It wasn't rare to see four or five people surround a steelworm at once. The moment one showed its head, the crowd would beat it down with sticks until it was nothing but a puddle of blood—or a smashed chunk of meat. Still, a few lucky, sneaky steelworms always slipped through. They dodged the soldiers on the lower floors, slipped past Caroline's team, and somehow crawled their way up beyond the 64th floor. That's where Raven waited. With his sharp nose, he could sniff out any that got past the others. One bite and the steelworm split clean in two. If one was bold enough to climb even higher, up to the 66th floor, then that was the end of it. Birds lived up there. And birds loved eating bugs. Jet guarded the window. Every time a worm came close—snap! One peck, one kill—crunchy, smooth, satisfying. Snow had changed too. After the deep freeze, she mutated. Now she was the size of a small horse, her violet eyes glowing like something out of a dream. Her wolf-like form looked powerful and sharp. Snow's personality had turned cold and fierce. Every steelworm that tried to crawl in met the same fate—being bitten into eight pieces. Dead for sure. But sometimes, one of those creatures was different. This one had crawled to the 65th floor, where Raven had already bitten it in half. He stomped hard, crushing the tail, and was just about to smash the head when another steelworm burst in. Raven leapt into the air to fight the new intruder. Normally, no steelworm could survive being torn in two. But this one—this one was special. It had mutated again, like an earthworm. Even split apart, it lived.The wound sealed quickly, and a new tail was growing. It rolled on the floor, twisted twice, and began crawling forward, following the scent of blood. It could smell living flesh and that sweet, tempting scent of ability users. It slithered along the wall until it reached a door. The poison spread at the entrance didn't affect it at all. Inside, it saw its next meal. A frail, thin man in a white lab coat. The worm lunged, mouth wide, hungry for power and flesh. Then clink! A glass jar slammed down over its head. Fast. Precise. Not a single wasted move. The thin, pale man grinned, his face twisting into something perverted. "Haha! This one looks a little different from the last." Beside him, another steelworm already lay dissected on the lab table, cut open and sliced into pieces. And now, this "lucky" one was next in line for a special treatment. Nelson's eyes gleamed with excitement. He lined up his glass jars on the table and dove straight into another round of experiments. An hour later, Caroline and her team were fighting like mad. Everyone was exhausted. Even with spring water constantly replenishing her energy, Caroline felt her strength fading fast. Two soldiers collapsed on the floor. The healing ability user managed to save their lives, but neither could fight anymore. More steelworms poured in endlessly. Those writhing, red bodies flooding through the lower floors like a living tide. Two hours later, more people had fallen. The defenses were breaking. Steelworms burst through the gaps and swarmed upward. Some reached beyond the 55th floor.Panic spread like fire. Civilians clutched whatever weapons they had; they could handle one or two of the creatures, but not dozens, let alone hundreds. The building was falling into complete chaos. Caroline quickly realized why things had gotten worse. Some of the steelworms that had originally gone toward Building B had turned around and were now attacking Building A instead. Which meant Building B must've found a way to fight them off. Francis had drained every ounce of his strength. He was half-conscious, his body trembling, but even in his daze, his ability still flickered weakly around him. The defenses were seconds away from collapse when something impossible happened. Lisa appeared. She stood on top of a giant centipede, calmly cutting through the rising water. The steelworms didn't attack her. They slithered aside, parting around her like she didn't exist. Lisa stopped below the building and looked up at Caroline. A small, knowing smile tugged at her lips. Then she lifted a loudspeaker and called out. "Looks like you're struggling up there. "I can help you. I can end this. But my boss has one request. He wants Professor Valdez." Lisa tilted her head slightly, her eyes locking onto Caroline's. "Ms. Sinclair, I know he's part of your team. He listens to you. So tell me, would you give up one man to save everyone else in this building?"