Apocalypse Reborn : The Doomsday Archive

Chapter 6: The First Hidden Resource

Chapter 5: The First Hidden Resource

Ethan had barely driven out of his neighborhood when the Archive appeared.

[NEW OBJECTIVE AVAILABLE.]

He glanced at the blue display hovering above his dashboard.

“What now?”

[HIDDEN RESOURCE DETECTED.]

[LOCATION: OLD NEWTON WATER TREATMENT FACILITY.]

[RESOURCE VALUE: EXTREMELY HIGH.]

[ACQUISITION WINDOW: LIMITED.]

Ethan frowned.

The old water treatment facility?

He remembered the place. It had been abandoned years ago after a newer facility was built outside the city. The buildings were still standing, but the surrounding area had become overgrown, and very few people had any reason to visit.

In his previous life, the facility had become important during the early stages of the apocalypse. Clean water was one of the first things people struggled to obtain once the city’s infrastructure began to fail.

But the Archive was pointing him toward something more specific.

“What resource am I looking for?”

[RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION: RESTRICTED.]

Ethan tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“You expect me to drive somewhere without telling me what I’m supposed to find?”

[LOCATION CONFIRMED.]

[ACQUISITION RECOMMENDED.]

He shook his head.

“This system is going to give me a headache.”

Still, he changed direction.

He had already learned that the Archive’s information could be valuable, even if it refused to explain everything. If it considered this resource important enough to issue an objective, he wasn’t going to ignore it.

Twenty minutes later, he turned onto a narrow road surrounded by tall grass and abandoned buildings.

The old facility stood behind a rusted fence. Several sections had collapsed, and weeds grew through the cracks in the concrete. A faded sign hung crookedly above the entrance.

Ethan parked a short distance away and switched off the engine.

He didn’t immediately get out.

Instead, he studied the surroundings.

The road was empty. No workers, no security guards, and no vehicles nearby.

Everything looked abandoned.

He took a flashlight from his car and approached the gate. The chain securing it had already rusted, and the lock looked old enough to break with a little effort.

He pulled out a small tool from his bag and worked on it until the chain gave way.

The gate creaked as he pushed it open.

Ethan slipped inside and closed it behind him.

“Where are you taking me?” he muttered.

A blue marker appeared on the Archive’s display, pointing toward a low building at the far end of the compound.

He followed it.

Inside, the air smelled damp and stale. Broken pipes ran along the walls, and discarded equipment lay beneath a thick layer of dust. He moved carefully, checking each room as he went.

The marker led him down a narrow passage and toward a storage area.

There, behind a row of rusted metal cabinets, he found a steel door.

Ethan tried the handle.

It was locked . 

He crouched to examine it. The lock was old, but the door itself was heavy. Forcing it open would take time and make enough noise to alert anyone nearby.

He considered returning to his car for more tools when he noticed a small control panel beside the frame.

The display was dead, but the casing appeared intact.

He removed the cover and examined the wiring.

He wasn’t an electrician, but he knew enough about basic equipment to recognize a manual release mechanism. After several minutes of careful work, the lock clicked.

Ethan pulled the door open.

His flashlight swept across a small room filled with metal containers, sealed cases, and laboratory equipment.

At first, he saw nothing special.

Then the Archive flashed.

[RESOURCE IDENTIFIED.]

[SEALED MICROBIAL CULTURE: PURIFIED WATER ADAPTATION STRAIN.]

[CLASSIFICATION: RARE.]

[CURRENT COMMERCIAL VALUE: NEGLIGIBLE.]

[POST-CATASTROPHE VALUE: EXTREME.]

Ethan stared at the screen.

A microbial culture?

He approached the nearest container and read the faded label. Most of the writing had worn away, but the identification number matched the one displayed by the Archive.

He remembered stories from his previous life about settlements that had struggled to purify contaminated water. Some groups had developed methods of treating water that others couldn’t reproduce. Their knowledge and equipment had become more valuable than gold.

He didn’t know exactly how this particular strain worked, and he wasn’t about to experiment with an unknown biological sample. But the Archive clearly considered it important.

“How much of this do I need?”

[ACQUISITION REQUIREMENT: ONE SEALED CONTAINER.]

[HANDLING WARNING: MAINTAIN CONTAINMENT.]

Ethan examined the cases. Several were damaged, but one small container remained sealed inside a protective box.

He reached for it.

A noise came from the corridor.

He froze, he heard footsteps, Someone was walking toward the room.

Ethan immediately switched off his flashlight, The footsteps stopped outside the door.

For several seconds, neither person moved.

Then a man’s voice came from the corridor.

“I know you’re in there.”

Ethan remained silent.

“I’m not looking for trouble,” the stranger continued. “But I’m taking what’s inside that room.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

That was an interesting way to announce himself.

He glanced around the storage room. There was another door at the far end, but it had partially collapsed beneath fallen debris. He might be able to squeeze through it, but the noise would give away his position.

The stranger stepped closer.

“Listen, we can do this the easy way.”

Ethan looked at the sealed container.

He had no intention of leaving without it.

He placed the container carefully inside his bag, making sure it remained protected. Then he moved behind a tall cabinet near the entrance.

A man appeared in the doorway, holding a flashlight in one hand and a metal pipe in the other.

He looked to be in his early thirties. His clothes were dusty, and a small backpack hung from his shoulders. His gaze moved across the room before settling on the open case. 

He looked like he was scavenging too . 

“You found it,” the man said.

Ethan stepped out from behind the cabinet.

“You knew it was here?”

The stranger raised the pipe slightly.

“Give me the container.”

“Why?”

“Because I asked nicely.” The man shrugged 

“You came into an abandoned facility carrying a pipe, followed me into a locked room, and now you’re asking nicely?”

The man’s expression hardened.

“I don’t have time for this. Hand it over, and we can both leave.”

Ethan studied him.

The stranger wasn’t behaving like someone who had stumbled across an ordinary abandoned building. He had come prepared, and he knew exactly which room to search.

That was the first problem.

The second was that Ethan had no idea whether the man was alone.

“You seem to know a lot about what’s inside,” Ethan said. “How did you find this place?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Then the container isn’t yours.”

The man lunged.

Ethan moved aside just as the pipe struck the cabinet. The impact rang through the room, and the stranger swore.

Ethan grabbed the man’s wrist, but the stranger twisted free and shoved him against the wall.

Pain shot through Ethan’s shoulder.

He had expected to find a valuable resource. He hadn’t expected to fight for it.

The man swung again.

Ethan ducked, grabbed a loose metal tray from a nearby table, and shoved it into the man’s path. The stranger stumbled over it, losing his balance long enough for Ethan to seize the pipe.

They struggled for control of the weapon.

The man drove his knee into Ethan’s stomach. Ethan staggered backward, gasping, and the stranger used the opportunity to reach for his bag.

Ethan caught his arm.

“Stay away from it!”

The stranger’s eyes widened at the sudden anger in his voice.

He twisted the man’s arm away from his bag and shoved him hard against the wall. The stranger dropped the pipe.

Ethan kicked it out of reach.

Both men stood breathing heavily.

“Who are you?” Ethan demanded.

The stranger didn’t answer.

Ethan stepped closer.

“Who sent you?”

“No one.”

“Then how did you know this place existed?”

The man’s gaze flickered toward Ethan’s bag.

“I got information”

“From who?”

“I’m not telling you anything.”

Ethan considered forcing an answer out of him, but the Archive suddenly beeped in his phone , he looked at it still observing the man closely. 

[RESOURCE ACQUISITION CONFIRMED.]

[OBJECTIVE COMPLETE.]

He had what he came for.

He didn’t need to waste more time fighting a stranger whose motives he didn’t understand. The facility was isolated, and the noise might have attracted someone else.

The man hesitated, clearly trying to decide whether he could win another fight. Then he rubbed his injured wrist and backed toward the doorway.

“I will be seeing you soon… ,” he muttered.

Ethan watched him go.

“Probably not.”

The stranger disappeared down the corridor.

Ethan waited until the footsteps faded before retrieving his flashlight. He checked the container in his bag, making sure it was still sealed, then secured the bag over his shoulder.

He had come here expecting an easy acquisition.

Instead, someone else had been searching for the same thing.

He needed to understand why.

As he walked back toward the entrance, the Archive appeared again.

[HIDDEN RESOURCE SECURED.]

[REWARD UNLOCKED.]

[HUMAN EVOLUTION RECORD: ENTRY ONE AVAILABLE.]

Ethan stopped.

“Human evolution?”

A new screen opened.

[HUMAN EVOLUTION RECORDS CONTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING POST-CATASTROPHE BIOLOGICAL CHANGES.]

[ACCESS LEVEL INSUFFICIENT FOR FULL DETAILS.]

He read the message carefully.

In his previous life, people had changed after the catastrophe. Some developed abilities that seemed impossible. Others became stronger, faster, or more resistant to injuries. Nobody had understood why it happened or why the changes affected people differently, these people were taken away to work for the higher ups and those who had no abilities were left to survive on their own. 

He was one of those who had to survive.

Ethan had assumed it was simply one of the mysteries of the new world.

Now the Archive was telling him there were records explaining it.

“Can you show me the full details ?”

The display flickered.

[ACTIVATION CONDITIONS NOT MET.]

“Then why unlock it?”

Ethan exhaled  and continued walking.

At least he had acquired something valuable. The encounter had cost him time and left his shoulder aching, but he had secured the container and learned something important.

The Archive’s information wasn’t enough by itself.

He still had to make decisions, adapt, and deal with people who might want the same things he did.

He reached his car and placed the bag carefully on the passenger seat.

Before starting the engine, he opened the Archive one last time.

A new notification appeared.

[ANOTHER VARIABLE HAS ENTERED THE TIMELINE.]

Ethan stopped breathing for a moment.

He read the words again.

Another variable?

“What does that mean?”

The Archive didn’t respond, Ethan stared at the red warning, his mind racing.

The stranger’s face returned to him. The way he had known where to go,It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Someone else knew.

Ethan tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“Who are you?” he whispered,Ethan started the car.

He had six days left, and now he had a new problem.

He wasn’t the only one preparing for the end of the world.