Ash crouched by the doorway, crowbar strapped to his pack, crow-feather scarf wrapped around his mouth.
The world outside wasn't quiet.
It simmered.
Faint whispers rode the wind—glitching echoes that came from nowhere. From memories. Or maybe from the Redroot. It didn't matter. Noise was normal now.
He tapped the side of his HUD.
[Route Calculated]
Target: Substation Ruins
Estimated Travel Time: 17 Minutes
Zone Type: Contaminated – Level 1
Threat Markers: Light Bloomfield Activity / Nestbound Potential
He exhaled once, then stepped out into the dead city.
The road had cracked into fragments.
Redroot veins split the pavement, pulsing beneath his boots like something half-awake. Houses leaned against each other like drunks, windows hollow, doors hanging open. Some whispered. He didn't check why.
He kept moving.
Ash knew how to walk silent. Stick to the sidewalk, avoid puddles, keep peripheral scan active. The system rewarded patience.
[Scavenger Lv.1 – Passive Active]
Detected: Loot Signature – 4 o'clock, 8 meters
Type: Abandoned Courier Bag
Risk: Low (Unmoving Zone)
He hesitated. Time spent looting was time exposed. But instinct said yes.
He ducked behind a rusted sedan, pried the courier satchel out from under it.
Loot Gained:
Binding Thread ×2
Metal Hooks ×3
Filter Mask (25% Integrity)
Crackling Datachip (Type: Audio Log)
The last item made his hand pause.
He tucked it away.
Seventeen minutes stretched to twenty-two.
A spore storm was forming—Ash could taste it in the air. Static and decay. Not lethal yet, but enough to twist paths and fry equipment. He increased pace.
The closer he got to the Substation, the worse it became.
Plants grew sideways. Rust floated in the air. Dead things didn't stay still.
At the base of an old billboard, he spotted the remains of someone else's camp. Two faded sleeping bags. One snapped radio. And a message scratched into the concrete in faded red:
"THE ROOT REMEMBERS. THE ROOT REMEMBERS."
Ash stepped over it. He didn't look back.
The Substation emerged from the fog like a ribcage.
Old-world tech. Metal walls. Exposed turbines and a collapsed tower leaning into a tree that had no right being red.
He crouched on the approach ridge, checked his readouts.
ZONE STATUS: ACTIVE
Redroot Bloom Activity: Minimal
Power Line Status: Fried
Interior Signal: Jammed
Loot Probability: High
Infection Risk: Medium (3-minute exposure threshold)
Three minutes inside. Then he'd have to fall back.
Good.
Tactical Entry Mode Engaged.
He slid down the embankment and moved fast.
Crowbar out. Eyes locked. He passed a shredded workbench, kicked open a rust-warped service hatch, and slipped inside.
The stench hit immediately. Spore rot. Something… exhaled.
Inside the substation, it wasn't dark. It glowed.
Redroot veins had breached the far wall, pulsing faint light through the control panels. The grid still sparked with ghost energy — lights flickering with no power source. The Foundation Core pinged sharply.
ALERT: Passive Bloom node Detected
Classification: Pre-Heart Bloom Fragment
Status: Dormant – 5% Activation Threshold
Threat: Potential Awakening on Disturbance
Ash froze mid-step.
The bloom node was wrapped around the main transformer. Like it had grown there. Like it owned it.
He needed that transformer.
Objective: Harvest Power Core Shard
Required Tool: Dismantle Driver (Not Present)
Substitute Option: Manual Pry Risk – 78% Bloom Reaction Chance
He exhaled through his teeth. "Figures."
He could walk away. Play safe. But the core shard was worth it—an entire module upgrade, maybe a future turret base.
He gripped the crowbar tighter.
Then moved.
Timer: 3:00
Pry Sequence Engaged...
[Tink!]
[Tug.]
[Pulse.]
2:47 Remaining.
Ash kept pressure steady. Sweat beaded down his spine. The node twitched. A piece of root snapped as he pulled.
[System Notice: Material Extracted – Power Core Shard ×1]
Bloom Node Reaction – 12%
Time to Exit: 2:15
He didn't wait.
He sprinted.
Passed the consoles, vaulted the hatch, rolled down the slope, and didn't stop until the station was a memory.
Ten minutes later, he sat on a half-collapsed car and caught his breath.
[Inventory Updated]
Loot: Power Core Shard (Stable)
Exposure Level: Cleansing Required (Mask integrity: 4%)
Skill Progression: Scavenger Lv.1 → 63%
Foundation Core Expansion Rate: +2%
The system gave no fanfare.
But Ash didn't need praise.
He needed parts. Power. Plans.
And now, he had one more piece.
Back at base, he slotted the shard into the console port.
The lights surged. The base grid stabilized. A new interface blinked alive:
MODULE UNLOCKED: Workshop Node (Blueprints Tier I)
New Craftable: Dismantle Driver
System Tier: 1.2 Progress
Ash leaned back and smiled for the first time.
The world was still broken.
But he wasn't.
Not yet.