Lin Ye's lungs burned as he forced himself deeper into the abandoned metro tunnel. The faint echo of the mutated worker still rattled in his ears, but the system's cold interface blocked out his fear.
The corridor stretched ahead, broken signs hanging loose from cracked walls. The old station lights were dead. Every few steps, sparks flickered from damaged cables above, dropping weak flashes of blue light across rusted rails.
The system panel floated beside him.
[Mission: Explore the abandoned metro. Gather intelligence on the anomaly. Survive.]
[Reward: 20 Fate Points]
Lin Ye glanced back. Silence. For now, he was alone.
He advanced with slow steps. Trash lay across the platform—burnt newspapers, broken bottles, collapsed benches. A child's toy lay smashed in the corner, half covered in dust. The whole place smelled of mold and stagnant water.
The walls carried black stains like burns. When he touched one, his skin prickled, as if static clung to the stone.
[System notice: Detected unstable energy field. Level: Low.]
Lin Ye frowned. The energy field, invisible to the eye, was the very thing twisting the city.
He moved down another stairwell. A collapsed train car blocked the lower tunnel. Its doors hung open, glass shattered. Inside, dark streaks stained the seats. He did not step closer.
A sound drifted from the far end of the platform.
"...hhhhh...haaah..."
Lin Ye pressed himself against the wall. A figure stumbled out of the shadows.
It was a man, or once was. His clothes were torn business attire, and his face was pale with veins bulging across his neck. His eyes were clouded white, and his jaw moved in sharp jerks.
The man hissed, then slammed his head against a pillar again and again, leaving wet marks.
Another figure followed, a woman in a red coat. Her movements were broken, like a puppet with tangled strings.
Lin Ye's breath caught. They were not fully monstrous, but not human either.
The system chimed.
[Detected: Early-stage Mutated Host]
[Warning: Direct confrontation dangerous. Suggested action: Avoid or use environment.]
Lin Ye crouched low, gripping a loose metal pipe he found near his feet.
The pair shuffled closer, claws dragging against the tiles. He inched sideways, stepping behind a broken ticket booth. The sound of their nails scraped louder, then faded as they passed.
Only when the echoes died did he exhale.
Moving further, Lin Ye noticed something new. On the wall, in faded red paint, someone had scrawled a message:
"STILL ALIVE. NORTH EXIT."
Beneath it, arrows pointed deeper into the metro.
He stopped and studied it. The paint was not too old. Someone had left this message for others. Survivors had been here.
Nearby, a corner of the tunnel held stacked crates, broken lanterns, and empty food cans. A makeshift camp. Whoever lived here had left in a hurry.
The system flickered.
[Optional Discovery Completed: Survivor traces found.]
[Fate Points +5]
By one of the crates, Lin Ye noticed a glint of metal. He pulled it free—it was an old fire axe, the head chipped but still sharp.
He tested its weight. Heavy, but better than bare hands.
[Item Acquired: Damaged Fire Axe]
[Attack Power: +5]
[Durability: 30%]
A faint smile crossed his lips. The first real weapon since the chaos began.
He tightened his grip and continued.
Half an hour deeper into the metro, the system panel flashed again.
[Main Mission Updated: "First Wave of Chaos"]
Objective: Track the anomaly's source. Collect intelligence. Survive.]
[Reward: 50 Fate Points]
[Side Mission Available: "The Deep Tunnel"]
Objective: Explore Sector C of Metro 3. Optional.]
[Reward: Unknown.]
Lin Ye paused. Sector C lay ahead, marked by signs barely clinging to the cracked ceiling.
"Main mission, side mission… this thing really is treating my life like a game," he muttered. But the axe in his hand told him the rewards were real.
As he walked, the ground trembled. Dust rained from above. Somewhere in the distance, something heavy shifted.
A roar followed. Low. Deep. Not human.
The walls themselves seemed to shake.
Lin Ye froze, staring into the dark.
[System warning: Large-scale mutated presence detected ahead.]
The tunnel air grew hotter, tinged with the stench of decay. Along the walls, deep claw marks tore through the concrete, far larger than any human hand could make.
Something massive had passed here.
He moved cautiously. Every step crunched glass and gravel, loud in the silence. The further he went, the more destruction he saw:
Crushed doors bent like paper.
A ceiling beam snapped and embedded into the floor.
Pools of dark liquid spreading along the rails.
Another message appeared on the wall, written in shaky chalk:
"RUN. IT HUNTS."
Lin Ye's grip on the axe tightened.
The system's timer appeared suddenly:
[Survival Event Approaching: Countdown 00:09:59]
Ten minutes.
Racing against the timer, he searched the area. Ahead, he spotted a service room door left ajar. Inside, the place was cramped, filled with old maintenance tools and shelves of manuals. But it was intact.
He pushed inside and shut the door quietly. For now, it was safe.
The system interface brightened.
[Safe Zone: Temporary Shelter Established.]
[You may rest, organize inventory, or investigate environment.]
Lin Ye exhaled in relief. He leaned the axe against the wall and scanned the shelves.
Most of the manuals were unreadable, but one folder stood out, stamped with a government seal. Inside, faded pages described "Anomaly Containment Procedures" with diagrams of energy spikes and red zones across the city.
This was proof. The anomaly was known before the disaster spread.
The system registered the discovery.
[Critical Intel Acquired: Early government response to anomaly.]
[Fate Points +20]
The timer ticked down in the corner of his vision.
9:01… 8:45… 7:20…
The ground shook again. A deep bellow echoed through the tunnels, closer this time. Dust rained from the ceiling of the shelter.
Lin Ye clutched the axe. His heartbeat raced, not from panic but readiness.
The shelter was temporary. The monster outside would not wait forever.
The countdown reached 6:00.
The system chimed once more.
[Warning: Apex Mutated Entity Approaching. Survival rate: 12%.]
[Emergency Choice Unlocked.]
Two options appeared:
1. Stay hidden until the beast passes. Risk: If discovered, instant death.
2. Leave the shelter and lure the beast deeper, possible chance to collect intelligence.
Lin Ye stared at the glowing panel.
The sound of massive claws scraping stone thundered through the tunnel. The air vibrated with each step.
Time was almost up.