“Caesar, I presume,” I say, staring him down.

He doesn’t reply, simply smirks. Then, a beam of laser light slices through the air where my arm holding Lawrence was. They thought it sliced through. A barrage of lasers follows, aimed at me.

My new clothes are instantly riddled with holes, but luckily, they slowly begin to repair themselves.

Technology is great!

I continue to stand there, unfazed, but Lawrence, whom I’m still holding, has unfortunately lost control of his bladder.

Caesar looks a bit stunned. "Who dares send you?"

“Where are you keeping Bailey?” I ask, my voice flat.

“Bailey?!” Caesar flinches slightly. “So you are one of them.”

“Them? Who are ‘them’… Bailey isn’t as innocent as he looks,” I mutter to myself.

I chuck Lawrence at Caesar, who catches him with a grunt. It’s a distraction, of course. I yank out my obsidian knife, aiming it squarely at Caesar. If I can grab him like I did Lawrence, I’ll finally get some answers.

But no such luck. Before I can even blink, the knife explodes into dust, courtesy of another laser blast. Seriously? I draw my gun next, only for it to suffer the same sparkly fate. Fine. Plan C. I just need to get close. A good throat-grab should do the trick.

Caesar, however, isn’t as stupid as Lawrence. He saw through my intentions and quickly backed away. He sees my intentions and scrambles back, his bodyguards instantly forming a wall of muscle and metal between us. I rear back a fist and punch one of them square in the chest. It feels like hitting a brick wall, to my surprise it wasn’t effective at all.

The lasers keep coming, peppering my rapidly regenerating clothes. My mask is starting to feel a bit loose too.

I really hope these nanobots hold.

The bodyguards have now completely surrounded me, trapping me in a metal-clad cage.

I take a flying leap, aiming for Caesar, but he’s practically buried under a mountain of his goons.

Retreat it is. I spring off the wall, launching myself backwards.

Just as the bodyguards surge forward, I feel something tickling my legs, crawling up my back, onto my shoulders. “Did you find anything?” I whisper. A tiny nod against my neck is my reply. “Which way?”

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Without hesitation, I spin and bolt. A couple of groups of bodyguards try to intercept me, but I weave past them, leaping over their outstretched arms.

Good thing this place is massive.

Rexy leads me as I frantically run. "Contain it! Now!" Caesar’s voice booms from behind. We sprint up flights of stairs, my lungs starting to burn.

As I near a window, I hear the distinct whir of a flying vehicle outside. A searchlight beams through the glass, locking onto me. The glass melts like butter in a microwave, and a red beam whizzes past my shoulders.

An army of guards bursts through the windows, firing a ridiculous assortment of weapons. Lasers, bullets, explosives—all proving spectacularly pointless against my invincible body. I disable a couple of guards with a series of quick punches and kicks, sending them tumbling, then continue my frantic search, following Rexy’s directions.

It’s not going to be easy returning to my peaceful afterlife, is it…?

After dodging a couple more laser blasts that streak in through the gaping window holes—one grazing my thigh—I decide it’s probably a good idea to stay away from the windows.

The guards’ armor and weapons keep getting upgraded. They’re now decked out in full-body armor, complete with mini-guided missiles that explode on impact, sending me sprawling. I promptly dust myself off and keep moving.

Luckily, my hair is as tough as the rest of me. Rexy is completely shielded from all the laser blasts and explosions, tucked safely within my voluminous hair, as she guides me up yet another flight of stairs.

Caesar’s voice booms from outside, echoing through the crumbling structure. "Restrain it. I will not tolerate failure." Another consecrated laser beam tears through the wall, this time targeting the ceiling directly above me.

He wants to collapse the building?! Seriously, talk about overkill.

With a powerful leap, I burst through the collapsing ceiling debris, scrambling onto the next floor.

Rounding one last corner, I find Caesar standing before me, that infuriatingly smug smile plastered on his face. “The game is over,” he declares. "You're quite the specimen. Such... resilience. You'll be a fascinating addition to my collection."

His bodyguards once again surround me, their massive shields forming a mobile wall. They wield a hose, which immediately begins spraying a rapidly steaming liquid.

Liquid nitrogen, huh? He’s trying to freeze me solid. Good luck with that.

I feel absolutely nothing, as usual. Rexy, however, gives a little shiver in my hair.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” I retort, a grin spreading across my face. I wind up and slam my shoulder into the nearest wall, sending bricks and dust exploding outwards. “Which way now?!” I ask Rexy, and she points towards yet another wall.

Wrapping my arms around myself for extra momentum. One by one, I punch human-shaped holes through the walls, leaving a trail of destruction in my wake. I can still hear Caesar’s furious shouts echoing behind me, growing fainter with each wall I breach.

Finally, I burst into what appears to be a study or library. The walls are lined with towering bookcases, filled with ancient-looking tomes. Rexy points towards one particular bookcase. I do my usual thing—wind up and ram my body into it. But this time, instead of crumbling, I’m met with solid resistance. A hard metal wall blocks my path.