Zone W-11 - Hunting Grounds
Day 13 - Post Enhancement
Zero heard them. There are footsteps, getting closer. Multiple people heading toward his chamber through the main tunnel system. The sound bounced off the metal walls, each step giving away their position.
*Four people. Military style. Probably packing some serious hardware.* Zero's mind raced, figuring out his options. His body tensed, that weird warm feeling spreading through his chest again—the one that showed up whenever he thought about fighting. *Should I stick around and see what they want? Nah, not yet. I need to figure out what this souped-up body can actually do first.*
Zero grabbed his notebooks and the few supplies he'd collected. His fingers shook a little, but not from fear—from excitement. The thought of danger sent a jolt through him, a feeling that had become way too familiar since he'd started dying and coming back stronger. His ears picked up every detail of the approaching squad, mapping out exactly where they were in the tunnel system.
*They're getting closer. Time to bounce.* Zero slipped through a maintenance shaft that led deeper into the Underscape's forgotten areas. Being a kid actually helped sometimes—he could squeeze through spaces grown-ups couldn't even dream of fitting through. He followed routes that only existed on the building's original blueprints, paths he'd memorized during his explorations.
After about thirty minutes of climbing down, he reached Zone W-23—a place even the most desperate scavengers avoided. This wasn't just a radiation zone anymore. The Singularity Event had created something way weirder here.
Evolution zones.
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The Crimson Reaches - Former Biolab District
Zero climbed out of the ventilation system into what used to be a shopping district. Eighty-seven years of Spark radiation had turned it into something that broke all the rules of nature, a creepy mix of biology and technology that shouldn't exist.
Crystal-like growths stuck out from the walls at weird angles, glowing with a pulsing light that painted everything in eerie colors. Metal vines had swallowed entire buildings, their surfaces reflecting light in ways that hurt to look at. The ground itself felt alive—soft and squishy, covered in some kind of membrane that rippled when you stepped on it, like the floor was breathing.
*Wow, the Spark levels here are insane,* Zero thought, his senses drinking in everything around him. *this much exposure could turn living things into total monsters. Perfect for testing out these new abilities.*
Zero checked himself out, flexing his fingers and feeling how much stronger his muscles felt. All those deaths had upgraded his body, pushing it way past normal human limits. But he'd never really tested it in a real fight. He needed to see what it could do, and for that, he needed live test subjects.
A sound echoed through the biomechanical hallway—a clicking, chittering noise that sounded like something with too many legs moving around. Zero's super hearing pinpointed it immediately: about forty meters to the northeast, coming from what looked like a collapsed office building.
*Something's coming.* Zero's heart beat faster, a smile spreading across his face. He moved toward the sound without making a noise, his muscles coiled and ready. His brain took in every detail—the faint smell of burnt wire, the subtle vibrations in the floor membrane, the way the crystal growths seemed to glow brighter as the creature got closer.
The thing crawled out of a hole in the wall like something from a nightmare, a gross parody of life that made even Zero's enhanced senses reel.
It used to be a dog. Probably a German Shepherd, based on its bone structure. But eighty years of Spark exposure had turned it into something that shouldn't exist, a creature that made no sense in the real world.
*Holy crap, that's intense,* Zero thought, his scientific curiosity fighting with his basic survival instincts. *The Spark completely rewrote its DNA..*
The thing's skin had turned see-through, showing organs that pulsed with electricity. Its skull had split down the middle, creating two separate heads that moved on their own, each with its own creepy awareness. Each mouth had rows of crystal teeth that sparked with stored electricity, flashing blue-white across the hallway.
It had six legs now, each ending in claws that sparked against the metal floor, leaving scorch marks behind. The creature moved with an impossible coordination, all six legs working together perfectly despite how messed up it looked.
Zero watched without fear as it noticed him. Both heads turned his way, electricity crackling between the crystal teeth. The air filled with electricity, and Zero could feel the static making the hair on his arms stand up.
*Perfect. Combat test subject acquired. Time to see what this body can really do.*
---
The two-headed creature charged at him, moving way too fast. Its six legs worked together perfectly, sparks flying from its claws as they hit the biomechanical floor, leaving behind a trail of scorched membrane and the smell of burning... whatever that floor was made of.
*It's fast. Faster than anything I've ever seen.* Zero didn't move until the creature was about three meters away, then he moved with a speed that surprised even himself.
He sidestepped at the last second, letting the creature's momentum carry it right past him. Its claws tore deep gouges in the wall, ripping through the metal vines and crystal growths. Zero calculated how long it would take to recover—about 1.3 seconds to get back on its feet and face him again.
*Plenty of time.*
Zero struck, driving his fist into the creature's side with all his enhanced strength. The impact cracked three ribs, sending bone fragments tearing through its insides. The creature shrieked—a sound like tearing metal mixed with an animal in pain that echoed down the hallway.
Black goo spurted from the wound, sizzling where it hit the floor and eating through the membrane like acid. Zero jumped back, avoiding the corrosive blood as he checked out his handiwork.
*It's still alive but definitely hurts. Interesting how its body reacts to getting pain.*
Both heads turned toward Zero, their eyes glowing with intelligence. Lightning arced between the crystal teeth as the creature got ready to unleash its stored electricity. Zero could feel the hair on his arms standing up as the air crackled with power.