2025-06-24 16:41:58The stench of blood filled the air.
Ethan Black opened his eyes slowly. His head throbbed like it had been smashed by a brick, and a metallic taste clung to his tongue. The world around him was dim, flickering with the pale light of malfunctioning ceiling panels. The hospital room was in ruins—papers scattered across the floor, broken glass crunching beneath his weight as he struggled to sit up. He didn’t remember how he got here. His fingers trembled as he pushed himself up, only to fall back down. Pain shot through his side. There was a bandage wrapped around his abdomen, already stained red. He winced, gritting his teeth. Something wasn’t right. A soft beep echoed in the silence. [Survival System Activated. Initiating Host Sync... 37%... 68%... 100% Complete.] A blue screen flashed before his eyes. Not on a monitor. Not on a device. In his vision. > Welcome, Ethan Black. Z-Virus Detected. Infection Level: 12%. Activating Protocol: Survive at All Costs. “What the hell?” he whispered. He blinked, but the interface remained, hovering in front of him like some kind of augmented reality overlay. > Quest: Exit the hospital. Reward: Basic Inventory Access + Immunity Suppressant (1 dose) A scream tore through the hallway. Ethan’s breath caught. It wasn’t a normal scream—it was raw, animalistic, filled with hunger and rage. He forced himself up, adrenaline overriding the pain. He limped to the door, pressing his ear against it. Thud. Thud. Thud. Something—or someone—was running down the corridor, crashing into walls, growling like a beast. His heart pounded. > Warning: Host is within 30 meters of Infected Entity. Recommend immediate evacuation. His instincts screamed. He pushed the door open slowly. The hallway was dim, the emergency red lights casting a hellish glow. Blood painted the walls. A corpse lay a few feet away, throat ripped out. He gagged. Footsteps. Fast. Erratic. Ethan ducked into a supply closet, just as a figure bolted past. It wasn’t human anymore—its eyes were bloodshot, mouth twitching, arms limp like a puppet, but moving too fast, too wild. He waited. Ten seconds. Thirty. Silence. He opened the inventory tab in the system. > Inventory: Empty. Damn. But the quest—he had to complete it. There was a suppressant waiting. And if this infection level hit 100%… No. He wouldn’t let it. He moved silently, barefoot on the cold tiles. He passed through what remained of the nurse station. A scalpel lay on the floor. He grabbed it. > Item Acquired: Rusted Scalpel. Durability: 10/10. Better than nothing. He reached the elevator—out of service. Of course. The stairs it is. He opened the door slowly. Growling. Two infected were crouched on the staircase landing, feasting on a body. Flesh tore like paper. Ethan’s stomach turned. > New Ability Unlocked: Focus Vision (Level 1) – Highlight threats within 10 meters. The two lit up in red outlines. He had to be smart. Quiet. One wrong step— A bone snapped under his foot. Both infected turned. “Shit.” They charged. Ethan didn’t think. He ran. Up the stairs. One flight. Two. His lungs burned. The scalpel clutched in his fist like a lifeline. One leaped at him. He dodged barely, slashing its arm. It shrieked, more angry than hurt. The other tackled him from behind, sending them both rolling. He stabbed. Again. And again. Blood sprayed. Silence. He pushed the body off him, shaking. > Enemies Defeated: 2 Experience Gained: 40 EXP Level Up Available > Level 2 Achieved. Stat Points +3 Infection Level Reduced: 12% -> 9% He exhaled. It worked. Killing them helped slow the virus. He limped out of the stairwell onto the rooftop. The city was burning. Fires raged in the distance. Sirens wailed. Helicopters circled, too far to help. The world had ended. But he hadn’t. > Quest Complete. Reward Received: Inventory Access + 1x Immunity Suppressant He looked at the small syringe that appeared in his hand, as if conjured. He took it without hesitation. > Infection Suppressed. Next Dose Required in 24 Hours. Ethan looked out over the ruined city. “This isn’t just survival,” he said. “This is war.” And war was something he was born for. The sunlight burned against his eyelids. Lucas slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the harsh light pouring through the cracks of a ruined ceiling. Dust floated in the air like golden ash. The world around him was in pieces—broken concrete, twisted metal, shattered windows. For a few seconds, he didn’t move. His body ached. His head throbbed. "Where... am I?" he whispered, his voice dry like sandpaper. Lucas pushed himself up from the cold floor. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. He glanced around. This wasn’t his apartment. It looked like a hospital—no, more like what was left of one. Beds overturned. Blood on the walls. Cabinets emptied. Everything smelled of rust, smoke, and death. A flickering monitor near the wall displayed a blinking green light. [System Activated.] He frowned. “What... system?” The same digital voice from his dreams echoed in his mind: > [Survival System Activated. Mission: Survive.] It wasn't a dream. It was real. Lucas stood, wobbling a bit before steadying himself. He looked down at his arm. A small holographic screen was glowing faintly above his wrist. [Survival System Booting... Loading Basic Stats...] Name: Lucas Gray Age: 27 Health: 70/100 Energy: 60% Infection Level: 0% Weapon: None Inventory: Empty “Infection level?” he muttered. “What the hell is going on?” Suddenly, a loud crash echoed down the hallway. Lucas froze. Snarling. Not human. He slowly crept to the doorway, peering into the ruined corridor. A figure limped in the distance—its skin pale, torn, parts of the face missing. The creature turned slowly. Half its jaw dangled, and its eyes glowed with a sickly red light. A zombie. Lucas’s heart raced. [Warning: Enemy detected. Threat Level – Low.] “Low?” he whispered in disbelief. “That thing could rip my face off.” The system responded. > [Tip: Zombies are weak alone. Strong in groups. Use stealth or blunt objects to neutralize.] Lucas scanned the area. There—a metal pipe, partly buried under rubble. He dashed forward, grabbed the pipe, and turned just as the zombie groaned and charged. It wasn’t fast. But it was relentless. Lucas held his ground and swung. The pipe cracked against the zombie’s skull with a sickening thud. It stumbled, groaned, and lunged again. Another hit. And another. Finally, the creature dropped with a gurgle, unmoving. [+50 EXP Gained.] [New Weapon Unlocked: Rusted Pipe – Damage: Low] [Level Up Progress: 50/100] Lucas stood over the body, panting. Blood dripped from the pipe. His hands trembled. “That was... close.” His system chimed again. > [Tip: Collect loot from defeated enemies.] He searched the zombie and found a worn-out keycard and a small pack of painkillers. [Items Acquired: Level 1 Keycard | Painkillers (x1)] Lucas stuffed the items into his pocket. He looked at the hallway ahead. The world was broken. The city—his home—was no longer safe. But something inside him had awakened. A system. A strange power. A second chance. He wasn’t just a survivor. He was something more now. — One Hour Later Lucas stepped outside for the first time. The city was dead. Cars abandoned in the streets. Smoke rising in the distance. Buildings half-destroyed. No birds. No animals. Just silence and the soft moans of the undead echoing from alleys. He looked around. A system menu appeared again: [New Mission: Find Shelter Before Nightfall.] Time Remaining: 05:00:00 He had five hours before night. Lucas gripped the pipe tighter. “Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s play your game.” But deep down, he knew—this wasn’t a game. It was survival. And it had only just begun.
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Episode 31: The Ashes That Breathe
The Sky Above The Arctic Circle Hung Low With Ash Clouds That Glowed Faintly Red As If The Horizon Itself Had Been Lit On Fire From Beneath The Earth Zeyad Stood In Silence On The Ridge That Overlooked The Smoking Wreckage Of Borealis Station The Ground Beneath His Feet Still Vibrating From The Echoes Of The Last Detonation That Had Torn Through The Core BelowLaila Was Beside Him Her Rifle Slung Low Against Her Back Her Hair Tied Back With A Strip Of Gauze She Had Torn From A Makeshift Medical Kit That Had Barely Saved Her Arm During The Last Encounter With The Hybrid Beasts That Crawled Out Of The Core Her Face Was Pale But Her Eyes Burned With Relentless PurposeBehind Them The Cracked Glacier Had Begun To Resettle Chunks Of Ice Sliding Into The Chasm That Borealis Had Become There Was No Longer Any Safe Path Backward Whatever Lay Ahead Now Would Be Carved With Fire Blood And The Remnants Of A War That Was Not Yet FinishedThe Final Message From The Core System Still Played In Zeya
Episode 30: The Burn Beneath the Ice
The Ground Trembled Beneath Zeyad’s Boots As He Stared At The Massive Crater Where Borealis Station Had Once Stood. Now, It Was Just A Scar On The Earth’s Frozen Skin, A Gaping Hole That Smoked And Hissed Like A Wound Refusing To Heal. The Sky Above Was Still Stained With Ash And Faint Traces Of Blue Fire — A Reminder That The Core's Destruction Had Not Been The End, But Only A Turning Point.Laila Stood Beside Him, Her Rifle Slung Over One Shoulder, Her Face Pale From Blood Loss But Her Eyes Still Alive With Fury And Determination. They Had Lost Too Many To Let This Be The Final Chapter. They Had Watched Teammates Burn, Cities Collapse, And Systems Fail. And Yet They Still Stood.We Have To Go Down There, She Said, Her Voice Hollow But Steady. It’s Not Dead Yet.Zeyad Nodded Slowly. No. It’s Just Changing.The Wind Blew Hard Across The Snowfield, Carrying With It The Smell Of Burnt Plastic And Biofuel. What Was Left Of Their Supplies Fit Into Two Packs — A Satellite Beacon, Three Cha
Episode 29: The Silence Between Heartbeats
The First Thing Zeyad Noticed As He Regained Consciousness Was The Unnatural Stillness In The Air. It Was Not The Peaceful Kind Of Silence That Followed A Battle. It Was The Tense, Coiled Pause Between Heartbeats Before The Body Realized It Was Wounded. Before The Mind Processed The Pain. Before The Scream Escaped.Zeyad Sat Up Slowly, His Joints Screaming In Protest. His Armor Was Cracked Along The Chest Plate, Blackened From Heat. Around Him, The World Had Been Reduced To Rubble. The Tunnel Had Collapsed Behind Them. The Path To Borealis Station Was Gone, Swallowed By A Seismic Shift That Had Torn The Earth Like Paper.Laila Sat Nearby, Her Head Bowed, Hands Wrapped Around Her Knees. Her Rifle Lay Across Her Lap, Scorched But Functional. When She Heard Him Move, She Looked Up Slowly, Her Eyes Red From Smoke Or Grief Or Both.We Are Still Alive. The Words Were Simple, But Zeyad Knew Their Weight. They Meant More Than Survival. They Meant They Had Endured The Unendurable.Not For Long
Episode 28: The Last Signal
The Wind Howled Over The Glacier Fields As Zeyad And Laila Stood On The Edge Of The Final Ridge Their Suits Torn From Fire And Battle Their Skin Marked By Scars Too Deep To Heal The Mountains In The Distance Looked Like Silent Watchers Bearing Witness To The End Of The WorldBeneath Their Feet The Ice Trembled A Low Vibration That Came Not From Nature But From Machines Buried Far Below The Network Core Had Been Destroyed At Borealis Station Yet The Pulse Remained A Heartbeat Without A Body Still Beating Still Sending Signals Into The Dead AirZeyad Checked His Interface Which Flickered With Static Before Stabilizing One Last Message Had Come Through Before The Relay Died A Set Of Coordinates Buried Deep In The Arctic Shelf Marked As Zero PointLaila Read Over His Shoulder Her Voice Rough From Smoke And Silence This Is Where It All StartedZeyad Nodded Then This Is Where We End ItThey Moved Across The Frozen Expanse With Caution Avoiding The Cracks In The Ice That Glowed With An Unnat
Episode 27:The Fire Beneath The Ice
The Walls Trembled With The Force Of The Alarms As Zeyad And Laila Ascended The Elevator Shaft One Floor At A Time Each Meter Up Felt Like A Race Against Something Ancient And UnstoppableBehind Them The Core Chamber Glowed With That Unholy Blue Light Its Pulsing Slowing But Growing Brighter As If Preparing For Something Larger A Final Transmission A Last Pulse Before DetonationZeyad Checked His Interface His Vision Was Blurred From The Neural Feedback But The System Still Flashed One MessageExternal Reinforcements Detected Infection Path Confirmed Initiating Station LockdownThey Reached The Upper Platform Just As The Floor Beneath Them Shuddered Sending A Wave Of Heat Up The Shaft Laila Leapt First Her Boots Hitting The Metal Deck Just As A Blast Wave Rushed Behind Them The Lift Crumpled BelowThey Had Moments LeftZeyad Looked Around The Command Level Had Changed The Panels Were No Longer Static Screens But Glowing Patches Of Living Tissue Punctuated With Steel Connectors The Sta
Episode 26: The Depths Between Silence
The Night Was Unnaturally Still As If The World Was Holding Its Breath Waiting For Something That Had Already Started Moving Zeyad Felt It In His Bones In The Air Around Him In The Echo Of Each Step He Took Through The Metal Hallways Of Borealis StationLaila Walked Beside Him Her Expression Tense Her Fingers Lightly Brushing The Hilt Of Her Knife Every Time The Lights Flickered She Paused Listening As If Expecting A Whisper From The Walls The Cold Had Settled Into Their Skin Not Just From The Arctic Wind Outside But From The Things Left Unspoken Inside This PlaceBorealis Station Was Not What It SeemedIt Had Been Built As A Research Facility According To The Old Archives But The More They Moved Through Its Corridors The More Obvious It Became That It Was A Vault A Cage Holding Secrets Too Big For The Surface WorldZeyad Stopped At A Sealed Door Its Frame Covered In Symbols That Looked Burned Into The Steel Not Scientific Not Technical They Looked Old Like Something Carved In Despera
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