The dawn was a pale ghost of light, struggling through the thick smog that clung to the city like a shroud. Jaden and Tess were holed up in an old electronics repair shop, its windows boarded and dust thick over broken CRT monitors and frayed cables.
Jaden crouched beside a flickering salvaged laptop, its ancient screen trying to connect to a long-dead network. Tess stood nearby, her arms crossed, gaze sharp.
"What exactly is this 'Project Eclipse' you found in the subway?" she asked.
Jaden's eyes stayed on the screen. "Don't know yet. But it's linked to the outbreak—military research, virus enhancement… experiments."
Before Tess could respond, a low groan echoed from the street.
Then came a thud.
Then another.
Jaden's Danger Sense flared—sharp and immediate.
"Contact," he hissed.
They barely had time to move before the front wall exploded inward. Three figures stumbled through—not mindless shamblers, but faster, bulkier. Their skin was laced with black veins and bone-like armor growing from their forearms and chests.
Elite Zombies.
"Move!" Jaden shouted, pushing Tess behind the back counter.
One lunged. Jaden rolled aside and slashed with his folding knife. Sparks danced as the blade scraped the hardened exoskeleton. The zombie shrieked and swung, breaking a steel shelf like it was paper.
[Quest Objective: Survive Elite Variant Encounter]Reward: 1x Lock + Skill (Variable)
Jaden gritted his teeth and activated Sprint Boost, dashing behind another. He ducked under its strike, pivoted, and stabbed into the base of its skull—the only visible weak spot.
The creature dropped, spasming violently.
The others growled, then charged.
Tess swung her crowbar, knocking one back. The third grabbed her by the jacket—until Jaden leapt and drove his knife into its eye socket.
They moved in sync. Efficient. Brutal.
When the last zombie collapsed in a pile of twitching limbs, Jaden's System pinged again.
[Elite Encounter Cleared]Lock #011 Acquired – Quest LockSkill Gained: Identification (Passive – Lv. 1)
Identification: Allows user to briefly scan basic stats and power types of Awakened or mutated entities.
Jaden blinked. "Identification…?"
He turned toward the window—just in time to spot two figures moving down the far street. Fast. Too fast for normal people.
Awakened.
His vision shimmered faintly as Identification activated.
[Scanning Target…]Name: Derek ValeType: Awakened (Speed-Class)Power: Velocity Surge (Short-range bursts of extreme speed)Threat Level: Moderate
Name: Alira MorrType: Awakened (Psionic-Class)Power: Telekinetic Compression (Can manipulate objects and air pressure)Threat Level: High
Jaden's heart skipped.
"They're close," he muttered, deactivating the scan.
Tess was staring at him. "You look like you saw ghosts."
He masked the tension. "Two Awakened. Headed east. Fast ones."
"How the hell do you know that?" she asked.
"Just… a hunch," he said quickly. "The way they move."
Suddenly, the front door burst open again—but this time, it wasn't a monster.
A man in tactical gear stepped through, rifle up but not aimed.
"Jaden Knightley?" he asked.
Jaden's grip tightened around his knife. "Who's asking?"
The man lowered his weapon. "Name's Cole. I'm with the resistance."
Tess frowned. "Resistance to what?"
Cole stepped further in and dropped a small, beeping device on the counter. A digital map flickered to life, showing glowing red zones across the city.
"Project Eclipse wasn't an accident," he said grimly. "They weren't just studying the infection. They were creating something… someone."
"Subject Zero," Jaden murmured.
Cole nodded. "Smart. You're already ahead of most."
As Cole spoke, Jaden subtly activated Identification again, letting the system scan the man before him.
[Scanning Target…]Name: Cole HennerType: Awakened (Tech-Class)Power: Combat Interface (Tactical enhancements + battlefield awareness)Threat Level: Unknown – Potentially HighAffiliation: Resistance
Jaden frowned slightly. "You're Awakened," he said, just vague enough not to draw suspicion.
Cole raised an eyebrow. "Most of us in the resistance are. It's the only way we stay alive out here."
Jaden exchanged a glance with Tess, then turned back to the map. Something about the glowing zones felt wrong—like a storm was gathering, and they were standing in its eye.
Cole tapped the screen. "Subject Zero is evolving. Faster than anyone predicted. And the Awakened? Some of them are falling under its influence."
Jaden's jaw clenched.
They weren't just fighting zombies anymore.
They were fighting a system of monsters—some hidden behind human faces.