Entering the City District
I stood in front of the main gate leading to the Lower District.
"Open it."
With a heavy thud, the door began to creak open slowly.
Security breached.
A dry, mechanical voice broadcast the warning at the same time. It was the Shelter operating system's voice—a basic recorded message following preset protocols, nothing like Artemis's advanced personality AI. From our perspective, this was all part of normalizing the Shelter, but to the OS, breaking the seal on the heavily infected Lower District was pure sabotage.
The gap widened just enough for one person to slip through. I darted out, and after a brief pause, the door started closing again.
If things go south, retreat straight back here. I'll time the opening just wide enough for you to slip through.
"Got it."
The area around the entrance was a nightmare. People who couldn't find a safe haven during the outbreak must have flocked here, pinning their last hopes on evacuating to the central sections. I'd seen scenes like this before, but the scale here was on another level entirely. The entire floor was painted with dried blood, and the massive main gate was covered in countless red handprints. Some even had torn fingernails stuck in the crusted gore like glue.
It looked like the security team had held the rear. Where the sea of blood ended, riot shields, riot batons, and riot-control shotguns were scattered everywhere. About ten meters farther on, salt grains were sprinkled around like fresh snow. They must have been cornered, blasting away hundreds of shotgun rounds at the approaching monsters. But with non-lethal salt rounds, who knows if they even took down a single one.
Get into the nearest building first. Locating the infected via the fire alarm relays is priority one.
"I know."
Monster howls echoed from all directions, and eerie shadows flickered beyond the streetlights. The dim lighting was a blessing— in full brightness, I'd have been spotted instantly. My loosened muscles tensed up rapidly, adrenaline surging.
I advanced, using every car, bench, and large trash bin for cover. As I passed a stationary tram, Artemis suddenly spoke up.
Get down!
I dropped flat on the ground by reflex, rolling sideways under the tram while keeping my shotgun at the ready to fire at any moment.
Acoustic detection shows six inbound. Hold position. You haven't been spotted yet.
Moments later, their sounds grew close: thudding footsteps, clicking claws, flesh scraping against flesh.
"Kieeeek—!"
As the noise neared, my heart pounded faster, grip tightening on the shotgun. Now I could see their feet—bare ones, shod in shoes, even some in tattered stockings riddled with holes.
The sensor pinged them simultaneously, activating the screen across from me.
Despite the lengthy broadcast, the monsters stood frozen, staring blankly until the screen went dark and shuffled past.
Now! Move!
At her signal, I rolled out from under the tram and slipped into the nearest building.
Fire alarm relay is 20 meters straight ahead, then right—attached to the second pillar.
She guided me perfectly, having the Shelter blueprints installed. I reached the relay and fired up the hacking tool, only to let out a sigh. Red dots began popping up on the minimap in real-time from the sensors—far more than I'd imagined.
"What the hell is this number?"
Confirmed: 2,325 infected. And climbing. This excludes exterior areas. Lucky the outbreak hit right after completion—if it'd been after residents moved in, it'd be in the tens of thousands.
The number was insane, but what really made me sigh was the color of the dots.
"Why are there almost no hibernating ones here?"
My PDA minimap was plastered red. I'd expected most to be dormant after so long without prey, like in the central district. But that hope shattered.
The infected seem to have an energy source. Hydroponics facility is the prime suspect right now.
"They don't look omnivorous."
They seemed like picky carnivores to me.
No guarantee infection targets only animals. Or that it always converges on destruction. Plants are producers in an ecosystem. If they mutate while retaining that role, who consumes them? Don't assume infection is just mindless savagery.
"Hmm."
To me, infection felt like a zombie virus, but Artemis approached it differently.
"Should we check the hydroponics? If it's really fueling them, better to deal with it now for later."
With her help, sparking a fire in a contained area would be trivial.
Don't take needless risks. Priority is seizing the Lower District control room. Do that, and we exterminate those vile things in one go. I hate crude terms like 'exterminate,' but nothing fits better.
As I checked my route on the PDA, she added,
Don't forget—I still need your body. Especially those feet and fingers. No holes, and they obey so faithfully, right?
I wagged my index finger playfully in front of the shoulder cam.
Yes, just like that. I once thought about taking over your body for a spin, but... nah. Hate being trapped in meat. So keep moving—for me.
"Creepy joke. But even if you did, you wouldn't enjoy it. Especially during shaving or bathroom breaks."
She made a retching sound.
The rest of the journey turned into full-on combat.
Splat.
A fire axe swung in a stealthy ambush crushed the infected's nose on approach. Yanking it free after it cleaved through the bridge, sinuses, and palate showered broken upper teeth. The yellow snot from its sinuses poured into its mouth, mixing with the tongue in a vomit-inducing mess.
"Kieeeek—!"
Another blow to the side of its staggering head. This time, the ear tore off as it collapsed—but still not dead.
"Maybe better to aim for the neck and sever the spine?"
Its upward gaze unnerved me. Even on the brink of death, those eyes held no fear—just calm rage.
Crunch.
A full-weight swing split its skull, brains spilling out. But my eyes were drawn to the torso.
"They didn't look this gruesome from above."
Pus-filled blisters covered its body, with silvery-gray veins bulging prominently. Something even wriggled inside them now and then.
Oh shit, parasites?
Far more grotesque than the central district ones.
Move. Two infected rounding the corner 20 meters ahead, heading this way.
I crouched low and advanced in her directed path. Nearly all infected here were active, so combat was inevitable to reach the objective. I wanted minimal noise, but no more hoping they'd come one by one conveniently.
"Might be time for this."
The cold barrel of the riot shotgun felt reassuring in my grip. Powerful, no jam worries, and great as a club in a pinch. A reliable standby for emergencies.