[Wave 1: Initiated.]
[Enemy Units Detected: 21 Mutant Hostiles.]
[Objective: Survive Until Extraction Window Opens in 14:59.]
The countdown echoed in Yu Ren's ears, not as a voice but as a pulsing sensation—like a ticking clock lodged deep behind his eyes. The dim blue glow from the Archive console flickered out, plunging the hallway into cold mechanical darkness.
Then the swarm came.
The first mutant was fast—faster than any infected they'd seen before. It moved on all fours, joints bending in unnatural angles, long arms covered in twitching growths. Its face was a twisted mess of bone plates and sagging flesh, its mouth split open to reveal too many teeth.
Kai didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, knife raised in his good hand, the other arm hanging slightly limp. His blade slashed upward, catching the thing just below the chin. Black blood sprayed out, hissing as it hit the wall. But the mutant didn't go down immediately—it shrieked, claws flashing, and raked across Kai's shoulder.
"Kai!" Yu Ren shouted, heart leaping into his throat.
"I'm fine!" Kai snarled, stabbing the thing again. This time, it collapsed with a wet thud.
Yu Ren rushed to his side, crowbar gripped tight in both hands. He didn't have time to be afraid. Another shriek came from the shadows—then two more. The hallway vibrated with the sound of claws scraping metal, of inhuman screeches bouncing off cold walls.
[Warning: Hostile Behavior Pattern Adapting.]
[Proximity Alert: 3 Units Flanking from Corridor B.]
Yu Ren ducked to the left just as a second mutant lunged from a side path, its claws narrowly missing his head. He swung hard—crowbar connecting with a sickening crack against its skull. The creature reeled back. A second swing shattered its jaw. It hit the floor twitching, and Yu Ren slammed his foot down on its throat.
A sudden rush of heat burst through him.
[Trait Triggered: Adrenal Surge - Tier 1.]
[Temporary Reflex Boost: 15%. Time Remaining: 00:43.]
Everything around him slowed. Not completely—but enough. Enough for him to see the blur of a third creature leaping through the air and for him to pivot, jamming the crowbar upward. The creature impaled itself mid-pounce, its mouth hanging open in shock. It gurgled, then went limp.
Yu Ren gasped. "What the hell was that?"
Kai didn't answer. He was too busy slicing through another one that tried to flank them. His movements were precise, fast, but there was a limp in his left leg now, and the blood on his sleeve was darker.
They couldn't keep this up.
"We need to fall back!" Yu Ren shouted, breath ragged.
"No time!" Kai grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the Archives again. "The door has lockdown override. We can bait them inside and control the entrance."
Behind them, the hallway swarmed with limbs and teeth and inhuman howls. But Kai's plan was sound. They ducked back into the data room and slammed the door shut. Kai hit a nearby console.
[Emergency Barrier Activated. Door Status: Temporarily Sealed - 02:00 remaining.]
"That'll hold them for a bit," Kai muttered, falling to one knee. His face was pale, sweat soaking his hair. Yu Ren knelt beside him, checking the blood-soaked gauze on his shoulder.
"We need to stop the bleeding."
"No time—listen." Kai pointed to a wall panel flickering with static. "The console's picking up a broadcast."
Yu Ren turned to look. The console's screen displayed a rotating code:
//FORGOTTEN.TOWER//ALIVE//HELP
"Someone else is broadcasting?"
"Not just anyone," Kai said. "That frequency… it's part of the old command structure."
Yu Ren stared. "There are survivors?"
Kai's jaw clenched. "Or it's bait. But we'll deal with that after we survive."
A loud crash shook the door.
Yu Ren stood, heart hammering. "How many are left?"
[Remaining Enemies: 15.]
Kai pushed himself upright, swaying slightly. "They're adapting. We need to fight smarter."
Yu Ren took a breath. "I'll be the bait."
Kai blinked. "No."
"You're injured. I'm faster now—I've got that trait. I'll lead them into a choke point. You cover me."
"Yu Ren—"
"You said it yourself: rest when we're dead."
Kai stared at him, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. Then, slowly, he nodded.
The barrier dropped.
Yu Ren burst into motion.
---
He ran straight into the swarm.
His vision pulsed red. Adrenaline burned through his limbs. The mutants shrieked and chased, clawed feet slamming the ground as they charged after him.
Yu Ren ducked past one, slid under another, then jumped to the side and bashed a third in the knee. The creature collapsed, screaming. He pivoted and sprinted back toward the side corridor.
"Kai!" he shouted.
Kai was already there, standing atop a broken terminal with a pipe bomb in one hand—salvaged from the Archives' emergency supplies.
"NOW!"
Yu Ren dove aside as Kai hurled the device into the tight passage.
A thunderous blast shook the floor.
Limbs and twisted bodies flew through the air.
[Enemy Units Destroyed: 7.]
[Remaining: 8.]
Yu Ren stumbled to his feet, ears ringing.
Kai dropped beside him, helping him up. "Come on—we need to finish the rest before they regroup."
They fought side by side.
Yu Ren's crowbar met flesh and bone again and again. Kai's blade danced through the chaos, even as his body slowed. The mutants began to fall, one after another, but not without cost.
One of them got through.
It tackled Yu Ren, its claws raking across his shoulder. Pain flared white-hot in his vision. He screamed and slammed the crowbar into its face again and again until it stopped moving.
Blood soaked his arm.
[Kai Affection +1: "You're not allowed to die, idiot."]
[System Note: Affection Threshold approaching next rank.]
Yu Ren groaned. "I hate this system."
"Noted," Kai muttered, stabbing the last creature through the spine.
The hallway fell silent.
[Wave 1 Cleared.]
[Extraction Window Available: 03:00. Location Marked.]
A soft blue glow shimmered at the far end of the corridor.
Kai slumped against the wall. "We made it."
Yu Ren sat beside him. They were both bloody, exhausted, half-broken.
But alive.
"…Thanks," Yu Ren said finally.
Kai didn't look at him. "You surprised me back there."
"I surprise myself every day."
Kai cracked a faint smile.
[System Prompt: Hidden Trait Evolution Available. Process Now? Y/N.]
Yu Ren blinked.
"What now?" Kai asked.
Yu Ren hesitated, then said, "The system wants to evolve something."
"Do it," Kai said without hesitation. "Every edge counts."
Yu Ren exhaled.
"Alright. Let's see what's next."
---
To be continued.