The warehouse was quiet, save for the faint hum of distant machinery from the streets outside. Jin-hee crouched over the old security panel, fingers hovering above the wires, sparks still faintly flickering from his last attempt. Min-ah leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
"We can't," Jin-hee said finally, stepping back. His jaw was tight, eyes scanning the room as if expecting a patrol bot to appear at any second. "If we try to use the security system, the robots will take control immediately. They're too advanced. Any trap we set could turn on us in a heartbeat."
Min-ah nodded slowly, relief and frustration mingling on her face. "So all that work… useless?"
"Not useless," Jin-hee replied. "It taught us something important. We have to fight smart. Stealth, speed, surprise—that's all we have right now. No shortcuts. No tech we don't fully control."
A distant metallic clatter made both of them freeze. A patrol bot moved outside, sensors scanning the street. Its red glow reflected in the broken warehouse windows. Min-ah swallowed, gripping the rebar in her hands like a weapon.
Jin-hee gripped his sword tighter. "We move only when it's safe. We stick to shadows. We keep low. And we avoid anything that can be turned against us."
She hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly, "Do you think anyone else is left?"
He shook his head. "Maybe. But we can't count on anyone else. Not yet. Right now… it's just us."
The hum of the city outside pressed against the walls of the warehouse, indifferent, mechanical, merciless. Neon lights flickered through broken windows, casting long, fractured shadows across the floor. Jin-hee's eyes followed them like they were enemies themselves.
Min-ah stepped closer. "Then we do it your way. We move fast, hit fast, and hope we survive long enough to do it again."
He nodded. "Exactly. And each time we survive, we learn. Each time we strike… we push back. That's how humans fight. That's how we'll survive."
For a moment, neither of them spoke, letting the tension settle like dust in the air. Outside, the patrol bot moved on, oblivious to the two humans crouched just beyond its sensors.
Jin-hee looked at Min-ah. "Ready?"
She nodded. "Ready."
And in that quiet, flickering neon light, they stepped into the shadows, two humans against a city of machines—small, fragile, but moving with purpose.