“We’re making our way to the center of the zone where the research facility is situated. Do you know the quickest route?” Yoshi inquired of Von, whose face brightened with delight.“You’re in luck; I worked with building analysis and learned about the structure of the zone. That’s how I was able to know about the existence of this place.” Von responded with enthusiasm, aware that he had the opportunity to return the favor that Yoshi had offered him.“Are you aware of the quickest route to reach that destination or not?” Henry stepped forward and inquired with impatience. “There’s a way to reach the facility quickly. While inspecting this underground sewer passage, I noticed a section on the blueprint that functions as a service tunnel. It provides a direct route to the facility. When everything fell apart, I sent our scout, the only one with cloaking ability, to investigate. Tom returned with news that it was infested with reapers and ‘them’. We abandoned that plan and settled here in
"Are you certain you're alright? You appear as though you might faint at any time." Henry observed with a hint of worry as he noticed the way Micheal walked; he understood that Micheal shouldn't have been able to walk at all, yet he moved as if everything was perfectly fine."I'm doing okay, just a bit banged up." Michael dismissed it with a smile; however, his smile only helped to emphasize his injuries, making them appear even more severe than they were."Is this what you refer to as 'a little roughed up'? I still can't comprehend how you're managing to walk in this state." Bai shook his head in astonishment at Micheal's words."No need to be concerned for me; it's a flesh wound, and weren't you the one who often mentioned how we lack time and all that?" Michael responded with a smirk that left Bai utterly speechless."A flesh wound? You are either the toughest person I've ever seen or the craziest person I've encountered," Henry remarked, laughing heartily. Yoshi beside him couldn'
"Racheal, please use your flames to create a barricade on both sides; that will allow us some time to devise a plan." Micheal issued an order to Racheal with a calm demeanor, and she nodded before swiftly executing the command. From their earlier encounter with the undead above ground, they recognized that Racheal's flames had a significant impact on them.WHOOSHRacheal unleashed her flames upon the approaching reapers, sending them tumbling into their comrades behind. A barrier of fire ignited on both sides, effectively dividing the team from their foes. This provided the team with an opportunity to take a moment to relax."Great job, Racheal. Now, Bai and Hai, could you please clarify the nature of your abilities?" Micheal offered Racheal a smile, a feat that was notably challenging given their current circumstances. He then shifted his gaze to the brothers, who, for once, wore serious expressions."I can manipulate light to achieve various effects," Bai replied, observing how Mich
"Ugh, how much longer until we reach the service tunnel?" Bai inquired with a sigh, feeling the pangs of hunger after nearly a day without a proper meal. "We're almost there, just hold on," Yoshi replied, studying the blueprint. They had made significant progress without any issues, which was a positive indication. Just a bit further to reach the service tunnel. “What is that?” Racheal inquired as her flashlight revealed a section of the wall marked with black paint. Noticing this, she cautiously moved closer for a better view and inadvertently stepped on something that made a cracking sound. CRACK "Is that...?" Her pupils contracted upon noticing what she had stepped on; she swiftly withdrew, aiming her gun at the object, which illuminated it for the others to observe. "A skull," Michael nudged the cracked skull with his feet. The transparent sewage water made it easy to see that the flesh on the skull had been scraped off cleanly, leaving the skull bare on the ground. "P
Still within the sewers, the team navigated through the foul stream of liquid sewage, remaining vigilant for any sign of the new threat posed by Scrapers, while also drawing closer to the service tunnel; it was now just a few turns away from their destination. "I'm telling you, after becoming a mutant, he could see sounds and hear images. I don't understand why this is so difficult for you all to grasp." Bai's voice carried a hint of betrayal, reflecting his friend's apparent distrust in his words. "I've encountered creepers, reapers, octoworms, and a plethora of unimaginable phenomena, but the idea of someone hearing images and seeing sound—how is it even possible to hear images? Do you ever pay attention to the words you speak?" Henry, standing to the left of Bai, sighed as he pondered the absurdity of human imagination. Yet, considering Bai's outrageous behavior, it seemed he might not be entirely human himself; perhaps he hailed from the planet 'oogle g****e'. "Yes, I am indeed
"They are moving too quickly!" Hai shouted as they attempted to steady their aim on one of the attackers, but the assailants moved too quickly; all they could see was a blur, and that was it."Maintain your positions, Racheal, direct your flames toward the pipes above. Yoshi, replicate and target the opposite side. The rest of you, switch to your special bullets and aim for the center. If these Scrapers are anything like their kin, they should also be vulnerable to flames." Micheal instructed with a serious expression; even he, with his quick reflexes, was unable to achieve a steady aim on the reapers."WHOOSH" In a flash, commands were carried out, and fire erupted from Yoshi and Racheal towards their hidden attackers."SCREECH!" In an instant, cries of agony reverberated as multiple figures surged toward the group, who now had a precise target."ENGAGE TARGET!" Micheal shouted, and in response, the only sounds that filled the air were the sharp cracks of gunfire, intertwined with th
"Are you all the only ones down here?" Micheal inquired, skillfully sidestepping the questions and alleviating the uncomfortable tension."Pardon me, I must apologize. Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Greg, and this is my wife, Doctor Anna." It was only upon hearing Micheal's question that Greg recalled they had not adequately introduced themselves."It's a pleasure to meet you, Greg and Anna. I'm Micheal, and these are my teammates: Henry, Racheal, Hai, Yoshi, and Bai." Micheal nodded respectfully as he introduced himself and his team."Nice to meet you all," Anna said with a warm smile."It's a pleasure to meet everyone. I take it you're the captain, correct?" Greg also nodded toward the group before turning back to Michael, who nodded in response."That's correct, I'm the captain. Although we just met, we need to skip the introductions. We've only been assigned here for five days, and after that, a nuclear option will be necessary to prevent any spread. We've already spent near
"With this number, it would be impossible to get through," Greg remarked, frowning as he glanced at the sea of Reapers. He was acutely aware of how terrifying these creatures could be, having lost more than just a few friends to them."Hmm, no obstruction in place. I think we can take them; we know enough about them to finally confront them," Michael said after some thought. His words made Greg and his wife exchange glances, trying to determine if they had heard him correctly."Did you really just say that you want to confront all of those creatures?" Greg inquired, astonished; he found it hard to accept what he was hearing."Indeed, in the past, we found ourselves in circumstances that hindered our ability to fully leverage our skills, or we lacked sufficient knowledge about the threat at hand. However, that is no longer the case. We now understand that the worms controlling the reapers are located in their necks, that they are vulnerable to fire, and that they respond strongly to so
"Muuu, muuu." Mike stared at the bodies before him, the muffled screams echoing around him, yet his gaze remained fixated on the holes in their heads. Suddenly, similar memories began to flood his mind. He was still lost in this state when he felt a thick, heavy hand grab him. "Mike! Snap out of it. They're gone. We need to move; the others can't hold them off much longer." Henry's deep voice pulled Micheal from his thoughts. He quickly shook his head, attempting to refocus on reality. Turning to see Bai and Hai unleashing a barrage of bullets on the Scrapers, and Racheal igniting an inferno of flames against them, Micheal felt something snap inside him. "Go up, I've got this," Michael said to Henry before turning back and rushing over to where the others stood. "You guys leave, I'll hold them off," Micheal said to his teammates, who paused, staring at the lightning pulsing around his whole body. They could feel the intensity and power emanating from Micheal, and without wasting
"You three should head to the control room; perhaps you'll discover something valuable. Greg, I think there should be some weapons stored in there, correct?" Micheal addressed Henry, Bai, and Hai before turning to Greg and posing a question. "Indeed, there should be some remaining. I recall some survivors from the base mentioning that they had scavenged the area on their journey here," Greg responded after a moment of contemplation. "The bullets available are largely ineffective against the majority of the monsters present, so we will only take explosives and any other items that are effective against them. Perhaps we can bring along a few handguns as a precaution. You all should check it out with Greg while the rest of us remain on watch here." Micheal gave instructions, earning a nod from the three who promptly set to work, with Greg taking the lead. After several minutes, they came back from their search, carrying a bag filled with a few useful items, including explosives, flas
"Henry, take Mike with you. The rest of you, clear a path to the vehicles. No matter what happens, keep moving forward and don’t look back. Find the source of all this and take care of it. I trust you all to handle the rest. And please, don’t hold Micheal responsible for what’s happened. It’s been a pleasure knowing each of you." With a broad grin, Yoshi addressed his friends, drawing his sword from a reaper's skull as he charged toward the oncoming reapers, not pausing for a response. "Yoshi, hold on!" Henry called out in an attempt to stop him, but Yoshi had already dashed into the sea of reapers, unleashing his abilities to their fullest extent. He executed a combined attack, drawing on all the powers of the group that he had replicated. With this strategy, all the reapers appeared to charge at him to strike, as though he had attracted their attention. "We can't leave him behind; we have to go back for him," Bai insisted, determined to assist Yoshi, but his brother restrained hi
"With this number, it would be impossible to get through," Greg remarked, frowning as he glanced at the sea of Reapers. He was acutely aware of how terrifying these creatures could be, having lost more than just a few friends to them."Hmm, no obstruction in place. I think we can take them; we know enough about them to finally confront them," Michael said after some thought. His words made Greg and his wife exchange glances, trying to determine if they had heard him correctly."Did you really just say that you want to confront all of those creatures?" Greg inquired, astonished; he found it hard to accept what he was hearing."Indeed, in the past, we found ourselves in circumstances that hindered our ability to fully leverage our skills, or we lacked sufficient knowledge about the threat at hand. However, that is no longer the case. We now understand that the worms controlling the reapers are located in their necks, that they are vulnerable to fire, and that they respond strongly to so
"Are you all the only ones down here?" Micheal inquired, skillfully sidestepping the questions and alleviating the uncomfortable tension."Pardon me, I must apologize. Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Greg, and this is my wife, Doctor Anna." It was only upon hearing Micheal's question that Greg recalled they had not adequately introduced themselves."It's a pleasure to meet you, Greg and Anna. I'm Micheal, and these are my teammates: Henry, Racheal, Hai, Yoshi, and Bai." Micheal nodded respectfully as he introduced himself and his team."Nice to meet you all," Anna said with a warm smile."It's a pleasure to meet everyone. I take it you're the captain, correct?" Greg also nodded toward the group before turning back to Michael, who nodded in response."That's correct, I'm the captain. Although we just met, we need to skip the introductions. We've only been assigned here for five days, and after that, a nuclear option will be necessary to prevent any spread. We've already spent near
"They are moving too quickly!" Hai shouted as they attempted to steady their aim on one of the attackers, but the assailants moved too quickly; all they could see was a blur, and that was it."Maintain your positions, Racheal, direct your flames toward the pipes above. Yoshi, replicate and target the opposite side. The rest of you, switch to your special bullets and aim for the center. If these Scrapers are anything like their kin, they should also be vulnerable to flames." Micheal instructed with a serious expression; even he, with his quick reflexes, was unable to achieve a steady aim on the reapers."WHOOSH" In a flash, commands were carried out, and fire erupted from Yoshi and Racheal towards their hidden attackers."SCREECH!" In an instant, cries of agony reverberated as multiple figures surged toward the group, who now had a precise target."ENGAGE TARGET!" Micheal shouted, and in response, the only sounds that filled the air were the sharp cracks of gunfire, intertwined with th
Still within the sewers, the team navigated through the foul stream of liquid sewage, remaining vigilant for any sign of the new threat posed by Scrapers, while also drawing closer to the service tunnel; it was now just a few turns away from their destination. "I'm telling you, after becoming a mutant, he could see sounds and hear images. I don't understand why this is so difficult for you all to grasp." Bai's voice carried a hint of betrayal, reflecting his friend's apparent distrust in his words. "I've encountered creepers, reapers, octoworms, and a plethora of unimaginable phenomena, but the idea of someone hearing images and seeing sound—how is it even possible to hear images? Do you ever pay attention to the words you speak?" Henry, standing to the left of Bai, sighed as he pondered the absurdity of human imagination. Yet, considering Bai's outrageous behavior, it seemed he might not be entirely human himself; perhaps he hailed from the planet 'oogle g****e'. "Yes, I am indeed
"Ugh, how much longer until we reach the service tunnel?" Bai inquired with a sigh, feeling the pangs of hunger after nearly a day without a proper meal. "We're almost there, just hold on," Yoshi replied, studying the blueprint. They had made significant progress without any issues, which was a positive indication. Just a bit further to reach the service tunnel. “What is that?” Racheal inquired as her flashlight revealed a section of the wall marked with black paint. Noticing this, she cautiously moved closer for a better view and inadvertently stepped on something that made a cracking sound. CRACK "Is that...?" Her pupils contracted upon noticing what she had stepped on; she swiftly withdrew, aiming her gun at the object, which illuminated it for the others to observe. "A skull," Michael nudged the cracked skull with his feet. The transparent sewage water made it easy to see that the flesh on the skull had been scraped off cleanly, leaving the skull bare on the ground. "P
"Racheal, please use your flames to create a barricade on both sides; that will allow us some time to devise a plan." Micheal issued an order to Racheal with a calm demeanor, and she nodded before swiftly executing the command. From their earlier encounter with the undead above ground, they recognized that Racheal's flames had a significant impact on them.WHOOSHRacheal unleashed her flames upon the approaching reapers, sending them tumbling into their comrades behind. A barrier of fire ignited on both sides, effectively dividing the team from their foes. This provided the team with an opportunity to take a moment to relax."Great job, Racheal. Now, Bai and Hai, could you please clarify the nature of your abilities?" Micheal offered Racheal a smile, a feat that was notably challenging given their current circumstances. He then shifted his gaze to the brothers, who, for once, wore serious expressions."I can manipulate light to achieve various effects," Bai replied, observing how Mich