Ayu moved cautiously through the thick, lush greenery, dense leaves brushing against her arms, the air heavy with the scent of earth.

Ferns as tall as her shoulders towered on either side, and vines dangled from tree limbs that seemed to stretch endlessly upward. Everything around her was alive, buzzing, and warm, giving the place an untamed energy she both loved and cursed.

Clutching her sling, she narrowed her gaze, looking for any sign of her next target.

These big crabs were a real pain in the ass. With their massive, tank-like shells and those annoying shocks, they didn't go down easy. But she knew the trick by now—timing was everything. Dodge the first pincer swing, aim straight for the eye, and pray it went deep enough. When it worked, it was a quick kill.

But, of course, most of the time, it didn't work like that.

More often than not, the damn crab would jerk its head just as she let the rock fly, or the projectile wouldn't go deep enough to hit the brain, and then she'd be stuck doing it the hard way.

It turned into a game of picking off its joints one by one, chipping away at those armored arms until it couldn't raise them anymore. A tedious, annoying dance—but if it meant avoiding getting pincered to death, she'd play along.

As Ayu passed through a clearing, she spotted one of them—right there, just past where the thick jungle gave way to the sandy stretch toward the sea. A big-ass crab.

She froze for a second, eyes narrowing. But then she noticed something was off. And how could it not be?

The crab was dead.

She raised an eyebrow. Who else was hunting out here?

She thought about it. Chiara, Wang, Arjun, Imani—they were the ones hunting crabs alone this far out. Most of the others stuck closer to the camp, setting up traps or teaming up to take down bugs. And… Lukas? Where the hell was he anyway?

Well, whoever took it down, might as well get a closer look, she figured.

She jogged over, keeping her sling ready, just in case. The massive creature lay sprawled out, its carapace almost gleaming in the light. She had to admit, for all the hassle these things caused, they were damn impressive in size. She couldn't imagine something like this stomping around her village back on Earth.

Her whole village would lose their minds if they saw this beast. Then again, they'd have her there to handle it—no big deal. She smirked, the wild scenario playing out in her mind as she got closer.

As she drew closer, Ayu's eyes narrowed on the spot where the pincer connected to the main body. One single line ran across the joint, a clean, precise cut that looked layered—like the same strike had been executed over and over, each one following the exact same line.

Damn. That was clean. Way too clean.

Wang? Sure, he was skilled with a blade, but strength-wise? He shouldn't be able to slice clean through this tough shell like that.

Then her gaze shifted to the head. Huh? The antennae were still intact. They didn't even bother with them?

And the eyes? Only one had been penetrated through.

She squinted, looking for the telltale marks from a sling or Chiara's javelin. But there was nothing. No ranged weapon marks at all.

What the hell?

Taking down a crab like this in close combat? That's…

Then it hit her, and her face darkened.

With a huff, she turned away, no longer interested. If he was hunting on this side, she'd find somewhere else to look.

Just as she started to head off, a familiar voice echoed in her mind. "I presume the hunt is going well?"

That accent. Lukas?

She glanced around and quickly spotted his tall figure entering the clearing, not far from her.

He had that same carefree look about him, his oversized backpack slung over one shoulder.

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All in all, she had a good impression of Lukas. Sure, he always seemed slightly checked out, the first to leave any meeting, dodge responsibilities, and well… all the usual complaints. But Lukas was solid.

He was the one who'd crack a joke when everyone needed it, the guy who knew just the right thing to say at the right time. And when it came to fighting? He was sharp. Especially with long-range weapons. Slings, throwing knives—he even had a stash of poisonous darts tucked away for, as he put it, "just in case."

Lukas approached, his relaxed grin widening as he took in the dead crab at Ayu's feet. "Another catch for dinner?" he asked in fluent Mandarin, with a tone so casual it was as if they were back at camp.

Ayu raised an eyebrow, still a bit taken aback by his fluency for a Westerner. "Dinner?" She nudged the massive crustacean with her foot. "Not me, and definitely not hungry right now. Anyway, what brings you out here?"

Lukas gave a slight frown, his gaze sweeping over the crab's cleanly cut joints and weak points before returning to her. "Same as you, I suppose. Just trying to gather some orbs, keep from falling too far behind."

"Oh, right. Thought you were helping Chiara with those… what was it, masks? Or are you…?" She trailed off, smirking.

Lukas threw on an exaggerated expression of horror before scratching his head and looking away. "Yeah, well, breaks are essential. Chiara's all for the greater good, sure, but she's piling it on fast. It's like she's found her calling in leadership—and by 'calling,' I mean assigning everyone else a hundred tasks. Miss the old days when she'd leave it all to Siddharth and go on her way."

For a moment, Ayu's expression darkened, a shadow passing briefly over her face. She cleared her throat. "What's the latest on those masks, anyway? Chiara mentioned something about long-range communication, but as soon as she got into the science lingo, I tuned out."

Lukas chuckled, nodding knowingly. "That's Chiara, all right. In simple terms, these masks let us communicate over long distances by tapping into the trial's natural EM field. Straightforward, right? Think of them as… mobile phones, but without the annoying notifications, creepy ads that know what you're craving, or random scams popping up out of nowhere."

Ayu snorted. "So we're spared the horrors of social media?"

"Oh, definitely," Lukas replied with a grin. "No fake profiles, no 'like' competitions, and absolutely no privacy breaches. Just real communication. You talk, they listen—that's it. No algorithms tracking you and no pointless updates. And no group chats or pointless updates either—because, let's be honest, do we really need to know what everyone's eating all the time?"

Ayu laughed, a sparkle in her eye. "Alright, sounds like an upgrade. I don't fully understand how it works, but being able to talk and organize things on the move would be great. So… does it track where we all are?"

Lukas nodded thoughtfully. "Kind of. 'Track' isn't exactly the right word—it's more like detecting your position. The masks have antennae from those giant arthropods we fought, which are incredibly sensitive to EM waves. When we each send out a pulse, the antennae resonate and amplify it, making it easier to pick up over long distances. And since each mask has its own unique frequency, we can tell exactly who's where using triangulation."

He paused, suddenly remembering something. With a swift motion, he set down his massive backpack and started digging through it. "Speaking of gear…" He pulled out a finely crafted weapon, an atlatl with a smooth handle and a sleek, metal-tipped javelin perfectly balanced for throwing.

"Thought you might appreciate a little upgrade too," he said, handing it over.

He extended it toward Ayu, who raised an eyebrow, analyzing it. "Got a couple of these while messing around with ideas and had a spare," Lukas said, grinning. "It's a throwing tool—basically, you grip it here, and it lets you launch the javelin way farther than by hand. The leverage gives it extra power, too. Useful against a certain… overgrown crab, maybe."

Ayu's face lit up as she took it, testing the balance in her hand. "Not bad. So if it's faster, goes farther, and I aim right for the eye," she paused as realization dawned on her, "it's a one-shot kill! Damn, this is some hell of a tool!"

"Yeah, well… just keep it between us, will you?" Lukas said, a shudder passing over him. "If Chiara finds out, I'll be stuck making one of these for every person in camp."

Ayu nodded, grinning. "Sure. Thanks, Lukas."

"It's fine. Anyway, better get back to it—don't want to drag out the hunt longer than necessary," he yawned. "Five more crabs and then I'm due for a nap."

Ayu shook her head, smirking. "Alright. Catch you later. I'll be looking forward to those masks."

"Yeah… I'm not," Lukas said, tensing up at the thought of the looming workload.

They parted ways, Lukas keeping up his usual laid-back stride. But as he walked away, his expression shifted, becoming a touch more serious.

"Well, that should keep her safe and thriving," he muttered. "As long as Ayu's around, he won't be our enemy. But if she…" He scratched his head, sighing as he continued down the path. "Why does everything have to be so damn complicated?"

Stage 1 - 3.563%

Alonso gazed calmly at the giant dead bug. The 49th one down.

"Well, that was efficient," Houston remarked. "Nineteen arthropods and eleven crabs in under thirteen hours. Counting yesterday's kills, we only need thirty-seven more crabs to complete these zones."

Alonso nodded, relieved to be finished with the arthropods. Even though his body had grown stronger and better adapted to the toxic atmosphere, he still had to limit the use of Overdrive here. Only in the jungle could he let loose and fully enjoy the rush.

"You sound like a junkie in withdrawal," Houston observed.

"Maybe that's exactly what The Tower wants us to become. All it has us do is kill and kill and kill," Alonso replied, steadying his breathing as he began the trek back toward the coastal region.

"Well, don't forget about the third white room," Houston countered. "That was there for a reason. Worth thinking over."

Alonso's eyes narrowed slightly, but he kept his pace steady, letting the thought settle unspoken.

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