The corridor lights flickered.
Every sensor they had rigged began pinging in rapid succession.
Motion Detected
Hostile Lifeform Approaching – Classification: Mutated Alpha [Grey-Class]
Size Estimate: 3.4m length, 1.2m height
Mutation Traits: Armored Exoskeleton, Acidic Emissions, Hyper-Thermal Core
Threat Level: High
Strategic Note: Engagement discouraged unless escape route secured.
"Too late for that," Yu Ren muttered, backing toward the mag-rail terminal with his crowbar raised. The air had shifted. Everything smelled like burning plastic and copper.
Kai crouched beside him, weapon in hand, his expression flat. "Retreat to the southern corridor. Keep it talking, if it's intelligent."
Yu Ren blinked. "What?"
Kai deadpanned, "Some mutated alphas retain pre-collapse cognition. One tried to recite Bible verses while eating a guard unit in Sector 5."
Yu Ren paled. "I'm really not in the mood for holy horror today."
Then the sound came.
A slithering, grinding hiss of flesh against metal. The kind of sound that made the spine ache and the teeth itch.
And then it appeared.
It had once been… maybe a centipede. Or a slug. Whatever it was now, it was longer than a motorcycle, and its body shimmered with hard carapace plates—burnt-black and iridescent.
Its face had no eyes, but several long, twitching antennae. Along its side, pale egg-sacs pulsed, squirming as if something inside was trying to hatch.
Yu Ren's stomach flipped.
[FEAR RESISTANCE CHECK – PASS]
You may now aim without trembling.
Bonus: +2% to strike accuracy.
"Well, thanks system. Glad I'm not pissing myself," Yu Ren whispered, crouching low.
Kai activated a burst beacon.
A shockwave pulse surged from the floor, throwing dust and debris into the air. The creature screeched—a piercing shrill sound that made Yu Ren's ears bleed.
Kai moved fast, slashing at its side with an electro-knife. Sparks flew as his blade bounced off armor. Acid hissed from a newly opened gland near its chest, narrowly missing his arm.
Yu Ren dashed to the side, instinct flaring.
Instinct (Lv. 1) Active
Predictive movement triggered – dive NOW.
He dove.
A split second later, a glob of glowing green spit landed where he'd just stood, eating through concrete like boiling vinegar.
Yu Ren rolled behind a rusted wall panel and hissed, "Okay. Plan B. Do we have a Plan B?"
Kai didn't answer—he was already trying to blind the thing's sensory nodes.
Yu Ren's mind spun. "Alright. Think. Weak point, weak point—acid, armor, no eyes, antennae—yes!"
He surged forward, crowbar raised. "Over here, you radioactive garden hose!"
The creature turned, antennae swiveling in his direction. Yu Ren slammed his crowbar down on one of them, cracking the joint base.
The thing shrieked.
Kai followed the opening, blade darting inward to strike at the now-exposed node beneath the fractured armor plate.
The hit landed.
Critical Strike!
Weak point compromised.
Target status: Wounded – Acid pressure destabilizing.
Yu Ren backed off. "Is that good? That sounds good!"
"No, it means it's going to explode!"
"Oh, come on—"
---
They ran.
Through the mag-rail corridor, dodging acid bursts and slamming blast doors behind them.
One particularly narrow corridor curved to the left—and that's where Yu Ren tripped.
The world tilted. He hit the floor hard, the crowbar skittering away.
The beast shrieked again. Acid hissed inches from his hand.
And then Kai was there—grabbing his arm and yanking him up with a force that didn't match his size.
"You alright?" Kai asked breathlessly, eyes darting behind them.
Yu Ren could only nod. "Remind me to never mock slugs again."
---
MAG-RAIL GATE: LOCKED
Clearance Tier Required: 3
System Override Detected: Yu Ren Signature Match – Partial
ACCESS GRANTED (TEMPORARY – 5 MINUTES)
A bolt of green lightning cracked across the ceiling above them.
Yu Ren slapped the control pad.
The gate shuddered open just long enough for both of them to dive inside before it slammed shut.
Then came the boom.
An explosion rocked the corridor behind them. Fire roared, lights burst, and the reinforced doors buckled inward slightly.
Yu Ren lay on his back, panting, blinking up at flickering lights.
"That," he coughed, "was not a normal garden pest."
Kai wiped blood from his cheek. "That was a Grey-Class. We shouldn't be seeing them this deep in."
Yu Ren stared at him. "So… what does that mean?"
Kai looked grim. "It means something's driving them underground. Something stronger. Possibly smarter."
Yu Ren swore under his breath. "Great. Just great. Like this wasn't already bad enough."
---
Once they were sure the tunnel behind them was secure, they settled into the small mag-rail operator's room.
It was barely more than a box with a shattered console and two narrow benches. But it was quiet.
Kai bandaged Yu Ren's elbow, which had been scraped raw in the fall.
"You did well," Kai said softly. "Kept calm. Targeted the antenna. Most people freeze on first contact."
Yu Ren tried not to shiver. "I didn't feel calm."
"Doesn't matter. You acted."
Yu Ren studied him. There was no mockery in his tone—only quiet approval.
"I don't know why I can override those doors," Yu Ren said. "I don't know why the system keeps helping me. But if there's something inside me—some fragment of that old world—I want to use it to survive. I have to."
Kai looked at him for a long time. Then nodded. "Then I'll help you keep it under control."
Yu Ren blinked. "Just like that?"
Kai's expression didn't change, but his voice softened. "I told you. I don't leave people behind anymore."
---
System Notification
Trait Evolved: [Instinct Lv. 2]
+8% movement prediction under stress
+5% dodge against unseen attacks
System Sync Level: 34%
Emotional Resonance Detected – Strengthening compatibility
Note: The more you trust, the stronger the link becomes. But trust has a price.
Yu Ren stared at the notification.
Trust. He was starting to trust Kai.
That… scared him more than the mutant.
Because trust could be broken. And in this world, everything eventually broke.
Still, when Kai leaned his head back against the wall, exhaustion settling over him like a blanket, Yu Ren found himself doing the same.
For now… they could rest.
For now.
---
To be continued.