"What happened to her?!"
Brooks asked, surprised by what happened to Suki , as Levi urged them to rush out. They crawled out of the vents and began scanning the area for anomalies. Orion took the lead, followed by Levi, Brooks, and Mochi. They advanced cautiously, eyes sweeping every visible corner. Flickering lights hinted at the failing power supply. Desks, research materials, and scattered documents littered the space. Mochi followed them as they stepped out of the room, heading toward the marked floor to continue the mission objective.
Orion took the lead, with Levi and Brooks behind him, and Mochi following. They moved forward as they scanned the zone, watching every visible space; the flickering lights showed signs of low power supply. Desks, research materials, and documents were everywhere.
Mochi followed them as they moved out of the room toward the floor to proceed with the mission objective.
SGI Confidential Medicus Sector
Level 3-5: Scientists & researchers (Floors D-L)
FLOOR MAP
Facility Type: Underground Secret Biomedical Research Lab
Primary Research Fields: Genetic, Biomechanical, and Radiation Experimentation
Tracking System: Alphabetic Floor Designation (A-Z) with Numbered Sectors
A - C
D - G
H - L
M - R
S - X
D1 – Experimental Zones
(Configurable labs for various experiments)
D2 – Cryogenic Storage
(Preserved biological specimens)
E1 – Genetic Research Wing
(DNA modification and bioengineering)
E2 – Nanotechnology Labs
(Micro-scale biomedical developments)
F1 – Biomechanical Research
(Cybernetic and artificial limb development)
F2 – Radiation Exposure Lab
(Testing radiation effects on living organisms)
G1 – Specimen Analysis
(Post-experiment analysis and autopsy rooms)
────────────────
"Floor F2, hmm. Orion?" Levi said, as Orion replied.
"All clear around this premise, but I am worried about the radiation site," Levi says.
"Yeah, there must be anomalies," Brooks casually tries to calm Mochi.
"Or who knows, it might be empty. Stay optimistic." They both disagree, without saying anything.
At least in front of the kid," Brooks said, remembering his earlier mention and asking,
"And what happened to Suki? Was it the water?" Orion replies,
"Most probably, but I sensed another one with her as well." Levi continues the conversation with some thought...
"Yeah! But something was odd about her," Orion says.
What we know now is Suki is compromised, to say the least, and we can't sidetrack from the main objective, which is to obtain the black box and rescue survivors and the VIP," Brooks said.
"Okay, first let's get to the locations then," Levi said to the AI.
"Bella, which way is the closest and most secure way to get to the W1 Floor?"
"In order to get to W1 safely, it is not possible considering the recent encounters with anomalies," Bella said.
"But we need to get to the area as well as find the VIP Member, Board Code 2."
"With the given information, I cannot estimate the surroundings within a 100-meter radius. I can give you the closest route to get to W1. Because of my offline connectivity, I cannot access the surveillance."
"Can you go online?" Orion asked. Bella replied,
"Yes, I need the user confirmation." Then Orion says,
"This AI sucks. I thought it could get us to the location quickly and safely." Levi tells them to calm down.
"Access granted."
"Hopefully something good..." Brooks says as the AI starts to access the server. It says,
"Access denied due to power outages in the facility."
Orion said, frustrated,
"Still useless!" Brooks replies.
"Well, just give me the locations then," Levi says.
"At least we know that the power supply has been off for a long time. Thank you, Bella," Orion said, as Brooks replied.
"Still not helping, mate." Mochi giggles as they proceed to the G1 sector. Bella slowly tried to access the information around them. It beeped,
"Detected unidentified anomaly." The operatives stand in tri-formation, guarding the kid at the center. As they look for anomalies, Levi asks,
"Where, and how many?" Brooks says to Orion,
"Orion, can you sense it?"
"What the f**k. No! I can't."
"What? How can you not sense it?"
"There is only one person I can't sense, if she wants to..."
"..."
"Beep... Unidentified anomaly at 6 o'clock towards Levi. One identified. 20 meters close. Highly hostile."
"Suki?"
"Correction, two anomalies detected. Code Red."
"S**t, things are gonna get dirty."
(In Japanese)
"Hey boys, it's time to die..." Yuki says.
Yuki and Suki come into view. The whole place is dark and has an eerie vibe with a rusty smell. Suki is docile, she feels delicate but hostile at the same time, completely unreadable while Yuki is completely active and gazes at them with excitement and bloodlust. Yuki says to Suki,
"It's time, Suki. Let's finish them and get home soon."
"I... miss... home... Please... Die!"
Orion and Brook said, ready for action.
"Guys, we are prepared for this, right?"
"Levi, you good?"
"Yes, we have to eliminate traitors at any cost. Formation set—no mercy, engage."
"Orion, where is Mochi?"
"I thought he's with you, s**t!"
"Guys, focus. Here they come!"
Shots fired...
Mochi is gone. Levi stands at the center, Brooks on the left, and Orion on the right, armed and cautious. Yuki rushes forward to strike with Suki close behind. Levi fires precise headshots. Yuki manifests two black dual swords, weaving through the bullets with fluid footwork, and closes the distance. Just as she prepares to strike, her vision warps, hallucinations flickering in her mind. Levi seizes the opening and lands a clean, unavoidable headshot. Suki pulls Yuki back just in time and counters, lunging with her claws. Levi narrowly evades and returns fire.
"Fall back!" Suki warns, sensing something. Orion lunges at Yuki, but she vanishes. His sidearm, mounted in his forearm, shifts into his hand as he fires at Suki. She darts forward, evading, and is about to slash Orion when Brooks leaps over him to strike. But Suki anticipates it, countering with a sharp low front kick to Brooks head.
Their suits adapt to their abilities, but the ongoing battle is wearing them down. Yuki suddenly reappears behind Levi. He spins, already aware—his infection letting him sense her presence.
[20% Yuki – 40% Suki]
Levi fires, but Yuki strikes from behind. Brooks' eyes widen as Levi's suit begins to fail. Suki claws across his mask, fracturing the inhaler. Orion curses,
"S**t, both of them are compromised!"
His body shifts, engulfed in biomass.
[BIOSKELETON – Hardened exoskeleton counters physical attacks. Strength increased, speed reduced. Biomass generation enhanced.]
Orion charges forward, deliberately drawing their attacks. He slams Yuki against the wall, his jaw mutating into a monstrous maw ready to bite her head off. She vanishes again, but his heightened senses detect a trace, his matter clinging to her shoulder. He follows her trail and strikes back.
Meanwhile, Suki engages Brook, overwhelming him with brute force and precision. Levi, barely conscious, channels his infection to warn Orion:
"They know how we fight!"
Orion pins Suki while trapping Yuki against the wall with biomass spears from his chest. Yuki stops moving, and for a moment Suki freezes too, trembling. Yuki teleports and starts whispering something to her, unsettling Orion who thought his biomass remains intact. He thinks quickly:
Yuki – Able to produce weapons from black matter, teleport at will, and fully aware of our combat styles. Can manipulate Suki's mind. Must eliminate her.
Suki – Physique manipulation, superior senses, and flexibility. Right now, I'm disoriented by hallucinations.
Orion steadies his breath. Both enemies advance. He hides his right hand, reshaping his left arm into a huge shield. Suki strikes first; he blocks. Yuki teleports behind, slashing his shoulder. She notices his hand buried deep in the ground. Brook protects Levi in the corner. Orion mutters,
"I understand now!"
[70% Yuki – 90% Suki]
Before the fight, Orion had coated himself with Levi's blood. Now he unleashes his final stance—Bioskeleton Surge. Yuki and Suki tear at his armor, but the ground erupts as biomass tentacles whip outward, ensnaring both. Their bodies are forced into contact with Levi's blood which affects them making them unmovable. Orion exhausted collapses, drained, his biomass fading.
Levi steps forward to seize control. To his shock, Yuki resists. She lunges, immune to his blood. Levi evades, while Brooks restrains her, shouting,
"Try again!"
Levi can't—then realization strikes.
Bella's voice cuts through the chaos:
"The unknown entity is identified—Yuki: Hana Nakamoto, daughter of Daichi Nakamoto. Status: Deceased. Cause of death: Daichi Nakamoto."
The team freezes to comprehend the information. Yuki reappears, her face and hair shifting to reveal Hana's true form. She smirks,
"Time's up, boys."
The ground quakes violently as the notice this whole time the veins were growing through the entire space. They lose balance. Levi reaches for Suki, but she vanishes, along with the others. In his last glimpse, dark veins writhe across the space.
────────────────
They were teleported. The new place was immense, like a colossal evergreen globe with a false sapphire sky, far larger than the Exhibition Dome. Levi realized instantly. This is the destination they have been trying to reach since the beginning of the mission, the location of the Black Box, Floor X1. Bella broadcasts:
"Warning: High toxicity detected. Infection levels: Extremely Critical. Immediate evacuation advised.
"Well, now the tables have turned," Orion mutters as he coughs.
"Give me time, I'll break through... this!" Brooks strained against the vines. Levi asks Orion,
"Any way out of this?"
Orion snarls, "I can't sense s**t, mate. F**k!"
A deep, guttural roar echoes, shaking the dome. They spot movement, a grotesque, red-and-green mass of vines stretching from top to bottom, connected to a massive, cocoon-like structure. Inside it, a figure sleeps. Hana strolls past as thorned vines bind the operatives, all except Suki, still unconscious.
Bella's voice: "Protocol Ghost-Town initiated. Code Red confirmed."
Orion whispers, horrified, "Guys... inside the cocoon..."
Hana smiles, "He is waking up."
It's Nakamoto.
The stench of wet soil filled the air—nostalgic yet unnerving. The wind howled like it was sweeping across an open field, but the setting felt more like a haunted forest. Periodic screams echoed rhythmically through the vast chamber.
At the center loomed the cocoon, pulsing with veins of muscle and plant matter, grotesque yet mesmerizing its twitching flesh sprouting flowers. The cocoon tore apart. Crimson Red Butterfly-like wings burst forth.
(In Japanese)
"さて,何だろう?"
(Well, what can it be?)
A strange new voice, one Levi had never heard before, spoke from beside him. Standing there was a Japanese man in a white suit, his lips painted black. A chill ran down Orion's spine as Levi used his skill to track the life source. He saw thick red veins of energy spreading throughout the space, glowing like liquid fire. Brooks, bound and struggling, broke free and threw a heavy straight punch, but he couldn't land a hit.
The cocoon burst open, releasing eerie Japanese performers and musicians who began to sing and dance. The sight felt like a hallucination, surreal and abnormal. In the background, 'Kaiju' by sakanaction played by the performers, heightening the tension.
"Ah, what's the hurry, Americans?" the man sneered, switching to English. With a casual flick, he sent Brooks flying as though struck by a tsunami. Brooks slammed into a sharp wall corner, the impact cracking his spine as the water doubled the effect.
Orion, enraged, broke free and drew his bio great sword. As he struck, he was cut down by a katana wielded by a young man in Japanese red samurai warrior attire, his eyes hidden beneath red bandages—standing like a rock, deflecting Orion's huge sword with ease. Levi, desperate to escape the chaos, broke his bindings, pulled his gun and fired. The bullets hit his body instead. He collapsed, devastated and exhausted by the earlier fights, but it didn't matter. Nakamoto said,
"Oh, you really thought you could...!"
[40% Nakamoto Complete Contamination! Buff: 200%]
Fluhhss!
The man's feet exploded apart, throwing him off balance. Levi launched a heavy uppercut, smashing into his face. Instead of pain, the man laughed in ecstatic delight, as if he had craved it all along. His deranged thoughts echoed through the chamber like narration.
Levi tried to fight, but strangely, no one else attacked. Frozen, he stared at the blindfolded swordsman and a girl in glasses—both trembling as they looked past him, toward Nakamoto.
Slowly, Nakamoto raised his head. His face peeled apart, revealing wrinkled skin carved with deep scratch by Levi's. His black lips stretched into a wide, grotesque smile.
"You got me, Levi!"
Levi's eyes welled with black tears. He collapsed, twitching, unable to remain conscious.
"Turn, my child. You have faced enough. Let me take care of you. Hana, why don't you escort these men to their proper rooms?"
"With pleasure, Otōsan."
In an instant, Hana teleported them: Levi into a foggy, endless forest; Orion into the ruins of a broken London; and Brooks into a pitch-dark snowy underground tunnel. As they fall they hear a female calm but assertive voice,
"Let me take care of you", as the black tentacles absorb their heads.
"...Ahhh!" Suki gasped for air.
She awoke, looking around the place in confusion. Hana appeared before her and said,
"Hey, Suki, now it's your turn..."
Just as Hana prepared to teleport her, a bright purple orb flashes dropped from above, exploding into a massive burst. As the water settled, Nakamoto emerged, shielding Hana from the impact. Hana stared in surprise while Nakamoto addressed the blindfolded man approaching after the chaos.
The blindfolded man bowed respectfully, awaiting his task.
(In Japanese)
"Son, make me proud. This one is fast!"
"..." (He nodded silently.)
With that, he vanished, while the eerie Japanese performers continued their song in the background.
────────────────
Chapter ends.