All Chapters of The Caffeine System: Critical Heart Protocol: Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
71 chapters
Chapter 31: The Silent Explosion
“Muscles can’t break concrete,” he thought. A grin began to form on his bleeding lips. “But explosions… that’s another story.” The puddle of gasoline that spread widely around the gray giant's feet changed everything. Raka's mind, which had been dulled by panic and scorn netizen, now spinning fast. The Wall roared as he raised his two hands, which were as big as building pillars, high up, ready to slam them into the ground to crush Raka and Luna. “Luna,” he whispered, enduring the pain in his body. Raka had no voice to scream. He looked at Luna, who was kneeling beside him, then pointed at the leaking gas tanker behind the monster. Then Raka made a movement of rubbing his thumb and index finger, as if lighting a match. “Fire,” he whispered again. Luna's s
Chapter 32: Death Drag
"Ugh..." Raka groaned as he clutched his head with his left hand which was still functioning. The sound of the explosion had robbed him of his hearing. Instead, a high-pitched, constant ringing was lodged in his skull. In his blurry, spinning vision, he saw Luna kneeling beside him. Her usually calm face now showed a trace of panic. Luna's lips moved rapidly as she shouted something. Raka tried to read her lips. 'W-A-K-E …U-P...R-U-N...' "I... can't..." whispered Raka. He felt his voice sound distant and muffled in his own ears. He tried to prop himself up on one elbow, but the overwhelming dizziness hit him again. Acute vertigo. He vomited—bringing up stomach acid mixed with the remains of a coffee sachet and blood from his lips. The liquid dripped onto the asphalt beside his face.
Chapter 33: Return to the Burning Barn
Now a transparent blue screen appeared, blinking lazily. [System: Biological Trace Detection: 'Infiltrator' (Assassin Class Mutant).][Characteristics: High level of optical camouflage, corrosive acid secretion, and excellent vertical mobility. Very fond of high, dark, and damp places.][In short: A giant transparent lizard that can melt your face.] "A giant, transparent lizard," Raka repeated, starting to feel sick to his stomach again. "Amazing. While we were busy taking care of the rock rhinoceros outside, an amphibious ninja took over our house." Luna didn't show any expression of surprise, but her posture was very tense. The girl turned towards Raka, then pointed quiver on her empty back. Raka understands. "Your arrow supplies," he muttered. "All our remaining weapons, canned food, and fresh water are
Chapter 34: SOS Signal and Bitter Choice
“When is morning?” Raka grumbled. That night was the longest night Raka had ever experienced. The three of them sat huddled on the steel plate roof of the water tower, right under the starless night sky. The night wind blew hard, penetrating clothes that were soaked with a mixture of water from the leaking tower and sweat. Baginda lay between Raka and Luna. His large body served as a wind barrier as well as a small source of heat. The bleeding in the goose's leg had stopped. Raka leaned against the tower wall, hugging his knees with his blistered left arm, while his right shoulder throbbed with pain. His body was shivering not only because of the cold, but also because of the effects withdrawal. The caffeine hit again. He had no coffee left. Zero. Luna sat cross-legged across from him, her eyes staring out at the dyin
Chapter 35: Pedicap of Death
Luna patted Raka's shoulder then pointed in a direction near them. Raka's eyes narrowed when he saw what Luna was showing. "A pedicab?" Raka asked to make sure. Luna nodded seriously. Without being asked twice, Raka knew what Luna meant. "You're kidding, right?" Raka pointed to a pile of cardboard boxes on the edge of the destroyed highway. His eyes narrowed at the object behind them. "You want us to ride... a pedicab? In the middle of this apocalypse? Seriously, Luna." The girl stepped forward and pushed aside the rotten cardboard and kicked the rubber tire of the cargo bike. The tire bounced slowly, a sign that it was still intact. Luna turned to Raka, then pointed to the paddler's saddle, and pointed to the large wooden tub in front of it. "Wait, wait a minute," Raka raised
Chapter 36: "Love Bar" Feature
"System," Raka whispered through his teeth. His fists clenched in anger. "Turn off that discordant flute or I swear I'll find your main server and spill hot coffee all over." The shrill, heartbreaking flute notes suddenly stopped. The silence of the city felt soothing. "Good. Thank you," Raka took a deep breath. "Now, stop acting like a pubescent teenager." In front of him, Luna had just gracefully jumped off the back of a cargo bike. She turned to Raka with furrowed brows. Luna was confused to see Raka scolding the empty air with an annoyed expression. "Honk?" Baginda, still sitting in the tub, tilted his head. He stared at Raka as if his master had just lost his mind. "Nothing," Raka said quickly, trying to act normal. "Just... stretching my jaw. Neck muscle cramps. The usual." Luna rolled her eyes then turned
Chapter 37: Rain of Thorns
TWIP! TWIP! TWIP! Three whistling sounds cut through the air in quick succession. "System," Raka swallowed, his back pressed tightly against the rusted steel plate of the bus wreck. "Please tell me that's not an organic sniper rifle that shoots poison spikes." [System: Threat Analysis: Artillery Class Mutant, 'Spike-Thrower' Variant.][They grow bone projectiles from their arms and fire them using hydrostatic muscle pressure.][ Effective range: 300 meters.][ Accuracy: Very deadly.][The good news is, they don't use binoculars. The bad news is, they can see through your heartbeat.] "Seeing a heartbeat?" Raka's eyes widened as he read the information. "You mean hiding behind this bus is useless?" [System: Exactly. To them, you and your goose are red light bulbs flashing brightly in the darkness. That mute girl? Her heart beats so low, she's barely visi
Chapter 38: Sleeping Minefield
“Forget it,” whispered Raka. He wiped the blood roughly on his pants, trying to ignore the System's warnings that kept flashing in the corner of his eye. There were more pressing matters before them. "Let's move." Raka said again. Luna wrote something in her little book and then showed it to Raka. WE TAKE A SHORTCUT. "Agreed," replied Raka and walked away followed by Luna and Baginda. They left the noisy cargo bikes behind and decided to take a shortcut through City Park. Normally, this park is a green oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. Today, the site looks like a mass grave, overgrown with waist-high weeds and giant banyan trees whose roots spread out like octopus tentacles. "We have to go this way?" Raka whispered, staring at the expanse of grass before him. "The highway is full of bl
Chapter 39: The Bridal Carry
CRACK! The sound of tearing earth split the silence of the City Park. The 'stone' petals near Raka's feet split open. It wasn't just a single, pus-filled yellow eye, but a jaw filled with jagged teeth like a meat grinder. The creature leaped from the ground, its gaping maw aiming for Raka's calf. "Damn it!" Raka yelled. He yanked his leg back and nearly lost his balance with Luna on his back. The monster's jaws only managed to bite empty air. Raka's shout and the sound of the bite were the trigger. The graveyard-silent park now turned into a minefield exploding all at once. The ground rumbled, soil heaved, and grass was torn from its roots. "Oh, no," Raka whispered in horror, taking in the scene around him. The gray, stone-like mounds erupted one by one, releasing dozens of Planter-Type Sleepers from their hibernation
Chapter 40: Respite at the Sporting Goods Store
Raka held his breath as Luna slowly lifted the jammed and creaking rolling door of the A-Z SPORTING GOODS store. With extra strength from his left arm, Raka helped push the metal door up just high enough for the three of them to crawl inside. "Quick, get in," Raka whispered, keeping an eye on the street behind them. Baginda slipped in first, followed by Luna, who immediately held the door from the inside. Raka slid in at the last second, and they slowly lowered the rolling door back down, locking it from the inside. Darkness enveloped them, illuminated only by a sliver of moonlight piercing through a vent above the door. The air inside the store was stuffy, smelling of new bicycle tire rubber, carpet dust, and the long-enclosed scent of sports shoes. "System," Raka whispered, his heart still pounding with leftover adrenaline. "Area status