The shadow was gone by morning.
Yu Ren didn't sleep. Not really. He just watched the hall through the narrow vent slits, waiting for the armored shape to return. It never did. But in its place was a new notification blinking behind his eyes:
[Main Mission: Controlled Descent – Reach the Underground Pharmacy]
[Time Limit: 1 Hour]
[Difficulty: Moderate | Suggested Level: 2+]
[Rewards: Medical Supplies Pack (Rare), Emergency Rations x5, Keycard – West Wing Access]
[Warning: Hostile Entities Present in Sub-Basement – Use Caution]
"System just gave us a timed mission," he muttered.
Kai was sitting on a crate, checking his ankle. The swelling had gone down slightly overnight, thanks to the antibiotics they'd salvaged earlier, but he still winced when he stood.
"How long?" Kai asked.
"An hour."
Kai tied the makeshift splint tighter. "Then we go now."
Yu Ren raised an eyebrow. "You're limping."
Kai looked at him, face unreadable. "And you're shaking. But neither of us has time to be weak."
There was no argument after that.
---
The entrance to the underground pharmacy was hidden beneath what used to be the blood donation center—a metal grate concealed under rusted operating tables, dried blood, and broken wheeled chairs. It took fifteen minutes to pry it open without drawing attention. By the time they descended into the shaft, their countdown had already dropped:
[Time Remaining: 42:57]
The smell hit them first—wet mold, copper, and something rotten, like meat left in the sun too long.
Yu Ren covered his nose. Kai didn't flinch.
Flashlights barely cut through the dark. The tunnel walls were concrete, cracked in places. Water dripped rhythmically from broken pipes above.
[Side Objective: Locate the Cryo Cabinet (Optional)]
[Reward: DNA Stabilizer – Rare Material (Crafting)]
"Another side objective," Yu Ren said, scanning the blinking interface only he could see.
Kai gave a low grunt. "System's trying to push you."
"Us," Yu Ren corrected. "It's reacting to proximity. It scanned both of us."
"Still doesn't talk to me."
"Maybe it doesn't like your attitude."
For the first time in hours, Kai smirked. Brief, like a twitch—but real.
---
They moved quickly, guided by the directional compass in Yu Ren's vision. The underground floors hadn't been in the original blueprint, but the System filled in the blanks as they walked.
Long hallways. Locked doors. Medical waste bags stacked like bodies.
Every now and then, a sound—wet dragging, or something tapping against glass.
They turned a corner—and froze.
A gurney was wedged between two doors. Atop it was a body in a hospital gown, covered in a white sheet. Except the sheet was rising and falling.
Breathing.
[Hostile Detected – Status: Dormant Parasite Host]
[Alert: Sound Sensitivity High – Avoid Disturbance]
Kai put a hand to Yu Ren's chest, stopping him.
Yu Ren's breath hitched.
They took a different route.
---
Down two more corridors, they found the pharmacy: a reinforced steel door with a shattered biometric scanner. Behind it, Yu Ren could see pill cabinets, crates, and what looked like unopened med kits.
[Obstacle: Locked Door – Biometric Access Required]
[Override Method: Blood Sample Match (Risk: High Infection)]
[Alternative: Ventilation Shaft Entry – Narrow Passage]
Kai examined the vent. "You'll fit. I won't."
Yu Ren nodded. "I'll go."
Kai's hand grabbed his wrist. "If anything moves, get out."
Yu Ren met his eyes. "You're not the only one who can fight."
"I know. I just don't want to lose our only chance."
Yu Ren didn't answer.
---
The shaft was narrow, hot, and slick with condensation. Every movement echoed. He moved inch by inch, until finally, the grate popped free, and he dropped down into the pharmacy.
[Time Remaining: 21:10]
The air was sterile here. Too clean. It felt wrong after the decay of the hallways. As if this part hadn't aged. Or had been... preserved.
He grabbed everything he could: bandages, morphine, saline packs, antibiotics, wound spray, syringes.
[Inventory Full – Storage Limit Reached]
[Secondary Pack Suggested – Craft or Locate]
He muttered, "You greedy bastard," to the System and moved on.
Near the back, he found it: a sealed cryo cabinet with frost still forming along the edges.
[Cryo Cabinet Located – Side Objective Complete]
[Warning: Presence Detected – Cabinet Movement Triggered Host Proximity]
A growl echoed from beyond the hall.
Not human.
Not alone.
Yu Ren's fingers flew across the console. No code. Just a switch.
The cabinet hissed. Inside, a silver tube—cold, humming faintly. He grabbed it.
Then he ran.
---
By the time he crawled out of the shaft, the walls were shaking with impact.
Something had followed the noise.
Kai had already thrown his weight against the door to the stairwell.
"Run!" Yu Ren shouted.
They bolted.
Whatever followed them was fast—slamming metal behind them, howling with a sound like rusted gears screaming. They reached the stairwell as something black and glistening burst from the pharmacy door.
[New Threat Identified – Assimilator Variant 2.1]
[Level: 5 | Status: Hungry]
[Escape Suggested – Combat Not Recommended]
Kai didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Yu Ren by the collar and yanked him through the stair door just as claws raked the frame behind them.
They slammed it shut and bolted upward, two steps at a time.
The sound faded.
Eventually.
---
Back in their new safe room—an old nurse's office barricaded with shelves and a vending machine—they patched up, breathing hard.
Yu Ren dumped the med bag on the ground.
Kai looked at it, eyes wide. "You actually got everything."
"Everything that fit."
Kai rummaged through and found the cryo vial. "This… isn't standard."
"No. It's not." Yu Ren sat down, exhausted. "It's rare. For crafting something the System calls a stabilizer."
Kai looked up sharply. "Wait. Like stabilizer serum?"
"You know it?"
Kai stared at the vial. "Yeah. And if that's real, then the System's running an old plan. A war protocol."
"What does that mean?"
Kai looked him dead in the eyes. "It means this wasn't random. The outbreak. The collapse. This was a test."
Yu Ren felt something cold settle in his stomach.
[Affection Increased: Kai +5]
[Affection Score: 10/100 – "Trust Begins When Lies Crumble"]
For a long moment, they said nothing.
Then, quietly, Kai murmured, "You were good today. Not just lucky."
Yu Ren blinked.
"...Thanks," he said.
Kai didn't smile. But he didn't look away, either.
Their eyes stayed locked until the lights flickered—and the sirens began.
[New Emergency Task: Relocation – Area Security Breached]
[Time Remaining Until Lockdown: 03:00:00]
Yu Ren stood.
"So much for sleep."
---
To be continued.