2026-06-22 12:43:13The last thing I felt was the sting of cold spit on my face and the sound of my own ribs snapping like dry twigs. It hurts like a bitch. I remember the smell most, that nasty metallic stank or old blood and wet rot. Then there was Anna. My “loving” girlfriend. I can still see her face, all sweaty and pale, as she shoved me backward into the dark.
“Sorry, Mateo! Better you than me!” She snapped and ran away.
That cunt. After ten years of me paying her bills and kissing her ass while being her bodyguard in disguise as boyfriend, she used me as a shield to get away from a pack of shamblers. She didn't even look back. She just bolted, leaving me to get ripped apart while she ran for her life.
Then, everything went black. I thought I was dead. I should have been dead.
Gasp!
I sat up so fast my head spun. I wasn't on the cold, dirty pavement. I was in bed. The sheets were clean, and the room smelled like those vanilla candles I always buy.
I looked around, my heart hammering against my chest like a trapped bird. The sun was peeking through the blinds, hitting the messy pile of clothes on the floor. On the nightstand, my phone buzzed.
8:12 AM.
I stared at the dates. Tuesday. My brain felt like it was melting. This was Day Zero. The day the world went to crap. In exactly nine hours, that purple “Black Must” would roll into the city and turn everyone into a “Standardized Hive”.
“Babe? You okay? You're making weird-ass noises over there.”
I froze. That voice. I wanted to puke just hearing it.
Anna walked out of the bathroom, running a towel over her head. She looked so…normal. No scars, no blood. Just the same arrogant, “pretty girl” face I’d been swallowing sandpaper.
“Well, get over it. We're supposed to meet folks for brunch at ten, and you know my mom's a total psycho about being late.” She didn't even look at me. She was too busy checking herself out in the mirror, fixing her hair like she was some kind of movie star.
I looked at my hands. They were shaking, but it wasn't fear anymore. It was pure, unfiltered rage. I remembered the way her hands felt when they pushed me. I remembered the sound of her sneakers hitting the pavement as she ran away.
“Mateo? Hello? Earth to Mateo?” Anna turned around looking annoyed. “Did you iron my gray slacks or what? I can't go to brunch looking like a hobo because you decided to sleep in.”
I looked at her, really looked at her. I saw the “Narcissistic Parasite” she really was. In my first life, I would've jumped up, apologized, and ironed those stupid pants.
Not today.
“Iron ‘em yourself, Anna,” I said. I kept my voice low and cold.
Anna's jaw dropped. “What did you just say?”
“I said I'm not your damn maid. And I'm definitely not going to brunch with your fake-ass parents.”
I got out of bed, my legs feeling like jelly but my head clearer than it had ever been. I grabbed my big camping backpack from the closet and started throwing stuff in. I didn't have much time. Nine hours is nothing when you're trying to prepare for an apocalypse.
“Are you having a mid-life crisis or something?” Anna laughed, that annoying chuckle. “Look, if this is about me missing dinner last night, get over it, I'm gonna be a doctor, Mateo. I have real pressure.”
I stopped and walked right up to her. I'm way taller than her, when I looked her in the eye she actually stepped back.
“In nine hours, Anna, nobody's gonna give a damn about your medical degree,” I whispered. “And honestly? Nobody's gonna give a damn about you.”
I reached past her and grabbed her wallet off the dresser.
“Hey! Give that back!”
“No, this is the money I gave you for your ‘textbooks’ that you actually spent on hair and makeup,” I said, flipping it open. I took the credit cards and every single twenty-dollar bill inside. “Think of it as a jerk tax for the last ten years.”
“Mateo, I'm not kidding! Put that back or I'm calling the cops!”
I didn't even blink. I grabbed a heavy glass award from the desk and I slammed it into the wall mounted mirror. The glass exploded. Shards flew everywhere, and Anna screamed like a little girl, tripping over her own feet.
“Don't follow me,” I told her, my heart finally finding a steady beat. “If I see you again today, I'm not gonna aim for the mirror. I'll aim for your teeth.”
I walked out of the apartment and slammed the door. I was halfway down the stairs when a sharp ping echoed right inside my brain.
A glowing blue screen popped up right in front of my eyes.
[Eros- Survival System Initializing…]
[User: Mateo Ambrose]
[Status: Reborn (Cycle 2)] [Mutation Level: 0.01% (Latent)] [Welcome back, Subject 001. The countdown has begun.]I stared at the screen, my mouth hanging open. I wasn't just lucky. I had accidentally bound a high level AI meant for the “Architects” of the new world.
I looked at the timer on the edge of the screen.
08:42:15
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0010
The shower didn't just work—it was a goddamn religious experience.I stood under the spray for twenty minutes, watching the black ichor and gray slime from the "Nurses" swirl down the drain. My skin felt raw, but the heat of the water was the first thing that had made me feel truly alive since I'd woken up back in that apartment with Anna.I leaned my head against the cold tile, letting the steam fill my lungs. The Eros-Survival System was quiet for once, just a dull hum in the back of my mind.Mutation Level: 0.08% Status: Relaxed. Passive SP Generation: +2/hour"Better," I whispered.I stepped out and realized I didn't have a towel. Dumbass move, Mateo, I thought. But then I remembered the Space Warehouse. I closed my eyes, focused on the inventory, and flick. A thick, fluffy white towel I'd swiped from the wholesale club manifested in my hand.I dressed in fresh tactical gear—cargo pants with more pockets than I knew what to do with, a compression shirt, and sturdy boots. I looke
0009
The elevator ride was a total buzz kill. Every few seconds, the lights would flicker, and the whole metal box would shudder like it was catching a cough. Down here, the "Black Veins" on the walls weren't just pulsing; they were leaking a thick, violet steam that smelled like burnt hair and expensive cologne.DING!Entering 'The Sanctum' - Level 4Warning: High concentration of Sovereign pheromones detected.Subject 009 is 'Syncing' with the local environment."Mateo, look at the floor," Jaxen whispered. He was gripping his rifle so hard I thought the polymer might snap.I looked down. The elevator floor was covered in an inch of that black, oily sludge. As the doors hissed open, the liquid didn't just sit there —it started to flow outward, like it was being pulled by a magnet."Stay close, Jaxen," I said, stepping into the hallway. I didn't need the System to tell me that Aris was close. I could feel him in my teeth—a sharp, electric tingle that made me want to bite something. "The fr
0008
The iron doors of the Hawthorne Physics Lab didn’t just open; they groaned like a giant with a hangover. Jaxen had managed to bypass the electronic lock by shoving a screwdriver into the manual override, his "Hyper-Awareness" helping him find the exact sweet spot in the wiring without even looking."Keep your head on a swivel," Jaxen muttered, his rifle tucked tight into his shoulder. "The air in here is... wrong.""No kidding," I whispered back, my hand itching for the grip of my machete. The air wasn’t just stagnant; it felt heavy, like it was saturated with something that wanted to crawl under my skin. "The System is pinging like crazy. There’s a Subject nearby. An Architect."We stepped into the lobby, and I felt like I’d walked into a goddamn horror movie. The walls, once pristine white laboratory tile, were covered in pulsing, black veins—the same crystalline "Black Veins" from the Black Sun terraforming manual. They were glowing with a faint, sickly violet light, thumping in ti
0007
The darkness of the subway tunnel was thick enough to chew on. It wasn’t just the lack of light; it was that damn Black Mist seeping down from the surface, turning the air into a soup of metallic dust and old, wet basement smells. Our headlights cut through the gloom in two shaky white beams, reflecting off the rusted tracks and the occasional skeletal remains of a stalled train car.Inside the BearCat, the silence was heavy. Every time the tires crunched over a piece of debris or a stray bone, the sound echoed like a gunshot in the enclosed space.DING!Mutation Level: 0.19%Warning: Enclosed space detected. Hive Sense sensitivity increased."Keep your eyes on the ceiling, Jaxen," I muttered. My hand was still resting on his shoulder, and I could feel the tension in his muscles. He was vibrating like a tuning fork. To a guy with "Hyper-Awareness," this tunnel was probably screaming at him. "The System says there’s Mimics down here. Those bastards don’t fight fair."Jaxen didn’t take
0006
The armored transport—a modified BearCat—roared to life, its engine growling like a caged beast. Jaxen didn’t let go of my arm until he’d shoved me into the passenger seat and slammed the door. He jumped into the driver’s side, his movements a blur of tactical precision.Around us, the outpost was a hive of activity. Soldiers were burning sensitive documents and loading crates of ammunition, their faces pale under the violet-tinted sky. They knew the “Cleansing Protocol” didn’t care about rank or service. When the firebombs dropped, they would be just more fuel for the furnace.DING!Mutation Level: 0.11% - StabilizedStatus: Heartbeat Synchronization Active“You said you have a location,” Jaxen barked, throwing the vehicle into gear. He didn’t look at me, but I could see the vein in his neck throbbing. The “Hyper-Awareness” was still there, but with me sitting next to him, the edge was gone. He could finally focus.“The Hawthorne Physics Lab,” I said, pointing toward the heavy northe
0005
The heavy steel gate slammed shut behind me with a finality that made the ground shake. On the other side, the frantic scratching of Shambler nails against metal sounded like dry leaves in a storm. I leaned against the cold concrete wall of the outpost, my breath coming in jagged, burning hitches.[DING!][Mission ‘The Anchor’s Path’ Complete.][Reward: +100 SP, 1x Low Grade Stamina Potion (Stored in Warehouse)]I didn't care about the points right now. My arm was stinging where the Seeker had tagged me, and the purple haze of the Mist outside was already leaking through the cracks in the gate. My vision was swimming, the edges of my sight turning a familiar, dangerous shade of violet.“Hands where I can see them. Now.”The voice was closer this time. I looked up and finally saw him.Commander Jaxen stood ten feet away, his service rifle leveled at my chest with terrifying steadiness. He was exactly how I remembered— broad-shouldered, wearing a tactical vest that looked like it had be
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