Jin's grip tightened on the cold metal pipe. It was surprisingly well balanced, an extension of his arm that felt almost natural despite its crude nature thanks to his assive skill. His internal HUD, a subtle overlay, tinged with a faint red border around his vision as Asha's voice cut through the tension.
"Multiple Unknown Organism signatures merging on your position. Estimated eight to ten hostiles. Quadrupedal, approximately thirty kilograms each. Heightened heart rates and aggressive biomarkers detected. I hypothesize these are the mutated vermin we formerly theorized. Prepare for engagement."
Before Jin could fully process the situation—thirty kilograms each sounded alarmingly big for "vermin"—the first one burst from the shadows.
It wasn't a rat. It was a nightmare given flesh, the size of a large dog, its mangy fur patchy and falling away to reveal pulsating tumors beneath gray skin. Its eyes were milky white and pupilless, fixed on Jin with predatory hunger. When it snarled, Jin saw not one but three rows of needle-yellow fangs, dripping with viscous saliva.
Horror froze him for a split second before instinct took over. The creature lunged, unnaturally fast on powerful hind legs, claws screeching against the metal floor.
[IMPROVISED MELEE WEAPON SKILL: CRUDE SWING - 1.2% PROFICIENCY]
Jin swung the pipe with all his strength, putting his body into the motion. The impact traveled up his arms—a sickening *crack* as metal met bone. The rat's skull caved inward like an eggshell, dark blood and brain matter exploding outward in a grotesque spray that painted the corridor wall. The creature crumpled, twitching violently, before going still.
But there was no time to breathe. Three more erupted from the darkness, their claws scraping against metal as they charged.
"Hostile 1 neutralized. Three more immediate threats, flanking. Two additional signatures approaching from the rear access conduit 7B."
Red triangles highlighted each creature on Jin's HUD, lines tracing their probable attack paths. One lunged directly for his throat. Jin reacted to pure reflex, slamming the pipe upward in a vicious arc that caught the creature under its jaw with an audible *crunch*. The impact lifted the rat off its feet, but as it flew backward, its claws raked across Jin's chest, tearing through the thin cryo-suit and into the flesh beneath.
[DAMAGE TAKEN: DEEP LACERATIONS - CHEST. SUIT HEALTH: 12%]
[PAIN LEVEL: SEVERE. ADRENALINE SURGING.]
Jin screamed as pain exploded through his torso. Blood welled from three parallel gashes, warm and wet against his skin. He shoved the dying creature away and swung wildly at another rat, catching it mid-leap and sending it tumbling with a pained yelp.
But the third had circled behind him. Before he could turn, it sank its teeth deep into his left calf.
[CRITICAL ALERT: DEEP PUNCTURE WOUND - LEFT CALF. SEVERE BLEEDING DETECTED!]
[PHOENIX PROTOCOL: ATTEMPTING LOCALIZED PAIN SUPPRESSION. MINOR SUCCESS.]
"Jin, your left leg is crippled!! Prioritize disengagement from Hostile 3!! Rear threats are close!!"
Asha's voice was distant, muffled by the roaring in his ears and the beasts' guttural growls. The pain in his leg was a blinding, white-hot agony that made his vision swim. Blood streamed down his calf, pooling on the floor beneath him. The coppery scent filled his nostrils, thick and cloying. These things wanted to tear him apart, to rip him to pieces and feast on his remains.
Something inside Jin snapped.
"Aaaaarghh...!!" The sound that tore from his throat wasn't human—it was the guttural roar of an animal backed into a corner, willing to do anything to survive.
Jin channeled every trace of his fear and desperation into raw strength. He brought the pipe down onto the head of the rat clamped to his leg. Once. Twice. Three times. With each impact, bone crunched and flesh tore. The skull shattered like rotten fruit, spraying blood and fragments of bone across Jin's face and chest. The creature's jaws finally went slack, releasing his mangled calf.
[HOSTILE 3 NEUTRALIZED. IMPROVISED MELEE WEAPON SKILL +1.5% PROFICIENCY. STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE +0.01 (COMBAT EXERTION).]
Two more rats emerged from the darkness behind him—larger than the others, with eyes that faintly glowed with an eerie luminescence. They moved with predatory intelligence, coordinating their approach.
[STATUS WARNING]
→ HP: 43%
→ LIMB DAMAGE: SEVERE LACERATION – LEFT THIGH
→ MOBILITY: IMPAIRED
Jin gasped, blood streaming down his leg and dripping onto the floor. "Asha... Help me locate their attack paths..." His eyes hardened, the fear momentarily replaced by fierce determination. His attention shifted to the red glowing arrows on his HUD.
A sharp ping echoed through his neural feed. A new overlay formed across his vision, red arcs snaking through the hallway in front of him, forming predicted movement trails.
[TACTICAL OVERLAY ONLINE]
→ HOSTILE MOVEMENT FORECAST ACTIVATED
→ THREAT CLASSIFICATION: ALPHA-CLASS MUTANT X2
→ BEHAVIOR PATTERN: AGGRESSIVE, COORDINATED
→ WEAK POINT ANALYSIS: SKULL BASE (72% VULNERABILITY), SPINAL COLUMN (65% VULNERABILITY)
Asha's tone was clipped and cool. "Two Alpha-class signatures detected. This variant exhibits higher resilience and increased aggression. Jin, your current strategy of direct confrontation against superior numbers is leading to a rapid decrease in combat effectiveness. Tactical retreat to a defensible position is advised. The Med Bay door is 15 meters ahead, to your left."
A bright yellow arrow blinked into view on his HUD, highlighting a corridor branching off to the left.
[ESCAPE ROUTE HIGHLIGHTED]
→ MED BAY ACCESS DOOR: 15.2 METERS
→ COVER & AUTO-SEAL MECHANISM CONFIRMED
→ RECOMMENDATION: EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY
Every instinct screamed at him to stand and fight, to meet these monsters head-on. But the burning pain in his leg made concentration difficult, and his vision kept blurring at the edges. Blood loss was making him dizzy and weak.
"Asha was right." He staggered back, swinging the pipe in wide arcs to keep the remaining rats at bay. One of the Alphas lunged faster than expected—Jin tried to dodge, but his injured leg collapsed beneath him. The creature's claws raked across his right forearm, tearing through muscle and tendon.
SLASH!
Pain exploded down Jin's right arm as claws tore through flesh and muscle. Blood sprayed in an arc, splattering the wall and floor. The gash was deep enough that Jin could see white bone beneath the ragged edges of tissue.
[INJURY ALERT]
→ SEVERE LACERATION: RIGHT FOREARM
→ STATUS: MAJOR ARTERIAL BLEED DETECTED
→ MOTOR FUNCTION: COMPROMISED
→ [CRITICAL] HP BELOW 25%
Jin gasped, his vision flickering. The world seemed to tilt, colors bleeding together as shock set in. He could feel his life force draining away with each heartbeat, blood pumping freely from his wounds.
[EMERGENCY RESPONSE – PHOENIX PROTOCOL ONLINE]
→ ACTIVATING CELLULAR REPAIR SURGE...
→ REDIRECTING ENERGY RESERVES
→ WARNING: STAMINA DRAIN IMMINENT
A strange warmth spread through Jin's body, momentarily dulling the worst of the pain. Energy surged through him, not healing the wounds but giving him strength to fight despite them.
'No—I won't die here! Not like this! Not when they're counting on me!'
The thought of the sleeping girls—their innocent faces frozen in cryo-sleep, completely dependent on him—ignited a fire in Jin's soul.
With a desperate, animalistic roar that echoed through the corridor, Jin met the Alpha head-on. The pipe became an extension of his will, moving with impossible speed. He smashed it into the rat's mouth with such force that teeth shattered. Before the creature could recover, Jin brought the pipe down in an overhead strike onto its exposed neck. The sound was a sickening crunch of bone and cartilage.
The other Alpha rat hesitated for a fraction of a second, caught off guard by the sudden ferocity of Jin's attack. Its glowing eyes widened slightly as it reassessed the wounded human before it.
That moment of hesitation was all Jin needed. Ignoring the screaming protests of his injured body, he lunged forward with a burst of speed that shouldn't have been possible. He swung the pipe with everything he had left, putting his entire body weight behind the blow. The metal connected with the rat's skull just above its eyes, crushing bone and driving fragments into its brain.
The creature dropped instantly, its body twitching in death throes.
[ALL HOSTILES NEUTRALIZED]
→ THREAT LEVEL: RED
→ COMBAT DURATION: 57 SECONDS
[PHOENIX PROTOCOL – STATUS REPORT]
→ EMERGENCY TRAUMA RESPONSE: ACTIVE
→ VITAL SIGNS: UNSTABLE
→ WARNING: SUSTAINED ACTIVATION WILL LEAD TO SYSTEMIC COLLAPSE
→ RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION REQUIRED
[SKILL ACQUISITION – POST-COMBAT SYNC]
COMBAT ART UNLOCKED:
DESPERATE STRIKE (LV. 1)
> WHEN HP IS CRITICALLY LOW, THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE TO UNLEASH A HIGH-IMPACT STRIKE. MAY CAUSE BONUS CRITICAL DAMAGE UNDER DESPERATION STATUS.
SURVIVAL SKILL LEARNED:
MUTATED FAUNA COMBAT BASICS (LV. 1)
> GRANTS A BASIC INSTINCTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF MUTANT CREATURE MOVEMENT PATTERNS AND AMBUSH BEHAVIORS. SLIGHT INCREASES TO PER WHEN FACING KNOWN VARIANTS.
Jin stood swaying, drenched in his own blood and foul-smelling fluids from the mutated rats. His vision doubled, then tripled, the world spinning around him. The pipe slipped from his trembling fingers, clattering to the blood-slicked floor. Adrenaline was fading fast, leaving behind excruciating pain and bone-deep exhaustion.
"Asha... Med Bay... now..." His voice was barely a whisper, weak and thready.
"Understood. Ahead are controls for Med Bay Gamma-7. Unfortunately, my scans tell me that it is—shall we say—a mess. However, it is your only immediate option for now."
Jin shuffled forward, each step sending fresh waves of agony through his body. He left bloody footprints on the grated metal floor, a trail of crimson leading to his potential salvation. Finally, he reached the Med Bay door. Fortunately, the access panel still responded to the bloody mess of his handprint on the scanner with a hiss as it slid to one side.
Med Bay was a disaster zone. Wheelchairs and stretchers lay overturned; medical equipment was shattered and smashed across the floor. Dried bloodstains decorated the walls and ceiling in grotesque patterns. In one corner, a single diagnostic bed and a supply cabinet remained miraculously untouched.
Jin barely made it to the bed before his legs gave out completely. He collapsed onto it, the world spinning into darkness as consciousness fled.
---
"Jin! Jin, get up! All sectors are about to go critical due to a power failure, and you have to wake up this instant!"
Jin's eyelids twitched before snapping open. The diagnostic bed beneath him felt hard and unyielding. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest as he tried to sit up.
"Ughh!" Pain exploded through him, sharp and all-consuming. His HUD flared with red warnings that made his head spin even more.
[CRITICAL ALERT – BIOSTATUS]
→ [BLOOD LOSS: SEVERE]
→ [MULTIPLE LACERATIONS DETECTED]
• INFECTION RISK: HIGH
• BLEEDING RATE: UNSTABLE
→ [MOBILITY IMPAIRED]
• LEFT CALF: CRITICAL DAMAGE TO MUSCLE & TENDON
• GAIT AND SPRINTING DISABLED
→ [ARM FUNCTION REDUCED]
• RIGHT FOREARM: DEEP TISSUE TRAUMA DETECTED
• GRIP STRENGTH: -47%
• WEAPON HANDLING ACCURACY: DECREASED
→ [PAIN INDEX: ACUTE]
• COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS SEVERELY AFFECTED
• RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE MEDICAL AID
"Asha...? What... what's... happening right now?" He pressed a hand to his throbbing head, the other instinctively moving to his injured leg.
"The geothermal conduit is either malfunctioning, or the primary Vault power core has undergone terminal collapse. The effect remains the same: stasis field stability for all dormant cryo units is decaying at an accelerated rate. My projections indicate total failure—and subsequent biological demise of the 14 remaining Phoenix Cohorts—in about nineteen minutes."
These words hit Jin harder than any physical blow he had endured. He thought of the sleeping girls. Their innocent faces frozen in cryo-sleep, completely dependent on him. They were going to die because he hadn't been strong enough, fast enough.
"It can't be." He pushed himself up from the diagnostic bed, ignoring the screaming protests of every muscle in his body. "No, we can still do this. I can't let them die. We need to fix it, Asha!"
"The vault's systems are in cascading failure at the moment, Jin. Our previous intervention was a first-aid applied over a severed artery, but it's not a solution. The failure in the primary circulation system of this facility has already occurred. We must act with immediate urgency."
Jin swung his legs over the side of the bed, his injured calf sending jolts of pure agony up his leg. He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached, sweat pouring down his face despite the vault's cool air. He could feel the weakness in his body, the exhaustion threatening to pull him under.
"Okay, Asha. What... what do we do?" He cast a desperate glance around the Med Bay, his mind racing despite the pain.
The dim flickering emergency lights of Med Bay Gamma-7 did little to illuminate the carnage. Shadows danced like ghosts across the ruined medical equipment.
"Your Phoenix Core is attempting to stabilize significant bleeding in your body, but sustained hemorrhaging is still ongoing. System energy is being diverted to keep you alive, thereby narrowing our operational window. You must address your bodily injuries right now."
His HUD changed, displaying a simplified anatomical representation of himself with red zones highlighting his injuries. Critical statistics pulsed beside the image:
[PHOENIX CORE – STATUS REPORT]
SUBJECT: JIN | CLASS: PHOENIX PRIME
HP: 32 / 120 → (CRITICAL – MODERATE BLOOD LOSS)
STAMINA: 15 / 120 → (SEVERE TRAUMA PENALTY ACTIVE)
CORE ENERGY: 45%
• STATUS: RAPID DEPLETION
• FUNCTION: EMERGENCY TRAUMA RESPONSE ACTIVE
Jin swallowed hard, his throat dry. "Okay... okay, Asha. Find the supplies." Looking at his broken body on his HUD, he endured the stinging pain that seemed to consume every nerve ending.
[INJURY MAP ONLINE]
VISUAL OVERLAY ACTIVE. RED ZONES INDICATE CRITICAL DAMAGE:
→ [SEVERE BLEEDING – LEFT CALF]
→ [MINOR BLEEDING – RIGHT FOREARM]
→ [MOBILITY IMPAIRED]
STATUS EFFECTS:
• [PAIN: ACUTE] → -25% ALL PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES, -15% COGNITIVE FOCUS
• [INFECTION RISK: HIGH]
• [BLEEDING ONGOING]
"The primary medical supply cabinet in this bay appears relatively intact. Coordinates highlighted on your HUD. Probability of viable antiseptics, coagulants, and sterile bandages: 68%. This constitutes an immediate, critical objective, Jin."
A new notification pinged on his HUD:
[NEW QUEST RECEIVED — CRITICAL]
[FIELD MEDIC: SELF]
OBJECTIVE:
STABILIZE YOUR CONDITION USING AVAILABLE MEDICAL RESOURCES INSIDE MED BAY GAMMA-7.
CONDITIONS:
• TIME LIMIT: 04:00
→ BEFORE PHOENIX CORE REDIRECTS ALL ENERGY TO FULL-BODY STASIS (MOBILITY LOCK).
• STATUS: CRITICAL INJURIES / LIMITED MOBILITY
• DIFFICULTY: HIGH
→ SEVERE DEBUFFS, LIMITED RESOURCES, COMPROMISED COGNITIVE FOCUS
REWARDS (BASED ON COMPLETION QUALITY):
• +HP RESTORATION
• [BLEEDING] STATUS: REMOVED
• [PAIN] DEBUFF: TEMPORARILY REDUCED
• SKILL PROGRESSION: BASIC FIRST AID UNLOCKED
• SYSTEM ENERGY: MINOR RECOVERY
FAILURE CONSEQUENCE:
• CORE SHUTDOWN
• PHYSICAL COLLAPSE → IMMEDIATE UNCONSCIOUSNESS
• PROJECTED OUTCOME: BIOLOGICAL DEATH
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
PRIORITIZE WOUND TREATMENT. SCAVENGE, DISINFECT, STABILIZE. PHOENIX CORE CANNOT HOLD MUCH LONGER.
His HUD showed the timer already counting down: [04:00]. Jin stumbled toward the highlighted cabinet, his injured leg screaming with each step. He fumbled the cabinet open, revealing a chaotic mess of medical supplies—some intact, others damaged or contaminated.
"Asha, what do I grab? It's... literally a mess." His vision blurred at the edges, his mouth so dry it felt like sandpaper. The hunger that had gnawed at him since waking from cryo-sleep was now unbearable, a constant ache in his stomach.
"Prioritize: Hemostatic agents—look for packaging labeled 'QuikClot' or similar. Broad-spectrum antiseptic solutions—'Chlorhexidine' or 'Povidone-Iodine.' Sterile compress bandages. Nutrient paste and hydration solution packs are also highly advisable for stamina and HP regeneration if time permits after addressing the critical bleeding."
Jin's shaking hands found a packet of hemostatic granules, an antiseptic spray, and several large bandages as Asha called out visual cues. Though his Basic First Aid skill guided his clumsy but desperate attempts, he poured the gel-like granules onto his bleeding calf. The sensation was excruciating—a burning sting that made him gasp—but he could feel the bleeding slowly as the granules reacted with his blood, forming a temporary seal.
[BASIC FIRST AID SKILL APPLIED: HEMOSTATIC AGENT — PARTIAL SUCCESS]
→ STATUS EFFECT UPDATE: [SEVERE BLEEDING → MINOR BLEEDING] (LEFT CALF)
[HP: 30 / 120]
Jin hissed between clenched teeth as the burning sting of antiseptic hit the open wounds on his chest and forearm. The cold mist bit into his skin, but he didn't stop. His hand trembled violently, but he forced himself to spray evenly over each laceration, knowing infection would be a death sentence.
[BASIC FIRST AID TECHNIQUE USED: ANTISEPTIC APPLICATION — SUCCESS]
→ STATUS EFFECT UPDATED: [INFECTION RISK: HIGH → MODERATE]
For his right arm, wrapping the bandages was a difficult, one-handed task. Each movement sent fresh waves of pain through him, but he forced himself to work quickly and efficiently. The quest timer read: [00:01:30] remaining.
"Sufficient for now; the bleeding is stabilized. My scans indicate two nutrient paste tubes and one hydration bladder within your immediate reach. Consume them right away; your stamina is critically low."
Jin grabbed them. The nutrient paste was a thick, greyish substance that tasted faintly of metal and chemicals, but he forced it down, knowing he needed the strength. The water from the bladder was lukewarm and had a faint recycled taste, but it was the most refreshing thing he'd ever consumed.
[NUTRIENT PASTE CONSUMED]
→ HP RESTORED: +10 (OVERHEAL ABSORBED)
→ [PAIN] DEBUFF SLIGHTLY REDUCED
[HYDRATION SOLUTION CONSUMED]
→ STAMINA +15
→ [PAIN] DEBUFF FURTHER REDUCED
[HP: 120 / 120]
[STAMINA: 120 / 120]
[QUEST TIMER: 00:00:03…]
[QUEST COMPLETE – FIELD MEDIC: SELF]
REWARDS GRANTED:
• HP RESTORED: +10 (OVERHEAL ABSORBED)
• [BLEEDING] STATUS: REMOVED
• [PAIN] DEBUFF REDUCED → MODERATE (−15% PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES, −10% COGNITIVE FOCUS)
• SKILL PROGRESSION: BASIC FIRST AID +15%
→ NOW LEVEL 2: "COMPETENT APPLICATION"
• SYSTEM ENERGY RESTORED: +5% (NOW 50%)
[NEW PASSIVE SKILL UNLOCKED – BASIC FIRST AID LV. 2]
→ MINOR WOUND RESILIENCE: REDUCES PENALTY FROM MINOR LACERATIONS AND ABRASIONS BY 25%. SLIGHTLY INCREASES PAIN RESISTANCE.
Jin slumped against the cabinet, breathing heavily. The pain had receded to a manageable throb, but he could feel the exhaustion in his bones, the desperate urge to sleep pulling at him.
"Okay… okay, that's… better. Still hurts like hell, though." He looked at his updated stats with wonder. "So, this Phoenix Core… really makes me stronger?"
"The Phoenix Core AI is linked to your unique genetic structure. Project Phoenix was about evolution and enhanced survivability for its prime subject—that's you, Jin. And my functions include explaining your potential growth parameters."
Her voice took on a more lecture-like tone, and Jin's HUD displayed corresponding icons and brief descriptions:
"Adaptive Biometric Augmentation: As you've experienced, your physical attributes—Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Endurance, Resilience, Perception—improve through targeted training and practical application. The Core accelerates muscle development, neural pathway optimization, and sensory acuity beyond baseline human capabilities. What might take years for others, you can achieve in months or weeks with focused effort."
HUD shows his current stats:
[PHOENIX CORE // SUBJECT: JIN]
CURRENT STATUS: STABILIZED – POST-COMBAT RECOVERY ONGOING
CORE ATTRIBUTES
• STR (STRENGTH): 4.77
→ INFLUENCES MELEE POWER, LIFTING CAPACITY, BLUNT WEAPON DAMAGE
• DEX (DEXTERITY): 1.22 (−0.03 ACTIVE DEBUFF)
→ AFFECTS FINE MOTOR CONTROL, AIMING PRECISION, TOOL USE
• AGI (AGILITY): 3.50 (−15% DEBUFF ACTIVE)
→ AFFECTS MOVEMENT SPEED, DODGE TIMING, BALANCE
• END (ENDURANCE): 4.00
→ INCREASES HP POOL, STAMINA REGEN, FATIGUE RESISTANCE
• RES (RESILIENCE): 3.80 (+0.10 BONUS: ADAPTIVE COMBAT RESPONSE)
→ MITIGATES DAMAGE FROM WOUNDS, TOXINS, ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS
• PER (PERCEPTION): 4.20
→ ENHANCES ENEMY DETECTION, TRAP AWARENESS, PRECISION HUD CALIBRATION
"Skill Matrix: The system identifies, tracks, and enhances learned skills, from combat arts to technical proficiencies. Repeated successful actions create 'muscle memory' and cognitive pathways at an accelerated rate. New skills or 'Combat Arts' can be unlocked through specific achievements or attribute thresholds, as you saw with 'Desperate Strike'."
HUD shows his current skills:
[PHOENIX CORE // ACTIVE SKILL MODULE – SUBJECT: JIN]
CORE SKILLS
• IMPROVISED MELEE WEAPON (LV. 5 – 7.7%)
→ EXPERTISE IN USING BLUNT OR SCAVENGED MELEE OBJECTS WITH SURPRISING EFFICIENCY. INCREASED IMPACT FORCE, FASTER WIND-UP, AND IMPROVED DURABILITY HANDLING.
• ATHLETICS – BASIC FEATS OF STRENGTH (LV. 1 – 0.5%)
→ COVERS PUSHING, PULLING, LIFTING, AND CARRYING UNDER PRESSURE. BASIC RESISTANCE TO PHYSICAL STRAIN.
• BASIC FIRST AID (LV. 2 – 0.0%)
→ COMPETENT UNDERSTANDING OF MEDICAL KITS, WOUND TREATMENT, AND FIELD STABILIZATION. REDUCES INFECTION RISK, IMPROVES HP/STAMINA RECOVERY EFFICIENCY.
– PASSIVE UNLOCKED: MINOR WOUND RESILIENCE
→ SMALL REDUCTION TO EFFECTS OF MINOR LACERATIONS AND ABRASIONS.
COMBAT INSTINCT SKILLS
• MUTATED FAUNA COMBAT BASICS (LV. 1 – 0.0%)
→ BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF MOVEMENT AND BEHAVIOR PATTERNS OF MUTATED VAULT FAUNA. SLIGHT DETECTION BOOST AGAINST LOW-INTELLIGENCE HOSTILES. OPENS ADAPTIVE COMBAT PATHS.
• COMBAT ART: DESPERATE STRIKE
→ A POWERFUL STRIKE WITH A HIGH CRITICAL CHANCE WHEN HP IS CRITICALLY LOW. TRIGGERED UNDER SURVIVAL STRESS. COOLDOWN APPLIES. (LV. 1 – PASSIVE TRIGGER)
"Regenerative Nanite Sub-System or what you called Nano-machines (Currently Basic - Requires Higher System Energy & Specific Bio-catalysts): Your DNA contains the blueprint for a colony of restorative nanites. At full potential, they can repair significant tissue damage, neutralize toxins entering your body, and even combat certain pathogens. They currently offer minor trauma mitigation and pain suppression, but their true capabilities are still locked."
Jin stared, eyes wide with awe. Nano-machines? Those tiny machines were inside his body right now, working to keep him alive? The thought was both terrifying and incredible.
"Environmental Adaptation and Analysis: My sensors and your senses enable quick analysis of new settings. I can detect resources that will increase our chances of survival, as well as any type of flora and their properties. I can also conduct real-time research for unknown flora that now exist in our surroundings. In addition to fauna, I can examine their habits and capabilities, as well as assess if they pose a threat to your survival. I am well-versed in all aspects of technology and structural information."
"Vast Information Archive & Tactical Support: As previously discussed, I am your direct link to pre-disaster knowledge and can provide ongoing tactical and strategic counsel."
Jin slowly shook his head, trying to process it all. "So… my parents… they made me into… like a super-human?"
"They made you into humanity's best hope. A responsibility I am programmed to help you fulfill. The Auxiliary Fusion Core in Sub-Level Engineering is our only path to secure that hope for the others. Now the clock is still ticking."
On his HUD, the main timer pulsed: [STASIS PODS OFFLINE IN: 00:14:22]
Jin pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily on the pipe he'd recovered. Each movement sent fresh waves of pain through his body, but he forced himself to stand tall. "So we have an eleven percent chance, you said?"
"That was before the treatment, Jin. With your wounds partially addressed, I have recalibrated. Current probability of success: 13.1%. Marginal, but it will improve depending on the situation."
"I'll take it." He looked toward the door of the Med Bay, his expression hardening with determination. "Which way to our destination, Asha? Let's go make that number bigger."
His eyes burned with newfound resolve—the unbreakable will of someone who had faced death and refused to yield. No matter what lay ahead, he would protect the sleeping girls. He would survive. He would fight.