The siren still hadn't stopped.
Yu Ren's legs ached as he and Kai scrambled into the supply corridor, narrowly avoiding another tremor that sent tiles clattering from the ceiling. The echoing shriek of the lockdown protocol resounded behind them, followed by the heavy thud of the automated steel barrier sealing off the wing they had just escaped.
"That was too close," Yu Ren muttered, panting. He leaned against the cold concrete wall, his chest heaving with every breath. His fingers were still trembling, and not from exertion alone. The voice of the System still lingered in his ears:
[Emergency Evacuation Mission: COMPLETED. Rewards Pending.]
[Warning: Swarm Threat Approaching. Estimated Time to Arrival: 11 minutes.]
"We have to move," Kai said, his voice sharper than usual. His face was paler than it had been an hour ago. He'd wrapped his arm in gauze, but the bandage had already begun to stain with red again.
Yu Ren looked at him, frowning. "You're bleeding again. We need to stop. You need to rest."
Kai didn't respond right away. He looked down the dim corridor, his eyes narrowed, scanning for movement. Only when he seemed sure they were momentarily safe did he look back.
"Rest when we're dead."
That silence hung between them for a moment longer than it should have.
---
The stairwell was partially collapsed, forcing them to climb over broken railings and cracked concrete. The faint scent of chemicals lingered in the air—a remnant of whatever had been stored in the lower floors before the world ended.
As they reached the second sublevel, the System pinged again.
[Mission Log Updated. New Path Discovered: Sublevel B2 - Data Archives.]
[Optional Objective: Recover Fragmented Logs. Estimated Reward: +1 Affection Point (Kai), +150 XP, Unknown Data Package.]
"Logs?" Yu Ren echoed aloud.
Kai paused, one hand gripping the rusted railing. "Data from before it happened. The logs might explain what went wrong. Or how the infection started."
"You said before that you didn't know much," Yu Ren said, narrowing his eyes. "But it sounds like you do."
Kai didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he said, "If we make it to the Archives, maybe you'll understand."
---
They reached a sealed blast door marked with faded letters: ARCHIVE NODE 3. Kai produced a security keycard—Yu Ren had no idea when or how he'd taken it—and pressed it to the scanner. The light flashed yellow, then green.
Inside, the Archive Node was intact. Rows of broken terminals lined the far wall, and in the center, one console still glowed with faint blue light. Dust clung to everything, but there were no bodies. No blood.
"This place wasn't breached," Kai said quietly. "It was shut down on purpose."
Yu Ren approached the console.
[INTERFACE DETECTED. AUTHORIZATION GRANTED: OBSERVER-CLASS - RESTRICTED ACCESS.]
[Would you like to begin playback of LOG FILE: 0323-KAI?]
Yu Ren turned to Kai, startled. "Your name is in this file."
Kai stood still, his eyes unreadable.
"Play it," he said.
---
The audio began distorted, but slowly cleared into a man's voice.
"Test subject stability confirmed. Cognitive alignment stable. Emotional dampening successful. Subject name: Kai. Reassigned from Project Sentinel to Project Observer. Orders updated. Survival protocol overrides all prior commands."
Yu Ren listened, his skin crawling.
"Kai will be embedded into civilian zones. Purpose: Real-time environmental adaptation. Secondary directive: Assess human compatibility with the Observer Protocol. Initiate deep storage until breach protocol is triggered."
He looked up slowly.
Kai was leaning against the far wall, eyes shadowed.
"You were a test subject?"
Kai didn't deny it.
"You knew all along, didn't you? That this was going to happen. That you were—prepared for it."
"I didn't know it would be this bad," Kai said, his voice lower now. "I didn't ask for this."
Yu Ren clenched his fists. "But you kept it from me. All of it."
Kai walked forward, slowly, until they were only a step apart.
"You would have left me behind if you knew."
The silence between them cracked.
"That's not fair."
"Neither is this world," Kai said.
---
A soft ping broke the tension.
[Optional Objective Completed. Affection Point +1. Kai's trust has deepened.]
Yu Ren didn't know whether to laugh or scream. The System made their relationship feel like a damn game.
But his heart was still pounding from what he heard. The logs, the lies, the truth that Kai had been someone—something—else all along. Embedded. Watched. Conditioned.
And yet… he was still here. Still bleeding for him. Still shielding him.
Yu Ren stepped back from the console. "We need to get out of here."
Kai nodded.
But neither of them moved.
---
The hallway outside was colder now. A strange static buzzed through the floor beneath their boots. Yu Ren noticed it first.
"Do you feel that?"
"They're here," Kai said. He drew his knife, limping slightly.
From the far end of the corridor, a shadow moved.
Then another.
Dozens of glistening limbs began to emerge from the darkness.
The swarm had found them.
---
[New Mission: SURVIVE.]
[Wave 1: Commencing in 00:59 seconds.] [Arena Established: Sublevel B2. Escape Not Possible.]
Yu Ren grabbed Kai by the shoulder.
"You can't fight like this. You're injured. We need a plan."
Kai turned to him, eyes burning with something that wasn't fear.
"Then let's make them regret coming here."
Yu Ren stepped beside him, raising the rusted crowbar he'd picked up earlier. His fingers were shaking, but he didn't run.
The first creature leapt forward, hissing.
Yu Ren met it head-on.
And for the first time, the System whispered something new:
[Trait Unlocked: Adrenal Surge - Tier 1. Reflexes Increased Temporarily.]
---
To be continued.