Jin stumbled back, chest heaving and the bloody pipe bent beyond use in his hand.
"Target neutralized. Congratulations, Jin. You've officially killed something with less than one percent chance of survival. Again."
A moment of silence fell, broken only by Jin's ragged breathing and the dull ping of the destroyed pipe clattering to the floor.
"…You actually pulled it off." Sera said, behind his back.
"Y-yeah.. " Jin struggled to breathe as tiredness started to overtake him.
The stench of the Crawler's body sizzled against the steel floor behind them, and the air smelled of rotting and burning metal.
Suddenly, the hall trembled.
Then the shrieks began.
SKKKKRREEEEEEEEE-CHAK-CHHK!!
Jin turned his head and saw the shadows move too many limbs, Clambering over the walls, like a tide of living nightmares.
"Warning: Apex variants detected—rear quadrant breach. 13 confirmed signatures. Estimated contact in 35 seconds."
"GO! GO! Don't look back!" Jin shouted, his heart bumped rapidly in his chest.
The toolkit was tightly held by Clara, as she struggled to keep up her pace with her legs moving slowly behind. Meanwhile, Rosa was out of breath, with a trickle of blood staining her cheek from a minor cut. Sera, on the other hand, was firmly holding onto her plasma rifle, her silver hair damp and plastered to her neck as a result of the sweat.
A crawler's shriek echoed from the vent above.
"GO TO THE LEFT! at the Junction now!" Jin roared.
They turned, metal screeched overhead as a crawler slammed into the ceiling grate, denting it inward inches from where Rosa had passed.
"They're above us—they're in the GODDAMN CEILINGS!" Rosa panting as she runs terrified.
"Asha—w-where do we go!?" Jin's HUD flared –
[PATHFINDER MODE: ACTIVE]
> Command Wing – 92 meters. Right Corridor. Hazard: Partial Collapse. Debris Detour Initiated. Estimated ETA: 33 Seconds.
"Redirected. Prepare yourself for an uneven path ahead. If you trip, the consequences could be fatal."
As they ran desperately through the twisting corridor, the ground seemed to shift beneath their feet, an unmistakable tremor signaling that the monster had just collided forcefully with the wall in the distance as they turned the corner.
Clara felt her legs wobble, and just when it seemed as if she might fall, Jin swiftly reached out from behind, his grip firm and reassuring, pulling her back from the brink of disaster.
"I-I'm slowing you down l-leave me—!" Clara gasped, struggling to breathe as the air seemed to slip away from her.
"Not a chance! Just hang on!" Jin lifted her onto his shoulder, gritting his teeth against the pain of his injuries as they continued to run.
Another shriek— it's closer this time.
SKRRRRRAK! SKITTER-CLACK-CLACK!
Sera twisted her body and fired blind behind them. The plasma lance shrieked, lighting the corridor.
KA-BAAAAAAAAAAAAM!
A cacophony of anguished screams erupted, the kind that sent shivers down the spine—inhumane wails emanating from throats that had been torn apart. In the midst of this chaos, the Crawlers surged ahead, propelled by their grotesque movements.
Their limbs twitched erratically, while the sound of their joints cracking echoed in the air, reminiscent of bones being pulled apart in reverse.
The eyes, now a ghastly shade of white, were set deep within hollow sockets that seemed to absorb all light. From their chests and stomachs, mouths grotesquely unfolded, gaping wide as if they were ravenous voids eager to consume everything in their path. The air around them crackled with a palpable sense of hunger.
These nightmarish figures advanced like a tide, a relentless wave of what were once human beings, now twisted and deformed. Their sole purpose seemed to be dragging anyone nearby into the enveloping darkness that beckoned ominously behind them. The scene was charged with an overwhelming dread.
"I'll buy you time—you better make them count!" Sera shouted and was breathless.
Jin slammed his hand against the Command Wing door panel—it didn't open.
"Secondary lock still active. Recommend: Clara to manual override required. 15 seconds before contact."
"Clara! It's still locked, Asha said you need to manual override! 14 seconds before they get here!"
"I-I—o-okay,—just keep them b-back!" Clara dropped to her knees beside the locked Command Wing panel, her hands trembling but only for a second. Fear didn't freeze her.
She yanked a bypass cable from her toolkit, sweat dripping down her brow as she jammed it into the corroded access port.
"O-okay… old V-vault-Tec firmware... Please don't fry…" Clara muttered.
Her fingers began to move—fast and fluid. They danced across the manual keypad with the grace of a pianist, striking keys in rapid succession, triggering maintenance overrides. Her fingers moved on their own, guided by instinct and pure muscle memory in motion.
"Subject Clara's typing speed exceeds 110 keystrokes per 10 seconds. Suggest nickname: 'Code Witch'."
Rosa half-laughing throughout the panic "What the hell is she?!"
Jin glanced back—the Crawlers were almost on them. One was clinging to the ceiling, its claws carving deep furrows into the steel as it prepared to leap.
Rosa gritting her teeth "Come on… Come on you ancient rust-bucket open up!"
"Jim, 5 seconds before contact!" Asha panics in Jin's neural link
"THEY'RE COMING!!" Rosa screamed.
"Got it!" Clara shouted as she ran.
The door slid open.
Jin forcefully pushed Clara through the door, urgency fueling his actions. He quickly followed up by grabbing Rosa and Sera, tossing them into the safety of the room as well.
Just as he was about to leap in himself, Jin felt a rush of adrenaline as a razor-sharp claw swiped at the door frame, leaving a searing, hissing gash that emphasized the danger they were in.
With a final determined effort, he dove inside, feeling the intense heat from the claw's strike as the door slammed shut behind him, sealing them in from the terrifying threat that lurked outside. The sound of the door slamming echoed in the room, a stark reminder of how close they had come to disaster.
BOOM. BOOM.
Metal groaned as something slammed into the other side.
Clara collapsed to her knees, she was panting then offered a weak smile.
"Current survival probability has risen from 12% to 38%. Congratulations. You're only mildly doomed.
Jin leaned back against the cold steel, chest heaving, eyes darting to each of them—all alive and terrified.
But they made it.
____________________
[STATUS SCREEN – UPDATE COMPLETE]
[Jin - Subject-01]
Level: 6
EXP: 120 / 1000
HP: 64 / 160
Stamina: 52 / 160
Core Attributes:
STR (Strength): 19.77 → 24.77
Influences melee damage, physical lifting, pipe combat, and strike momentum.
DEX (Dexterity): 4.22 → 6.22
Affects precision, aiming with improvised or advanced weapons.
AGI (Agility): 10.50 → 15.50
Increases movement speed, dodge chance, and reaction timing.
END (Endurance): 12.00 → 14.00
Increases HP, resistance to fatigue, and stamina regen.
RES (Resilience): 11.80 → 13.80
Reduces damage taken from physical, environmental, and toxin sources.
PER (Perception): 12.60 → 17.60
Enhances awareness, enemy detection, HUD accuracy, weak point identification.
Skills:
Night Vision (Passive Lv. 1)
Amplifies low-light visibility; shadows become crisp, outlines glow faintly. Minor energy drain while active.
Stealth (Passive Lv. 1)
Reduces noise, thermal presence, and movement visibility. Boosts evasion in shadowy or cluttered environments.
Tsundere Radar (Passive Lv. 1)
Social intuition skill. Helps interpret contradictory cues from tsundere-type individuals. Low success rate. May trigger backlash.
Basic First Aid (Active Lv. 3 → 63%)
Now faster to apply and slightly reduces stamina drain. Heals minor-to-moderate wounds, stabilizes bleeding, usable mid-combat.
Melee Weapon Mastery (Lv. 5 → 58.4%)
Strike accuracy, speed, combo potential significantly improved.
Adds 5% crit chance with blunt/bladed weapons.
Athletics – Basic Strength Feats (Lv. 2 → 30.0%)
Allows above-average breaking, throwing, lifting actions. Improves door-forcing and object manipulation in crises.
Mutated Fauna Combat Basics (Lv. 1 → 70.1%)
Unlocked targeting pattern recognition. Bonus evasion vs. Crawlers & similar mutants. Displays weak points, stun windows, and pack behavior tendencies.
Combat Art: Desperate Strike (Cooldown: 1 minute)
A reckless, high-impact finishing blow. Accuracy and crit chance increase at low HP. Leaves users vulnerable on miss.
Instinct Surge (Active Lv. 2)
Duration: 10s | Cooldown: 5 minutes
Temporarily boosts STR, AGI, PER by +30%. Triggers tunnel vision and hyper-focus.
New: HUD now synchronizes predictive movement lines.
Accidental Harem Magnet (Passive – Max Lv. 5)
+25% chance for "accidental ecchi scenarios."
+15% affinity gain in emotionally tense or awkward moments.
Harem Synergy Pulse (Active): +5% affinity to all members (Cooldown: 24h)
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED]
(Predator Instinct (Passive Lv. 1 – 56.0%)
Developed through high-adrenaline survival in predatory combat. Alerts users to concealed enemies and ambush patterns. Slight time dilation during critical threat detection. Enhances perception of terrain danger zones, blood trails, and intent.)
Group Affinities (Based on choices, actions, combat rescue)
Seraphina Valerius: 42 → 49 / 100
Leadership Synergy: +20% team coordination when Sera gives a command.
Clara Vance: 45 → 59 / 100
Morale Boost: +25% group stamina regen. Combat Rescuer bonus activated.
Rosalie Thorne: 45 → 47 / 100
Evasion Bonus: +15% agility vs. packing enemies when fighting near Rosa.
Morale: 90%