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2024-10-29 19:42:56She saw them.
She saw them get killed while she did nothing.
She saw the life drained out of his eyes, and her eyes, and their eyes all over the short course of five minutes.
She heard the footsteps of the murderer as he stumbled on his uncoordinated feet; only one ragged Converse covered the ashen feet.
She felt a tight knot form in her chest, witnessing this mass murder done by her very own dear cousin. Something she knew he could do but never thought of seeing it with her own two eyes.
Wade killed six innocent people, and he didn’t even stop to consider that this was wrong. That he was wrong, and they were not. He moved on, cracking their skulls open and eating their brains out.
He ate their brains like nothing had happened.
But she knew it had happened. Her eyes couldn’t betray her. She wasn’t dreaming, nor was she hallucinating. The rasping of the heavy metal-loving man’s final breath and the crimson blood as it spilled over the pink bandana was all too vivid for it to be a figment of her imagination.
She was there. She was watching. She was witnessing.
She felt like the biggest criminal for watching such a crime to humanity and keeping silent, doing nothing. A killing spree and cannibalism all at once.
“Fuck, he’s stronger than I anticipated.”
Amy froze hearing him, hearing Seth talk with no such thing as horror or even a hint of fear. Oh, she feared, all right. She feared how her own cousin became this mindless terror, hellbent on killing and eating dead people’s brains.
“Your cousin did good.”
Something lodged in her throat, suffocating her. How could Seth say that without any remorse?
How could he call this disgusting evil ‘good’?
“Maybe we should let him be an infectore and see how he fares with his own kind. If he’s this strong, he’ll be useful and we can be safe. The only problem is how to make him go against the other infectores.”
Rage built up inside her, bursting out a moment later after hearing what Seth had to say. She slapped his face and was glad that she could see how his cheek reddened immediately.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Amy gaped, “What’s wrong with me, you say?” She couldn’t believe she had shared a ride with this jerk. “Did you even know how horrible you sound just now?”
“Me?” Seth looked quite perplexed at her, still rubbing his cheek. “You and your cousin are the horrible ones.”
“Bullshit!”
“Hey, I’m not the one who jumped up to this infectore invasion in the first place just to win a bet, now, am I?”
“What? You’re–“
“How much did you bet your life on it again, a thousand bucks, wasn’t it?”
Amy closed her mouth, fingers curling until her knuckles went white, shaking with the need to punch Seth in the nose. However, she held herself back.
What he said was true to some degree. He had warned her the first time they met in her workplace that night. She had refused to heed him and dived head-first into danger just to be in the front-row seat of this invasion and insanity.
It wasn’t Seth’s fault. She put herself in this position and dragged Wade along just for fun.
Even so, she heard him exhale in an annoyed way. “Look, I don’t care what you think of me, I do what I want. So, if you’re really bothered by whatever I was saying, you can just fuck off and do whatever you want to. I don’t care if you become an infectore either, as long as I can stay alive.”
“You selfish son of a bitch.”
Seth chuckled, not finding it insulting at all. “That’s true, my mom is a–“
“Graaaaaaaargh!”
A couple yards before them, Wade the infectore threw the remains of the last brain he ate. He looked around, turning his body left and right in an awkward manner. His hands spread out as if trying to reach something he could feast on, but no more living human was in sight.
Under their hiding bush, Seth, Amy, and the scared Marnie cowering in the broken college student’s arms were thankfully not within Wade the infectore’s radar. With this, Seth concluded that an infectore did not have a heightened sense. But, their physical power was double that of an average human.
As Wade, the infectore, mechanically staggered to the opposite direction of their hiding bush, they saw that the dead bodies –all with their skull cracked open and without a brain – moved back to life.
One of the leather-wearing bodies struggled to get up with his shaky arms and then up to his strangely bent feet. The other one, with a pink bandana on its neck after her skull broke in two pieces, followed suit. Her effort to just stand straight was harder, given that her chest had caved in, as her abdominal muscles distorted painfully.
It was a scene from a horror movie. Amy didn’t want to watch it, but she was too scared to move, watching as the other four dead bodies did the same. They went in the same direction as Wade, groaning aloud like him.
“Damn, this is just too good.” Seth said again, much to her dismay.
“Why are you doing this?” Amy asked in a low voice. “You wait for someone to cross paths with Wade, and then what? Give him food and make him turn someone else into infectores? Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Seth raised an eyebrow, expecting her to find out the truth by herself. When she didn’t say anything and looked just as lost, he sighed. “You spent all of my cells. The only way for me to get some is to kill an infectore. Unless, you want me to kill your precious cousin?”
“No!”
“So, there’s your answer.”
“You’re really fuck up, you know?”
“Blah blah blah, I’ve heard it all. You need to get your creativity in cursing up another level.” Seth sent a scathing look at her. “Besides, I don’t think there’s a way to turn infectores back into human with a lack of brain, remmeber? So save your energy for the living one.”
Amy took a deep breath and held it for a while, trying to regain her patience. She must bear his unexpected cruelty if she still goes along with Seth. However, remembering the news and what had happened to them last night, staying close to Seth was in her best interest. He was the one who had a System that paved the way for them to survive.
“Fine, let’s do it your way, as long as you don’t harm Wade.”
Seth grinned at her. “See, that’s not so hard to cooperate with me, right? Let’s farm!”
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100 Systems Invasion 17. Farming Corpse
By ‘farming,’ of course, Seth meant killing the newly-turned infectores.It was not as funny as Seth thought, but Amy would also benefit from his murder in the end. So, she had to shut her mouth unless she wanted to annoy him and make him leave her behind. And for the record, she didn’t have an abandonment issue, no matter what Seth had said.For now, she’d have to suck it and hide behind the abandoned van with Marnie. Seth, on the other hand, was busy with his hands.There were seven infectores there, including her cousin-turned-infectore, Wade. Seth said he had to kill the infectores to get his cells back. Having zero balance in the System was no fun; she knew that much. But, she didn’t think that one time thoroughly out of desperation, so Seth had to forgive her.So, with his leveled-up ‘Strength’ in the System and a knife, or dagger, to be precise, that he got from Izuka’s store, he was confident he could take all of them at the same time. However, for his big talk, Seth didn’t lo
100 Systems Invasion 18. The More Brains He Ate…
Seth was about to get his hand on a signed, limited edition CD album of Queen when he heard loud footsteps from the front.He turned to see Marnie hiding between one of the seats and a questionable furry blanket. “Where’s Amy?”“She’s out,” the six years old said, showing her missing teeth to him. “The strange man is here too.”Fingers wrapped around his metal baseball bat, Seth carefully went to the front, seeing that Amy was far too close to Wade, the infectore. He didn’t know that the blonde salesgirl was this suicidal. Though, he should be picking the signs up from the night they spent together.After all, it wasn’t like she offered a ride and tagged along with him just to win a bet, was it?Oh. She did that, alright.“What are you doing?” Seth stalked behind her, knuckle-white hold around the metal bat.The blonde turned her body to face him, standing between him and her infectore cousin. “It’s not like what you’re thinking.”“What do you think I think?”“I didn’t release him fro
100 Systems Invasion 19. Careless Alliance
As Amy stopped the car and ensured that Marnie was okay, Seth poured all his scrutinies into the lit-up phone in his hand. “Mind sharing with the class what Ally is?”It didn’t take long for the System to reply.[The word is pretty explanatory.]He heard the blonde girl’s snickers from his left. “It’s not funny.”“Sure it is,” she said, not sensing the dire situation.“I got nothing from it, after killing five infectores,” Seth argued.[No kill detected.]He read the words again. “Are you blind?”[Only Systemist and registered Ally can earn from killing infectore.]The System showed the same message.Seth grumbled, “Fine, I’m a Systemist, I get it. But the car I am in just killed a bunch of infectores, doesn’t that count?”[No.][Only Systemist and registered Ally can earn from killing infectore.]“Damn it,” he rubbed his forehead. “Then, what do you mean by Ally?”[Ally is a Systemist’s registered partner.][Invite 3 people to be Ally and get 9.000 cells for free.]“Huh?” Seth rerea
100 Systems Invasion 20. Parallel Log
When they stupidly went to open the modified van’s trunk – while ignoring the disgusting remains of the bulldozed infectores on the road and tires – Wade could only consent with a loud groan and flailing arms.“Right. He’s practically a braindead zombie.” Seth closed the trunk again.“Completely forgot about that.” Amy agreed, pinching her nose. “It’s useless anyway. We still have to kill people.”“Infectores. Not people.”“Oh, so it matters to you now? Didn’t you easily make a man explode into bits and blood?”Seth gritted his teeth, “It’s not me. Victor exploded by himself, I just sat opposite him.”“You know him?”“My professor in uni. But the one who died came from the future.”Amy guffawed, “There you go, let your creativity flow.” However, after his silence and humorless face, she faltered. “Wait, you’re serious?”“We got this nonsensical System and ridiculous invasion where your cousin now drools at human brains. Appearing from the future and then spontaneously self-explode ten
100 Systems Invasion 21. Seamless Reality
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100 Systems Invasion 22. Systemist 38
Invasion Day 14Games Headquarter, Salt Lake City, UT“It’s just this way, Ms. Dooley,” the game developer told a woman in her mid-twenties, moments before the world begins to change. “You know, you’re the second person that’s asked to be a beta-tester of Kaiser Hunt–“Behind them, something thuds hard against the glass wall of the exhibition area.Beatrice turned towards the sound and saw a man with a bloody ashen face take a step backward and throw himself against the glass again, pulverizing his nose against it in a spray of brown blood.Then, there were others, a dozen at least, all trying to break through the glass wall, and Beatrice had just begun to register the ghastly wounds that mar their bodies when three of them found the revolving door.The game developer moved past Beatrice, defended only by the paper shield of his own masculinity, and the fastest of the crazed people tackled him. Her hands clawed clumsily at his face, and as she wrenched the game developer’s head upward
100 Systems Invasion 23. The Hidden Elimination
Invasion Day 2Dillon Nature Center, Hutchinson, KSSystemist 38, the wounded man who, according to the System, was called Chief of Kaiser Hunt, was probably one of the managers at 4Games HQ. He was surely dead, as the System told her, and Beatrice supposed his death was the sole reason why she was still alive today.Beatrice was consciously aware that she had not yet caught up emotionally with how absolutely not alright she was. But she knew that when reality hit, it was going to come down hard on her.After locating the Chief’s car with the key, she drove away from the newly-risen 4Games HQ. She stopped at a small parking lot inside a state forest.A curving concrete path led from the parking lot to a log structure. Above the building’s doorway, a flat piece of rough wood hangs. The words ‘NATURE CENTER’ are written across its surface. A decal that reads First Aid Station stuck to the upper left-hand corner of the door.There were no other cars in the lot. The doors to the Nature Ce
100 Systems Invasion 24. Skill Mastery 0%
Invasion Day 3Woodlands Nature Station, Cadiz, KYIt was a gray and chilly morning. The fog lay thick over the highway hours after dawn. By the time Beatrice could make out the infectores congregating around a minivan, they were almost upon it.Dong![3 infectores detected within 30 feet radius.]The System’s notification was a little useless. For all the games she had played online, this supposedly mighty guide in her phone was a one-star service.Although its report arrangement was the only thing behind its time, Beatrice did think that the other features were pretty decent, particularly in the power-giving department. She had tested her added strength and speed. Even for a zero point something, the System truly made a difference on it.Averting her eyes from the minivan, Beatrice noticed that the infectores were not moving with a ravenous determination he saw in most of the other walking-dead wanna-be. It was a
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79. Table Turned
The raid was a bust.The lieutenant didn't even wait until they were in the privacy of his office before chewing him like useless gum. He demanded, "What is this, Monroe?"Mark bit back the urge to say, 'What did I tell you about raiding it yesterday, Sir?' He waited quietly and avoided any eye contact from the many people in bulletproof vests with bold 'PPD' on their back, strapping their gun back into safety and rounding up their failed attempt. "Why did I spend three hours of driving to the middle of nowhere with a full squad to take down a drug lab and slavery den while there's nothing here?"Again, instead of pointing out that the raid should have been done as quickly as he had suggested, Mark waited."Tell me, Monroe, why are you even screwing up this bad after the rookie slip up with that fake journalist in the warehouse?"'This is not my fault,' he thought. "We are too late, Sir," he said."Too late? Are you saying I'm too slow to act?" Madsen retorted angrily. "Do you even k
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78. Make a Move
"You're so annoying, do I have to remind you every hour?" Rhea grumbled from the passenger seat, watching the dark-haired man behind the steering wheel as the car drove itself to the hill house. "Old news," Lucian commented and then glared at her. "But I already said not to let him into this again."Of course. "Mikhal's right. You do sounds like a jealous secret boyfriend.""Ha. Ha." There was no humor behind that. "First, I am not your boyfriend, I'm your fiance. Second, you're the one keeping this a secret, not me."Rhea grinned, "You didn't deny the first one? Are you jealous?""So what?" She frowned but didn't say anything else. She still couldn't figure out why he was jealous of that tall coworker of hers. No matter how many times she asked him, Lucian wouldn't tell.'Or you just never believe his answer,' a small voice at the back of her head supplied helpfully. She brushed it off because it was total drivel. There was no way Lucian actually felt jealous just because he liked
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77. Running for Life
She was not as reckless as Lucian sometimes said to her. But she was still new in this espionage thing, and Mikhal suddenly pushed her down to the ground. Her heart raced, pounding noisily along with the blood in her ears. Mikhal's tall figure was equally low by her side. Confidence may fool many people, but she had none of it right now. Especially not after a burly man in a tank top suddenly pointed his long firearm in her direction, right before she took another shot of the drug lab with her phone. Breathing quietly, they waited in suspenseful silence until the man turned his weapon away from their direction. Another man came out of the drug lab's door, probably exchanging words before both of them went inside again. Rhea exhaled in relief, shoulders slumping down as both Mikhal and her shared a look. They moved closer, trying to get more proof from the small window at the side of the building now known as the drug lab. Not only from the chemical glasses with some colored liquid
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76. Into Hidden View
After four days of work, Rhea finally got her day off again. Mikhal texted her, 'Meet you at East Station in twenty.' Smiling to herself, Rhea texted back an affirmation. "So…" Liz glanced at her from behind the steering wheel, "If I may ask, where are you going, Miss Rhea?""Out," she merely said."Any specific place in mind?"Rhea locked her phone, "Not really."The bespectacled girl looked uncomfortable for a second before she asked again. "Do you have any companions?""Yes.""Oh. Who is that?"Rhea narrowed her eyes, not liking where the bespectacled girl was going with this. "Is this an interrogation?""No, of course, not." Liz hastily said, topping it with an awkward laugh that she tried to make it sound natural. "I'm sorry if it came out like that, Miss Rhea. I didn't mean to."She sighed, turning to the sturdy houses that came into view as they finally reached the town's area. "It's fine. Lucian ordered you to do that, right?" Liz stayed silent, so she'd take that as a yes.
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75. Coping Mechanism
The cafeteria was full of cola and burgers. "Free dinner for everyone!" one of the senior staff called out as they entered it. Rhea grinned – almost jumped in excitement – as her favorite food was served in front of her for free. Emi, on the other hand, chimed in a loud voice, "We don't pay to eat here!"She stuffed her face with the burger. She sat surrounded by a white shirt and blue vest-wearing staff, finally having a nice break out of the craziness of the afternoon shift. "I can't believe I was so excited about it before."Emi smiled broadly, munching on her mouthful bite of burger. She looked funny. "Didn't I tell you that it's crazy?""Yes, but you carefully left out the fact that it is precisely like that oddball group all over again, except, it happens continuously. Marching in a group in the lobby, then shoving each other to get in the elevator. Why do we only have four elevators, anyway?""But it only happens in the afternoon. After that, it's pretty slow, isn't it?"Rhea h
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74. Unwritten Law
Lucian had been at the scene of serious diplomacy once, ages ago as he was still ten, where his father was showing him how to negotiate with a foreign mafia boss from another country. Earl would sign an agreement of letting said mafia boss move into Livingard and give him a little territory on the border to set up whatever operation they had planned. Earl would get back his prized butler slash right-hand man safely in one piece in exchange. He was fond of that man, his favorite butler. A middle-aged friendly guy who had a penchant for cutting apples into beautiful figures and dragging Lucian out of bed before dawn for a morning run. So, hearing that his favorite butler would be back after missing – he was captivated by the foreign mafia after accidentally crashing his motorbike to the mafia's daughter on the road – for three days, Lucian was eager when his father wanted him to tag along. It was supposed to be a valuable learning experience for him.One of the foreign mafia subordinat
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73. At Least We Try
'Let him be, don't talk to him, whatever, just ignore him.'She didn't even want to see him. But bottling her overflowing emotions? It was a ridiculous idea.Then a notification chimed in, breaking into her bubble of thought, pulling her from the suffocating underwater feeling. 'How's' your girl's day out with Emi?' Mikhal texted her, oblivious to the chaos she made herself. 'She was great.' She texted back.'Cool. No more outings today?' His reply came seconds later, followed by three dots, signifying he was typing now. 'Imma starts the afternoon shift today. Dunno what to expect.''Expect the worst.''Never know u'r such a pessimist.'She wasn't. Fine, maybe she was. Just at the moment, though. Rhea responded with a laughing emoticon. Followed by a string of crying yellow faces.'What was that?' She bit her bottom lip, 'I want to go out.' Her thumb sent it before she even read the line. She considered deleting it. No use, Mikhal already typed again.'I'm free, if you were asking
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72. The Walk Down
Sprinting to the beach, Rhea suddenly stopped before her sneakers touched the wet sand. Quickly taking them off, Rhea looked around for a place to put them without getting worried that the wave would sweep on them or someone take them away. Not that she was suspicious of some people enjoying the beach there, or that her shoes were extremely pricey – they were, not that Rhea knew about that, because it was Lucian who paid – but Rhea didn't want to lose her only pair of sneakers.She looked back to Lucian's parked car on the edge of the beach, where the dry ground met with green patches of grass. Squinting her blue eyes, Rhea calculated how much force she needed to get her shoes to the car's side. The light brown-haired girl got into a stance as if she would throw a slider with her sneaker as the ball. Then, Rhea let go of one of her sneakers in a powerful side swing. It flew in a bent trajectory and landed safely on the dry sand, though still a little far away from the car."Ah, I need
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71. Wolf in the Flesh
It was the first time Rhea saw a wolf in real life.The wolf looked like how a wolf would in a book or movie. Nothing special, unlike the jet-black wild wolf she saw in a show. Or the majestic white wolf in legends. The animal in front of her looked just like the usual wolf. Short, triangular ears. Broad snout. A long tail. Looking slender yet seems powerful in its built. Its back was grey, so was its upper head. While the rest of its fur was light brown, and the underside was white.Rhea could not believe it."Should we continue?" Jo asked, stepping slowly on the gas pedal.As Jo drove the car past the watchful gaze of the wolf, Rhea felt a shudder run through her body. Either it was a creepy coincidence, or Lucian somehow controlled the wolf to appear there and failed Rhea's escape. Which sounded impossible. Both of them.It was some minutes later that Jo stopped the car. They were near the first building in the outskirt of Stradfield's little town. "Are you sure you want to get off
