2025-11-21 12:59:49Sector 5 was worse.
The terrain had shifted. Rocky canyons replaced open places. Narrow paths. High walls. Perfect for ambushes. Kade moved carefully, scanning every corner. Jax stayed close. Daniel is now calm and patient, quieter now. The kid was hardening it's good. Soft people died here. [ZONE 1: THE WASTELAND - SECTOR 5] [OBJECTIVE: LOCATE ZONE EXIT] [PLAYERS REMAINING: 81/100] They walked for an hour without contact. No players. No threats. Just silence and stone. "Something's wrong," Jax said. "Yeah." "Where is everyone?" The answer came from above. A massive holographic screen flickered to life in the sky. Bright. Impossible to ignore. A face appeared. Middle-aged man. Silver hair. Expensive suit. Cold smile. "Good evening, players." Everyone in the zone must have stopped. Must have looked up. The voice echoed off the canyon walls. "For those who don't know me, I am Victor Kane. Founder of the Culling Protocol. Your host." Kade's blood went cold. The sponsor. The man who sent him gifts. "You've provided excellent entertainment so far. Our viewers are thrilled. Nineteen eliminations in the first hours. Impressive." Daniel's face went pale. "Viewers?" "But entertainment requires escalation. So let me explain what's really happening here." The screen changed. Showed a massive room. Hundreds of people in formal and expensive suits. Champagne glasses. Laughing. Watching screens that displayed the wasteland. Displayed the players. Displayed the deaths. "You are the stars of the greatest show on Earth. The world's elite are watching. Betting. Cheering. Every kill you make earns your sponsors money. Every death entertains them." Jax's jaw tightened. "Sick bastards." "Now, a special announcement. The current top five players have earned significant sponsor interest." Five faces appeared on screen. Kade recognized his own. Rank 3. Seven kills. "These players will receive bonus gifts. But also bonus attention. Hunt them. Kill them. Double points for eliminating a top five player." The screen flickered off. Then chaos erupted somewhere in the distance. Screams and Gunshots. Players hunting the top five. "We need to move," Kade said. "Now." "You're a target," Daniel said. "They'll all come for you." "Let them come." They ran. Through canyons. Over rocks. The system guided Kade, showing safe paths, warning of threats. [HOSTILE PLAYERS APPROACHING: 4] [DISTANCE: 200 METERS AND CLOSING] "They are behind us," Kade called. Jax glanced back. "Four of them. Armed." "We can't outrun them in this terrain." "Then we shouldn't run." Kade spotted a narrow pass ahead. "Bottleneck. We will fight here." They reached the pass. Barely wide enough for two people. High walls on both sides. Perfect defensive position. "Daniel, stay behind us. Jax, left side. I've got it right." The hunters appeared. Four men. Desperate eyes. Hungry for the bounty on Kade's head. "There he is! Get him!" They charged into the pass. Single fight, No choice. The first man met Kade's blade.His throat opened. Blood sprayed. [PLAYER 67 ELIMINATED] The second man swung a machete. Kade dodged. Countered. Knife through the ribs. [PLAYER 42 ELIMINATED] Jax handled the third. Quick and efficient like a Military precision. [PLAYER 55 ELIMINATED] The fourth man stopped. Saw three bodies. Saw Kade covered in blood. Fear replaced greed. He ran. Kade let him go. "Spread the word. Hunting me is death." [PLAYERS REMAINING: 78/100] They caught their breath. Three more dead. Seventy-eight left. "That broadcast changed everything," Jax said. "Everyone knows your face now." "Good." "Good? They'll all come for you." "And they'll all die." Kade cleaned his blade. "Fear is a weapon. Let them fear me." Daniel stared at him. "You're different than before." "I'm the same. Just not pretending anymore." They moved on. The canyon opened into a wider valley. More structures ahead. Old military installations half-buried in sand. [ZONE EXIT DETECTED: 1.5 KM NORTHWEST] [WARNING: HEAVY PLAYER CONCENTRATION] "The exit's closed," Kade said. "But it's crowded." "Everyone's funneling toward it," Jax observed. "Bottleneck at the exit. Guaranteed bloodbath." "We need to wait. Let them kill each other. Then move forward." They found a vantage point. A ruined watchtower overlooking the valley. From here, they could see everything. The exit was a massive gate built into a cliff. Blue light pulsing. At least twenty players surrounded it. Some fighting. Some formed temporary alliances. Bodies already littered the ground. [PLAYERS REMAINING: 76/100] Three more dead while they watched. "This is insane," Daniel whispered. "This is the game." A new notification appeared in Kade's vision. [SPONSOR GIFT INCOMING] [SENDER: VICTOR KANE] A small drone descended. Dropped a package at Kade's feet. Inside: a scope attachment for weapons, energy supplements, and a note. "Enjoying the show, Player 77. You're my favorite. Don't disappoint me. - V.K." Kade crushed the note in his fist. "He's watching you specifically," Jax said. "Why?" "Don't know. Don't care." Kade attached the scope to his knife sheath. Useless now, but valuable later. "When we get out of this, I'm going to find him." "And then?" Kade's eyes went cold. "Then I'll show him what real entertainment looks like." Below, the fighting intensified. More bodies fell. [PLAYERS REMAINING: 76/100] They waited patiently. Predators watching prey tear each other apart. When the time was right, they'd strike.And nothing would stop them.
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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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