"Paradise Coins: 148"
Ali stood by the lift, his attention absorbed by the interface displaying his newly-earned Paradise Coins. Behind him, the women entered the room one by one, their eyes darting between the mutilated corpses strewn across the ground.
The bodies of the fallen soldiers, marked with various brutal injuries— some cleaved clean in half, others with heads crushed beyond recognition-painted a grim scene that left them uneasy.
'How..?' Natalya wondered, her gaze lingering on the corpse of the dead boss.
The power displayed was astounding; she couldn't help but think, 'He must be one of the strongest players in the Slums!' Her eyes returned to Ali, observing the handsome, steely-eyed man as he inspected the large mechanical wheel that operated the lift's pulleys.
"Is that everything?" Ali asked, directing his question toward the two cooks who had been loading food from the kitchen onto the lift.
"Yes, only the water is left up there," one of the cooks responded, her voice thick with exhaustion.
"Alright, both of you get on the lift," Ali ordered, his voice steady and authoritative.
The cooks hesitated, exchanging glances with the other women who had stopped moving, turning toward him in surprise at his words.
Noticing their reaction, Ali sighed and raised his voice to address the group.
"That's right. No one is staying. All of you are leaving this building, and that is non-negotiable."
"But... why?" Natalya interjected, her voice strained with concern. "There's no one here anymore. You can take all the food and water. Just let us stay. Out there... we won't survive."
Ali's expression remained cold as he responded, "Like I said, no one-including myself-is staying here. You can take the food in the lift, and there's water upstairs. As for you," he turned to Natalya, tossing her a large, empty water bottle. "Start fulfilling your end of the deal and fill it up," he said in a voice that brooked no argument.
With a nod, he addressed the remaining women, "As for the rest of you, go to the kitchen and bring down the water. You'll need it if you don't want to die of thirst out there."
Grateful to be given some measure of provisions, the women nodded and quickly headed toward the kitchen, leaving Natalya behind. She caught the bottle with a resigned sigh, then slipped her finger into the narrow opening, activating her magic. Slowly, droplets of pure water began to form and drip into the bottle.
Ali watched her with an appraising gaze. "How'd you get it?" he asked, his eyes focused intently on her.
Understanding his question, Natalya answered, "I'm a member of the Water Guild. My superior gifted me this ability."
"You're not wearing the guild pin?" he asked, his expression shifting slightly.
"I was advised against it when in close contact with other players," she replied, her voice softer. "It puts a target on my back." After a pause, she added, "Can I ask you something?"
Ali nodded, encouraging her to continue.
"You're obviously strong," she said, her voice tinged with curiosity. "But I've never heard of you. And you don't seem to belong to any guild I know of. Who are you?"
"My name's Ali," he answered simply, his tone matter-of-fact. "I'm not part of any guild. This is only my second world, so it's no surprise you wouldn't know me in the Slums."
"Your second world?" Natalya repeated in disbelief. "But... even my guild master couldn't take down a group like that without a scratch."
"You're wrong," Ali replied, his voice confident but indifferent. "Every guild master could do what I did; they're level three players. You just haven't seen them in action." He turned away, dismissing her disbelief, and approached the wheel.
The two cooks were waiting on the lift, surrounded by the provisions they had gathered.
Ali placed his hands on the massive horizontal wheel, bracing himself before beginning to turn it. Slowly, the heavy wheel began to move, its creaks echoing in the silent room. The cooks clung to the edges of the lift nervously as it began to ascend, holding on tightly as they looked down at the horde below.
Ali increased his pace, his movements steady and powerful as he rotated the wheel faster, each turn carrying the lift higher.
After a few minutes, he could see the lift reaching the roof of the opposite building. He paused to let the cooks offload the supplies before he began reversing the wheel, guiding the lift back toward him.
By the time he returned the lift to the twenty-fourth floor, the other women had reappeared, lugging containers of murky water from the kitchen. They gathered around Natalya, who was still filling the water bottle with her magic.
Together, they watched Ali manoeuvre the wheel, their eyes tracing the muscular lines of his arms and shoulders as he worked. Some of the women exchanged glances, their amusement barely contained as they observed his strength and focus.
Ali noticed their expressions and felt a twinge of irritation. 'Ah, screw it, he thought, resigning himself to their ogling.
'If this gets them out of here faster, let them enjoy the show!' He continued pushing the wheel, his movements fluid and effortless until the lift finally returned to their floor.
"Get on-all of you," he commanded, nodding toward the lift as they loaded the murky water onto it.
"But... how are you going to cross?" Natalya asked, her brow furrowing in concern. She glanced across to the adjacent building, noticing that there was no wheel on the other side to pull the lift back.
Ali met her gaze calmly. "You don't need to worry about that," he replied, his tone dismissive.
"Also, pick up any weapons you find on the floor; they'll offer you some protection." He watched as the women followed his instructions, gathering machetes and knives from the fallen soldiers. They left the firearms, however, as Ali informed them that there was no ammunition remaining.
Once everyone was aboard, Ali resumed his position at the wheel, pushing it with renewed strength. Midway through the journey, a few of the women glanced down at the horde of zombies swarming below, letting out cries of fear. The terrifying idea of plummeting into the ravenous crowd below had their faces pale with horror.
The extra weight made the lift's return slower, and it took Ali considerable effort to move it across. At last, the lift reached the opposite roof, and the women hurried off, rejoining the two cooks who were busy distributing the food into small packages, ensuring each person received an equal amount of rations.
While the other women busied themselves with their supplies, Natalya moved toward the roof's edge, her gaze fixated on the skyscraper they had just left.
She scanned the structure, wondering how Ali intended to make his exit given that the undead horde completely surrounded the building.
Ali approached the dead leader's body and began stripping off pieces of his armour, uncovering a section of thick chainmail. He folded the chainmail into a neat, straight strip, his movements slow and methodical.
Approaching the edge of the building where the thick metal cables held up the lift, he took a deep breath and leaped up, catching the cable with the folded chainmail. Wrapping the metal around the cable, he used both hands to grip it tightly as he began his descent, sliding down with controlled speed.
The friction between the chainmail and the metal cable sparked violently, creating small bursts of heat that scorched his hands. But as his skin burned, it rapidly healed, his body's monstrous strength and resilience keeping him steady and in control as he zipped downward.
One by one, the women gathered around Natalya, their eyes widening as they watched Ali's descent. As he neared the roof, he released the chainmail, letting go midair to avoid colliding with the lift. He twisted in the air and landed smoothly, his feet hitting the ground with a soft thud. Straightening, he brushed his hands together, dislodging bits of burnt metal that clung to his skin.
Natalya rushed over, her face a mixture of concern and awe. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.
"I'm fine," Ali replied, his face impassive. But after a moment, Ali looked back at Natalya and said, "Though it's cute seeing you so concerned." He gave her a faint smile, and Natalya blushed, embarrassed by her own reaction. She looked away quickly, hoping to hide her flustered expression.
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