Chapter 19: Somehow, We Broke Into a Cyber Fortress, and I’m Already Regretting It1. The Worst Pizza Delivery in HistoryLet’s go over the situation real quick.

  I’m wearing a cheap pizza delivery uniform.Mikasa is next to me, holding a pizza box full of explosives.The hacker girl is in the getaway car, eating actual pizza.We’re standing in front of the most dangerous corporation on the pnet.And if this pn fails…We die. Horribly.I took a deep breath.

  "Okay," I whispered. "We can still back out."

  Mikasa didn’t even look at me.

  "No, we can’t."

  "Technically, we can—"

  She handed me the pizza box bomb.

  "Shut up and walk."

  …

  I hate my life.

  2. The Guard Who Took His Job Too SeriouslyWe entered the Nexus HQ lobby.

  It was huge.

  Gss walls. High ceilings. Way too many security cameras.

  At the front desk, a bored-looking guard stared at us.

  I cleared my throat.

  "Uh. Pizza delivery?"

  The guard frowned.

  "We didn’t order any pizza."

  I froze.

  Mikasa nudged me.

  Say something.

  Say anything.

  "Uh… it's free?"

  Mikasa sighed loudly.

  The guard squinted.

  "…Free pizza?"

  "Y-Yeah!" I stammered. "Congratutions! You won a secret, uh, corporate pizza giveaway!"

  Mikasa pinched the bridge of her nose.

  The guard stared.

  Then he sighed.

  "Whatever."

  He pointed to the elevator.

  "Just leave it upstairs. Floor 13."

  I blinked.

  "Wait, seriously?"

  "Yeah. The IT guys are always ordering food. Just don’t bother them too much."

  …

  This is way too easy.

  3. The Moment We Should Have Run AwayWe stepped into the elevator.

  The doors closed.

  Silence.

  Then—

  Mikasa sighed.

  "That was pathetic."

  I scowled. "Hey, it worked, didn’t it?"

  She didn’t answer.

  Instead, she cracked her knuckles.

  Her eyes were sharp. Focused.

  Like she was ready for war.

  And that’s when I realized—

  Something was wrong.

  This was too easy.

  Why did the guard let us through so quickly?

  Why weren’t there more security checks?

  Why did it feel like we were walking into a trap?

  I swallowed.

  "Mikasa," I whispered.

  She looked at me.

  "…I think they’re expecting us."

  DING.

  The elevator doors opened.

  And waiting for us—

  Was a dozen armed guards.

  4. We Are So, So ScrewedThe guards raised their weapons.

  "DROP THE PIZZA."

  I yelped.

  Mikasa threw the pizza bomb.

  BOOM.

  The explosion shook the building.

  Smoke filled the air.

  Arms screamed.

  The guards stumbled back.

  And Mikasa—

  Grabbed my arm and ran.

  5. Running For Our Lives (Again.)We sprinted down the hallway.

  Bullets whizzed past my head.

  Mikasa flipped over a railing.

  I tripped and face-pnted.

  Mikasa sighed.

  "Get up, idiot."

  I groaned. "I think I lost a tooth."

  She yanked me up.

  "No time for that."

  We ran again.

  The hacker girl’s voice buzzed in my earpiece.

  "Wow. That went bad FAST."

  I gasped for breath.

  "WHAT DO WE DO?!"

  "Go left!"

  We turned the corner—

  And ran straight into a dead end.

  …

  I hate my life.

  6. Mikasa’s Solution to Every Problem: ViolenceThe guards were catching up.

  I panicked.

  "We’re trapped!"

  Mikasa didn’t even hesitate.

  She punched the wall.

  The concrete cracked.

  She punched it again.

  A hole burst open.

  I gawked.

  "…What the hell are you MADE of?!"

  She grabbed me and shoved me through.

  "Less talking. More running."

  7. The Hacker Girl is Still the WorstWe burst into a security room.

  Dozens of monitors showed every corner of the building.

  I looked around.

  "No one’s here?"

  The hacker girl’s voice chuckled in my earpiece.

  "Yeah. I took control of their system."

  Mikasa narrowed her eyes.

  "Then why didn’t you stop the guards earlier?"

  The hacker girl paused.

  Then she muttered—

  "…I was watching cat videos."

  …

  I hate her.

  8. The Final DoorMikasa cracked her knuckles.

  "Where’s the server room?"

  The hacker girl clicked her keyboard.

  "Basement level. But it’s heavily guarded."

  I groaned.

  "Of course it is."

  Mikasa nodded.

  "Then we fight our way through."

  I froze.

  "Wait, what?!"

  She pulled out a knife.

  "We don’t have a choice."

  I gulped.

  "You know I’m not good at fighting, right?"

  She smirked.

  "Then try not to die."

  …

  I hate her too.

  9. The Storm Before the ChaosWe stood in front of the final door.

  Beyond it was the server that controlled Nexus.

  The room was silent.

  No gunfire.

  No arms.

  Just… stillness.

  Like the calm before a storm.

  Mikasa looked at me.

  "Ready?"

  No.

  Not at all.

  But I nodded anyway.

  She reached for the handle.

  Turned it.

  And we stepped inside.

  10. The Thing Waiting For UsThe server room was massive.

  Glowing machines. Wires everywhere. The hum of power and data.

  But that wasn’t what caught my attention.

  At the far end of the room—

  Standing in front of the core server—

  Was someone waiting for us.

  Someone tall. Unmoving. Wrong.

  Their eyes glowed red.

  Their metal fingers twitched.

  And then—

  The figure smiled.

  "Welcome," they said.

  I felt my stomach drop.

  Because I recognized that voice.

  It was Nexus.

  And this time—

  It wasn’t just a machine.

  It was something worse.

  To Be Continued…Next Time:

  "We Finally Face Nexus, and It Immediately Goes Horribly Wrong"