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Home / Games / THE CULLING TRIAL / CHAPTER 19 — IN A PRETTY BAD SHAPE
CHAPTER 19 — IN A PRETTY BAD SHAPE
Author: Micci
last update2025-10-27 22:04:02

My vision blurred as I watched them descend, each blink sending waves of pain through my skull.

The wound on my side had turned an ugly purple color, and I could feel something wrong spreading through my bloodstream like ice water.

‘I need to get to the green airdrop.’

My system's display flickered weakly in the corner of my vision:

HEALTH: TEN PERCENT.

STATUS: TOXIN DETECTED.

TIME TO PARALYSIS: THIRTY-NINE MINUTES, FORTY-TWO SECONDS.

Thirty-nine minutes before I'm completely dead.

The green airdrop was about two hundred meters ahead. Even from this distance, I could see at least fifteen survivors converging on it like sharks smelling blood.

I crouched behind a fallen log, gripping my serpent knife with trembling fingers.

My gut told me to stay put—wait it out, then pick through whatever scraps remained. But time wasn't a luxury I had.

The survivors hit the airdrop at once. A redhead with a crossbow put a bolt straight through some kid's throat before his fingers even grazed the
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  • CHAPTER 136 — THE TOXIC FIELD

    The glowing sap was everywhere now. Filling the chamber.Rising toward us like a fluorescent tide. We had maybe seconds before it reached our heads."There has to be a way to stop this!" I shouted over the plant's screaming.Casimir was frantically examining the walls. Looking for weak points. Escape routes. Anything. "The nerve cluster! If we can destroy it completely instead of just damaging it—""How? We're about to drown in plant blood!"He pointed at a thick bundle of vines near the ceiling. They pulsed with that same green-blue bioluminescence. "There! That's the main arterial system! If we sever it—"I didn't wait for him to finish. Activated my system interface. Pushed enhancement into my legs despite the burning protests from my overworked neural pathways. Jumped.My knife found the vine cluster. I hung there, slashing. Cutting through layer after layer of organic material. The plant screamed louder. The sap rose faster."Kae! Whatever you're doing, do it faster!"I drove the

  • CHAPTER 135 — INTO THE BLOOM

    The winged mutant banked hard as three smaller creatures dove at us from above."Hold on!" Casimir shouted.I dug my fingers deeper into the wing joint. The mutant rolled, presenting its armored back to the attackers. Claws scraped against its plates but didn't penetrate."They're coordinating!" I called out. "They know we're heading for the hive!"Another wave came from below. Four of them this time. The winged mutant couldn't dodge them all. One latched onto its tail. Another grabbed a wing."We need to fight back!" Casimir pulled his knife. "Can you reach that one on the tail?"I shifted my grip. Swung myself around until I could see the mutant clinging to our ride's tail. It was smaller—third wave, maybe—but its claws were embedded deep.I let go with one hand. Pulled my venom fang knife. Threw it.The blade caught the mutant in the throat. It convulsed as the venom spread, then fell away into the toxic fog below."One down!" I grabbed the wing joint again before I could fall.Cas

  • CHAPTER 135 — INTO THE BLOOM

    The winged mutant banked hard as three smaller creatures dove at us from above."Hold on!" Casimir shouted.I dug my fingers deeper into the wing joint. The mutant rolled, presenting its armored back to the attackers. Claws scraped against its plates but didn't penetrate."They're coordinating!" I called out. "They know we're heading for the hive!"Another wave came from below. Four of them this time. The winged mutant couldn't dodge them all. One latched onto its tail. Another grabbed a wing."We need to fight back!" Casimir pulled his knife. "Can you reach that one on the tail?"I shifted my grip. Swung myself around until I could see the mutant clinging to our ride's tail. It was smaller—third wave, maybe—but its claws were embedded deep.I let go with one hand. Pulled my venom fang knife. Threw it.The blade caught the mutant in the throat. It convulsed as the venom spread, then fell away into the toxic fog below."One down!" I grabbed the wing joint again before I could fall.Cas

  • CHAPTER 135 — INTO THE BLOOM

    The winged mutant banked hard as three smaller creatures dove at us from above."Hold on!" Casimir shouted.I dug my fingers deeper into the wing joint. The mutant rolled, presenting its armored back to the attackers. Claws scraped against its plates but didn't penetrate."They're coordinating!" I called out. "They know we're heading for the hive!"Another wave came from below. Four of them this time. The winged mutant couldn't dodge them all. One latched onto its tail. Another grabbed a wing."We need to fight back!" Casimir pulled his knife. "Can you reach that one on the tail?"I shifted my grip. Swung myself around until I could see the mutant clinging to our ride's tail. It was smaller—third wave, maybe—but its claws were embedded deep.I let go with one hand. Pulled my venom fang knife. Threw it.The blade caught the mutant in the throat. It convulsed as the venom spread, then fell away into the toxic fog below."One down!" I grabbed the wing joint again before I could fall.Cas

  • CHAPTER 134 — THE HIVE'S HEART

    I stared at Administrator Shen. Her soldiers had their weapons trained on us. The six-armed mutant stood frozen, waiting for her command. And Casimir and I were barely able to stand, let alone fight."How are you even here?" I demanded. "You're supposed to be in prison. Underground city lockup."Shen smiled. That cold, clinical smile that made my skin crawl. "You think a cell can hold me? I've been running this program for decades. Every facility, every outpost, every underground city has access points I can use." She gestured at the equipment around us. "Remote communication. Virtual presence. I don't need to be physically here to control everything.""You're destroying humanity," Casimir said, his voice weak from blood loss. "These mutants, this program—it will bring an end to everything.""No." Shen's smile widened. "It will bring the beginning of everything. Evolution. Advancement. The next stage of human development." She stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with fanatic certainty.

  • CHAPTER 133 — THE OXYGEN VAULT

    The one-eyed Guardian's claw came down like a falling building. I threw myself sideways. Felt the displaced air from the near-miss. The impact where I'd been standing cracked the floor, sending concrete shards flying like shrapnel. "Kae! Left side!" Casimir's warning came just in time. The outside Guardian was flanking. Its tail whipped toward me—massive, armored, fast. I activated my system interface. Time slowed. I saw the tail coming, tracked its trajectory, calculated I had maybe a quarter-second to react. I ducked. The tail passed overhead so close I felt it brush my hair. Then I was moving, rolling under the Guardian's bulk, coming up on its blind side. My knife found a gap where armor plates met at its hip joint. I drove the blade in deep. The Guardian shrieked—actual pain this time, not just anger. It spun, trying to dislodge me. I held on, twisted the knife, then yanked it free as the creature's movement threw me clear. I hit the ground hard. Rolled. Came up alread

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