The silence was deceptive.
Kai moved through the tunnel, dragging the cart behind him with Aira bundled inside. The rusted wheels screeched with every turn. Above, the city burned. Beneath, the darkness pulsed.
He was breaking.
Each step was heavier. His vision flickered. Black veins coiled beneath his skin like living roots, tightening around muscle and bone.
[System Alert]
Infection Level: 38%
First Symptoms Manifesting: Visual distortion. Auditory hallucinations. Muscle degradation.
Estimated Time Until Critical Mutation: 01:48:27
His breath caught. He blinked away the blur in his vision, but the tunnel twisted and spun.
His skin felt tight, burning beneath the surface. His teeth ached. His nails had darkened overnight, and a buzzing hum in the back of his skull wouldn't go away. Aira whimpered behind him, her fever spiking again.
Then the ground shook.
Just slightly, at first. A rumble that made dust fall from the tunnel ceiling.
Then again—harder.
The lights flickered. Something massive was moving above them. Then the wall on the far side of the tunnel cracked.
A wet screech echoed through the metal corridor. A screech that didn't belong in this world.
[System Ping]
Warning: Tier I Mutation Detected
Codename: Rupturer
Observation Mode: Engaged
Combat Level: Lethal
The wall exploded.
A mangled figure crawled through. Its body was too large, hunched beneath the ceiling. Muscles like coiled wire flexed beneath patchy, leaking flesh. Its face was split into three jagged jaws, all trembling with anticipation.
Its chest pulsed. Bones jutted from its back like spikes. It moved like a centipede—fast and low. It saw Kai.
He shoved the cart aside. The Rupturer charged.
Kai dove.
Its claw tore across his back, opening a fresh gash. Blood sprayed the walls. Kai slammed into the floor with a grunt and rolled to his feet, wrench in hand.
The Rupturer screamed again—a sound like boiling oil and breaking glass—and struck.
Kai barely dodged. The creature's claws gouged into the floor, sending sparks flying. He swung the wrench. It hit with a sickening crunch, but the beast barely flinched.
Instead, it grinned.
Then it backhanded Kai across the tunnel.
He flew. Crashed into the wall. His ribs cracked. Blood spurted from his mouth. He fell hard.
His limbs didn't want to move.
[System Alert]
Major Trauma Detected: Rib Fractures. Internal Bleeding.
Vital Signs Dropping. Infection Surging.
The creature loomed. Its claws dragged behind it, sparking against the concrete. It was savoring the kill.
Aira whimpered in the background. She was awake now, barely conscious. Her eyes widened as she saw the creature.
"K-Kai... run..."
He couldn't.
He couldn't even breathe right.
The system flared in his vision.
[Mutation Path Triggered]
Suppress (FAILURE - 0% viability)
Reject (Risk: 95% Fatality)
Adapt (Recommended)
Warning: Partial Humanity Will Be Lost
Accept Adaptation?
Kai stared at it, blinking blood from his eyes. The Rupturer screeched and lunged.
He hit accept.
The change was instant.
His spine arched. His bones shifted. His scream turned guttural, throat tearing as muscles swelled, tendons snapped and reformed.
[Adaptation Successful]
Traits Unlocked: Predator's Reflex [+20% Speed], Muscle Surge [+25% Strength]
Class: Hybrid (Controlled)
Humanity Drain: 7%
His pupils narrowed into slits.
His hands cracked—flesh giving way to blackened claws wrapped in human skin. He stood. Taller. Stronger.
The Rupturer lunged again.
Kai met it mid-charge.
The wrench wasn't a tool anymore—it was part of him. His fingers fused around the handle like it belonged there. He slammed it into the Rupturer's throat, shattering vertebrae.
The beast howled. Its claws raked across Kai's chest—deep, bloody gouges. But Kai didn't fall.
He roared back.
He rammed the wrench into its eye socket and twisted. Blood—thick, black, and steaming—exploded from its skull.
The Rupturer fell. Twitching. Gurgling. And then, it stopped.
Ash poured from its wounds like sand. Its body broke apart, dissolving into a sludge of rot and bone dust.
[System Update]
Rupturer Neutralized.
+500 CP Awarded.
Bonus: Mutation Kill (First Tier I) +250 CP
New Trait Progress: Apex Instinct 12%
Kai stood over the corpse, chest heaving. Blood ran down his arms. His skin had cracks of black running beneath it. His breath fogged the air, even in the heat.
He turned.
Aira stared at him from the cart. Pale. Weak. Her eyes wide.
"Kai...?"
He dropped the wrench. It clanged loudly on the ground.
Her voice was a whisper. "What... what did you do?"
Kai took a step back.
His reflection in the water pooled beside the Rupturer showed him everything. His jaw was sharper. His eyes silver. His veins black.
He was still Kai.
But something inside had changed.
[Mutation Progress: 42%]
Stability: Holding
Risk of Loss of Self: 2%
He looked at his hands. Not quite human. Not quite monster.
"I did what I had to," he said, voice hoarse. "To keep you safe."
Outside, the city screamed.
Inside, so did Kai.