Chapter 83

  “Are you doing a mission or something?” Isra asked.

  Jake nodded.

  “See? I was right,” Archie excimed from behind Isra. “Even after turning into a mutant, somehow he still receive quests to fulfill.”

  Isra asked another question, “Did y us here because you needed help?”

  Jake nodded once more.

  “I recall a mission I pleted a few days before meeting you guys,” Rick added. “The objective was to reach the top of a high-rise building and take out ae mutant on the rooftop. I guess he’s doing a simir quest.”

  “Is your objective something simir?” Isra inquired.

  Jake nodded in response.

  “Which floor is it?” she asked.

  “I believe it’s the seventh,” one of her panions specuted from behind her.

  Jake held up eight fio her.

  “So, just two more floors to go?” Isra crified.

  “Yeah,” somebody behind Isra said. “I didn’t pay much attention to the building when we followed him inside, but I believe it was a ten-story structure.”

  Jake nodded in firmation.

  “Then, after you reach the rooftop a whatever awaits there, your quest will be fulfilled, correct?” Isra asked.

  Another nod from Jake.

  Looking at him in fusion, Isra said quietly as if simply voig her thoughts without realizing it, “I wonder why he needed our help, though. He seems capable enough of dispatg all the mutants on his own.”

  Jake remained silent.

  “Don’t think he ahat,” Frank grumbled from behind her.

  “Maybe there’s a time limit or something?” Archie guessed, hitting the nail on the head. “Perhaps he o plete his quest within a certain timeframe, but he ’t do it alone.”

  Jake nodded in agreement.

  “Do we have a choice, though?” Isra asked, studying him ily.

  Jake shook his head.

  Pointing at the elevator shaft, she inquired, “ you manually trol the ptform?”

  Jake shook his head again.

  “Could be lying,” Rick suggested.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Frank dismissed. “If we’re assisting him, we should expee kind of reward.”

  “What if there’s no reward for us?” Rick asked quietly. “Or worse, what if he doesn’t share it with us?”

  “Then I’ll kill him,” Frank replied grimly in a hushed tohat only Archie and Rick could hear. At least, that was what he must have thought. Unbeknownst to the group leader, Jake’s enhanced hearing effortlessly captured every word spokee the distand the quiet voices of the speakers.

  “Are you up to the task, though?” Archie asked and fearing his boss’ possible outburst, immediately added, “I mean, remember how quickly and effortlessly he defeated us all a few minutes ago? If he’d wanted, he could easily have killed us, and there would’ve been nothing we could’ve doo stop him.”

  Frank remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke, “You’re right. That’s why I’ll bide my time and strike when he least expects it. I’ll deal with him before he even realizes what is happening.”

  After beied by Jake, Frank likely felt humiliated. His bold decration may have been an attempt to recim his dominand earn back respect from his panions. Jake didn’t really care what was on his mind. His primary was to resume the tower-climb challenge as quickly as possible. Gng at Isra, he motiooward the elevator shaft once more, eager to tinue on.

  “Guess we don’t have a choice, huh?” she sighed.

  Jake shook his head.

  “Or are you able to transport us down but choosing not to?”

  Jake remained motionless, unsure of how to react.

  “Let’s go,” Frank grumbled as he headed toward the elevator shaft. “If there’s a time limit, we shouldn’t waste any time.”

  As the group leader passed Jake, he shot him a fierce look, his displeasure evident in his eyes. Fraered the elevator shaft without a word to him, closely followed by Archie and Rick. Isra stayed put, though, and Jake gestured for her to join them. Her expression ged as if she had remembered or realized something.

  “ht,” she remarked. “The ptform responds only to you. We all o be inside because it moves when you step on it, correct?”

  Jake nodded in firmation.

  “Yeah,” Frank called from inside. “If he boards without you, the ptform will asd, leaving you stranded on this floor.”

  Isra held her gaze on Jake for a moment longer. Despite Frank’s animosity toward Jake, it was clear that he was intrigued to see what y ahead at the end of this challenge. Rid Archie always obediently obeyed Frank, following his lead without question. Uhe three of them, Isra wasn’t keen on going along with all of this. However, realizing she was on the eighth floor, she uood she had no choi the matter. Frank’s warning about being stranded on this floor if she dider influenced her decision. With no way to asd or desd the building, she had no choice but to tag along.

  Jake repared to coerce Isra iering the elevator shaft if she refused to joihers. However, it wasn’t necessary as Isra sighed once more aually joined her panions ihe elevator shaft. With all the survivors oform, Jake turned and stepped inside as well. As soon as his full weight was oform, the sigils glowed brighter, and the ast enced.

  The ptform took them one level up. The survivors were ready this time, having learned what to expect from their previous enter. As the rift gates began to open all around them, the group sprang into a, swiftly engaging the mutants emerging from the magical portals. After fending off the initial wave, they made their way deeper into the ninth floor, searg for a spacious room to make their stand. Their pn was to replicate the successful strategy from their previous enter.

  The four survivors fought off one wave after another, standing in the middle of ay vast room. Meanwhile, Jake skillfully maneuvered around the area, dealing with powerful mutants like sshers, not letting them get anywhere he group he roteg.

  Things were progressing smoothly, and Jake started to believe they would get the job dohout a hitch. And that was whehing suddenly went to shit.