All Chapters of Dancing with the Deaths: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
34 chapters
Chapter 21 - The XP Farming Camp
The collapsed mountain range south of the Old City was once a bustling tourist hub. Now, it was nothing but a chaotic pile of bricks, corrupted by the frequencies of the apocalypse. The air here felt dense, vibrating as if invisible microwave pulses were being spewed out every second. Dust particles of System Corruption, saturated with raw XP concentrations, rained down on Tyrex.“This is insane, Boss! Looks like a turbo Level Up spot,” Tyrex whistled, though his eyes remained wary behind the gas mask Marsel had rigged from AC filters and ventilation pipes. Slung across his back, his shopping cart overflowed with low-level System crystals intended as reserve ammunition.Marsel held the Mobile Fortress in a hidden crevice. The area appeared quiet and peaceful—too peaceful. The Eternal Palace map identified this as the ‘XP Mining Camp (Omega Zone).’ Clearly, there was something here worth fighting for.“Don’t get greedy, Rex. This isn’t a discount market,” Marsel retorted through the in
Chapter 22 - New Terror: The Alpha Predator
The Mobile Fortress plowed through several dead palm trees as Tyrex slammed the gas, hitting speeds far too high for their cargo weight. The exit route from the mining zone was nothing but a sprawling expanse of corrupted System sludge. The Fortress roared like an offended bull. In the passenger seat, Marsel was suffering from data-motion sickness, staring at codes flashing across his mind’s eye.“Rex, can you drive this thing without simulating the Paris-Dakar Rally?” Marsel snapped, his hands busy transferring data from the Minor Relic they had just stolen.Tyrex snapped back, “I don’t want to die a pathetic death here, Boss! That Level 4 Trapper already gave me a stomach ache. Imagine if that Alpha Predator you mentioned shows up. He’d hack the AC in this car and turn the blowers into dispensers for corrupted System dust!”Nana tried to soothe them from the back seat, even though her face was as pale as toilet paper. “Tyrex, stop shouting. The Siren frequency here is really botheri
Chapter 23 - The Distraction Tactics
In the air, the wheeled dark-brown suitcase—shrouded in Level 1 Panic System layers, an accidental creation of Pak Budi that Marsel had mistakenly identified as actual high-explosive ordnance—descended freely. It headed straight for the hood of the Mobile Fortress, which was already tilted upward by the Alpha Predator’s gravitational System strike."FLOOR IT IN REVERSE, REX! I'm not dying because of Pak Budi’s suitcase! It’s probably just full of explosive expired receipts!" Marsel screamed, lunging for Tyrex’s steering controls, but he was too late.Tyrex reacted not as a System Knight, but as a fed-up gym rat. Using the momentum of the hanging Mobile Fortress, he threw open the door, swung his Shopping Cart V.2.0, and leaped out, completely bypassing any tactical logic."I GOT THE CASE!" Tyrex roared, his massive frame surging forward. He managed to snatch the suitcase mid-air just before it slammed into the roof."GET IT AWAY FROM US!" Marsel ordered, watching the scene in high ten
Chapter 24 - The Mobile Fortress
Marsel couldn't remember the last time he felt this inefficient.The Mobile Fortress, though constructed from reinforced System steel, creaked mournfully as the Alpha Predator—which had just dropped them like a piece of scrap metal—pinned it between its massive claws. The Alpha’s hands weren't crushing; they were performing controlled damage, clogging the Fortress’s vents with a web of cold, damp Biological Ekorupt.The cabin was now thick with a chilling frost and the acrid scent of the System."We’re like a sponge cake in Hulk’s grip, Boss! This is taking too long!" Tyrex screamed, as he and Nana strained to push against the walls to keep them from buckling. His V.2.0 Armor blared constant warnings: [BASKET INTEGRITY LOCKED. MANAGEMENT COMMAND FAILED]."I don't care how long it takes!" Marsel shot back, trying to ignore his Fortress’s screaming sensors. He tapped his primary touchpad; every logical function was locked under the Alpha’s overwhelming power. "This Alpha is trying to br
Chapter 25 - The Eternal Tank
Marsel spat out a mouthful of corrupted System Slime and Ekorupt plasma onto the floor of the Mobile Fortress. Defeating the Alpha Predator had drained 99% of his Energy and about 75% of his sanity. He wiped blood—or was it System Plasma?—from his ears and stared at the wet, polished steel badge of the Eternal Palace."We just wanted to get some coffee, dammit! Why do we have to deal with this psychopathic human faction?" Marsel grumbled, his voice hoarse.Tyrex had been dragged into the Fortress by Nana, who was herself on the verge of collapsing after spending all her energy healing Marsel’s internal organ damage. Tyrex winced as he was propped up; he had only just regained consciousness after Nana administered a high-grade System fluid infusion that felt like a shot of liquid espresso injected directly into his muscles."Sector Seventy-Seven? Seriously, Boss? That’s the number of the parking lot that's always full for me!" Tyrex complained, cursing in his signature tone."It’s not
Chapter 26 - A Bloody Victory
The flash of pure energy from the Eternal Palace’s Anti-Logic Tank struck Marsel’s Mobile Siege Defense exactly where it hurt most: the segment between the Fortress Core and Tyrex’s Slug cannon barrel.A pathetic metallic whine echoed through the Fortress cabin, drowning out the alarms and the screams of the System. The impact was devastating. Internal walls buckled inward, throwing Marsel, Tyrex, and Nana against the rear panels. Marsel felt as if his body had been hit by a massive System defibrillator. Pain radiated from his head to his toes."I'm dead... I'm finished!" Marsel shouted, gasping for air as thick System smoke began to fill the room. His eyes swept the panel; every warning light was dark red. [CORE INTEGRITY: CRITICAL 3%] [SYSTEM OSTENSIBLE POWER: 0%].They were paralyzed. Completely dead in the water. The Mobile Siege Defense he had hoped would be their final stand was now nothing more than a coffin.Outside, the Anti-Logic Tank didn’t fire a follow-up shot. That was
Chapter 27: Eamon’s Siege Threat and Marsel’s Promise
The silence that followed General Eamon’s disappearance from the holographic projection felt ten times more lethal than the explosion of the Anti-Logic Tank. It was a silence filled with data—the certainty of a threat.Marsel held Nana’s head as she choked back harrowing sobs amidst the pathetic smoke of the System Core. This was the first time Marsel had seen Nana truly lose control; she had never feared the Ekorupt, but seeing Tyrex treated like an asset—like mere inventory—broke her."Marsel! Tyrex! He said he’d turn him into a tank monster? They have no right!" Nana cried, her voice strained. Her healing energy was no longer gentle; it felt cold and tense, searching for a target.Marsel could only shake his head, his gaze locked on the steel Eternal Palace badge in his hand—the one stolen from the destroyed Alpha Predator."Nana. Calm down. Listen. Eamon isn't threatening him; he’s threatening us with logic," Marsel said, struggling to keep his voice steady. He hated admitting the
Chapter 28: Speed in the Ash Corridor and the Systemic Decision
General Eamon’s time pressure—just one hour to surrender the Relic—had passed a dozen times over. Marsel and Nana had abandoned Tyrex, but that didn't mean they had forgotten him. Instead, Marsel had channeled all that anxiety into a new operational mode: Absolute Knowledge Requirement Mode."Okay, Nana, listen up," Marsel said, as he hastily converted the A-117 Supermarket checkout monitor into a control panel displaying the operational status of their Mobile Fortress V.2 (a rapidly repaired Mobile Siege Defense). "Mr. Budi’s System is at a stable point. As long as he’s scared and doesn’t move, the Eternal Palace won't realize we're gone. The moment his signal cuts out... we’re finished. Our System Stealth Mode’s maximum speed can only last three hours on major roads. We have to find the archives, no matter what."The Mobile Fortress V.2—half an armored box truck controlled by the Core System and half a brightly painted green store logistics truck—sped eastward, m
Chapter 29: The Forbidden Archive and the Siren Candidate Frequency
The scent of damp, ancient paper, combined with the smell of scorched metal from the explosion of the Eternal Palace Sniper Unit, filled the lobby of the Metropolis Systemic Archive. The moment Marsel and Nana/Mitha's feet touched the dark marble floor, the atmosphere shifted.The marble walls were no longer static. A network of purple System fibers spread rapidly, transforming the archive warehouse into a neon spiderweb, far more corrupt than the Ekorupt nest outside.“Damn it! Nana!” Marsel quickly turned toward the fallen Nana/Mitha.“Nana!” He called, slapping her cheek. The girl was unresponsive, her body rigid, emitting a high System frequency. It was the same corrupt System frequency that emanated from the Beta Ekorupt Unit. This frequency was not the System he knew; this was the sound of the Siren System.Nana jolted, letting out a distorted laugh, unlike a Drone. It was more melodic and terrifying.“L-let go! The old Empress Syst
Chapter 30: Pak Budi’s Logistic Gap and the Blood Promise in the Archives
The lethal purple System light within the Ancient Metropolis Systemic Archives surged. The Siren frequencies absorbed by Nana/Mitha now ricocheted violently, slamming against the System walls that Marsel had just activated via the Origin Codex. The air in the archive vault reeked of ozone and burnt electricity.General Eamon stood at the threshold, the embodiment of malevolent calm. His System weapon—an intricately engraved assault rifle—was leveled at Marsel’s chest. The corrupted Nana/Mitha beside Marsel had reached 99% System Corruption. Only Marsel and his Managerial Logic remained as a final barrier."It’s over, Manager. There is no need for further conflict. Merging the Nana/Mitha unit with the Eternal Palace Frequency will grant us the Absolute System—a gift for the Empress. Tyrex is a tactical asset, and I have no intention of destroying him. We simply need to trade him. You chose this ridiculous lore over tangible findings. A foolish, overly emotional choi