"This is my lab..."

Ethan’s voice carried a faint mix of pride and awkwardness as he stepped aside, allowing Damon, Mira, and Serena to enter, the three of them crossing the threshold into a space that felt completely out of place within the ruined world outside.

The interior resembled something far more advanced than anything they had encountered so far, a high-level scientific workspace filled with scattered devices, dismantled components, and half-assembled constructs that lay across multiple surfaces, while dim, flickering panels cast a cold glow over the room, illuminating tangled wires, metallic frames, and complex instruments whose purposes were not immediately clear.

It was chaotic.

Yet intentional.

Nothing here felt abandoned.

Only... interrupted.

Mira’s eyes moved slowly across the room, taking in the unfamiliar environment with quiet curiosity despite everything she had just experienced, while Serena’s gaze sharpened slightly, her attention drawn toward the structure of the lab itself, analyzing rather than admiring.

Damon, meanwhile, moved.

Not aimlessly.

But with quiet intent.

His steps were unhurried as he walked deeper into the space, his fingers brushing lightly across surfaces, pausing briefly at certain devices as his eyes examined their structure, their build, their purpose, as though trying to piece together an understanding from fragments alone.

Behind them, Ethan moved quickly, clearing away scattered tools and components with practiced familiarity, pushing aside clutter and assembling a relatively clean area where a table and a few functional seats could be used, his movements slightly hurried, almost embarrassed by the state of the place.

"Ahh—just a moment...," he muttered, straightening things as best as he could before finally stepping back.

"There... that should do..."

Damon turned back.

Mira and Serena followed.

The three of them took their seats at the table, while Ethan pulled a chair for himself, sitting across from them as he scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile forming on his face.

"Sorry... I can’t really offer you anything..." he said with an awkward laugh, clearly aware of the lack of hospitality.

"It’s ok—" Serena began calmly.

But she was interrupted.

"Oh, you do."

Damon’s voice cut in smoothly. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

All eyes turned to him.

His gaze rested on Ethan.

Steady.

Unwavering.

The air shifted ,tension forming quietly between them.

"The information," Damon said, his tone calm yet carrying a weight that left no room for misinterpretation.

Ethan blinked.

"Ahh..."

He let out a small laugh, the awkwardness returning for a brief moment as he nodded quickly.

"Sure... definitely."

Ethan leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as he gathered his thoughts, his expression shifting from awkwardness to a more focused seriousness as he began to explain.

"There are different classifications," he said, his tone steady now, "L5 to L1... five levels in total."

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he listened, his posture still relaxed on the surface, yet every word being carefully processed.

"So I was right... huh," he thought quietly.

Ethan continued, unaware of Damon’s internal conclusion.

"L5 are the weakest," he explained, gesturing lightly with his hand as though organizing the hierarchy in front of him, "they are mostly used for surveillance... you might have already seen some of them... flying drones that take the form of birds... those are considered L5 units."

A faint realization passed through Damon’s mind.

...That crow.

"Then come L4," Ethan went on, "they are designed for menial labor... construction, transport, maintenance... they don’t possess combat capabilities, at least not directly, so they aren’t much of a threat unless used in large numbers or specific conditions."

He paused briefly before his tone shifted slightly.

"From L3... the real threat begins."

His gaze lifted toward Damon.

"L3 units are the constructs you just fought," he said, "their bodies are made from some of the strongest alloys developed... highly resistant to physical damage, which is why conventional attacks don’t work well against them."

Damon glanced down at his fists briefly before exhaling softly, acknowledging the limitation without saying it aloud.

"But," Ethan added, "they have limited adaptability and relatively basic combat protocols compared to higher levels."

He straightened slightly.

"Next are L2 units... and this is where things become truly dangerous," he continued, his tone growing heavier, "their bodies are modified with integrated weapon systems... they can use energy-based attacks, long-range projectiles, and are capable of adapting in close combat as well... they are far more intelligent and far more aggressive."

Serena’s expression sharpened slightly, clearly understanding the implication.

"And then..." Ethan said, his voice lowering almost unconsciously, "there is L1."

A brief silence followed.

"The only one of its kind... L1-001."

Serena spoke.

"The one that malfunctioned?"

Ethan’s eyes flickered.

For a moment, something like sorrow passed through them.

"And the strongest," he replied quietly, "not just because of its combat ability... but because of what it can do."

His fingers tightened slightly.

"It can create more units... endlessly... and more importantly..."

His voice dropped further.

"...it can control all of them."

The weight of that statement settled in the room.

Serena’s gaze shifted briefly toward Damon, her expression unreadable, though she did not speak.

Ethan fell silent as his eyes moved between the three of them.

Hesitation crept back in.

As though there was something more he wanted to say.

But couldn’t or wasn’t sure if he should.

Damon noticed Immediately.

His gaze sharpened slightly as he leaned back just enough to study Ethan more closely.

"Do you have something to say?" he asked calmly.

A quiet determination slowly settled over Ethan’s face, replacing the earlier hesitation as he stood up from his chair and, without warning, bowed deeply in front of them, his posture rigid with sincerity as his voice trembled slightly under the weight of what he was about to ask.

"I—I would like for you to help me destroy all these constructs..." he said, his words coming out uneven yet resolute, his hands tightening at his sides as he continued, "I—it’s rather selfish of me... to ask you to risk your lives like this... b-but you are all I have right now..."

His head lowered further.

"There might still be other humans out there... people like us... who survived somehow... and I—I just want to give them a chance to live..." he added, his voice softening, "so even if I know it’s selfish... c-can you just... help me?"

Mira flinched at his words, her eyes immediately softening as she instinctively wanted to agree, her body almost leaning forward before she stopped herself, her gaze shifting hesitantly toward Serena and then Damon, searching for their reactions.

Serena remained silent.

Watching and measuring.

Damon, on the other hand, did not take long.

"Sure."

The answer came simply without any hesitation.

Ethan froze.

Then slowly lifted his head, disbelief clear on his face.

"Ah...?"

Serena snapped her gaze toward Damon immediately, her expression tightening, while Mira let out a small, relieved "Yeah..." under her breath, a faint smile forming despite everything.

Before the moment could settle, Serena grabbed Damon by the arm and pulled him aside, her voice dropping as she spoke sharply.

"Hey! Even if you want to act like a saint in front of Mira... isn’t it too much to just agree like that?" she said, her frustration evident.

Damon glanced at her, his expression unchanged.

"Then do you have any other option?" he replied dryly.

Serena fell silent.

Damon continued, his voice low but steady.

"This might be our best chance to get out of here by clearing the breach."

Serena opened her mouth.

"But—"

"Yeah, we agree."

Damon’s voice rose slightly as he turned back toward Ethan, cutting her off completely.

Ethan’s expression lit up instantly, his earlier tension dissolving as he straightened, his face breaking into visible relief and gratitude.

"T-thank you...! T-thank you very much!" he said, his voice filled with genuine emotion.

Damon raised a hand slightly, stopping him before the gratitude could continue.

"But I am sure you are not expecting us to destroy every construct out there, right?" he said, his tone practical.

Ethan quickly composed himself, nodding as he spoke again.

"No... we don’t need to do that," he explained, "there is a central server... a massive one... it stores all the data, network connections, coordinates... everything... as long as we destroy that, the constructs will lose their communication, their access to data... their ability to function properly..."

His eyes sharpened slightly.

"They will become useless."

Damon glanced at Serena, a faint tilt of his head accompanying his words.

"That seems doable, right?"

Serena didn’t respond immediately, her gaze lowering slightly as she considered the plan, but when she looked back at him, her expression carried clear irritation.

"Still... if it’s that important of a location... you really think it will be unguarded?" she said.

Ethan’s enthusiasm faltered slightly as reality caught up again, his shoulders lowering just a bit.

"T-that’s right..." he admitted, "t-that’s why I need your help..."

Serena let out a frustrated breath as her gaze shifted from Mira, to Ethan, and then finally to Damon, clearly aware that she was outnumbered in spirit if not in logic.

"F-fine!" she said, throwing her hands slightly in exasperation, "don’t make me the bad one here... let’s just fight and destroy that server or whatever it is."

Mira immediately brightened.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, her earlier sadness momentarily replaced with renewed determination.

Ethan smiled as well, relief and hope returning to his face.

"Ohh... great... thank you...!"

Damon, however, remained composed as ever, his gaze shifting back toward the surroundings of the lab as a new thought crossed his mind.

"By the way..." he said, looking at Ethan, "do you mind if I pick up something from here to use as a weapon?"