Teen, Fei and Mystic are looking at each other in awkward silence, lost.

Just like what Lin Qin said beyond the 9thfloor, ascending up the stairs is impossible for anyone but him.

Finally, Fei breaks the silence to suggest, if there really is someone controlling the elevators below the 9thfloor, then the goal of leaving the building itself may have been a massive trap. All we need to do, is instead, resolve this Nightmare before the building collapses entirely.

Teen snickers, who knows. Maybe itispossible to escape? Lets just push random buttons in this elevator and push our luck.

Fei bites her lips to say, but there must be some serious danger on these lower floors, the madmen might be monitoring our every movement there

Suddenly, she cuts herself short.

That moment, a dj vu she kept experiencing in the Nightmare so far fired up again, but this time, not in reference to anything in the Nightmare in particular But, between the Nightmare itself, and the Tower.

The 1stfloor of this building may be host to some madmen that are monitoring the whole situation. They have control of the elevators, and maybe they even have control over what is left of the surveillance system of the entire building, which wouldnt be too farfetched considering the elevators are still running.

Then, what about the Tower?

All the Missiontakers agree that NE is an accomplice in whoever was behind it all, so, could it also have been monitoring the movements of the entire Tower? From where?

Before all this, Fei always believed firmly that NE is on the topmost floor of the Tower.

Who was it that first suggested this, though? Honestly, now that she thinks about it, there isnt a single piece of evidence other than things like because thats where the antagonists lair usually is.

Whycantit be the bottom floor instead, though?

The rumour Fei is nervously recalling the veracity of that claim that the exit to the Tower is on the bottom floor.

If its true, then All these years, the Missiontakers will have expended their efforts climbing higher and higher moot.

If its fake, then How, in the world are they even supposed to leave the Tower? Do they, keep going up what looks to pierce endlessly into the sky, or

She is gripping her fists so tightly her nails bite into her palms, until she is furrowing from her own pain.

While these three Missiontakers are tearing their hairs out over somewhere beneath the 9thfloor, and while Lin Qin and Wu Jian are staring blankly at the woman claiming to be the little girls mother awkwardly, the three remaining Missiontakers are making good progress.

They went to the 9thfloor, and found the cargo elevator Mystic talked about.

At the same time, they also saw the Mushroom inside the elevator.

Unlike Mystic, who ignored him entirely, they tried communicating with him immediately for information. Perhaps their numbers are too intimidating, because the person would not open his mouth save for some broken syllables.

The mans voice is hoarse and highly damaged, perhaps he has been crying excessively, or screaming excessively in fear. The Missiontakers have a hard time even trying to reimagine his original voice.

The Mushroom, curled up in the corner, says, I I hide, here. I know noth-nothing. The 9th, floor cannot, I must not go.

Must not? Suits, quick on his feet, is able to grab the word, and he asks, do you know what it is like under the 9thfloor?

The Mushroom merely widens his eyes in surprise.

The Missiontakers exchange looks.

Finally, the Mushrooms speaks up, I,,, climbed, up.

Climbed?

The man ignores the question entirely, merely explaining with this almost inaudible tone, down-, downstairs, a floor, of glass knives. I was in, e-le-va-tor, but, my feet, hurt

The Missiontakers look down to the mans feet, and sees exactly that, with dried blood on his skin. There are also some very well-hidden, dark-coloured footprints on the equally dark ground. It is already solidified, and hard to notice.

The man is still curled up at the corner, saying, my friends on that floor; we split, we were scared and, the elevator went down, and came, came back up, empty; I knew some-, something must have happened, to them.

I did-, didnt go down, but, others still wanted, try, and, they said, maybe they were already, out. No it was, not. Im-pos-si-ble, I knew. It was.

So, they went; I climbed up fa-, faade here, through broken glass, and I stood on edge, on fence. I had, bad, str-, strength, and only 2 or 3 floors. I stopped I hid here.

Suits furrows his brows, and asks the important question, if youre already out of the window, then why didnt you head down directly? To leave the building behind?

The man suddenly shudders.

That is a sign Suits asked something extremely important.

Soon enough, the silence breaks, and the hoarse voice continues, I, because, saw bodies all the bodies outside. Hanging. The city, was burning, charred, charred dry; everyone is dead.

My friends, who tried to leave. I saw, I saw them, thrown out; my friends bodies, were on the ground. The people throwing the corpses, yelled bored I did, did not, could not climb down.

I must, hide, hide here it is safe I can, hide, forever

Finally, the words trail into a murmur.

Jiang Shuangmei turns to the scenery outside almost as soon as it was mentioned.

A burning city.

The fire charred the bodies of the people, and engulfed the city.

How?

Where did this fire come from? What could the loud bang the little girl described have been? A nuclear weapon?

Jiang Shuangmei is confused.

Although then, she realises how futile she is being thinking about those. This is merely a Nightmare, whats she doing pondering its backstory? This is a background setting. It is to add authenticity and atmosphere.

They are fake, manipulative tricks of the Server.

The same way that Mystic cannot have been the little girls mother, this apocalypse in this Nightmare, must also be fake.

Jiang Shuangmei looks away, and calms herself by telling herself that.