly world anymore. People who dared to take the lead were practically extinct, especially with the other side likely armed. But how well-armed? They didn't yet know. With life on the line, Nadia cleared her thoughts and accepted her spot as second. Bang! Bang! Bang!They had barely taken a dozen steps when deafening gunshots echoed. The attackers weren't playing by any rules. With plenty of ammunition, they opened fire without warning, clearly aiming to wipe out anyone on the 18th floor. Harrison's movements were calculated. Firing from the 16th floor up created an angle and line-of-sight discrepancy. Bullets either hit the railings or embedded in the walls, missing his feet entirely. Yes—he had only exposed his feet. At the sound of gunfire, Elizabeth gasped from behind her door. "Be careful!" Bang! A shot rang out from the 17th floor at the same time. Harrison's expertise shone through. Nadia, however, found the recoil of the gun overwhelming. Her arm was numb, but she still managed to hit her target. As they descended further, she quietly unsheathed her saber just a few inches, its smooth blade reflecting Noah's sudden movement. He raised a knife and aimed it at her back. Without turning around, Nadia moved her gun-bearing hand under her left arm and fired. She didn't hit his heart but got him in the stomach. Noah screamed, clutching his gut as he staggered back, only to be met with Elizabeth's cane swinging at his head. Blood gushed as he stumbled and collapsed to the floor. Meanwhile, Harrison had already reached the second door just as the attackers broke through the first door on the 16th floor and began charging up with guns drawn. Suddenly, something small and round was tossed down the stairwell, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. "Grenade!" someone yelled, and the group recoiled in panic, retreating down the stairs. The smoke was acrid, making it impossible to breathe without coughing and bringing tears to everyone's eyes. Visibility dropped to near zero.Harrison seized the opportunity, firing his gun several times. Amidst the gunfire were screams, and soon silence fell again. Nadia, still standing on the stairs, was at a loss. Should she go down now? It didn't seem like there was much for her to do. "Ahhhh!" More screams erupted from below, followed by the unmistakable sounds of fists meeting flesh in a brutal brawl. "Nadia! Are you okay?" Jasmine's anxious voice cut through the chaos. "I'm fine. What about you guys?" Caleb, panting heavily, called back, "All clear!" Several attackers were already dead, while the survivors were too busy watching the stairs above, waiting for another chance to charge. It was clear this was a fight to the death—either they wiped out the residents on the 18th floor, or they didn't make it out alive.What they didn't anticipate was being ambushed from behind. Jasmine's strikes were strong and merciless, and with the group caught in a pincer attack, they were overwhelmed. Unable to defend both their front and rear, they had no chance of survival. Harrison's smoke grenade filled the stairwell with a choking haze, forcing Jasmine, Levi, and Caleb Zink to cover their noses as they searched through the corpses. Among the weapons they recovered were crude knives, steel pipes, and, to their surprise, three firearms. The guns were poorly crafted, obviously from some sketchy back alley workshop, but they were still deadly weapons—perfect for survival. Levi and Caleb stripped the corpses down with zeal, nearly taking off their underwear in the process. In total, they found 26 loose bullets, and counting those in the magazines, they now had 34 rounds. Their loot also included two thick gold chains, three gold rings, two packs of cigarettes, a watch, and a lighter. Their excitement was palpable. Finally, the 18th floor had real firepower. Now, let's see which idiot dared to come charging up here again—they'd lose their heads! "Levi, we're unstoppable!" "Caleb, we're invincible!" Armed and emboldened, the two felt invincible. From this day forward, they swore they'd take on anyone—gods, demons, whoever dared cross them. Unfortunately, their adrenaline-fueled declarations went unnoticed. Jasmine, covering her nose, hurried over to where Noah lay bleeding out on the floor. Stunned by the sight, she asked, "What happened?" Nadia sheathed her blade. "He sold us out. Took payment in protection supplies to stab us in the back." "No, no, don't kill me!" Noah pleaded, pale and trembling with fear. "I didn't want to do it, but they kidnapped my son! They said if I didn't cooperate, I'd never see him again!" Nadia didn't waste time debating. "You know the difference between right and wrong. You made your choice, so now you face the consequences."Cowardice was one thing, but betraying the 18th floor—the very people who had protected him—was another. If Nadia hadn't been vigilant and suspected foul play, she could've been dead by now. Noah wasn't alone in Unit 1703; he had a family. Jasmine stormed over and kicked the door with a fury. "Everyone inside, listen up! If you don't come out now, I'll finish him off!" Levi, still nursing his frustrations, pressed his foot down on Noah's bleeding wound. You think the 18th floor is full of saints? Guess again. Ptui! Noah howled in pain, and Caleb, not wanting to miss out, added his stomp for good measure. If you think you can backstab Nadia and get away with it, you're dreaming! Finally, after Jasmine's repeated kicks, the door to Unit 1703 creaked open. A woman, her face red with fear and anger, rushed out into the hallway and threw herself over Noah, crying, "Honey! Honey, are you okay?" Noah was barely conscious. "I'm useless… I couldn't save Ollie."Ollie, their son, had been taken by the gang extorting protection supplies. The woman, overcome with grief and fury, glared at Nadia and the others. "You're monsters! How could you kill my husband?" Her accusation stunned the group. "Your husband stabbed us in the back, and somehow, it's our fault for surviving?" Nadia's voice was cold. "Your husband tried to kill me. Why shouldn't I fight back?" "If it weren't for you people, my son wouldn't have been kidnapped! This is all your fault. You've brought nothing but disaster. Now you're killing my husband too! You're the real monsters!" "So let me get this straight," Nadia said, almost laughing. "Your son gets taken, so your husband thinks it's fine to murder me, and somehow I'm the villain here?" Levi exploded with anger. "You couldn't protect your kid, and now you're blaming us?""We warned you when you installed that door—being close to the 18th floor would make you a target. What did you say back then? What did you do? Every time there's danger, we fight and bleed while you cower behind closed doors. Now that your son's kidnapped, you blame us for your cowardice? You couldn't fight them, but you had the guts to stab us in the back. Do you think we're pushovers?" The woman's eyes brimmed with rage and despair. "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, none of this would've happened!"