The shelter walls groaned. Dust rained down from the ceiling. Each step outside shook the ground like a hammer pounding steel.
Lin Ye stared at the glowing panel.
[Emergency Choice Unlocked]
1. Stay hidden until the beast passes.
2. Leave the shelter and lure the beast deeper.
The countdown blinked at the corner of his vision.
[04:59]
The monster's breathing rumbled through the tunnels.
Lin Ye clenched his axe. "No more running." He reached out and pressed the second choice.
[Choice Confirmed: Lure the beast deeper]
[Fate Points +15]
The panel faded. The heavy breathing outside grew louder.
Lin Ye eased the door open. The tunnel beyond glowed faint red from emergency lamps still working after years. At the far end, shadows twisted.
Then he saw it.
A creature crawled into view, larger than any human. Its body hunched, limbs long and crooked like broken steel rods. Flesh bulged across its shoulders, raw muscle without skin. Its head scraped the tunnel ceiling, eyes glowing faintly orange.
The Apex Mutated Entity.
It sniffed the air, claws tearing grooves into the floor. Its chest rose and fell, each exhale rattling like a furnace.
Lin Ye's stomach twisted, but he forced his legs to move. He swung the axe against the metal railing beside him.
Clang!
The noise echoed. The beast's head snapped toward him.
"Come on," Lin Ye muttered.
The monster roared. The tunnel walls quaked. Then it charged.
Lin Ye ran, boots pounding across shattered tiles. The beast barreled after him, claws sparking as they scraped the ground.
The system displayed warnings in rapid sequence.
[Danger! Proximity Level: Critical]
[Tip: Use environment to delay target]
Ahead, the tunnel split. Left collapsed, right partially open. Lin Ye darted right, slipping past broken beams. Behind him, the monster slammed through concrete, dust exploding everywhere.
Chunks of ceiling crashed down. Lin Ye dove forward, rolling across debris. His heart hammered, but his grip on the axe stayed firm.
The beast shrieked again, a sound of metal grinding against bone.
Using the Environment
The system highlighted objects as he ran.
[Loose Pipe: Usable to block path]
[Damaged Power Box: Risk of shock]
[Collapsed Rail: Trip hazard for large targets]
Lin Ye skidded to the side, yanking the pipe free. He jammed it between rail tracks, forming a crude barricade.
The monster crashed into it moments later. Sparks exploded as the rail snapped. The beast stumbled but roared and surged forward again.
Lin Ye spotted the damaged power box. He swung his axe into the cables. Blue light erupted, sparks showering the tunnel.
The beast's claw touched the live wire. Electricity ripped through its body, lighting every muscle. It screamed, shaking the tunnel.
But it did not fall. It staggered, smoke rising from its chest, then lunged again.
Lin Ye cursed under his breath and kept running.
The chase dragged him deeper into the metro. Here, signs of human life reappeared: barricades of wood, broken barricades, and faded posters nailed to walls.
One poster showed a warning symbol: a circle split by jagged lines. Below it, faded words read:
"ANOMALY RESPONSE UNIT – DO NOT ENTER"
Lin Ye's mind sharpened. So the government had sealed this place before the world collapsed. They knew.
The system chimed.
[Intel Acquired: Pre-disaster containment evidence]
[Fate Points +25]
No time to think. The monster roared behind him, smashing through the old barricades.
Lin Ye burst into a wide chamber, once a maintenance bay. Rusted equipment lined the walls, cables dangling from above.
The system lit up an option.
[Environment Event Detected]
Option: Trigger overhead collapse using manual lever.]
A lever stood by the wall, half-broken but still intact.
Lin Ye sprinted toward it as the beast entered. Its massive claws tore through machinery like paper.
He slammed the lever down.
With a deafening crack, a section of the ceiling gave way. Concrete and steel beams crashed down. The Apex shrieked as rubble buried half its body.
The tunnel trembled. Dust filled the air.
Lin Ye coughed, stumbling back. For a moment, silence.
Then the rubble shifted. The beast's claw burst free, dragging itself up.
The system interface blazed.
[Survival Event Escalated]
[Hostile Entity not neutralized]
[System Upgrade Triggered]
A new panel appeared.
[Skill Module Unlocked: Fate Surge]
Temporarily boost physical strength and speed.
Duration: 30 seconds.
Cost: 10 Fate Points.
Lin Ye didn't hesitate.
"Activate Fate Surge!"
[Confirmed]
Heat surged through his veins. His muscles tightened, his vision sharpened. The weight of the axe felt lighter in his hands.
The beast pulled itself free, roaring in rage.
Lin Ye charged. His body moved faster than thought. The axe whistled as it struck the beast's arm. Flesh split, dark ichor spraying.
The Apex howled and swung back. Lin Ye ducked, the claw missing his head by inches. He rolled, came up swinging again. The axe bit into its shoulder.
Strength burned in his limbs. Every strike landed heavier, faster. Sparks flew as axe met bone.
But the beast was massive. Even wounded, it swung wildly, smashing walls and ripping metal beams free. Each blow shook the bay.
Lin Ye leapt aside as a claw crushed the ground where he stood. He slammed his axe into the exposed muscle of its leg. The monster buckled, falling to one knee.
The system timer ticked.
[Fate Surge: 07 seconds remaining]
Lin Ye pulled the axe free and ran. Behind him, the beast bellowed, dragging itself forward.
He dashed through a service hatch on the far wall. The narrow tunnel beyond was too small for the Apex to follow.
The monster roared, slamming its claws into the wall. The tunnel shook but held.
Lin Ye collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath. The glow of Fate Surge faded. Exhaustion hit like a wave.
The system chimed.
[Mission Update: Survived encounter with Apex Mutated Entity]
[Reward: 80 Fate Points]
[Hidden Achievement: First Clash with Apex]
Lin Ye leaned against the wall, sweat pouring down his face. He had survived. Barely.
As he staggered deeper into the narrow passage, he found another chamber. This one held a strange machine, half-buried under dust. Cylinders of broken glass lined its surface. Some still glowed faintly with pale blue light.
Beside it, a logbook lay open, pages filled with diagrams of human figures warped by energy waves.
The words on the last page froze him:
"Subject exposure proves unstable. Mutation spreads faster than containment."
"Project Codename: Genesis."
The system chimed.
[Critical Intel Acquired: Origin of Mutation linked to 'Project Genesis']
[Fate Points +50]
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed. The disaster was not natural. Someone had started it.
Behind him, the Apex's roar shook the walls again. The monster was not gone.
The system flashed one more message:
[Next Directive: Escape the metro. Deliver intelligence to the surface.]
Lin Ye tightened his grip on the axe and stared into the darkness ahead.
The surface. The truth. The fight had only just begun.