Chapter 3 CHAPTER THREE
The deeper Adrian descended, the quieter the screams above became.
At first he could still hear fragments of panic echoing through the station ceiling. Running footsteps. Distant cries for help. The wet shrieks of creatures feeding somewhere in the dark.
But after several minutes, even those sounds disappeared.
Only the Nest remained.
The organic tunnel beneath the station pulsed slowly around him like the inside of a living throat. Veins stretched across the walls, glowing faintly beneath layers of wet flesh while thick strands of mucus clung between ceiling and floor. The deeper he went, the warmer the air became.
Adrian gripped the fire axe tightly as he moved forward carefully.
His shoulder still burned from the claw wound, though the bleeding had mostly stopped after absorbing the creature’s remains. Every few seconds another unfamiliar sensation crawled through his body.
His hearing felt sharper.
The darkness no longer blinded him.
And underneath all of it
the hunger remained.
Not normal hunger.
Something deeper.
The faint gray smoke rising from dead things kept pulling at his attention instinctively.
Adrian hated it.
A low mechanical chime suddenly echoed through the tunnel.
He stopped immediately.
A blue screen appeared in front of him.
Safe Zone Nearby.
Temporary protection active.
Adrian frowned.
Protection?
The tunnel widened ahead before opening into a massive underground chamber.
His footsteps slowed.
The entire area looked impossible.
Buildings stood inside the Nest.
Not real buildings.
Fragments of them.
Half of a convenience store had fused into the organic walls alongside pieces of collapsed train platforms and shattered apartments. Flesh covered everything like spreading roots, binding concrete and metal together into one gigantic structure.
Dim lanterns hung from the ceiling.
People were alive here.
Dozens of them.
Some sat against walls clutching weapons made from broken pipes and kitchen knives. Others huddled together silently with exhausted expressions while children cried quietly beside them.
Nobody looked relieved.
Nobody looked safe.
They looked like prisoners waiting for execution.
Adrian noticed the weapons first.
Then the bodies.
Several corpses lay covered near one corner of the chamber, and the moment Adrian’s eyes landed on them, gray smoke rose visibly into the air.
The hunger inside him twisted violently.
He looked away immediately.
A voice interrupted him.
“New arrival?”
Adrian turned sharply.
An old man sat behind a makeshift counter built from stacked train seats and broken vending machines. He wore a dark security uniform stained heavily with blood, though his expression looked strangely calm compared to everyone else around him.
One of his eyes had been replaced with a glowing mechanical lens.
The old man studied Adrian silently for a moment before sighing.
“You’ve got that look already,” he muttered. “The system got to you fast.”
Adrian tightened his grip on the axe. “What is this place?”
“A waiting room,” the man answered casually. “For people not dead yet.”
The old man motioned toward an empty chair nearby.
“Sit before you collapse.”
Adrian hesitated briefly before moving closer.
Up close, the man looked exhausted beyond words. Wrinkles lined his face deeply, and the mechanical lens embedded in his eye flickered occasionally with blue system light.
“You know what’s happening?” Adrian asked carefully.
The old man laughed softly.
“That depends,” he said. “Do you want the comforting lie or the truth that ruins your life?”
Adrian stayed silent.
The old man nodded slowly. “Thought so.”
He leaned back in his chair before speaking again.
“The world ended tonight. Simple enough explanation.”
Adrian frowned.
“These things,” the old man continued while gesturing toward the fleshy walls around them, “are called Nests. Living ecosystems designed to force evolution through survival pressure. Every city hit by a Nest becomes part of the game.”
“Game?”
“That’s what the system calls it.”
The old man’s expression darkened slightly.
“But don’t misunderstand. Games are supposed to be fair.”
A distant scream echoed somewhere deeper within the Nest.
Nobody in the chamber reacted.
They were already used to it.
Adrian looked around slowly. “How are people surviving here?”
“They aren’t,” the old man answered immediately. “Not really.”
His mechanical eye flickered.
“The system gives tutorials, quests, classes, rewards. Enough hope to keep people moving forward. But survival isn’t the real goal.”
Adrian felt uneasy hearing the certainty in the man’s voice.
“Then what is?”
The old man smiled bitterly.
“Entertainment.”
Silence followed.
The chamber suddenly felt colder.
“The Nests record everything,” the old man continued quietly. “Fear. Violence. Evolution. Every choice you make becomes part of the show.”
Adrian stared at him.
“You’re saying someone is watching this?”
“Someone always watches suffering.”
The old man reached beneath the counter and tossed something toward Adrian.
A small metal box landed in his lap.
Loot Container Acquired.
Beginner Reward Box.
Adrian frowned before opening it carefully.
Inside rested a black tactical knife wrapped in torn cloth alongside a small canteen filled with cloudy water.
Rust-covered Tactical Knife.
Quality: Poor.
Effect: Slight bleeding chance.
Description: Better than dying unarmed.
Adrian blinked slowly.
Even the system descriptions felt mocking.
“First lesson,” the old man said while watching him. “Nothing here is free. If the system gives you something, it expects entertainment in return.”
“What about you?”
The question slipped out before Adrian could stop himself.
The old man went quiet briefly.
Then he leaned back slowly.
“My name’s Keller,” he said. “Floor Guide. Temporary tutorial support. Disposable NPC according to the system.”
Adrian stared at him.
“You’re human.”
Keller laughed again, though this time it sounded genuinely tired.
“I was.”
Before Adrian could respond, another system notification suddenly appeared above the chamber.
Safe Zone Duration Ending.
Remaining Time: 60 Seconds.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
People began standing quickly. Panic spread across exhausted faces while weapons tightened nervously in trembling hands.
Adrian looked toward Keller sharply. “What happens when the timer ends?”
The old man’s expression remained calm.
“The Nest opens.”
A loud screech echoed through the tunnels outside.
Then another answered it.
Closer this time.
Keller reached beneath the counter once more before tossing Adrian a small flashlight.
“Final piece of advice,” he said quietly. “The system rewards adaptation, not morality. The faster you understand that, the longer you survive.”
The chamber lights flickered violently.
The fleshy walls began moving.
People started running toward different tunnel exits immediately.
Adrian stood abruptly. “Come with me.”
Keller shook his head.
“My tutorial ends here.”
The countdown reached ten seconds.
Heavy impacts echoed outside the chamber.
Something huge was approaching.
Adrian tightened his grip around the axe and knife simultaneously while backing toward one of the tunnels.
“Why help me?” he asked.
Keller’s mechanical eye flickered softly.
“Because you still look human.”
The timer hit zero.
The walls split open.
And the monsters rushed inside.
