"Damn it, this thing is locked down tight with layers of mechanical and digital failsafes," Nathan grumbled, clenching his fists. "The system in my head keeps throwing error alerts. I can't break through the security protocols from the inside."Anna approached the control panel beside the tank, her fingers dancing over a cracked touchscreen, only to be met by a series of rapidly flashing red codes. "It's no use, Nathan. This computer is using high-level military encryption. Even with my history working for them, I don't have access to this level. This is a total isolation protocol."In the middle of the deadlock, Giselle stepped forward slowly. Her face, previously pale with fear, now looked incredibly focused. She stared at the complex strings of code without blinking. "Can I give it a shot?" she asked quietly, but with total confidence.Liana frowned, looking at the young girl with doubt. "Giselle, this isn't just some office computer. This is the central security system for the mos

"Don't let them surround us! Liana, focus on the ones on the upper walls!" Nathan shouted as he threw a punch that obliterated the chest of a Crawler leaping at him.Liana pulled the trigger, letting off a precise burst of gunfire. Rat-tat-tat! Her bullets tore through their heads, spraying black fluid across the white lab walls. "I need cover on the left! They’re too fast!"Anna moved with almost superhuman speed, using her two tactical knives to slit the throats of the creatures lunging from the dark. "Stay in your lane, Liana! I’ve got this side!" Anna spun around, driving her blade straight into a Crawler’s eye socket until it slumped to the floor, lifeless.Nathan was an immovable fortress at the front. Every time a Crawler tried to get close, he slammed his palm into them with a controlled burst of Juggernaut energy. The sound of snapping bones mingled with the creatures' shrill screams. He intentionally avoided big energy blasts to save his biological reserves, but his raw stre

"Take a seat, Nathan. This story’s long enough to make your legs ache," Anna said, gesturing to the chair in front of him.Nathan pulled out the chair and sat down, his eyes still glued to the photo. "So, I guessed right? This guy is Professor Anthony.""Yeah, Professor Anthony. Your father," Anna answered softly, her gaze drifting through the bunker's concrete walls. "We were colleagues back when he was heading the research on that island we just escaped. At the time, the government assigned me as his personal bodyguard while he studied the animal outbreak there. I was the one who made sure he stayed in one piece whenever he had to grab samples from the deadliest zones."Liana, having just returned from the armory, leaned against the doorframe and listened intently. "How close were you guys back then, Anna?"Anna chuckled, her fingers playing with the edge of her knife in a mechanical rhythm. "Close enough to share secrets. Sometimes, during breaks from the grueling research, Anthony

"Anna, Liana, focus on the big guy," Nathan ordered without looking back. "Get Dr. Richard back. Don't let him get a scratch on him."Liana took a deep breath, tightening her grip on her modded SMG. "What about the guy, Nathan? He looks... off.""The guy's mine," Nathan snapped. He clenched his fists, triggering a blue glow that raced along the veins in his arms. "Everyone out, now!"The car doors flew open. Anna and Liana slid out in a tactical blur, immediately flanking left and right. The average-looking dude just watched them with a bored expression before giving a casual little wave to the giant mutant behind him."Set the old man down gently, Bruno," the guy said, his tone so relaxed he might as well have been talking to a golden retriever. "We’ve got guests who want to play."The giant mutant lowered the unconscious Dr. Richard onto the rocky ground with shocking precision—slow and controlled. Once its hands were free, the creature stood tall, puffing out a chest covered in ski

"Get Richard on that exam table! Liana, clear this broken glass first!" Anna barked, kicking aside the remains of a wooden chair blocking their path.Giselle quickly pulled a surgical table into the brightest spot in the room. Her shaking fingers moved deftly as she opened her medical bag, pulling out small vials of stabilizer. "Nathan, hang in there... please," she whispered, attaching a heart monitor to his scorched chest. The weak, slow *beep* from the machine made Giselle’s own heart feel like it was stopping."Liana, grab some alcohol and clean cloths from that corner cabinet! Move it!" Anna commanded as she began tearing through Richard’s blood-soaked lab coat to check the wound on the old man's stomach.Liana moved fast through the chaos. "This place is trashed, Anna. Richard really got put through the wringer before we showed up," she muttered, handing over the gear. She wiped sweat from her forehead, her eyes constantly darting back to the bunker entrance, which was dented fr