2025-11-21 10:46:31The desert heat hit Kade like a furnace.
He pushed himself up from the sand, checking his body. Bruised. Sore. But nothing was broken. Around him, other players were scattered across the wasteland. Some groaning. Some were crying. Some are not moving at all. The sky was blood red, no sun, just heat everywhere. The sand stretched endlessly in every direction. A man nearby screamed at the sky. "This isn't real! This can't be real!" Another woman sat rocking back and forth, muttering prayers. Kade ignored them. Panic got people killed. He needed to think. The blue screen still floated in his vision. Only he could see it. [OBSERVER'S EYE: SCANNING ENVIRONMENT] [NEAREST SHELTER: 2.3 KM NORTH] [NEAREST WATER SOURCE: 4.1 KM EAST] [THREAT LEVEL: RISING] Kade looked north. A structure in the distance. Some kind of bunker maybe. That was his target. "Hey! Hey you!" A young guy stumbled toward him. Maybe nineteen or twenty. Skinny. Terrified. Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead. "You okay, man? What the hell is this place?" The kid's voice cracked. Kade studied him,the system flickered again. [PLAYER 23: DANIEL MORRIS] [AGE: 19] [THREAT LEVEL: LOW] [STATUS: PANICKED] "It's exactly what they said," Kade replied. "A survival game." "But that guy... he exploded. He just..." Daniel's eyes were wild. "We're gonna die here, aren't we?" "Not if you stay smart." Kade started walking north. "There's shelter that way. Are you coming or not?" Daniel hesitated, then followed. "I'm Daniel, Danny." "Kade." "You are from the military? You seem calm." "Was." "Thank God. I'm just a college kid. I needed money for my mom's surgery and—" "Save your story." Kade cut him off. "Everyone here has a sad story. That doesn't matter now. Only survival matters." Daniel went quiet. They walked in silence. The sand was thick, making every step harder. Other players wandered aimlessly, some fighting over nothing, some just sitting and crying. The system pinged. [WARNING: HOSTILE PLAYERS DETECTED AHEAD] [DISTANCE: 200 METERS] [COUNT: 3] [THREAT LEVEL: MEDIUM] Kade stopped. Ahead, three men blocked the path to the bunker. Big guys. One held a metal pipe he must have found somewhere here. Another had a rock the size of a fist. "Well, well," the leader called out. Bald head. Tattoos on his neck. Prison ink. "Look what we got here. Fresh meat." His buddies laughed. Daniel froze. "Kade..." "Stay behind me." The bald man stepped forward, slapping the pipe against his palm. "Here's how this works. You give us everything you got. Clothes ,Shoes. Whatever's in your pockets. Then maybe we let you walk away." "And if I don't?" Kade asked calmly. "Then I crack your skull open and take it anyway." The man grinned. "Your choice, hero." Kade's system flickered. [PLAYER 45: VICTOR CRANE] [CRIMINAL HISTORY: ARMED ROBBERY, ASSAULT] [WEAK POINTS: LEFT KNEE (OLD INJURY), THROAT] [THREAT LEVEL: MEDIUM] The other two had similar stats. Criminals ,Violent. But sloppy. "Last chance," Victor said, raising the pipe. Kade moved. Fast without any hesitation. He closed the distance before Victor could react. Grabbed the pipe mid-swing and twisted hard. Victor's wrist snapped with a sick crack. The man screamed. Kade drove his knee into Victor's bad leg. The man crumpled. One punch to the throat silenced him. The second attacker swung the rock. Kade ducked, stepped inside his reach, and slammed his elbow into the man's temple. He dropped like a puppet with cut strings. The third guy ran. Didn't even look back. Daniel stood frozen, mouth hanging open. Kade picked up the metal pipe and the rock. Weapons now. He checked Victor's pockets. Nothing useful. [COMBAT COMPLETE] [+50 EXP] [OBSERVER'S EYE LEVELING: 15%] "Holy shit," Daniel whispered. "You just... how did you..." "Training." Kade started walking again. "Let's go. That noise will attract others." They reached the bunker ten minutes later. Old military structure, half-buried in sand. The door was rusted but intact. Kade forced it open. Inside was dark and cool. Relief from the heat. Old supplies lined the walls. Canned food. Water bottles. A few more weapons. Knives. Another pipe. A rusty machete. "Jackpot," Daniel breathed. Kade grabbed a knife and the machete. Tested the weight. Good enough. [HIDDEN CACHE DISCOVERED] [+100 EXP] [OBSERVER'S EYE LEVELING: 35%] [NEW ABILITY UNLOCKING AT 50%] Daniel grabbed water and drank desperately. "How did you know this was here?" Kade paused. He couldn't explain the system. Not yet. "Lucky guess." "Bullshit." Daniel wiped his mouth. "You knew exactly where to go. You saw something, didn't you?" Smart kid. Too smart. "Drop it," Kade said flatly. Daniel raised his hands. "Okay, okay. Just saying. Whatever edge you got, I'm glad you're on my side." A scream echoed outside. Then another. Gunshots in the distance. [PLAYERS REMAINING: 98/100] Nine dead already. The killing was accelerating. "What do we do now?" Daniel asked, fear creeping back into his voice. Kade looked at the supplies, then at the door. "We wait until dark. Rest. Conserve energy." He met Daniel's eyes. "Then we find the exit and get out of this zone." "And the other players?" "Avoid it if possible. Kill if necessary." Daniel swallowed hard. "You've done this before." Kade didn't answer. He sat against the wall, machete across his lap. Maya's face flashed in his mind. Her smile. Her faith in him. Nine zones left. Ninety players to outlast. He closed his eyes. "Get some sleep, kid. Tomorrow's gonna be worse."
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THE DEFECTOR
"You're not going alone," Elena said.Kade strapped on his vest, checking the clips. "Mei's coming with me.""That's not what I meant.""I know what you meant." He looked up at her. "But if it's a trap, I need you here. Someone has to protect Tyler and Daniel."Elena's jaw tightened. "He tried to kill us, Kade. Multiple times.""And the Council tried to kill him." Kade stood. "The enemy of my enemy—""Is still an enemy.""Maybe. But right now, he's the only one who knows how to get to Victor."Mei appeared from the shadows, a knife already strapped to her thigh. "We need to leave. Coordinates put the meet in Zone 5. That's an hour on foot."Elena grabbed Kade's arm. "If you don't come back—""I will.""Promise me."Kade met her eyes. "I promise."She didn't look convinced.The warehouse sat at the edge of Zone 5, half-collapsed and covered in ice. Broken windows stared down like hollow eyes.Kade and Mei approached slowly, weapons ready."There could be twenty guys in there," Mei whis
GHOST PROTOCOL
Tyler's blood looked black in the dim light.Elena pressed torn fabric against his leg, trying to stop the bleeding. Tyler's face had gone pale, lips trembling."I'm fine," he whispered. "I'm fine."He wasn't fine.Kade stood by the window, staring out at the frozen street. His hands hung at his sides. Empty. Still.Jax was gone.The words kept circling in his head, but they wouldn't land. Wouldn't become real.Daniel paced near the door, rifle gripped tight. "We need to move. That thing is still out there.""His name was Jax," Kade said quietly.Daniel stopped. "What?""Not 'thing.' Jax. His name was Jax."Elena looked up from Tyler's wound. "Kade—""He had a name."Silence filled the room.Then, from somewhere outside, a sound drifted through the walls.Mechanical breathing.Distant. Patient. Searching.Daniel's face went white. "It's close.""We can't stay here," Mei said. She stood near the back wall, device in hand. "The Reaper triangulates heat signatures. Body warmth. He'll fin
THE REAPER
The station felt smaller with Mei inside it.Elena kept her rifle trained on the woman even as Kade explained everything. Tyler listened with wide eyes. Daniel stood near the stairs, silent and tense."She was Sienna's sister," Kade said. "She's here to help.""Or she's here to finish what the Council started," Elena shot back.Mei didn't flinch. She pulled a small device from her pack and set it on the ground. Her fingers moved across the cracked screen."This is the Council's tracking system," she said. "They know general locations. Not exact positions. We show up as heat signatures in zones."She sketched quickly on a torn piece of paper. Lines. Circles. Numbers."The Reaper hunts in patterns. Methodical. He'll sweep the area in grids until he finds his targets.""The Reaper?" Tyler asked.Mei pulled up a grainy photo on the device. A tall figure in dark armor. Face hidden behind a mask. No skin visible. Twin blades strapped to his back. Military rifle in hand.Kade's system flicke
MEI CHEN
Two days had passed since the last fight, but the station still felt uneasy. Like it was holding its breath.Kade sat on a broken bench near the wall, rolling his shoulder slowly. The deep gash Marcus had left was closing faster than it should. The system worked silently inside him, repairing muscle, sealing skin. It didn’t erase the ache. Or the memories.Jax paced back and forth near the platform edge, boots scraping against concrete. “We’re low on food,” he said for the third time. “Another day, maybe two. Then we’re screwed.”Elena stood near the stairs with Daniel and Tyler, rifles ready, eyes sharp. Ever since Sienna’s upload, none of them could relax. It felt like the world had shifted, like something big was moving toward them.“We can’t just sit here,” Tyler said. “Someone needs to go out.”“I’ll go,” Jax said instantly.Kade stood. “Me too.”Elena frowned. “You’re still healing.”“Fast enough,” Kade replied. “Besides, you need someone watching the system alerts. That’s me.”
The Draw
Three days passed in Zone 6.Three days of bitter cold. Of hunting for shelter. Of avoiding wildcards and Marcus's team. Three days of Kade's wounds slowly healing.But not fully healed. Not even close.He moved stiffly. Every breath hurt where Yuki's boot had connected. His arm was wrapped tight where her katana had cut him. The makeshift bandages were already stained red.They'd found a better shelter. An abandoned research station buried in ice. Old. Forgotten. But it had walls. A roof. Protection from the wind.Kade stood watch at the entrance. Scanning the endless white landscape. Looking for threats.He saw her before anyone else.A figure moving through the snow. Alone. Deliberate. Coming straight toward them.Yuki."We've got company," he called back.Jax appeared beside him immediately. Gun raised. "How many?""One.""The katana woman?""Yeah.""You can't fight her. You're still hurt.""I know." Kade gripped his knife anyway. "But she's here for me. Not you. Stay inside.""Ka
First Injury
Yuki's katana gleamed in the white light of Zone 6.Kade tightened his grip on his knife. The blade felt small. Inadequate. Like bringing a toy to a war.Behind him, his group watched from the cave entrance. Unable to help. Unable to look away.Around them, fourteen wildcards formed a loose circle. Watching. Waiting to see the outcome.Mason stood off to the side. Arms crossed. Annoyed that his duel had been stolen."Begin," Yuki said. Not a question. A command.She moved first. Fast. Katana cutting horizontally at chest height.Kade ducked. The blade whistled overhead. He rolled left. Came up. Slashed at her exposed side.She twisted. His knife caught only air. Her boot came up. Caught his ribs. He flew backward. Hit snow hard. Pain exploded through his chest."Too slow," Yuki said. Already closing distance.Kade scrambled up. Barely blocked her next strike. Metal screamed. The impact jarred his arm. She was strong. Stronger than she looked.She pressed forward. Three quick strikes.
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Reader Comments
You are an amazing Fighter and still emphatic!
kade is one hell of a fighter