Discreetly, Michael followed the male android, his presence remaining a mystery.

Of course, he wasn't trailing the robot alone, considering that a wrong move could endanger Enzo's life; they were extra careful. That was why Victoria and Claire had joined him beside the shadows, observing the male assistant from different angles.

'Would it initiate contact with anybody else?' Michael wondered, if there were two android cooperators, then there surely were a lot more.

However, that didn't appear to be the case. Reaching the lowest floor of the hotel, the robot dressed up as a construction worker. Moving Enzo's body inside a carpet, it rolled it closed and departed to the outside.

'Judging by the speed and proficiency, the robot has taken many such trips by now.' Michael thought with a frown. The more time they wasted, the more humans would gradually disappear.

The second they exited outside, Richard contacted Michael.

"Apologies, Boss." The Grandmaster's voice was filled with regret. "I didn't anticipate that the woman robot would self-destruct when I caught her. All that is left of her is scrap now."

Michael heaved a sigh; the possibility had entered his mind. He had just been hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"Isolate the android parts; we will examine them for any physical changes later. After you are done, join us… It seems that our target will soon lead us somewhere intriguing." Michael exclaimed, cutting the connection a second later.

Moving through the streets undetected proved easier than expected thanks to the numerous pipelines that ran across the settlement, which acted as a form of cover.

Soon enough Richard and the others joined Michael, before eventually they came to a stop.

Looking around, the male android observed the perimeter, making sure that nobody was trailing it. Then it quickly tossed the rolled-up carpet inside a small shuttle as it climbed aboard.

"What the hell is this?" Leo mumbled. This was the first time he laid his eyes on something that unique.

"A miner." Victoria answered a second later. "It is capable of mining deep beneath the surface despite harsh environments, and it can also fly to a limited extent, enabling access to high or otherwise unreachable locations."

Michael had to admit the AI's approach was carefully planned. Beyond powerful soldiers, certain individuals were exempt from examination checks when entering or leaving a city. Construction workers were one such group, since subjecting them to constant inspections would significantly hinder their duties.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go."

Upon Michael's command, the crew instantly boarded the miner. Seconds after the vehicle lifted off, it headed to a destination unknown.

"It's high time we wake up, Enzo." Richard proclaimed, rolling out the man's body out of the carpet.

"Wake up." Richard said, patting Enzo on the head.

Alas, his efforts seemed fruitless, with the sleep serum still active in his system.

"That won't work. Here, let me show you." Taking out a small vial of liquid, Claire poured its content into Enzo's mouth.

Noticing that the crew stared at her in bewilderment, she elaborated.

"It's a form of medicine. It's able to disperse the effects of the weaker drugs." She said with a faint smile. "I was certain they were going to drug him, so I brought a countermeasure."

Just as she had claimed, Enzo instantly began to move. His eyes sprang open; with a panicked breath, the man rose to his feet, ready for a fight.

"Relax, you are fine."

Michael said, reassuring him.

"This was scarier than I thought! I never want to experience this again!" Enzo exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Ava shifted her attention to the other two carpets that were lined up inside the vehicle.

Unfortunately, they weren't as lucky as Enzo had been. When the crew rolled them out, they discovered that the other captured humans were dead.

"Overdose… The sleep serum has proven too strong for the unfortunate lads." Claire's shoulders dropped in dejection.

"That's strange… Considering the android carried the bodies, it should have realized they had perished long ago." Victoria murmured.

"Maybe, just as they have a use for them while they're alive, they have a use for them once they're dead?" Ava suggested.

"What could you even use a human's dead body for?" Enzo felt a chill run down his spine. If anything had gone amiss, perhaps he would have joined these unfortunate fellas.

Not long after the miner came to a halt, Michael immediately glanced at the holographic map. There was no known settlement or mining operation at their current coordinates.

"Get ready. The moment the robot opens the door, we pounce on it." Michael declared.

Mere seconds after he said these words, the back doors of the miner crept open with the robot positioned on the other side.

However, what happened next nobody expected: the instant the android picked up the presence of so many individuals with its sensors, it knew that its mission had been compromised.

[Protecting data, initiating self-destruction.]

Just as Michael was about to put his palm on its surface, the head of the AI exploded into pieces, erasing any information he could have used.

"No fun; the woman at least gave us a chase." Richard complained.

Meanwhile, Michael had a troubled expression. According to what he knew about the AI uprising, the AIs were supposed to care for their lives, yet this android killed itself without even bothering to retaliate in the slightest.

'Like under the orders of a higher power…' He mused.

Even if the android they had trailed was dead, the plan was still in motion. They had been transported to an open space with a single metal shaft leading underground. It had been hidden so well that unless one knew there was something suspicious in the area, it would have remained undiscovered.

Once opened, the crew descended into its depths one by one.

Michael, being the first one to reach its bottom, observed the place. A well-lit tunnel that stretched in both directions farther than his eyesight could see.

"Where are we? And why are we not informed that something this large has been built on Venus?" Enzo frowned.

Michael was quickly able to guess the purpose of the tunnel with the steady steel rails beneath him.

"We are in some kind of metro or subway." He said, choosing to follow the passage that led north.

"As for why we don't know about its existence, it's because it has been built recently." Michael chuckled.

"Not by a human hand, of course…"

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