The blue crystals sparkled as Alexander held his light over them, carefully prying another sample loose from the cave wall. Floor 4 had way more good stuff than they'd expected—these crystals weren't even mentioned in any of their prep materials.

  "That makes five different kinds we've found," he said, dropping the piece into his collection container. "Way more variety than we were told about."

  Elijah crouched next to him, scanning another cluster with his analyzer. "The glowing mushrooms seem to grow mostly around these blue ones. I wonder if they help each other somehow."

  "Good catch," Riva said, updating their inventory list. "Both the tech people and potion makers would pay good money for these if they're as special as they look."

  Valeria returned from her perimeter check, moving silently as always. "North tunnel's clear for about fifty meters. Nothing dangerous in sight." She gnced at their crystal haul. "Are we almost done here? We've been in this spot forever."

  Alexander understood her impatience. Their team was already crushing their quota goals, and hanging around one area too long wasn't usually smart.

  "Just a few more—" he started, but stopped when a distant crash echoed through the caves, followed by muffled shouting.

  The team instantly went quiet, all listening carefully.

  "Someone's fighting," Valeria said after a moment. "Pretty far up the north tunnel, maybe two hundred meters based on how sound travels in here."

  "Multiple people," Elijah added, tilting his head slightly like he was hearing something else. "A group against... someone."

  Alexander noticed that weird hesitation in his brother's voice—the same one that happened whenever Elijah got what they privately called "the whispers." Those strange impressions had been happening more often since they entered the Game, though Elijah still wouldn't really talk about them.

  "We should stay away," Valeria said firmly. "Other people's fights are just unnecessary trouble. We have our own quota to worry about."

  Her logic made sense. The smart move would be to either wait it out or find another route. But something about those distant sounds—how uneven the fight seemed—caught Alexander's attention.

  "Riva, what do you think?" he asked, valuing her perspective.

  The team medic considered for a moment. "Sounds like an unfair fight. Many against few, maybe even just one person. Probably a hunting party."

  Another crash echoed through the tunnels, followed by an electrical zapping sound.

  "That's some advanced gear," Alexander noted. "Not normal for this floor."

  "Even more reason to avoid it," Valeria insisted. "Weird tech means unpredictable situations."

  Alexander stood up, making his decision. "Which is exactly why it's worth checking out. We'll look—carefully, from a distance—and see what's happening."

  "This is unnecessary risk," Valeria argued, clearly annoyed. "We're ahead on quota. We've got valuable samples. Why mess that up?"

  It was a fair question, one Alexander might normally agree with. But something about this just felt important—a gut feeling he'd learned to trust during training.

  "Knowing about advanced tech and tactics on our floor gives us an advantage," he expined, already packing up his gear. "We'll just observe unless there's a clear reason to do more."

  Valeria's face showed obvious disagreement, but she nodded once. "Whatever you say."

  "Elijah, you're on point," Alexander directed. "Riva, middle position with your med kit ready. Valeria, watch our backs. Standard observation formation."

  The team shifted gears smoothly, transitioning from collection to stealth mode in seconds. They moved through the twisting tunnels, following the increasingly loud sounds of fighting. Elijah led with surprising confidence, almost like he was being pulled toward the commotion.

  As they got closer, Alexander signaled for quiet movement. The team adjusted accordingly, minimizing noise while keeping formation. The sounds ahead had changed—fewer crashes, more voices, suggesting the fighting part might be winding down.

  "Hold up," Alexander whispered as they reached a bend in the tunnel that seemed to open into a rger chamber. The echoes suggested a big room ahead, and the voices were clearer now, though still hard to make out.

  "Seven different voices," Elijah murmured. "Plus one more... different."

  Alexander gnced at his brother, noticing that distant look in his eyes. "Different how?"

  Elijah moved closer to Alexander, his voice dropping to a whisper only his twin could hear. "I'm not... it's not clear. Just different. The whispers are... really active."

  Alexander filed that away to think about ter. Whatever these whispers were, they'd been surprisingly helpful sometimes. "I'll take a look. You guys stay here."

  He moved carefully to the tunnel entrance, keeping to the shadows as he checked out the chamber beyond. His enhanced vision—a standard feature of Architect-css interfaces—quickly adjusted to the dim blue-green glow of the mushrooms.

  What he saw confirmed Riva's guess about an unfair fight. Seven pyers—all with Worker-css gear—had surrounded a single person backed against the far wall. Cssic hunting party formation for securing a kill credit.

  What wasn't standard was their target. Even from here, Alexander could see the unusual modifications to her equipment—especially around her interface connections at her temples and wrists. The scattered devices around the chamber looked like homemade defensive tech way beyond what should be possible on Floor 4.

  A small woman with dark hair and striking amber eyes, cornered but definitely not giving up. Something about how she stood—calcuting her odds despite being totally outnumbered—suggested she was no ordinary pyer.

  "What's happening?" Elijah whispered, sliding up beside him with unusual urgency.

  "Worker-css hunting party, seven of them, about to take down a single target," Alexander reported quietly. "Female, looks Unaligned based on her gear, but she's using modified tech that's way beyond standard stuff."

  Elijah's breathing changed as he looked at the scene. He leaned in close to Alexander, speaking so quietly that only his twin could hear. "The whispers... they're... focused on her."

  Alexander found that interesting. The whispers had never centered on a specific person before. He gave his brother a subtle nod before addressing the team. "Threat assessment?"

  "To us?" Valeria had silently joined them, looking skeptical. "None, if we leave now. This is obviously a quota hunt. Happens all the time and has nothing to do with us."

  Alexander kept analyzing the situation, ignoring Valeria's increasingly obvious attempts to avoid getting involved. The cornered woman's gear mods suggested serious technical knowledge—potentially useful in future floors. The hunting party's unusual persistence suggested they knew this too.

  More importantly, the woman had nearly held off seven attackers by herself, using homemade devices and smart positioning. That kind of skill, combined with technical know-how, could be a valuable asset.

  "We're stepping in," he decided, watching as the hunters closed in for their final move.

  "What? Why?" Valeria hissed. "She's just quota points to them."

  "With equipment mods that advanced? I doubt it," Alexander countered. "They want her tech. Which means it's valuable. Which means she's valuable."

  "Alexander," Riva said softly, "Valeria's got a point. Getting mixed up in someone else's elimination isn't what we normally do."

  He nodded. "I know. But normal rules are for normal situations. This isn't one."

  A sound from the chamber pulled their attention back to the confrontation. The cornered woman had activated some kind of pulse device that temporarily disrupted the hunters' interfaces—a sophisticated defensive tech way beyond normal Floor 4 equipment.

  "See that?" Alexander pointed. "Interface disruptor made from salvaged parts. That's serious engineering skills."

  Elijah was staring at the woman with increasing intensity. "We need to help her," he said with unusual firmness. "Now."

  Alexander studied his brother briefly. Elijah rarely pushed so hard during tactical decisions, usually just providing information rather than telling Alexander what to do. Whatever he was sensing through the whispers had clearly affected him deeply.

  "Agreed," Alexander decided. "Tactical approach, formation delta. Riva, non-lethal support. Valeria, secure the perimeter. Elijah, you're with me for direct engagement."

  "This is a mistake," Valeria stated bluntly, though she was already adjusting her gear for the ordered formation. "These aren't our quota credits or our problem."

  "Overruled," Alexander responded simply. "On my signal, we move in. First goal is to control the situation, not eliminate anyone. See how they react before committing to a fight."

  As the team prepared to enter, Alexander watched the woman make a final defiant stand against the closing hunters. Despite being exhausted and injured, her fighting stance showed proper training. Whoever she was, she'd clearly survived some serious challenges before this.

  New voices echoed from the chamber as the hunters detected approaching signatures—their attention splitting between their cornered prey and the new potential threat.

  "Let's go," Alexander commanded, leading his team toward a confrontation that would change everything.