I shook my head, knowing accessing those files would be impossible, and decided to move on to another room. Moments later, I arrived at a meeting room of the science facility where Setsuna was exploring.
Standing beside her, I asked, "Did you find a way?"
She replied, "I accidentally touched this wall, and then a hidden door appeared out of nowhere. Why would there be a secret door here in the meeting room?"
Setsuna cautiously touched the mysterious door, made of high-quality aluminum. It seemed incredibly durable, even a laser gun wouldn't be able to scratch it. No wonder the terrorists left it untouched, or maybe they weren't even aware of its existence.
Either luck were on our side or this door was a trap.
Just then, Geralt approached, holding his hand with a bio-data chip, and stood before the aluminum door. He placed his hand on the door, and a green light appeared, scanning the card, followed by a robotic female voice.
[You are not authorized to enter the surveillance room.]
The surveillance control room!
Setsuna tried using the bio-data chip on the back of her hand to scan the door but encountered the same result. It appeared that exclusive authorization was required to access the room.
This was a crucial discovery, If we could gain access, we could monitor the terrorists' movements and potentially find an unguarded exit.
Unfortunately, neither Geralt nor Setsuna had the necessary access. I pondered for a moment, considering other possibilities. Perhaps one of the corpses we had encountered possessed a card that could unlock the door.
However, there was a high chance that the terrorists had already taken everything valuable from their victims, especially an ID card granting exclusive access within this skyscraper.
Was there any other way?
Just then, Shan's voice echoed from the other room I had previously visited. "Hey, I found something odd on the holographic display in this room."
A realization struck me, reminding me of the room with the chip attached to the holographic display machine. I sprinted back to that room, rushing past Shan, and focused my attention on the holographic display. To my surprise, the chip was being scanned, and a text appeared on the display.
[Mr. Sevali, please confirm that you authorize the opening of the surveillance control room door.
(Yes) (No)]
As I had suspected, a chip was discreetly placed on the machine projecting the holographic display. The ownership of this chip undoubtedly belonged to the scientist who possessed exclusive access to the surveillance room.
Somehow, it had been cunningly extracted from his possession, likely by the scientist himself before his untimely demise. It seemed that he had seized the opportune moment when the masked men, mistakenly believing him to be lifeless, had left this area. In a stroke of genius, he had then concealed the chip within the machine and perhaps it took a while for this chip to be fully scanned.
This was a logical speculation I could come up with right now.
Glancing around the room, I noticed a corpse in a white coat lying near the desk. The nameplate on his coat read "Mr. Sevali."
Before his death, he must have removed the chip from his own flesh, hoping that someone would find it. It was possible that he knew someone would discover the hidden door.
Realizing that this terrorist attack had been meticulously planned and executed across every floor, I understood that this was not the work of a small organization, but perhaps a larger one capable of rivaling the world government.
I touched the word [Yes], and I heard a clunky gear sound as the door slid open in the other room.
Hurriedly, I made my way back to the meeting room and saw that the once-closed door was now slightly ajar, revealing a multitude of holographic displays and live footage from each floor.
Setsuna and Geralt entered the room, followed by me and Shan. My eyes scanned the screens, searching for the first floor, which undoubtedly had the largest entrance and exit. However, all I saw were masked men armed with swords guarding that floor alongside several other laser tanks.
There was no way for us to escape. I checked the footage from the other floors and discovered that all the exits were destroyed and blocked by debris, effectively trapping us inside. It seemed they had planned meticulously, ensuring that every exit, including the emergency stairs, was blocked by both armed masked men and obstacles.
"Damn it," I groaned, clenching my fist in frustration.
Suddenly, I remembered the message from the unknown avatar, urging me to go to the artificial garden if I wanted to survive.
On the live footage, even the floor above us was heavily guarded by masked men. What surprised me was that they were not wielding guns or wearing armor, but rather traditional weapons.
At first glance, their weapons seemed like something out of a fantasy world, emanating a blue glow. I couldn't help but wonder if they were created using some form of magic. If that was the case, I needed to understand the rules behind it.
"All the lower floors are heavily guarded. We can't go there," Geralt stated, slamming his hand against the desk in frustration.
It was unusual for him to look this frustrated.
I suggested out of a whim, "We should head to the artificial garden."
"It's a long way, and there's no exit there. Why do you keep insisting on going there? It's obviously a trap," Shan objected, shaking his head.
He made a valid point.
The artificial garden was a vast floating island, with its own ecosystem and various animals roaming freely. It was designed solely for recreational purposes.
However, with all the entrances and exits heavily guarded, reaching the artificial garden seemed like the only option left.
I began to grasp the bigger picture, realizing that it might be the final level of this twisted game. There had to be something significant waiting for me to uncover there.
Although it was merely a gut feeling without any logical basis, I couldn't ignore the message from the unknown avatar known as the Observer from absolute reality.
There had to be a reason it led me to the artificial garden. As I pondered, my attention was drawn to another screen displaying a detailed map of this floor and a few floors above. It would undoubtedly prove useful.
"First, we should find some food and wait for authorities to rescue us, if they win the war of course," Setsuna suggested, and everyone agreed.
She was right. Engaging in a fight with the terrorists would only lead to more casualties. Today, we wouldn't be able to leave this floor, but fortunately, there was a nearby supermarket in another section.
"I found a map showing a path to the supermarket in this section. Shall we go there?" I proposed.
Everyone, including Geralt, nodded in agreement, and we set off toward the next section of the floor, unaware of the challenges that awaited us.
The group of survivors huddled together, surrounding Geralt as he shared Setsuna's plan. Among the eight individuals present, including myself and my friends, there was also the battered and barely recognizable pathetic man who had regained consciousness.
"Listen up, everyone. First, we need to scavenge for food and essential supplies. We won't leave this place until the authorities come to our rescue which is likely not going to happen," Geralt declared.
Several people in the group began to voice their objections. A tall, elderly-looking woman raised her hand and calmly stated, "But I have family waiting for me at home, can't we just find the exit or emergency stairs?"
It seemed like she was still in denial of what was happening in this world. Right now, nowhere was safe.
Geralt nodded in understanding, but his expression quickly shifted to shock as another person spoke up. It was a beautiful girl with short brown hair "I want to come along as well."
"Yuffie... I didn't even realize you were here. Did you use your skills?" Geralt asked, his voice filled with concern.
Upon closer observation, I noticed that this short-haired girl held a high rank. However, I had noticed her even before she stepped into the elevator, as her striking appearance stood out amidst the crowd. She was the girl who often watched me and Geralt during our training sessions, so her name seemed to be Yuffie.
"Well..." Yuffie hesitated to respond.
Geralt, however, ignored her and turned his attention to two other girls who were still clinging to the pathetic man, expressing their objections to his plan.
Finally, the pathetic man hesitantly raised his hand.
Regardless of the others' opinions, my friends and I had already made our decision to prioritize our own well-being. It seemed that these people didn't understand their precarious situation and the fact that they wouldn't last more than five minutes without Geralt's guidance. Yet, he still showed kindness by providing them with information.
Geralt swiftly replied, "I understand your concerns, but these terrorists are killing people on every floor and moving on to the next. Additionally, the gate to the upper floor is blocked." His voice turned cold as he continued, "But you are free to make your own decisions. I am not obligated to babysit any of you."
After hearing Geralt's words, the old man's face filled with terror and worry, undoubtedly thinking about his granddaughter. The beautiful girl with short hair raised her hand and declared, "I will come with you."
Geralt furrowed his brow and told her, "You don't need to come."
So, they knew each other? Ah, so Geralt wasn't completely emotionless after all. The concern on his face indicated that this short-haired girl, dressed in a black crop top and brown leggings, held a special place in his heart. Nevertheless, that was his personal life, and I wouldn't interfere.
Yuffie stepped forward and approached Geralt, leaning closer as she said, "I am not a child."
"You are still eighteen, still a child to me," Geralt responded disappointedly.
"No matter what you say, you can't convince me otherwise," she retorted, winking at him.
Geralt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Whatever, do what you want," he conceded, turning around to face the path that led to another section of the building.
We had reached a consensus. The five of us – me, Shan, Setsuna, Yuffie, and Geralt – were assigned to search for food in another section, while the remaining four people took shelter in the meeting area.
A short while later, we set off. There was only one path leading to the bridge that connected to another section of the floor. We walked along this path, with Yuffie staying incredibly close to Geralt. I tried not to let random thoughts enter my mind, but it was evident that she had a major crush on him.
As I focused on the path ahead, Setsuna struck up a conversation with me.
"Why did all of this happen to us?" she asked.
"I have no idea," I replied.
Suddenly, Setsuna halted her steps, causing me to stop alongside her. Shan continued walking ahead of us.
"Will you protect me if I'm in danger?" Setsuna asked, fixing her gaze on me.
What was going on with her all of a sudden? Being a boy and inspired to become a man, my answer was obvious. "Yes, isn't it obvious? We're best friends, after all."
For me, the ideal version of a person was to have my own moral code, to protect the people I love like family when they need me. After all, I have no family; this was the only form of love I could share with them and myself.
She unexpectedly slapped my back, disappointment etched on her face, and sprinted to catch up with Shan.
This girl... Sometimes, I couldn't understand what was going on in her head.
As we were halfway to our destination, we finally reached a long bridge encased in glass, offering a view of the entire city. This bridge was the only path to reach another sector on this floor.
Through the glass, I saw the pitch-black sky illuminated by the light of skyscrapers that still stood and the flickering explosions throughout the city. Moreover, multiple cruisers the size of a building were still present in the sky, and the war continued to rage on multiple floating islands.
Countless skyscrapers still illuminated each floor, indicating that people were still present in those buildings.
However, there was no sign of any authorities, police, or military forces from the world government deploying to rescue us. It was as if the terrorists had emerged victorious in their war against the world government. This realization was both strange and unsettling.