Dawn broke, if it could be called that. A pale smear across the infected sky. The overgrowth of fungal veins and Redroot tangles pulsed softly, a slow heartbeat echoing through the skeletal remains of the world. Ash—Zero—stood outside his shelter, staring at the message hovering before his vision.
[Redroot Bloom Node Reactivity Level: Escalating]
[Designation: "ZERO" Now Active in Regional Grid]
"So they're watching now," he muttered. "Or... it is."
His breath curled in the chill air as he returned to his shelter. The interior was still dimly lit by the last embers of the heat plate. Above it, the system hovered with a soft chime.
[Blueprint Constructed: Processing Station - Prototype]
[Function Active: Converts Junk Quality and Tier 0 → Tier 1 Resources]
Zero stepped forward and checked the interface. The Processing Station was crude but functioning, a squat unit of stripped gears, flattened plating, and a repurposed grinding motor.
He fed it the junk he had spent the past two days hoarding. Useless things: wood pulp, rusted shavings, twisted bolts.
[Material Processed: 3x Tier 1 Low-Quality Metal, 2x Tier 1 Low-Quality Planks]
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Later That Day
Zero sat on a collapsed crate, chewing on half-dried fungus jerky the system assured him was only mildly toxic when heated. He stared at the broken drone shell he had salvaged earlier. The system still didn't identify it beyond its phase designation being unknown.
[Analyze? Requires System Module: Diagnostic Array]
"And I don't even have the schematic for that. Figures."
But he didn't throw it away. He felt... something. Like this broken thing belonged. Familiar in a way he couldn't explain.
It reminded him of the camera drones in Subnautica and robotic drone in 7 Days to Die. The kind that helped carry weight, scan areas, deploy tools. A part of him hoped he could fix it. Another part feared what it might become if he did.
Zero glanced at the HUD.
[Threat Level: Passive]
[Movement Detected: Base Perimeter - 13 meters, No Audio]
[Warning: Minor Resources Missing - Again]
His grip tightened.
"Okay, that's the second time."
He placed down a set of basic noise-detection plates made from thin sheet metal and strung with copper wire. A makeshift trip alert. If it was an animal, it would trigger. If it was something else...
He didn't want to think about that yet.
Nightfall
The clouds pressed low. Redroot spores drifted in the air like glowing dust motes. Inside his shelter, Zero sat cross-legged, recording another log.
[Journal Log Entry - Day 003]
Built Processing Station. Converted 2% of junk into Tier 1.
Spotted anomaly again. Took food. Left no trace. Not infected. No claw marks.
Set up detection trap. Waiting.
Found drone shell. System doesn't recognize. Keeping for later.
Base expansion required soon. Need more space. More light.
He paused.
"And maybe... some company."
It wasn't loneliness. Not really. But in silence this deep, even his thoughts began to echo.
As if on cue, the system pinged.
[Base Alert: Motion Triggered]
He grabbed the crowbar and stepped out, soft and low.
Nothing.
Just wind.
Then, the faintest flicker of movement.
Behind the barrel.
He moved closer. Raised the crowbar.
Paused.
Two glowing eyes blinked at him. Reflected light. Small. Round.
A black shape darted between his legs and vanished behind the scrap pile. He spun.
Silence.
[Detection Log: Silent Movement - Unknown Species. Tracking Failed.]
A faint imprint. Tiny pawprints. Barely pressed into the dust.
Zero exhaled slowly. "Not a mutant. Not infected. A cat...?"
He left food out. Sat on the crate. And waited.
An hour passed.
Then, a soft rustle. The food was gone again.
But this time, it left behind something.
A single, curved claw. Clean. Black. Sharp.
[Item Acquired: Unknown Claw Fragment - Organic]
[Potential Use: Unknown]
Zero added it to the inventory.
"You're out there, aren't you? Little thief."
He smiled for the first time in days.
System Update: Triggered
[User Designation: ZERO - Threat Index: Elevated by Regional Bloom Node]
[Adaptation Response: Active Echo Beacon Awakening]
Deep beneath the surface, something shifted.
And far in the distance, another presence stirred. Not hostile. Not yet. Curious. Watching.
Waiting.