Then;
"I did," someone whispered.
"I did."
"I did."
"I did."
Voices rose one after another.
Shock replacing fear.
Relief flooding in.
They weren't dead.
Not yet.
Then:
A deep groan tore through the air.
The gate.
It moved.
Metal screamed against metal.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
The opening widened inch by inch.
Darkness waited beyond it.
Newton's breathing stopped.
Nobody moved.
Nobody dared.
Brian stepped forward.
His face had changed.
Fear still lived there.
But something else had joined it.
Need.
"It is time to understand what is going on"
He crossed.
One step.
Two steps.
He passed the gate.
Nothing happened.
He did not scream.
He did not fall.
He did not die.
He just stood there.
Alive.
He turned back.
Waiting.
Watching them.
Testing the world.
Seconds passed.
Nothing.
Samuel moved next.
Then Stella.
Then Robert.
One by one, they crossed.
Each step felt like walking into judgment.
Newton stood alone for a moment.
His chest rose.
Fell.
He looked back once.
The desert stretched endlessly behind him.
Empty.
Merciless.
He turned.
And stepped forward.
The moment his foot crossed the gate, another message popped up.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
CANDIDATE ENTRANCE CONFIRMED.
NAME: NEWTON HILLS
HUMANITY: 95
SPEED: 10
ENERGY LEVEL: 35
PAIN TOLERANCE: 12
NINJA SKILL: 0
Newton froze where he stood.
His eyes locked on the number.
95
His throat tightened.
"Did my humanity just drop?"
The question escaped before he could stop it.
His mind raced backward, searching, digging, replaying every moment since the desert.
Then he saw it.
Cynthia's face.
Her hand reached.
Stella trying to save her.
And himself.
Holding Stella back.
Stopping her.
Letting Cynthia die.
His stomach twisted violently.
He staggered back a step.
"Am I turning into a horrible person?"
The words sounded broken.
Foreign.
Before he could think further, the gate behind them groaned again.
Metal screamed.
It was closing.
Slow.
Heavy.
Final.
Theo's eyes widened in terror.
"No! No! No! No!"
He lunged toward it.
"Wait!"
He ran.
His hand stretched forward.
But the gap shrank faster.
Closer.
Closer.
Then:
SLAM
The sound exploded through the courtyard.
Theo stopped.
His fingers touched cold iron.
Too late.
The exit was gone.
Locked.
Sealed.
Forever.
Silence swallowed them.
Andy's legs trembled so badly he grabbed his shirt.
His voice shook.
"Are we in some kind of trouble?"
Nobody answered.
Because deep down, they all already knew.
Brian's voice broke the silence, rough but steadier than before.
"Maybe we are, maybe we are not. But the best way to find out will be to keep moving until we find someone we can ask."
His words hung in the air.
Nobody opposed him.
Not because they trusted him.
Because they had nothing else.
Standing still had never saved anyone here.
So they moved.
Their footsteps echoed against cold metal as they left the basement passage and stepped into the open space.
And then they saw them.
Figures.
Dozens of them.
Walking.
Working.
Moving with purpose.
Hope sparked.
"People," Andy whispered.
But the hope died quickly.
Their movements were too precise.
Too smooth.
Too empty.
"These are robots," Phil said quietly.
Newton stared at one pushing a large metallic cart. Its face was smooth and pale, shaped like a human, but wrong. No emotion. No life. Just blank obedience.
Newton nodded slowly.
"Maybe the people in charge of them are in the building. We need to keep moving."
They walked carefully now.
Their bodies tense.
Their eyes fixed on the machines.
Watching.
Waiting.
Expecting an attack.
But none came.
The robots did not look at them.
Did not acknowledge them.
Did not care.
They simply worked.
As if the children did not exist.
That frightened Newton more than violence would have.
He would rather be seen as an enemy than not seen at all.
Before them stood a building.
Massive.
Tall.
Wide.
Its surface gleamed like polished glass, reflecting the pale sky above.
It was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
And that made it worse.
Newton's stomach twisted.
Too beautiful to be an evil place.
Too big to be a good place.
His chest tightened.
Mixed feelings crawled through his skin like insects.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Dread.
They walked forward anyway.
The entrance doors were already open.
Waiting.
Inviting.
Or trapping.
Nobody said it aloud.
But they all felt it.
The moment they stepped inside, the air changed.
Cooler.
Cleaner.
Artificial.
Brandom suddenly stopped.
"Guys!"
His voice shook.
They turned.
He raised his arm.
"Something glow on my wrist."
They stared.
A small screen had appeared.
Embedded into his skin.
Glowing faint blue.
And on it, the number two.
Murmurs spread instantly.
"What!"
"My wrist!"
"Mine too!"
One by one, they raised their arms.
Every single one of them.
Two.
Peter's face collapsed.
"What is happening to us for christening sake," he cried.
His voice cracked.
"I just want to return home."
His words echoed helplessly.
Nobody comforted him.
Nobody could.
Before they could understand it, another notification appeared.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
YOUR NINJA TRAINING HAS BEGAN.
PROCEED LEFT.
Jerry's head snapped up.
"Is somebody kidding me here?"
His voice filled with panic.
"I never applied to be a Ninja. I don't want to be a Ninja. I am a future engineer."
His words sounded small in the massive hall.
Brian turned in circles.
Looking everywhere.
The ceiling.
The walls.
The corners.
"Is somebody here?" he shouted.
His voice echoed back at him.
Empty.
Mocking.
No answer.
Kael snapped.
"Somebody got to be messing with us," he yelled.
His breathing grew heavy.
"Alright!"
He spread his arms.
"You win!"
"It is time to quit this freaking game."
Silence answered him.
Nothing changed.
Nothing stopped.
Newton exhaled slowly.
His chest rose and fell.
He understood something the others did not want to accept.
This was real.
This was no prank.
No dream.
No escape.
This was the system.
And systems did not negotiate.
They obeyed logic.
He remembered the games he had played.
You survive by following instructions.
Not by fighting them.
Not at the beginning.
"Guys," Newton said.
His voice carried.
They turned.
"We need to keep moving."
He turned left.
And walked.
Samuel followed instantly.
Stella followed too.
The others hesitated.
Then followed.
Because standing alone was worse.
They walked through a long corridor.
Their footsteps echoed endlessly.
The walls were smooth.
White.
Perfect.
No doors.
No windows.
Just forward.
The air carried something.
A smell.
Faint.
Familiar.
Food.
Samuel inhaled deeply.
"Is this some kind of kitchen?"
Stella placed a hand on her stomach.
"It better be," she said weakly.
"God knows I am starving."
Her voice trembled.
Newton felt it too.
The hunger.
Sharp.
Painful.
Real.
They reached the end.
And froze.
Food.
Rows and rows of food.
Meat.
Rice.
Bread.
Fruits.
More than they had ever seen.
Steam rose gently from the dishes.
Fresh.
Hot.
Inviting.
Andy whimpered.
"Oh God…"
Newton looked around quickly.
Searching.
Waiting.
Expecting someone.
Anyone.
But there was no one.
No humans.
No chefs.
Nothing.
Just food.
Waiting.
Newton stepped forward.
Slow.
Careful.
His heart pounded.
This was too easy.
Too kind.
Too wrong.
He moved closer.
Closer.
Then:
Two figures appeared.
Out of nothing.
Right in front of him.
Newton gasped.
His body reacted instantly.
He stumbled backward.
His legs gave out.
He fell hard.
Pain shot through him.
Samuel grabbed him quickly.
Pulling him back.
"Holy shit," Samuel whispered.
"Is this some kind of invisible robot?"
The figures stood still.
Humanoid.
Metal.
Each holding a sword.
Pointed downward.
Silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then one spoke.
Its voice was cold.
Emotionless.
Mechanical.
"To get a plate of food, two Ninja coin must be given."
Silence exploded.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The words settled like a death sentence.
Two Ninja coin.
Newton's wrist burned faintly.
He looked down.
Two.
That was all he had.
His stomach twisted.
This was not food.
This was a choice.
Eat.
Or keep the coin.
Live now.
Or live later.
The system was already testing them.
"It talks," Brandom breathed
No one laughed
No one moved
The thing stood there, tall, unmoving, its metal fingers wrapped around the sword hilt, its face blank and smooth like molded glass, not human, not machine, something in between
Newton could hear breathing
Too much breathing
Fast
Uneven
Scared
Brian swallowed and forced himself forward, each step slow, careful, like the floor might punish him for touching it
"What the fuck is this Ninja coin thing?" he blurted
His voice cracked at the end
The figure did not react immediately
For a second, Newton thought it had ignored him
Then it spoke
"Your wrist"
Its mouth barely moved
The voice still came
Flat
Cold
Certain
Newton's stomach tightened
They all looked down
The screen was still there
The glowing number
Two
Brian stared at his wrist like it no longer belonged to him
"How do I go about it?"
"Stretch your wrist"
Brian hesitated
Newton saw it
That moment
That silent question
What if something grabs me
What if I lose more than the coin
Brian stretched it anyway
The moment his arm moved forward, the number flickered
Two
Gone
Zero
Brian froze
Newton's chest tightened
Too fast
It was too fast
"Proceed to make your choice"
The glass display slid open with a soft mechanical sound
Warm air escaped
The smell hit them again
Rice
Chicken
Oil
Salt
It smelled like home
Brian reached in slowly, like the food might vanish if he moved too fast
His fingers closed around the plate
Nothing stopped him
Nothing attacked him
He pulled it out
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
TRANSACTION COMPLETED
YOU NOW HAVE ZERO NINJA COIN
The words burned in Newton's eyes
Zero
Brian stared at his wrist
Zero
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing
Behind Newton, someone stepped forward
Then another
Then another
No one spoke
They stretched their wrists
They paid
They took
Each time, the same result
Zero
Zero
Zero
The sound of breathing mixed with the sound of chewing
Newton stepped forward when it was his turn
His legs felt heavier now
He stretched his wrist
The number disappeared
Zero
The glass opened
He took the food
It was warm
Real
He hated how relieved he felt
They sat
They ate
No one talked
No one smiled
Only the sound of survival
Newton swallowed the last bite
It sat heavy in his stomach
Not comfort
Weight
The screen flickered
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
YOUR STRENGTH LEVEL HAS INCREASED TO 98
Newton's eyes widened slightly
Strength
Food equals strength
His mind moved quickly now
Faster than his fear
Food gives strength
No food. His eyes drifted to his wrist
Zero coin
His chest tightened
Phil's voice broke the silence
"Now, we have eaten. What next?"
No one answered
Brian stared at the floor
Samuel stared at his empty plate
Rebecca stared at her wrist
Newton stared at the robot
It hadn't moved
It was still watching
Waiting
Patient
Like it knew something they didn't
Newton's fingers curled slowly into his palm
The food was gone
The coin was gone
And for the first time since arriving here
He understood something clearly
Eating didn't solve the problem
It only delayed it
His eyes dropped to the glowing zero again
And somehow
That number felt less like a balance
And more like a warning