Nadia couldn't be bothered with the argument anymore. "If you think being near us is unlucky, then do yourself a favor and move far, far away. Immediately." "Why should we move?" Noah's wife glared at her, seething with hatred. "It's your fault our son was kidnapped, and my husband was injured. This isn't over!" Nadia sighed, exasperated. "What do you want, then?" Noah grabbed his wife's hand, suppressing his pain as he looked toward Nadia and the others. "Everyone, I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have done what I did. I had no right to betray you or attack you. But I had no choice—Ollie is only eight years old. If I didn't do what they said, they would've killed him. "I brought this on myself, but my son doesn't deserve to pay for my mistakes. Please, can you help me get him back?" Nadia couldn't believe her ears. If Noah had cooperated from the start, like the Hadids, and defended the building with everyone else, they could have planned together when Ollie was taken. Nadia might not have risked her life for his son, but she would have at least shared the attackers' weaknesses or strategies to help him. But no. Noah had chosen self-preservation first, cowering in fear while repeatedly putting the 18th floor in harm's way. And now, he wanted them to sacrifice themselves to save his son? Nadia didn't sugarcoat it. "Don't even think about it." She didn't wait for an answer and turned to Unit 1702. With one solid kick, she yelled, "If you've got the guts to stay hidden, then stay there for the rest of your lives!" Jasmine, not to be outdone, gave the door another hard kick. "You better open this door, or I'll take it off its hinges!" Still, the door remained shut. "Fine. You're all so brave," Nadia sneered. "If we have to deal with this again, consider it our loss."With that, she turned and headed upstairs, no longer sparing a glance at Noah or anyone else. Jasmine and the others followed, equally disinterested in playing the martyr for ungrateful neighbors. Let the 17th floor deal with the next attack on their own. Noah's wife tried to stop Nadia, but Noah grabbed her hand firmly. "Leah, listen to me. I don't have much time left." She broke down, clutching him and sobbing. "No, you're not going to die. You can't die!" "This is on me. I should've protected Ollie better." The cold seeped into his bones, and every breath brought more pain as his insides felt like they were turning to stone. "Leah, when I'm gone, don't go after the 18th floor," he said, struggling up. "Those people won't stop until they destroy the 18th floor, and the 18th floor will never back down. You have to live—for me, and for Ollie. Wait for him to come back.""No, I can't do this without you!" "If the 18th floor wins, there's still a chance Ollie will return. But you need to leave now. Hide somewhere safe. Don't get involved with anyone or anything." Dragging his bleeding body, Noah staggered into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and prepared to leave. "I'm going to fight those b*stards. You have to live, Leah. You have to live for Ollie." Leah screamed and cried as Noah stumbled out of the apartment, his resolve pushing him forward despite his failing body. He barely made it past the 7th floor before collapsing on the icy ground. His rigid body fell with a heavy thud, and he didn't get up again. … When Nadia opened her apartment door, Colby lunged at her, whining and pawing frantically. Knowing how worried the dog had been, Nadia knelt down and patted its head. "I'm fine. Calm down, okay?"But Colby wasn't having it. The dog was inconsolable, scrambling around her, and in its agitation, smacked her shoulder with a heavy paw, stupefying Nadia for a moment. Jasmine and the others, witnessing this, were stunned. They hadn't expected even the fearless Nadia to get "disciplined" by her dog. Now what? Both Nadia and Colby were forces to be reckoned with. Which side were they supposed to take? In the end, everyone averted their gaze, pretending they hadn't seen a thing. Colby buried itself in Nadia's arms, letting out sorrowful whimpers. You always leave me out. You think I'm useless in a fight! "Aw, Colby, you're amazing," Nadia cooed as she scratched its ears. "But those guys had real weapons, and if you got hit, you could've died." She kept soothing it. "Next time, okay? Next time, you can join us." Colby looked up at her, its eyes full of skepticism. Really? You're not lying to me, are you? "Really." Nadia grabbed its paw and made a pinky promise. Levi stood to the side, jealousy practically oozing off him, and so was Caleb. Only a dog dared to take on Nadia. Anyone else would've been long dead for trying. Their childhood memories of being pummeled by her flashed through their minds, leaving lingering trauma. They sighed. The difference between being a person and a dog was just too vast. When Harrison opened his door, Lily rushed at him, her lips trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. He gently patted her head. "Don't cry. I'm fine." She clung tightly to him. "Harry, I can help too." Why was it that whenever there was danger, they either tied her to a tree or locked her in a room?Once both Lily and Colby had calmed down, the residents of the 18th floor gathered in Unit 1803 to divide the spoils. Caleb and Levi laid out everything they'd scavenged onto the table. "How are we splitting these?" Most of it was straightforward, but the three firearms were the real prize. Everyone was salivating over them. Holding one gave an incredible boost to confidence, and for the first time in ages, the 18th floor felt truly armed. Nadia was thrilled too. With these, everyone could finally have one. Colby, being the clever dog he was, had seen its owner handle firearms before and knew they were powerful. Without hesitation, it trotted over, grabbed one gun, and placed it in Nadia's hands. Not satisfied, it picked up another gun and held it in its mouth, refusing to let go. If I have one of these, you guys can't lock me up again during a fight! The room fell silent. Everyone stared in stunned disbelief at Colby's bold move.It made sense for Nadia to have a gun, but what was the dog planning to do with one? Could it even fire it? How absurd could this dog be? Nadia, both amused and exasperated, wrestled the second gun from Colby's mouth and returned both to the table. As much as she wanted to keep them, the 18th floor was a team, and it was better to share than to hoard. Seeing no one else speaking up, Jasmine broke the silence. "How about one gun per household?" Caleb and Levi had no objections. They hoped Nadia and Harrison would agree, as it would bolster their ability to defend the building. Harrison glanced at Nadia, then said calmly, "I don't need one." What?! You don't want one? Then again, he was an expert marksman. It wasn't surprising he would scoff at such crudely made weapons. They hardly suited someone of his caliber.Nadia wanted a gun, but since she already had one, she decided it was better for the others to have these for self-defense. "I don't need one either," she said. Jasmine was taken aback. "Why not?" Feigning skepticism, Nadia examined one of the guns. "It's pretty rough. Are we sure it's safe to use?" Harrison took the gun from her and quickly disassembled it. Levi and Caleb gawked at his speed. "Whoa… dude, that's insane!" After examining the components, Harrison explained, "It's homemade, but the materials are decent. As long as you don't fire it continuously, it won't blow up in your hands." "How many shots count as 'continuous fire'?" Levi asked nervously. "Don't fire more than ten rounds in a row." With only 34 bullets total, that wasn't much of a concern. Even though Harrison declined to take a gun, Jasmine insisted Nadia should have one. Realizing Harrison was giving her an easy way out, Nadia played along. "We're already in a tight spot after today's events. Things are only going to get more dangerous. You'll need weapons to defend the building. "It's chaotic out there right now. I'll try to scavenge more in the next couple of days and see if I can find something better. For now, use these to get by." The group nodded, satisfied with the plan. Even without top-tier weapons, they finally felt a little more prepared for whatever came next.