The bunker was deathly silent.
Thien Anh recoiled, his back pressed hard against the wall, the alloy dagger already gripped firmly in his hand. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Before him stood not his familiar pets, but two monsters stepped straight out of legend.
A dark beast as massive as a water buffalo, its obsidian fur shimmering with a cold, metallic sheen, its eyes glowing like two smoldering coals. Beside it, a reptilian creature covered in jade-green scales, with two tiny horns budding from its head and hypnotic, burning golden eyes.
But they didn't attack. The black beast looked at Thien Anh, then slightly tilted its head. Those crimson eyes held no killing intent; instead, they harbored a sense of... human-like disdain?
"Ki? Moc?" Thien Anh lowered his knife, his voice wavering.
The dark beast nodded, its tail—as thick as a steel brush—wagging slightly. The green serpent also let out a friendly hiss, slithering over to rub her cold head against his leg.
Thien Anh exhaled sharply, his strength deserting him as he slumped into a chair.
"You two... you've evolved? Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Both nodded in unison. The intelligence gleaming in their eyes sent a shiver down Thien Anh's spine. These were no longer mere animals; they were sentient beings.
Suddenly, Ki stepped closer. He used a heavy, clawed paw to point at the nine-colored pearl Thien Anh had just taken down, then mimicked the motion of chewing and swallowing.
"Woof!"
Thien Anh frowned. "You're saying this is edible? This is solid stone."
Ki shook his head vigorously. He unhinged his massive jaws, lined with jagged fangs, and clamped down on the pearl.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering glass echoed. The hard outer shell crumbled, revealing a soft, flexible crystalline mass inside. It emitted a pristine, milky-white light and a scent so intoxicatingly sweet it was hypnotic. The aroma stimulated every cell in Thien Anh's body, triggering a sudden, gnawing hunger.
"The essence of the meteorite..." Thien Anh murmured.
Ki spat the crystal onto a plate and nudged it toward Thien Anh with his snout. Moc slithered closer, her eyes shimmering as she looked from him to the crystal.
"You want to share?"
Thien Anh smiled. He drew his knife and carefully divided the crystal into three portions.
"I'm the eldest, so I get the big piece. You two take the smaller ones."
He handed the pieces to Ki and Moc, then popped his own portion into his mouth.
The moment he swallowed, a glacial chill—like melting snow—slid down his throat before exploding into a searing wave of energy that surged through his limbs and every meridian in his body. Fatigue vanished. Thien Anh's senses suddenly became preternaturally sharp.
In the dim shadows of the bunker, he could now clearly see every speck of dust dancing in the air. The low hum of the air filtration system, once a mere whisper, now sounded as distinct as a ceiling fan.
Thien Anh rushed to the bathroom to check his reflection.
Not a monster. Thank God.
But his body had transformed. His pale, sun-deprived skin was now healthy and taut. The once-wasted muscles were now defined and sinewy, brimming with explosive power. The murky, hollow eyes of a "reject" were now radiant and sharp—the eyes of an eagle.
"This is... true strength."
Thien Anh clenched his fist, feeling his blood pulse with a new, restless exhilaration.
...
"To the training floor!"
Thien Anh commanded, and Ki bolted after him.
The physical training room in the bunker spanned about fifty square meters. Thien Anh and Ki began a high-speed chase.
Ki's mutated speed was now so great that he was a mere blur to the naked eye, gliding across the floor like a black phantom. But Thien Anh was no longer outmatched. With his enhanced vision and reflexes, he continuously sidestepped Ki's playful lunges, even managing to land a few counter-kicks against the beast's flanks.
Moc hung from the overhead bars, her eyes blinking as she observed, occasionally nodding like a stern coach.
After two hours of high-intensity movement, Thien Anh was drenched in sweat but felt no exhaustion. He felt reborn.
...
A quick lunch of dry rations ended. Thien Anh hauled the Magma Tiger's hide into the center of the room.
"Time to play tailor."
The hide was as hard as tempered steel; an ordinary knife couldn't even scratch it. Thien Anh had to resort to a small laser cutter and metal punches.
He didn't sew in any decorative sense. He treated the hide the way he treated a wound: with precision, meticulousness, and durability. Each specialized needle pierced the thick skin, connecting the sections with ultra-high-strength steel cables.
Thien Anh designed a full-body harness for Ki. It had to protect vulnerable points like the neck and belly while remaining flexible enough not to hinder his speed.
Two hours later.
"Done."
Thien Anh gave the armor a hard shake. It was obsidian-black, gnarled with the signature glowing red veins of the mutated beast—a look that was both primal and high-tech.
"Over here, old friend."
Ki stood obediently still while Thien Anh fitted the armor. It clung tight to his massive frame, transforming Ki from a monster into a literal armored tank.
Thien Anh slapped Ki's flank hard. Thud! A heavy, muffled sound echoed.
"Light enough?"
"Woof!" Ki barked happily, running laps around the room, his claws clicking rhythmically against the floor—clack, clack.
Thien Anh smiled with satisfaction, a cold, lethal glint flickering in his eyes as he stared into the void.
"Eating mutant meat makes me stronger... So, my enemies had better start praying."
He didn't scream for vengeance. He merely whispered, his voice as cold as eternal ice:
"I'll find you. Every last one of you. And I'll turn you all into stockpiled rations."
...
Weapons prepped. Sniper rifle, handgun, daggers, grenades. Thien Anh was armed to the teeth.
"Moc, stay and guard the base."
Moc let out a hiss of agreement, coiling herself onto the sofa.
Thien Anh and Ki headed toward the emergency exit. But a problem arose: Ki was now the size of a bull, and the old passage was too narrow.
"Dammit."
Thien Anh spent nearly an hour using a power drill and hydraulic jacks to widen the tunnel. Soil and rock showered down.
Finally, the gloomy light of the outside world appeared.
The moment they stepped out of the camouflaged hatch, a pungent, metallic stench hit their nostrils.
Before them, amidst the ruins of the concrete jungle, a pack of mutant cats was dismembering a deer carcass. Their eyes were glowing neon green, fixing on the "fresh prey" that had just appeared.
Thien Anh smirked, the mechanical clack of his gun chambering a round cutting through the air.
"Let's field-test the new armor, Ki."