As soon as the man stepped out of the cave, the boy trailed behind, keeping pace and eyes sharp. "So... what's going on right now? Tell me," Marin asked, his voice low but curious.
Orien raised a hand. "Shhhh... Talk softly. I think they're sensitive to sound. Say less, move quieter. Don't even let your steps make a noise."
Just as he finished his warning, his boot landed squarely on a dry twig.
Snap!
The sharp crack echoed unnaturally loud in the stillness of the forest.
"Damn it," Orien muttered.
The grotesque figures ahead froze. Heads twitched. A low, gurgling hiss rumbled from one of them. Their movements turned frantic, eyes scanning the trees.
"Hide!" Orien whispered sharply.
They both dove into the bushes just as the biologically enhanced beings began their search. From their hiding spot, Marin finally got a clear look.
They had once been human—that much was clear from the skeletal frame and facial structure—but whatever humanity had been in them was now long gone. Their skin was a pallid greenish hue, stretched tight over bulging veins. Eyes glowed faintly with an eerie blue light, like LEDs implanted in the sockets. Joints jutted out at unnatural angles, and their limbs looked partially mechanical. Metal plates replaced parts of their skulls and chests, giving them the appearance of stitched-together nightmares from a failed cyberpunk experiment. Wires slithered from their backs like tendrils.
Marin's stomach churned. "What the hell are those things…?" he mouthed silently.
They held their breath until the creatures finally gave up their search and resumed their patrol, moving deeper into the forest.
As they left, Orien gave a nod. The coast was clear.
They followed the squad at a distance, weaving through trees with as much silence as they could muster, eventually arriving at a gaping cave mouth hidden behind thick foliage.
"They went in there,follow me " Orien said.
Inside, the air turned damp and heavy. The tunnel descended, lit only by dim, flickering crystals growing on the walls.
Marin's curiosity peaked. "So… are they aliens?"
Orien snorted. "Could be. We haven't officially met any yet. So who knows what they're supposed to look like."
A shiver ran down both their spines.
Marin blinked. "Wait… did you feel that?"
Orien's face turned serious. "Yeah. Our plot armour... it's draining."
Marin's eyes widened. "Is it a Genre injection?"
"Exactly," Orien said, his tone oddly excited. "This makes things interesting."
"What kind of genre is this?" Marin asked, looking around uneasily.
"Could be anything—horror, mystery, alien invasion. Only way to know is to meet the caster."
Marin frowned. "Okay , what do we do once we meet with the caster ?"
"We beat the caster up. He already knows someone's here. If he isn't a coward, he'd fight us personally." Orien turned to him. "Listen carefully, kid. I'll go after the caster. You find the villagers and rescue them."
Marin hesitated. "What if I run into him instead?"
"Then you trust your plot armour. It'll protect you."
The cave split into two paths. Orien handed Marin a walkie-talkie. "As soon as the villagers are safe, let me know. That's my signal to crush him."
Marin nodded, clutching the device like it was a lifeline.
He ventured into his tunnel, steps echoing softly. Soon, he stumbled upon two guards.
Without thinking, Marin charged. He imbued his fist with plot armour and punched the first one. Expecting him to fly back, he was shocked when his hand went right through the creature's abdomen.
The grotesque figure gasped, looked Marin in the eyes and, with a weak smile, whispered, "Thank you." Then it collapsed.
Marin stared in horror, his arm still drenched in red liquid. Before he could recover, the second guard lunged at him.
Still in a haze, he reflexively reached out—and his plot-armoured hand touched the creature's head.
Crack!
The head exploded like a watermelon, bits splattering the walls.
Breathing heavily, Marin processed the scene. "They… weren't soldiers."
The realization hit like a sledgehammer. "They were villagers who were experimented on." and he immediately knew what this genre was , it was biological sci-fi , he thought.
With fury and dread, Marin moved forward. Behind a metal door, he found rows of children—twisted and mangled into biomechanical monsters. Eyes hollow. Limbs warped.
Behind them was another gate. Inside, unmodified villagers—terrified, huddled together.
"I'm here to help you all , now run outside right now !" he said, helping them out.
Through a window, he spotted Orien in a chamber opposite a white-coated man.
The caster.
Marin's fists clenched, rage bubbling—but he stayed silent. He couldn't blow Orien's cover.
Meanwhile, in the other room, Orien had already taken out the last of the guards and now stood before the caster.
But he didn't attack. Not yet.
The man began speaking, his voice unshaken.
"I was once a brilliant mind," he began. "Stationed at a military outpost. Every day, soldiers came back—torn, shattered, bleeding. I saw fragility… and I hated it."
Orien didn't respond. He just watched, waiting.
"I tried to fix it. I offered enhancements, ideas to surpass human limits. But the higher-ups—they threw me out. Said I wanted to create 'mind-controlled monsters.'"
He scoffed. "They had no vision."
As he spoke, a confused look crossed his face and he thought "Wait… why am I saying all this out loud?" he asked himself, blinking. "I should be attacking you. Why am I monologuing like some Saturday cartoon villain?"
But still, the words kept pouring.
"Then the gods gave me plot armour. Real plot armour. I harnessed it… bent it to my will. And I created soldiers that would never bleed again."
He walked to a console, pressing a button.
"Behold My magnum opus , the pinnacle of biological engineering — Project Echo."
A massive door opened. From it emerged a beast—twice the size of any normal human, its flesh stitched with steel, its eyes glowing crimson.
It roared.
Orien cracked his neck.
"Finally." and charged towards that monster. But the monster stopped him in his tracks and threw him out through the cave walls , which made a huge hole in the cave