Ali descended the stairwell, passing by the lift where the two cooks were dutifully piling up rations. He moved with an unhurried pace, picking up his bag of ration bars he had claimed from Paradise along the way.
Eventually, he reached the floor where he'd left the women with the caged zombie.
Before opening the door, he could hear their hushed voices, a result of his superhuman hearing.
"Do you think he's still alive? The gunshots stopped ages ago, and he hasn't returned yet."
"What if he's dead?"
"Or maybe... maybe he abandoned us here."
The whispers faded into silence as Ali pushed open the door slowly, the women's anxious faces turning towards the entrance. Relief washed over them as they recognised him.
Ali strode across the room towards the cage, where the zombie soldier was still snarling and biting at the air, bound by the bars that prevented it from reaching its prey.
With a practiced motion, Ali opened his interface and drove his small knife into the zombie's skull, ending its restless thrashing once and for all.
"Personal Mission: Clear the three skyscrapers from the dead (1/3)"
'Good,' Ali thought, relieved that he wouldn't need to hunt down any remaining zombies in the massive thirty-story building.
He looked up, his gaze settling on the women within the cage who were staring back at him expectantly, awaiting his next words. Ali retrieved a small key from his pocket, unlocking the door to the cage with a metallic click.
"Thank you," Natalya murmured as she moved to exit the cage. But before she could step past him, Ali blocked the doorway, his towering form cutting off her escape.
"What... what are you doing?" Natalya stammered, nervousness creeping into her voice as her escape was interrupted.
"Did you really think I'd let you go out of the kindness of my heart?" Ali's voice was cold and impassive, his gaze chilling. The women's newfound relief quickly vanished, replaced with apprehension.
"What do you want?" Natalya asked cautiously, instinctively stepping back. Her eyes flicked briefly to the dead zombie, wondering if Ali's intentions were just as twisted as those of the deceased soldier. 'If he tries anything, how would I stop him?' she thought, panic tightening in her chest.
"Any of you ever killed a player before?" Ali asked, his tone flat, his face a mask of indifference.
The cage fell into silence as the women exchanged glances, shaking their heads, except for one-a younger girl who had been nearly violated by the dead soldier earlier. She raised her hand slowly, as if ashamed.
"Looks are deceiving, aren't they?" Ali remarked, noticing her response.
"Well, then you should know that I get awarded Paradise Coins for every player I kill," he continued, his voice devoid of any warmth.
As the realisation set in, the women recoiled, pressing themselves against the back of the cage, desperation filling their eyes. They understood now-they had not a lot of Paradise Coins to spare.
"How much?" Natalya demanded, anger lacing her voice.
"Two coins each," Ali responded coolly. "Of course, if you don't have it... well..", his dark eyes finished the sentence for him.
Without hesitation, Natalya stepped forward, meeting his gaze as she transferred him the two coins. Ali shifted slightly, allowing her to walk past him and out of the cage.
One by one, eight women paid Ali and exited the cage, their expressions a mixture of defeat and resentment. Only three women remained, huddled together, clearly unable to pay the price.
"I don't have all day," Ali said, stepping forward. "Either pay up, or..."
"Please... please, we'll do anything!" one of the women begged, her voice trembling.
Outside the cage, most of the women averted their eyes, unwilling to intervene.
Only Natalya looked back, hesitating. "Hey! I'll pay for them!" she called out, her voice breaking the tense silence.
Ali turned toward her, a smirk playing on his lips. "So, you've got enough to cover them too? You must be pretty well-off for a newbie," he said, his tone mocking.
"I don't have any more coins," Natalya replied, a determined look in her eyes. "But I'm sure this is valuable, even to you." She raised her hand, and droplets of pure water began forming around her fingertips, slowly dripping onto the floor.
Ali's smirk widened, interest flickering in his gaze. He took a step toward her, his towering frame casting a shadow as she looked up at him, meeting his eyes for only a moment before looking away.
"How much can you make before you're drained?" he asked, his voice low.
"About four litres," she answered, her voice steady despite his looming presence.
"It'll take half an hour."
"Four litres... in exchange for their lives," he mused, casting a brief glance at the remaining women. "You've got a deal," he concluded, satisfaction clear in his voice.
The three women rushed out of the cage, embracing Natalya in gratitude, her selfless act sparing them from whatever fate Ali had in mind.
"Follow me," Ali ordered, moving toward the stairwell. The women fell in line behind him, their steps quiet, too intimidated to voice any complaints.
As they ascended, their surroundings began to reflect the brutality that Ali had left in his wake. When they reached the corpses of the four soldiers he had killed on the stairwell, several women recoiled, covering their mouths to stifle their gag reflexes. Fear deepened in their eyes as they realised the extent of Ali's brutality.
'He doesn't even have a scratch on him... and what's that strange handle on his back?' Natalya wondered, studying his broad frame with a mix of curiosity and dread.
Finally, they reached the door to the twenty-fourth floor. Ali paused, opening it slowly before stepping inside. The women were unprepared for the scene that greeted them—a pile of dead soldiers strewn across the floor.
The first women to step foot in the floor let out a strangled gasp before turning away to empty the contents of her stomach. The rest of them looked on in horror, their expressions twisted with disgust and fear.
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