Yassin showed great interest in this wonderful invention. He knitted his brows and said, "And what was your condition? And how did your brother treat you?"

Keno sighed, recalling these painful memories. "They told me there was no hope for me at all. My legs and arms were severed, and I had severe injuries all over my body and near my heart. The only solution for my brother was to perform this preliminary experiment, which was not yet complete. But it was the only hope available at the time. My brother devoted all his time to trying to treat me. He put me in his laboratory, in a glass box filled with water, and began to design a new body for me. He made artificial legs with delicate joints that function like a human foot and connected them to my body with nanomachines, which in turn connected the nerve centers, ligaments, and tendons to my artificial legs, allowing me to control them as if they were a part of me. He did the same thing with my hands and some other parts of my body that were also destroyed, like my right eye. Thus, he made the nanomachines swim in my body to repair all the surrounding damage. After three years of treatment, I woke up."

Yassin was silent for a moment, his mind wandering as he thought about this strange story. Then he broke his silence, saying, "So does this mean your other eye is real?"

Keno replied sarcastically, "Is that all that caught your attention in the story? Yes, it's real."

Yassin muttered with an artificial, robotic smile, "No... of course... not that. But I wanted to inquire, nothing more. Anyway, you must have been through a lot."

Keno adjusted his glasses and walked toward a clothing store, motioning for Yassin to walk with him. Yassin followed him with quick steps. Keno continued, examining the mall, "Of course, I suffered a lot. I spent a lot of time in conflict with myself until I got used to the changes in my body and began to live with them. And although the modifications were masterfully done and didn't make me look like an eccentric, this didn't stop some people who heard what happened to me from constantly mocking me with words like, 'Hello, sardine can,' 'half-human,' 'soda machine,' and other strange things like that. But I didn't pay them any attention at all, until it escalated to physical assault. And of course, my new body helped me beat them up, but it became really annoying, and I suffered because of it. People resent you for things you didn't choose. And unfortunately, my dear brother went on a trip to outer space called Enix 2, of the CITRA space agency, after Enix 1 failed and disappeared in the next galaxy without a trace. Enix 2 was launched to complete the experiment and search for Enix 1, but it also disappeared like its companion. He desperately wanted to go on this trip for some reason I don't know, and I warned him of the consequences, but he insisted, and now he has disappeared with it, just as I warned him."

Yassin felt an unsettling feeling inside him that he didn't understand. He fell silent, not knowing what to say to him. Then he mumbled, "I don't know what to say to you in situations like this, but it's not a good thing."

Keno replied, a ghost of a smile on his face, "Don't worry about it. I've gotten used to it, and it doesn't bother me anymore."

They entered the store, and Keno began to look at the shirts, choosing one to replace his burnt one. He saw a white shirt that resembled his old one and took it in his hand. Then he looked for trousers similar to his old ones, found a suitable pair of jeans, and took them as well. He then went into the changing room, asking Yassin to wait for him. Yassin nodded in agreement, then began to examine the clothes and other things around him, yawning with boredom as he waited for Keno. He paced the store back and forth, trying to kill time until Keno was finished. After taking a tour inside the store, he decided to wait for him at the entrance. As he was heading there, Keno came running out of the room in a panic, having completely finished dressing.

"Get out of here immediately!" he shouted in a warning tone toward Yassin.

Suddenly, everything exploded.

***

Noor headed to the upper floor, anxiety having taken hold of him. He climbed the stairs slowly and quietly, without making any sound, trying to calm his heartbeat. He finally reached the door leading to the upper floor and entered quietly, aiming his pistol left and right in case of anything.

He found this floor was also filled with all kinds of weapons, but it was dark, large, and consisted of several corridors filled with various types of weapons hanging on the walls. He continued on his way, afraid and expectant of what he might encounter, and hoped to find a human to ask about everything.

He bent his knees and continued his search, moving the muzzle of his pistol from one side to the other. Suddenly, he sensed the sound of footsteps coming from the room opposite him.

Noor hid behind one of the tables and became completely still amidst the darkness that enveloped the room. The sound of footsteps approached slowly, agonizingly slowly. Noor held his breath. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Noor tried to steal a glance to see who was there. He raised his head cautiously and saw the shadow of a person standing at the end of the room, not moving, holding a flashlight in his hand, and scanning all directions with it. The flashlight beam turned toward him, and he felt that he had been seen. He quickly ducked his head down. A volley of shots came toward him, but they passed directly over his head. He lowered his head further in fear, then took out his pistol, raised it over the table, and fired into the darkness without looking. He exchanged fire with the enemy until his ammunition ran out.

"Who's there?" he said, panting, his tone laced with tension.

He heard a female voice reply in a frightened and hesitant tone, "Who are you? Are you human?"

Noor looked at himself, then said sarcastically, "No, I'm one of the aliens from Mars, and I want to get your brain as a sample for some studies on our planet."

He paused for a second, then continued with emotion, "Of course I'm human, are you kidding me?"

"You're joking at a time like this?" the girl said in an angry tone. "I thought you were one of the robots wandering around."

Noor thought quickly. "Well, it seems that what happened to me also happened to her, and this is to my advantage," he said to himself. "This means there are other people in this city. I will use the situation to my advantage and try to get her to join me, maybe she knows something. I'll also feel a little more secure if I feel that there is someone with me in these crazy events."

He said, trying to calm things down, "The same thing that happened to you happened to me. I woke up alone in this strange tower, then went out into the city to find it empty of people, filled with these damned machines, and I don't understand what's happening here. Fate brought me here, and I think from what you said, the same thing happened to you. But did you have any luck and find any other survivors besides me? Or am I the first person you've met since you woke up?"

"Wait a minute," she said, annoyance evident in her tone. "Did you say a tower?"

"Yes, a tower. Why?"

"Were you put through several tests that ended in fighting among the prisoners?"

"That's exactly what happened. Did the same thing happen to you?"

"What's your name? Tell me."

"Noor. And you?"

"Noor, it's you! Oh my God, I can't believe it."

Noor stood up, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Jane, is that you?"

Jane approached him and came out of the darkness, her features becoming clear. She was wearing a black jacket that covered her body from top to bottom to give her some warmth in this cold weather, and on her head, she wore a woolen hat that completely covered her hair and ears. She looked as if she had aged a lot.

"Yes, it's me," she said, happiness evident on her face.

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