The doctor was walking toward the portal when a hand touched him from behind. It was Swang, who also wanted to enter. They locked eyes, and without saying a word, they ran until they reached the threshold. A little shy about crossing, Swang suggested to the doctor that he take her hand. Laos, more excited about what might be on the other side, gently held her hand. Without further delay, they entered.
Upon crossing to the other side, they found themselves in an awe-inspiring cave. Towering pillars of deep blue stood like celestial supports, while neon-blue lamps illuminated the walls. Ahead of them, a path snaked into the darkness. As they advanced, the candles in the area lit up automatically, casting dancing shadows on the walls. On the ground, transparent tubes carry gases of various colors, creating a hypnotic visual spectacle.
When they reached the end of the cave, they spotted a large room, similar to the one they had found upon arriving through the portal. In this chamber, the gases from the tubes began to solidify, transforming into precious stones that were carefully placed into jars. There were also steps leading up to an imposing altar. "This is how they are made," the doctor thought, marveling. "But where do they come from?" While Laos was lost in his thoughts, Swang snapped him out of his reverie.
"We should hurry and take as many stones as we can," she said urgently. "We don't know how long the portal will stay open."
"Yes, you're right," he replied, nodding.
Without wasting time, the doctor pulled square-shaped stones from his pockets and tossed them onto the ground. These began to assemble themselves and transformed into five humanoid robots equipped with helmets and carts similar to those used in mines. The robots activated, their bright red eyes glowing in their visors, and looked expectantly at the scientist.
"Your orders, sir," they said in unison.
The doctor instructed them to collect as many precious stones as possible while he investigated the altar. The robots began working efficiently, loading the gems into their carts. Meanwhile, Laos and Swang climbed the stairs toward the altar. As they approached, they saw a black stone as dark as night itself.
"This one must be different from the others," he thought. "Interacting with it will surely yield better results."
"Be careful," Swang warned him, her voice trembling with fear. "If you remove it, it might trigger a trap—or worse, a curse."
"Don't worry," he replied calmly. "We can replace it with something of the same weight and size."
From the pocket of his shirt, the doctor pulled out a green triangle, which transformed into a drone with two propellers, a single cyclops-like lens, and a small flashlight underneath.
"C-two-zero," he called, "bring me that stone and place something of the same weight and size in its place, please."
The drone quickly scanned the area and announced in a robotic voice:
"There are no signs of infection or viruses."
"Good, you may proceed," the doctor instructed.
The drone began printing a replica of the black stone. Once it was finished, it extended two expandable metal arms. With one, it grabbed the fake stone, and with the other, it carefully lifted the original, replacing it bit by bit. Once the exchange was complete, everyone waited tensely for a couple of minutes, but nothing happened.
"How strange," the doctor murmured. "You never get something without some kind of danger."
"Perfect," he continued. "Bring it with you. I'll need to run some analysis on it when we get back."
The robots had already filled their carts and approached the scientist, signaling they were ready.
"Good, let's go," he said, satisfied.
The robots returned to their original cube forms, and the drone transformed back into a small triangle. The scientist gathered the objects and instructed Swang:
"Let's go."
They both retraced their steps along the path they had taken. When they reached the main chamber, they had to run because the portal was beginning to fade. With great effort, they managed to escape just in time. Sweaty and out of breath, they wiped their foreheads and, laughing nervously, the doctor exclaimed:
"We've got what we needed! Now we can continue building more Metalux, and perhaps, with this new acquisition, we'll be able to create a new supreme being."
Excited, Doctor Laos smiled broadly.
When they emerged from the portal, they didn't notice that everyone present was awake and surrounding them. Podbe's team had arrived, along with Aiden, who was now awake, no longer wearing his helmet and dressed only in his hospital gown.
"Where are my three assistants and the two men I sent to protect me?" the doctor shouted, furious.
Then, he saw the three assistants unconscious in a corner and the other two trapped in a sphere created by Adia.
"It's time for you to explain why you took the boy and why these things look the way they do," Adia said, her voice trembling as long-buried memories began to resurface in her mind.
"Are you okay?" Eduard asked, trying to comfort her and understand what was wrong.
With a glance, she pointed toward the portal, where pure darkness began to emanate. Eduard turned and saw what horrified her. A massive shadow began to take shape: a gigantic beast, almost as tall as the ceiling of the building. Its body combines the upper half of a praying mantis with the hind legs of a lion—four in total. Additionally, it had openings in its abdomen, from which twisted tentacles emerged.
The prison Adia had created for the two men dissolved as her concentration broke upon seeing the beast. The men tried to free the doctors, but they were captured by the creature's tentacles. With precise movements, the beast pulled them toward itself, sliced their bodies with its sharp limbs, and devoured them mercilessly.
The onlookers were paralyzed with horror, unable to move. Only the three assistants, upon waking and seeing the abomination, tried to flee, but they were caught by the tentacles and met the same fate as the others.
"What are we going to do?" Podbe asked in his mental space, alongside Reia and Aiden.
"I don't know, partner," Reia replied, trembling with fear. "A notification in the system says you need to survive and escape from here."
"Nonsense," Podbe retorted, glancing at Aiden, who was also terrified. "We can't give up, can we?"
At that moment, the elevator carrying nine people arrived at the seventh floor. The doors opened with a creak, and everyone felt the building begin to shake violently, as if an earthquake were occurring.
"Something big is happening," Zeus thought, a malicious smile spreading across his face as the others struggled to keep their balance. "Finally, I'll have my legion, and I'll be unstoppable."