"The reason the world ended."
The words echoed through the stairwell. No one spoke after that. The air felt heavy, thick with the smell of oil, metal, and smoke.
Every person in the room understood what Riku meant—even if they didn't want to.
Suzune leaned against the wall, clutching her arm. "That thing… it wasn't just an experiment. It was a goddamn mistake that learned how not to die."
Ichika reloaded her shotgun with trembling hands. "And now it knows we're up here."
Miko swallowed, still staring at the sealed blast door below. It shuddered every few seconds from faint impacts—like the creature hadn't stopped trying. "Riku… if it breaks through…"
He didn't answer right away. He was still watching the dented metal door, counting the seconds between each strike. One… two… three… pause. Every rhythm told him something. It wasn't mindless. It was testing the structure.
"It's not trying to force it," he finally said. "It's studying it."
