They walked another ten minutes through the shaft. They began to relax, just a bit.

Despite the cautious pace, they hadn’t encountered any more traps. The air grew colder as the path slanted deeper, shadows stretching ominously in Carina’s flashlight beam.

Suddenly, Carina stopped short, raising her hand.

She pressed herself against the wall, sliding sideways along a narrow strip that seemed oddly clear. The others followed, mimicking her movements.

Ezra caught sight of something in the shadows beside him—a deceptive paper-thin covering over the shaft floor, with dozens of punji sticks gleaming below.

He could just make out a suspicious coating on the tips, probably human waste or some kind of venom.

“Holy shit…”

Ezra whispered, inching carefully past it.

“How many traps are there?”

He asked, his voice barely a breath.

“More than you’d ever want to know about. Wouldn’t want to spoil the fun, though.”

Oliver replied with a grin that was more nervous than cocky.

“Fun? What's fun about almost dying?”

Ezra retorted.

“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.”

Oliver replied ominously, chuckling as they moved on.

Ezra and Oliver exchanged a few quiet words, while the rest of the group inspected each shadowy corner, searching for hidden dangers.

Just as they safely walked past the trap, Carina froze in her tracks, her eyes catching something in the distance.

Before she could react, Rasyid moved ahead of her, unknowingly stepping into the open. The silence shattered—a single, thunderous gunshot echoed through the shaft.

Rasyid staggered, clutching his abdomen as blood sprayed onto the stone floor.

He collapsed, his expression frozen in shock.

“Sniper!”

Adit shouted, diving into the back of an old minecart for cover.

Everyone dove to the left, scrambling to line up behind Adit just as another sniper round ricocheted off the minecart, sending sparks flying and leaving Adit’s ears ringing.

“Target hit!”

Catra exclaimed, his tone smug as he worked the bolt of his SVLK-14, ejecting the empty bullet casing.

“Distance, 3,200 meters!”

Hans confirmed, eyeing his range finder.

Stan wasted no time. While the sniper focused on the minecart, he pulled Rasyid out of the line of fire, laying him on his back. Rasyid’s breaths were shallow, his hands slick with blood as he clutched his wound.

“I’m fucking dying!” Rasyid managed through gritted teeth, panic flashing in his eyes.

“Hold still—I’ve got this.”

Stan whipped out a syringe and a roll of bandages, his hands moving extremely fast.

He sanitized his hands, grabbed a pair of scissors, and snipped away Rasyid’s shirt, exposing the wound.

Immediately, he popped the cap off a syringe and jabbed it directly into the wound.

“Fuck man! Not right there!”

Rasyid howled.

“It’s fentanyl—it’ll kick in fast!”

Stan replied, grimacing as Rasyid continued to groan.

Meanwhile, Adit cautiously peeked around the minecart, scanning the area.

His eyes fell on a narrow doorway at their two o’clock, offering a possible escape route.

It was tight, but they could all squeeze through if they moved quickly enough.

“Carina! Found a way out! Right side, two o’clock!”

Adit shouted.

Carina clenched her fists, glancing back at Stan and Rasyid.

“Are you guys done yet?!”

She called, preparing to make a break for the doorway.

“Still patching him up! You all go first!”

Stan answered, frantically wrapping the bandage around Rasyid’s midsection.

“We’re not leaving Rasyid behind!”

Carina barked.

“Everyone, buy them some time!”

“Roger that!”

Adit took a deep breath, shouldering his rifle and firing a couple of shots back in the sniper's direction, hoping to buy just a few more seconds.

The rest of the team took defensive positions, laying down suppressive fire toward the snipers as they prepared to rush to the door.

Meza leaned out from the minecart, spraying rounds wildly toward the opposing side.

Franklin screamed at Rasyid's direction.

“Rasyid, I need your fucking gun!”

Immediately, Stan kicked Rasyid’s OOW-Reapr towards Franklin. Franklin caught the sliding gun.

He adjusted his grip, peeked around the minecart, and let loose with the light machine gun. The recoil wrestled with him as he tried to keep his aim steady, sending bullets ricocheting off rocks and walls.

Adit, already armed with his AK-74M, joined the barrage, emptying his magazine alongside Franklin and Meza.

Their combined spray forced the Retribution team to hunker down, bullets pinging off stones and kicking up dust everywhere.

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“Oi, Davin! Don’t just stand there, use your rifle! Give us some cover, dammit!”

Franklin shouted, his voice strained as he fought the recoil.

With a reluctant sigh, Davin pulled out his SCAR-H, muttering under his breath as he joined the mayhem.

On the opposite side, the Retribution snipers held firm. Catra peered through his scope, focusing on a muzzle flash in the chaos.

In his peripheral vision, the bullets from his front stretched into the back and disappeared like stars.

With a steady hand, he fired.

The .408 CheyTac round screamed across the shaft, slamming straight into Adit’s AK-74M, shearing the barrel in half and sending the gun clattering out of his grasp.

“Damn it!”

Adit yelled, fumbling for his bag.

“Don’t waste time grabbing another,”

Carina barked.

“We don’t have a second to lose!”

Meanwhile, Irfan—clad in a juggernaut suit—stepped into view.

His armor absorbed the scattered fire, bullets bouncing off his steel plates with dull pings.

With unwavering confidence, he hefted an M249 and began advancing, laying down suppressive fire.

The soldiers around him surged forward, taking cover behind him while exchanging rounds with Carina’s team.

Across the field, Catra dismantled his sniper rifle quickly, stowing it in a box as Hans stood by, ready to join the advancing squad.

“It’s never-ending!”

Ezra yelled over the din.

“Just hold on until they run out of bullets!”

Oliver replied, gritting his teeth as he reloaded.

Davin squinted through his SCAR-H’s scope, zeroing in on the hulking juggernaut.

Without hesitation, he fired off his magazine, each shot aimed for weak spots.

Out of the hail of bullets, three found their mark—one punched through a gap in the armor, and two more cracked the visor.

The juggernaut staggered for a moment as Irfan instinctively flinched. The brief vulnerability sent a ripple of hope through Carina’s team.

Irfan’s M249 abruptly went silent—he ran out of ammo, and in that split second, Carina saw an opening.

She popped a smoke grenade, lobbing it toward the shaft ahead.

It bounced and landed near the door Adit had spotted, spinning as it released a thick cloud of white smoke that billowed through the passage.

“Let’s see if this works,”

Davin muttered, pulling out a loitering munition. He aimed it at the juggernaut’s cracked visor, just as the smoke began to fill the room.

Adit raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure that thing will even work?”

Davin smirked.

“Heat-seeking missile. My bullet’s the hottest thing around his visor right now.”

With a quick, confident toss, he launched the drone.

“Counting on this!”

As the first drone took off, Davin counted down five seconds, then launched a second.

The buzzing projectiles tore through the smoke, appearing like specters to Irfan’s team. Panicked, the Retribution soldiers tried to shoot them down. The bullets struck the air like CIWS projectiles, but each shot lagged behind the lightning-fast drones.

The first drone hit like a comet, slamming into the juggernaut’s visor. With a thunderous explosion, the visor shattered, fragments hanging loosely like a cracked windshield.

Irfan’s breaths were labored, his exposed face drenched in sweat. Before he could process the damage, the second drone punched through the visor, sending a cascade of shards into his eyes.

In a heartbeat, the drone exploded, blasting his helmet clean off. Irfan’s head snapped back, and his massive frame hit the ground with a final, resounding thud.

The room fell silent as the Retribution team gaped at the juggernaut’s motionless body, the half-loaded M249 lying beside him.

“Go! Now!”

Carina yelled, breaking the silence as she bolted for the door.

Her team sprang into action.

Stan hauled Rasyid to his feet, draping Rasyid’s arm over his shoulder and half-dragging him toward the escape route.

As they reached the door, Rasyid shook himself free, throwing his weight into the others and stumbling through the entrance.

Davin brought up the rear, casting a final glance at Irfan’s fallen body before launching a third drone into the haze.

Out of the smoke, Retribution soldiers scrambled for cover. But as the familiar sound echoed in the shaft again, they immediately dove left and right, hitting the ground and shielding their heads.

But Catra was just a beat too slow.

He spun to dodge, but the drone zeroed in and hit him square in the face. Catra’s body whirled through the air, his limbs flailing in a chaotic spin before he slammed into the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Shit! Not again!"

Alduin yelled, scrambling to his feet.

Farrel glared.

"You didn't warn us!"

“Just shut up and run!”

Alduin snapped, dashing through a doorway into an iron-walled chamber. The rest of the group stumbled after him, forming a haphazard line as they caught their breath.

At the far end of the room, a heavy steel door loomed, tauntingly closed. Alduin wasted no time; he launched himself shoulder-first into it.

With a metallic clang, he bounced off, rubbing his shoulder in pain.

“Can you get it open?!”

Daffa shouted, his voice echoing through the chamber.

Alduin scowled.

“What am I, a locksmith?!”

He whipped out his HK-417 and unloaded a barrage of shots into the handle. The bullets ricocheted off with no effect.

Before anyone could think of an alternative, the entrance at the other end of the chamber slammed shut, and the fluorescent lights overhead buzzed to life.

The low, ominous hum of machinery filled the air. Then, a wall panel shifted, and the sound of whirring gears made it clear something big—and probably deadly—was moving toward them.

"Down! Everyone, get down!"

Alduin barked, hitting the ground like he was going for cover.

In unison, the others dropped face-first onto the cold metal floor, pressing themselves as low as possible. Riza, however, had a bit of a problem. At nearly seven feet tall, he didn’t exactly fit in the narrow gap between floor and ceiling.

“Move over!”

Riza grunted, trying to squish himself down. His legs were sticking up at odd angles, and his shoulders were practically hugging the ceiling.

Farrel snorted, trying to contain a laugh.

“Dude, you’re like a human roadblock!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, next time I’ll shrink myself down!”

Riza shot back, folding his arms and trying to make himself smaller with limited success.

“Just… flatten yourself!”

Farrel hissed.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?!”

Riza’s deep voice echoed in frustration as he wriggled around, knocking his knees against the walls.

The machinery groaned louder, as if amused by the group's misfortune.

With no choice, Riza sprawled himself over the others, balancing awkwardly as he practically planked over everyone while the deadly sound of machinery whirred overhead.

“What the hell is that?!” Igar muttered, eyes wide as he hugged the floor.

Alif fumbled for a smoke grenade, yanking the pin and tossing it toward the door. A thick cloud of smoke filled the room, but a faint red line sliced through the haze.

“A laser?!” Rocky shouted. “That thing is gonna turn us into barbeque!”

As they watched, the single red line split into five, snaking across the chamber in quick, precise movements.

The lasers buzzed closer, forcing everyone into increasingly bizarre contortions to dodge them.

“Are you kidding me?!”

Arya shrieked, trying to suck his stomach in as he balanced on his toes to avoid the line sweeping near his ankles.

As the railings stopped at the other end, it multiplied again. Now it was not just straight lines that went from side to side, but the lines were diagonal, and both sides had them.

The amount of lines was impossible for all 10 fingers to count.

“Are they serious?! Who designed this death trap?!”

Daffa screamed.

Alduin, ever the brave one, called out,

“Everyone, get to the center gap! Whatever you do, don’t get diced!”

As the lasers reset and began their approach from the opposite end, the group scrambled.

The shorter members—those below 5'10"—managed to dive and roll through the biggest openings.

Even Rocky, despite his width, executed a surprisingly graceful belly flop to avoid the lasers.

But Riza, at 6'3", was in real trouble.

With Abyan sprawled out flat and no room left, Riza tried a desperate move.

He backed up, taking a deep breath, and hurled himself toward the main door, bracing to jump through the last gap.

Except his head collided hard with the low ceiling. The lasers caught up in a horrifying instant, and with a guttural scream, Riza’s outline blurred into red as the beams sliced him into pieces.

Alduin’s face twisted in horror. He spun away, but Riza's scream echoed in his mind.

Without missing a beat, he ripped Daffa’s AA-12 from his hands, unloading shot after shot at the door's lock and hinges.

Metal pinged and groaned under the barrage, and with one final, furious kick, the door buckled open.

The remaining members tumbled out, crashing onto each other in a chaotic heap. Panting and disoriented, they stared at each other in disbelief.

Alduin slumped against the wall, rubbing his temples and trying to catch his breath.

He exhaled a long, weary sigh, muttering,

“Next time… we take the stairs.”

***

The Resistance stumbled into the new room, hearts racing, breaths coming in short gasps. Their clothes clung to their sweat-drenched skin, and the air felt heavy with exhaustion.

Ezra leaned against the wall, scanning their new surroundings. The room was a stark contrast to the crumbling shaft—they were now surrounded by cobblestone walls, neatly arranged, almost surreal in their cleanliness compared to the rest of the labyrinth.

Carina dropped to the floor, clutching her knees as she gulped in air. Stan and Rasyid slumped together nearby, Rasyid’s weight pressing on Stan as both of them fought to catch their breath.

As Davin entered, he felt a few pebbles tumble down onto his head. His gaze shot upward, and horror dawned on his face.

The ceiling was sinking, closing in fast.

"Shit! It's a falling roof!"

Adit shouted, scrambling to his feet.

“Why didn’t you tell us about this?!”

Ezra’s eyes were wild, panic seeping into his voice.

Adit shook his head, guilt and desperation clear.

“I’m sorry! I forgot—it's been two years since I was last here!”

Ezra flinched, instinctively raising his arms to shield himself.

Just as the ceiling was about to crush them all, it stopped with a bone-shaking jolt.

Small stones clattered to the ground, filling the room with an ominous silence. Ezra opened his eyes slowly, and his breath caught at the sight.

A lone figure stood beneath the descending ceiling, holding it up with trembling arms.

As the dust cleared, they recognized Rasyid.

His face was etched with pain, his bandaged abdomen now seeping fresh blood, his breathing ragged. Yet, he managed to keep the massive weight suspended, even as his body shuddered under the strain.

“Get out now!”

He shouted, his voice strained yet resolute.

“Rasyid…”

Ezra’s voice was a broken whisper.

Rasyid’s gaze softened as he forced a smile through the pain.

“Don’t worry about me.” Blood trickled from his mouth, and he laughed faintly.

“Just… take care of Stan for me, alright?”

Ezra hesitated, but with a final, anguished look, he turned and crawled through the exit, the rest of the team following one by one.

Oliver was the last to pull Ezra out as the ceiling finally gave way, slamming down to the ground with a deafening crash.

Dust and debris billowed out of the cracks, filling the air with a heavy silence.

“Dammit!”

Carina’s voice broke the stillness, fists clenched.

“Even Rasyid had to be sacrificed…”

She whispered, grief lacing her words.

Franklin replied to her, his voice barely audible.

“He… he actually died last night too…”

Carina took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders.

“Then let’s make sure his sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”

Without another word, she turned and strode forward, leading the team deeper into the shaft. Shadows swallowed them as they descended further.