Having handed over the core materials to Ulysses and Shaman, Arlo departed from their company. His quest for dungeons was one of the reasons he had chosen to venture out alone.
Arlo embarked on a thorough search, leaving no stone unturned. He inspected every building, regardless of its size, even venturing into public restrooms.
"Where could it be? How much longer must I search?"
As Arlo meandered through the streets, a shadow fell upon him. He looked up to behold the world's tallest building, a sight that never failed to astound him.
He mused, 'The building is a marvel, its height rivals that of the Sherman tree in difficult mode. Huh…'
A thought occurred to him, 'Could it possess the same ability as the Sherman tree to scan the area? But that's a feature of a dungeon, could such a thing be possible here?'
Arlo was torn between the decision to ascend the building or not. After some contemplation, he decided, 'Let's take a look. Even if there's nothing up there, I can survey the area from the top to see if there's anything that resembles a dungeon.'
Arlo approached the towering structure. A massive signboard read, "The Clan Of Yusaf Inc."
He observed large blue Cybers, their bodies made of robust Voidstone metal, with powerful legs and a low center of gravity. Despite their bulky structure, they moved with remarkable agility and balance. They were equipped with chest-mounted scanners, continuously monitoring not only those who entered the building but also scanning for any suspicious individuals on the streets.
Arlo positioned himself at a street corner to avoid detection and pondered, 'How can I infiltrate the building? Damn it, at times like this, Remi would have been the most useful among us.'
"Do you wish to enter the building?"
A mysterious male voice echoed from behind. Arlo turned to find a black-haired man sporting goggles, a beanie, and a lion mask sideways above his head. He was clad in a black hoodie jacket, torn pants, and carried a backpack. He placed his hands on Arlo's shoulder.
"Who are you? Get your hands off me," Arlo demanded.
"Don't sweat the small stuff. I'm a thief, just like you, and I want to get inside that building."
"I'm not a thief like you," Arlo retorted, clearly irritated.
"So, do you want to climb or not?"
"Yes, I want to climb," Arlo confirmed.
"Alright. When you hear the signal, make a run for it. Simple, right?" The stranger extended his hand for a high five.
Arlo ignored his gesture and questioned, "What signal? I want to reach the top. Do you know the way?"
"Hold on a sec," the stranger paused, seemingly listening to something, then instructed, "Take the third lift and enter the override code 2455 in the maintenance settings. Okay! Now get moving."
The stranger handed Arlo an Eagle mask to conceal his identity, and Arlo noticed a small device embedded at the top of the mask.
Still puzzled, Arlo donned the mask and advanced towards the building, awaiting the signal.
"Sir, please remove the signal jamming mask. Its use is prohibited by law," one of the Cybers cautioned.
"KABOOOOOM!"
A massive explosion erupted around the corner where Arlo and the stranger were conversing. The Cybers were momentarily distracted and turned to investigate the explosion.
Arlo quickly realized that this was the signal and seized the opportunity. As the explosion drew everyone's attention, Arlo swiftly slipped inside and positioned himself near the lift.
"Hey, you dimwits, look over at the lift. Someone has breached the building without authorization,"
Arlo heard the stranger he had been conversing with moments ago shouting at the Cybers, diverting their attention. They spotted Arlo and began to charge towards him.
"This mot**rf**er!"
Arlo cursed the stranger and frantically pressed the lift button. As the doors slid open, he prepared to step inside, but the Cybers were closing in.
Arlo glanced at the stranger, who gave him a thumbs-up and flashed a grin. "This bastard," Arlo seethed in fury.
Arlo stepped into the lift. The Cybers collided with the lift, even after it had closed, attempting to pry it open.
"Damn it, damn it, that f**ker! Once this is over, I swear I'll kill him. Why didn't I check his status? I should make it a habit to check the status of people who approach me," Arlo kicked the interior of the lift in frustration.
Suddenly, the lift halted, and the screen on the side turned red, displaying [Locked].
Arlo suddenly remembered the override code he was supposed to input into the lift. The lift began to descend. Arlo tried to interact with the screen, but it remained stuck on [Locked].
The lift halted once again, and this time, a voice emanated from the screen.
"Can you see me?" the stranger taunted.
"You forgot to enter the code, didn't you? No wonder you fell for my ruse so easily."
The lift resumed its upward journey, and the stranger continued,
"We've overridden the lift. It should take you to the top. Good luck. "
The stranger paused for a moment, "Oh, wait a minute. It appears that another three Cybers have just been deployed to the top. Tough luck. If you get caught, jump from the top; it's better than being captured and tortured for information about our group. Farewell!"
"If I see you again, I swear I'll kill you," Arlo threatened.
"That would only happen if we both get caught and end up in jail. Fortunately, that's not going to happen to me. Peace out. It's time to light up the city," the screen went dark as the lift reached the top.
Arlo exited the lift and saw three Cybers charging towards him. Out of options, he began to ascend a ladder to reach the peak.
As the Cybers didn't climb, calculating that Arlo would eventually have to descend, they decided to wait it out.
Arlo reached the very top. The wind was strong, and he struggled to maintain his balance. After some time, he decided to descend, as he had no other choice.
"FADOO!" "FADOO!"
A helicopter with two rapidly spinning wing blades appeared overhead. Its blue-coated structure was heading straight for Arlo. Suddenly,
"BANG!"
A rocket detonated near the helicopter's wing. Arlo spotted a figure standing on another building, wielding a rocket launcher.
The helicopter lost control and began to plummet straight towards Arlo.
The blade exploded and hurtled towards Arlo, who clenched his fist. Despite knowing it was a risky move, he decided to punch the blade as a last resort.
"BOOOM!"
"What the… Why am I falling? What happened?" Arlo was bewildered as he fell from the building. Behind him, the helicopter blades were descending.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."
Arlo screamed as the blade behind him slowly closed in. The blade was perfectly aligned behind Arlo, shaping like wings, and the fire from the helicopter added to it, making it seem like an angel was falling from heaven.
Even though Arlo had died several times, he refused to accept death this time. He even contemplated jumping at the right moment with all his strength, devising absurd plans to keep himself alive.
[A new quest is available]
[Do you want to enter the dungeon?]
[Yes 2. No]
A window prompted before him.
With a grin on his face, Arlo clicked Yes and mused.
'Do I have to stare death in the face to get a quest?'
--BLANK-- --BLANK--
[End of Chapter]