The other direction of the stairwell led to the restrooms, equally coated in the same sticky secretions.

A’Da drove his blade into the wall and wrenched hard — and pried open a hidden door. Behind it, various cleaning tools were piled up; this was the utility closet used by the building’s custodial staff.

The three of them immediately ducked inside and pulled the door firmly shut!

No more than three to five seconds passed before a rapid, chaotic sound of footsteps swept in along the corridor walls — as if a swarm of mutated insects was scurrying past just outside!

They screeched and raged, one after another hurling themselves into the inferno in a desperate attempt to salvage the nest’s most precious eggs. As a result, the air now carried not only the stench of rot, but an additional wave of nauseating, acrid burning.

The three of them held their breath and kept perfectly still, not even daring to exhale.

Bai Youwei pressed close to Shen Mo. In the darkness she felt a scorching heat and couldn’t help but worry the fire might spread their way — but soon, the temperature dropped back down.

After a while longer, the commotion outside began to subside. A’Da switched on a flashlight, illuminating the cramped, narrow utility closet.

The light eased the tension wound tight in their nerves.

Bai Youwei had a wall at her back, Shen Mo on her left, and a metal rack stocked with disinfectant and other supplies on her right. The air in the tiny space was close and stale.

Shen Mo used his earpiece to reach Yuri. “We’re in the utility closet on the east corridor of the 32nd floor, safe for now.”

Perhaps because of how well hidden the location was, Yuri’s reply came back muffled and indistinct:

“Natasha and I are in the bathroom on the southwest corner of the 7th floor. The variants on this floor are heading upstairs… stay careful, and try not to make any noise.”

These hiding spots had all been scouted during their previous run of this dungeon. Even with so many monsters in the building, there was no shortage of out-of-the-way nooks and crannies capable of concealing a person.

A’Da let out a quiet breath, slid down to sit with his back against the wall, while keeping one ear angled toward the door, alert to any movement outside.

Bai Youwei looked at A’Da, then at Shen Mo, and asked in the smallest possible voice, “How long are we going to be in here?”

Shen Mo answered quietly, “Once most of the variants have concentrated on the 32nd floor, we’ll plant the explosives here. Yuri and Natasha will cover our retreat.”

To deal with the monsters in the dungeon, they had come prepared with a large arsenal of heavy firepower.

Bai Youwei gave a soft “oh.”

The three of them fell into silence in the cramped space, a single beam of flashlight illuminating the pale gray walls.

Outside, intermittent sounds of random scratching and crawling drifted in, accompanied by the Queen’s repeated, indignant shrieks — over and over, echoing endlessly.

If someone suffered from claustrophobia, being stuck in a place like this would probably drive them mad.

Bai Youwei had stayed quiet this whole time. Shen Mo was slightly worried, and reached over to ruffle the top of her head, his voice low and gentle as he tried to comfort her. “Rest while you can. When we move, we’ll need to run all the way to the ground floor in one go.”

Bai Youwei nodded, then took two cushions from her backpack, set them on the floor, and tugged at Shen Mo, gesturing for him to sit down and rest.

A’Da spotted this and immediately widened his eyes, as if silently demanding: What about mine?

So Bai Youwei produced another throw pillow.

A’Da was even more astonished. He accepted it and slid it under himself, muttering quietly, “The things you carry in that backpack of yours are so… eclectic…”

Everyone else packed weapons or survival tools — she’d stuffed in a bunch of throw pillows.

Bai Youwei smiled but said nothing.

She had just climbed with them from the 1st floor all the way to the 32nd, then immediately turned around and doused everything in gasoline and set it ablaze. She really was tired. Since they had to rest now, she was certainly not going to shortchange herself.

So she also pulled out a few energy drinks and handed them to Shen Mo and A’Da respectively.

A’Da accepted the drink and gave her a look he couldn’t quite put into words. “You didn’t also bring snacks, did you?”

Bai Youwei paused. “Do you want some?”

She glanced into her backpack. “I only have lollipops and dried strawberries left — if you want something else, I can think about it.”

A’Da: “…”

She even said *only*!

—