red lights pulsed around them.
Slow.
And unsteady.
Like a heartbeat that didn't belong.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The control core—
Didn't feel like a room anymore.
It felt aware.
"They're inside the system," Aira said.
Her voice was quieter now.
Not fear—
But focus.
Tanako stared at the central display.
Lines of code streamed across the screen.
Fast.
Too fast.
"That's... not just corrupted data," he muttered.
Hakamo shifted his stance.
Watching the walls.
The vents.
The floor.
"That's behavior," he said.
Akane stood still.
Eyes forward.
Locked on the infected.
They hadn't moved.
Not one step.
They were watching.
Waiting.
The lights flickered violently.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
The entire system surged.
Panels along the walls unlocked.
Vents opened.
Seals disengaged.
"What the hell—" Tanako started.
Aira's eyes widened.
"They're opening pathways."
From above—
A faint scraping sound.
Then—
Movement.
"They're coming from above!" Hakamo shouted.
Too late.
They dropped.
Fast.
Silent.
Precise.
Akane reacted instantly.
Stepped forward—
Caught one mid-air—
Blade through the throat—
Dropped.
But more followed.
From every vent.
Every opening.
"They're bypassing the doors!" Tanako yelled.
"They don't need doors anymore!" Aira replied.
The floor beneath them shifted.
Metal plates locking.
Others sliding open.
Hakamo stepped—
The ground dipped—
He adjusted instantly.
"...They're controlling the structure," he said.
Akane glanced at the walls.
At the flickering panels.
"...No."
A pause.
"They are the structure."
The infected didn't rush blindly.
They moved with purpose.
Cutting angles.
Blocking paths.
Forcing the squad inward.
"They're herding us," Tanako said.
"Into where?" Hakamo asked.
No answer.
Then—
The core terminal behind Aira shifted.
Panels retracting.
Revealing deeper systems.
Layers of circuitry—
Exposed.
Aira's breath caught slightly.
"...They want us there."
Something in Akane reacted.
Sharp.
Violent.
Not full overclock—
But close.
His senses tightened.
The noise dulled.
The movement—
Clearer.
"They're setting a stage," he said.
Tanako glanced at him.
"For what?"
Akane stepped forward slowly.
"...A test."
"Akane!" Aira called.
"Fall back or push?"
The infected didn't move.
They waited.
Like they understood the question.
Hakamo checked his weapon.
Low.
"...We don't have time."
Tanako exhaled sharply.
"...Then we break through."
Akane nodded once.
"We move."
They pushed forward.
Step by step.
Every movement measured.
No attack came.
Not yet.
That made it worse.
Halfway—
Everything hit.
The infected surged.
From all sides.
From above.
From below.
From behind.
"They waited long enough!" Aira shouted.
The swarm collided with them.
Faster.
Smarter.
Deadlier.
Akane moved.
Fast.
Barely faster than them.
Cutting through the first wave—
But more replaced them instantly.
Hakamo held the center.
Taking hits—
Not moving.
Tanako covered the flank—
Barely holding.
"Aira!" Hakamo roared.
"NOW!"
Aira reached the terminal.
Hands moving fast.
Connecting.
"...I need time!"
"You don't have it!" Tanako shouted.
The system flickered violently.
The code changed.
Adapting.
Reacting.
"They're countering me!" Aira said.
Akane stopped.
Just for a second.
Everything slowed.
Not fully—
But enough.
The battlefield sharpened.
Every movement—
Predictable.
Every angle—
Visible.
"...Not yet" he whispered.
But then—
Hakamo staggered.
Tanako slipped.
Aira froze.
Too many.
Too fast.
Too coordinated.
Akane's grip tightened.
"...No."
Something snapped.
Akane moved.
Faster than before.
Reaction—
Instant.
Movement—
Sharp.
An infected lunged—
Already too late.
He vanished—
Reappeared behind it—
Cut—
Down.
Tanako saw it.
"...He triggered it."
He grinned.
"Then I'm not staying behind."
His reflexes sharpened.
Gunfire snapped alive.
Faster.
Cleaner.
Every shot—
Perfect.
No hesitation.
No misses.
"HAHA—this feels insane!"
Hakamo stepped forward.
An infected slammed into him—
Nothing.
Didn't move him.
Didn't stop him.
He grabbed it—
Crushed it.
Another—
Then another—
Still standing.
"...Come."
Aira closed her eyes.
Opened them—
Calm.
Everything slowed—
Inside her mind.
Every movement predicted.
Every system shift understood.
"Akane—left, now."
He moved instantly.
Perfect sync.
The battlefield shifted.
Now—
They controlled it.
Akane cut through the front.
Tanako eliminated everything that moved.
Hakamo held the line.
Aira guided everything.
"They're matching it…" Aira whispered.
"No" Akane said.
"We're surpassing it."
The infected stepped back.
Not fear—
Recalculation.
Then—
The strain hit.
Akane's movement—
Delayed.
Just slightly.
Tanako fired—
Missed.
"...No way."
Hakamo's arm trembled.
Aira's voice—
Lagged.
"They're timing it…"
The infected surged again.
Now faster.
More aggressive.
"They waited it out!" Tanako shouted.
The system pulsed again.
Stronger.
Smarter.
Adapting.
Countering.
Akane stepped forward—
Too slow.
An infected grazed him.
First hit.
Hakamo dropped to one knee.
Tanako's aim shook.
Aira's coordination slipped.
They were weaker now.
Than before.
The infected advanced.
Closing in.
Akane steadied himself.
Breathing heavy.
"...They don't just learn."
A pause.
"They adapt to the peak."
The system pulsed again.
Deep.
Wide.
Spreading.
Aira froze.
Her hands stopped.
"...Akane."
Something in her voice changed.
"...This isn't local."
Silence.
Hakamo turned.
"...Explain."
"...It's not just Nexarion."
A pause.
"...It's spreading."
Everything stopped.
Even the infected.
As if listening.
Deep in the system—
A pulse activated.
Silent.
Massive.
Data surged outward.
Beyond the facility.
Beyond the planet.
Akane felt it.
Not physically—
Instinct.
"...They're reaching out."
The infected stepped back.
Slowly.
Making space.
"They're done with us," Hakamo said.
Akane shook his head.
"...No."
A pause.
"They're done testing."
The system pulsed again.
Stronger.
Wider.
Spreading.
And even with everything they had—
Even with overclock—
Akane knew—
They were already too late.
The infected came closer to finish them off.