The red targeting light locks on me.

For half a second, everything freezes.

The robot stands at the mouth of the alley, towering over the trash bins and cracked pavement like a steel giant. Its sensor burns into my chest, bright and focused.

Then it takes another step.

THUD.

Okay.

No more time to think.

I dive sideways just as the robot's arm swings down.

CRASH!

Concrete explodes where I was standing a moment ago. Chunks of pavement bounce across the alley and slam into the wall beside me.

My heart slams against my ribs.

"Right," I mutter, scrambling back to my feet. "Definitely hostile."

The robot adjusts instantly. Its head tilts as the sensor reacquires me, and it starts forward again with terrifying determination.

The alley suddenly feels way too small.

Running won't work. It's blocking the exit, and the walls are too tight to maneuver past it without getting turned into paste.

Which means I only have one option.

Finish what I started.

I slide back to the maintenance panel beside the door and rip it open the rest of the way.

Inside is a mess of wiring.

Power cables.

Signal lines.

A small interface board blinking faintly in the red emergency light.

"Come on," I whisper, already moving.

Gran Torino never taught me electronics, but I've read enough support course manuals to recognize the basics.

Power in.

Power out.

Control line.

Emergency override.

If this really is a signal relay, cutting the wrong wire could just lock the system permanently.

Cutting the right one might shut everything down.

Behind me—

THUD.

The robot is getting closer.

The sensor beam sweeps across my back.

My fingers fly through the wires, tracing connections.

Red cable—main power feed.

Yellow—signal distribution.

Blue—feedback loop.

A metallic grinding noise echoes through the alley as the robot raises its arm again.

"...Okay, that's bad timing."

I grab the yellow wire and pull.

Nothing happens.

The blinking lights keep flashing.

The robot takes another step.

THUD.

Its shadow falls over me.

"Right, plan B!"

I yank the entire interface board loose.

Sparks jump immediately.

The blinking lights flicker.

The robot's movement stutters for half a second.

My eyes widen.

"...Oh."

That did something.

But not enough.

The machine lurches forward again, arm lifting.

No time left.

I jam my hand back into the panel and rip out the red cable.

The result is immediate.

The lights on the board die.

The sirens across the city cut out mid-wail.

And the robot—

Freezes.

Its arm stops inches above my head.

The red sensor flickers once.

Twice.

Then goes dark.

Silence crashes down over the alley.

I stay crouched there for several seconds, breathing hard, staring up at the motionless machine.

"...Please stay off," I whisper.

The robot doesn't move.

Carefully—very carefully—I stand up.

Nothing.

No targeting light.

No movement.

Just a giant pile of metal.

My heart is still racing, but a grin starts creeping onto my face.

"...Ha."

I did it.

At least for this one.

I glance down at the destroyed maintenance panel.

If that cable cut the signal to this robot...

Then it might have cut the command relay for the others too.

Or at least disrupted it.

The thought barely finishes forming before something happens.

In the distance—

A loud CLANG echoes through the mock city.

Then another.

Then another.

One by one, the heavy footsteps stop.

I climb onto a nearby crate and peek around the corner of the building.

Across the street, one of the patrol robots stands frozen mid-step.

Another down the block twitches once... then goes still.

The battlefield goes quiet.

No sirens.

No stomping metal giants.

Just wind moving through the fake city streets.

My shoulders sag with relief.

"...That worked."

Actually worked.

Which means—

A loud voice suddenly blares over the arena speakers.

"ATTENTION EXAMINEES."

I jump slightly.

Because that voice is very familiar.

Calm.

Pleasant.

And slightly amused.

"Please remain where you are. UA staff will now be entering the test area."

Principal Nezu.

My eyes slowly move back to the maintenance panel.

Then to the frozen robot towering beside me.

Then back to the silent city full of unconscious students and destroyed props.

"...Well."

I rub the back of my neck.

"I guess the exam just got really weird."