Jake spent some time exploring Level A, using Mind Reader on every human he encountered to learn what they knew about the place. Before long, he knew everything he needed to know.

He learned the exact layout of the base, where each corridor led, the purpose of each room, and much more. He discovered the location of the armory, the stash of mana crystals, the Tech Lab where Skullface had been attempting to create cyborgs out of captured survivors, the room housing the Store, and the position of the elevator leading to the mines below.

He knew it all by heart now, as if he had spent a lot of time in this place. The layout of the base was now as familiar to him as the back of his hand, so it was time to come up with a plan of action.

He currently stood at the beginning of the corridor leading to the door of Skullface's quarters. At the far end of the corridor, right above the door, a surveillance camera tracked his movements. He could also see several turrets attached to the ceiling and both walls, all aimed in the same direction.

Anyone attempting to approach Skullface's quarters could only do so through this corridor, which was why all the automatic weapons targeted the same area. Jake knew that only Skullface and his second-in-command, someone named Kato, had authorization to enter the area behind the door. So far, he hadn't come face-to-face with either of them.

From the memories of the humans he had used Mind Reader on, Jake learned that Skullface was currently in his quarters while Kato was somewhere in the mines below. He also discovered that Skullface rarely left his quarters, often sending his second-in-command to carry out his orders.

Since none of the base residents had ever been to Skullface's quarters, it was the only place on Level A that Jake knew nothing about. He had no idea what lay behind the heavily protected door, what Skullface's quarters looked like, or what potential dangers awaited uninvited visitors.

While he didn't know what lay beyond the door, Jake was sure that since Skullface had anticipated his arrival, he must have taken extreme measures to make sure his quarters were as secure as possible.

Aware that Skullface might be monitoring the feed from the camera above the door, Jake decided not to linger in the corridor to avoid attracting attention and raising an early alarm. So he left the corridor and continued to explore Level A.

Aside from Skullface's quarters, he had already learned everything he needed to know about the base, making further exploration not really necessary. So, as he wandered around, pretending to examine the area as his "superior" had instructed, he became lost in thought, trying to come up with the best course of action.

He knew he could easily destroy the turrets in the corridor leading to Skullface's quarters, but what awaited him inside was a big question. It didn't particularly bother him, though. His reluctance to attack Skullface immediately stemmed from a different reason altogether.

He knew there were survivors enslaved by the bandits, forced to toil in the mines below Level A. He was determined to find and free them all.

He also knew of a resistance lurking in the area. They occasionally ambushed the bandits in the mines, rescuing captured survivors who then joined their cause. This group of freedom fighters hid within the tunnels even deeper than the mines, where only huge mutant insects thrived in the darkness.

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Although the resistance managed to pull off successful attacks against the bandits in the mines from time to time, they still weren't strong enough to handle them all on their own. They needed his help, so Jake planned to take the elevator down to the mines and make his way to the tunnels beneath them.

After making contact with the resistance, he intended to assist them in liberating each level of the mines one by one, starting from the bottom and working his way up to the top before helping them reach Level A to deal with the remaining bandits.

There was a small problem with that plan, though. Once he began helping the resistance liberate the mines, it wouldn't take long for Skullface to learn about it. What he decided to do after he lost control of one level of the mines after another was difficult to predict. Would he stay in his quarters as if nothing was happening? Or would he attempt to flee the base?

It was hard to tell what course of action Skullface might take. Jake figured it depended on how secure his quarters were and how confident he was that the resistance wouldn't be able to breach the defenses he had set up there. Since Jake hadn't met anyone with knowledge of what Skullface's quarters looked like, it was hard for him to predict what the bandit leader might do when push came to shove.

For that reason, Jake needed to take precautions in case Skullface attempted to flee the base. He knew there was nowhere for Skullface to escape other than the city, but if he did so, it might take Jake a long time to find him there, especially if he chose to lie low.

Since Jake wasn't eager to spend who knows how much time looking for Skullface if he managed to escape, he knew he needed to take some action to prevent that from happening. And he had a solid idea of how he could accomplish just that.

During one of his visits to the Void Temple, he had learned a spell that allowed him to place an explosive magical trap, which was surprisingly powerful and could be triggered by any condition he set when placing the trap.

He recalled his reasoning when he had considered purchasing the spell. At that time, he had been thinking that although there wouldn't be many occasions to use this magical trap, he knew that sooner or later, it might come in handy. So in the end, he decided to acquire it.

And now seemed like the perfect time to put it to good use.

He made his way to the elevator. Calling it was easy, but when he stepped inside and pressed the button for the hangar above, he saw two words flash on the control panel: ACCESS DENIED.

From what Jake gathered by viewing the memories of the humans on Level A, all the occupants of the base either patrolled Level A or were on guard duty in the mines below. There was little need for a large presence on Level A, as most of the disturbances occurred in the mines below: the resistance attacking the guards and the oversized bugs occasionally emerging to defend what they considered their territory.

Though keeping a minimal presence on Level A made sense, there were still people patrolling it at any given time. Skullface couldn't predict when the morphus would strike, so while most of his personnel were in the mines, he still had some assigned to Level A, following a rotation schedule that required them to alternate their duties between the mines and Level A.

As for the hangar, there were never any guards stationed there. The chasm leading to the base below, along with the hangar itself, was heavily protected by turrets, so there was no reason to keep anyone there. Guards were only assigned to the area when a pilot returned to make sure that they hadn't brought the morphus onboard. Otherwise, access to the roof was restricted to everyone else.

Fortunately, one of the upgrades Jake had acquired for his Enhanced Intelligence skill allowed him to hack various devices. So he used this ability to break into the elevator's control panel, overriding the command that restricted his access in just a second. The door closed, and the elevator began its ascent to the hangar above.

While he waited to reach his destination, Jake glanced at the camera mounted above the door. He noticed it adjusting its angle to focus directly on him. Whoever was monitoring the feed, likely Skullface himself, was aware of what was happening and was probably already taking steps to regain control of the situation.

Jake knew he needed to act real fast to set his plan in motion.

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