Crossing the Threshold

After we left the observation research institute, Yoon Harin spoke in a low voice. "The detonation signal hasn't been transmitted externally yet. But they'll notice soon."

Kang Seorin scanned the area before answering. "This looks like the outskirts. Let's move toward the city center. Staying exposed too long risks detection by corporate patrol drones."

The city wasn't far. Yet patches of darkness stained the streets. The power grid was clearly unstable.

We avoided the main roads and slipped through the alleys. The outer districts felt completely abandoned. Shops lay in ruins, vehicles sat derelict.

"Clear signs of looting. There must be survivor groups operating here," Kang Seorin muttered.

I surveyed our surroundings. My Threat Prediction remained quiet. Yet I could feel eyes on us.

Then—

A gunshot cracked. A bullet slammed into the wall. A warning shot.

"Stop right there."

At the unfamiliar woman's voice we froze.

Someone appeared in a second-floor window. Lively features, short jacket over a tactical harness, hair in a half-bun. But her eyes were razor sharp.

"You came from the lab, right?" she asked.

"Correct," Kang Seorin answered curtly.

"Then it's one of two things." She smiled, gun still trained on us. "Monsters or survivors."

"The latter," I said.

Her gaze traveled over me, Kang Seorin's combat suit, and NK365. "That gear... You're lab insiders?"

"Explanations can wait," Kang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seorin cut in. "We aren't here to fight."

After a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tense silence the gun barrel dipped a fraction.

"Come inside," she said. "It's not safe out here."

The building interior was surprisingly organized. Food crates, ammunition, maps. It felt like a temporary outpost. Two other survivors watched us warily from the corners.

The woman descended the stairs.

"I'm Han Yerin," she introduced herself. "Part of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠survivor group, you could say. I'm on watch duty here right now."

Her eyes swept across our group. "What exactly were you doing in that lab?"

Yoon Harin answered softly. "It was an infection control testing facility. The experiment failed. We had no choice but to escape."

Han Yerin's expression tightened. "So you're all infected?"

"Just me." I decided against lying. There was no telling how long we could hide it anyway. Better to lay everything on the table from the start.

"But I can control it."

Her stare bored into me. "You?"

I nodded.

She stepped closer, though her guard never dropped. "Your eyes are weird. You look human, but you don't feel human."

Sharp. Very sharp.

I blinked. Only I could see it. We had already left the lab, so why was it still active?

I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't certain yet. Better to stay silent for now.

Han Yerin pointed at a map and explained. "The corporations control the city proper. The outskirts are abandoned, but drones seem to patrol the central districts."

She glanced at me. "I don't know what they did in that lab, but I'd bet this mess is their fault."

Yoon Harin lowered her gaze.

I changed the subject. "Is this place safe?"

"Not completely. But infected rarely come down here."

"Why?"

"No idea. Maybe other areas are more appealing to them."

The failed subjects preferred low temperatures and darkness. The city was bright and full of heat. It might be safe for now, but not forever.

Night deepened. We split watch duty on the rooftop. Kang Seorin quietly maintained her weapons while Yoon Harin analyzed data on a tablet taken from the lab. NK365 sat beside me.

"Are the readings stable?"

"Holding at thirteen percent."

"That's good."

She smiled gently.

A short while later Han Yerin approached.

"You said you're infected, right?"

"Yeah."

"You don't look dangerous."

"Not yet."

She dropped down in front of me. "We pick and choose who we let in. We don't take monsters."

"Smart policy."

"What if you turn into one?"

I thought for a moment. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

She laughed. "Pretty confident, aren't you?"

The predawn air was cold. I leaned against the railing, watching the city.

A faint motor hum drifted from the distance. Kang Seorin reacted first.

"Get down."

We dropped flat instantly. A drone slipped between the buildings. So much for the outskirts being abandoned.

"Looks like their patrol route now reaches this far," Han Yerin muttered.

I narrowed my eyes. Another line of text brushed the edge of my vision.

Just as I thought. Something inside the lab was still pulling strings. But how was it able to interfere with outside drones?

Before I could follow the thought, gunshots and a short scream rose from below.

Han Yerin sprang up immediately. "South alley. That's our people."

She didn't hesitate. She sprinted down the stairs. Kang Seorin cursed and followed.

"Damn it. Move!"

The alley was narrow. Containers and wrecked cars formed makeshift barricades.

Three failed subjects. Two survivors were holding them off.

These were different from the ones in the lab. Their skin looked dried and cracked, limbs abnormally elongated. Urban-adapted variants, perhaps.

Han Yerin slid behind cover. "We're down to three rounds!"

"Knees, not the torso!" she shouted.

One survivor gritted his teeth and fired. The bullet shattered a knee. The creature staggered and fell.

I charged forward. Two red trajectories appeared: one crawling along the left wall, another dropping from above.

I twisted right, fired into the falling creature's chest, and blew its internals apart. Kang Seorin dropped the wall-crawler. Han Yerin finished it.

Only the one with the shattered knee remained. It tried to regenerate and rise, but I kicked its jaw and sent it sprawling.

Ever since the forced muscle amplification, my raw strength had increased even without active use. I stomped down on its chest, crushing the weak point inside and ending the fight.

The battle was clean.

I glanced at Han Yerin. She was breathing hard from the sprint, but her hands were steady. The way she swapped magazines was smooth and practiced.

As expected. There was a clear difference between victims who were slaughtered and survivors who fought back.

After the fight the two survivors glared at me.

"That thing came from the lab. Didn't these monsters follow it here?"

"Why the hell did you let in something that could go berserk any second?"

Han Yerin frowned. "Did you already forget who just saved your asses?"

"Even so—"

I looked at the fearful man. Rapid heartbeat. Pure terror on his face.

I spoke calmly. "Below fifteen percent, I can control it."

Sudden? Was it because I crushed the creature's chest? But I wore the bodysuit. No infected blood had touched my skin.

When the terrified survivor began to raise his gun, Kang Seorin stepped forward, caught the barrel, and pushed it down.

"She is safe. I vouch for her."

Yoon Harin added quietly, "Her current state remains within the stable range."

Han Yerin glared at the man. "I get that you're scared, but don't cross the line."

The survivors realized words wouldn't change anything. They turned away with clear dissatisfaction. Distrust still burned in their eyes.

When we returned to the rooftop, Han Yerin stood beside me.

"What you said earlier. Was that true? That fifteen percent is still safe?"

I stayed silent for a moment.

"What happens if it goes over?"

...The body would probably begin to change.

At that exact moment my heart gave a heavy thump.

My hearing sharpened. Han Yerin's breathing became crystal clear. I could even hear Kang Seorin loading a magazine downstairs.

And then—

A strange tension bloomed below my pelvis. The area beneath my abdomen tightened slightly. My center of gravity shifted. Weight distribution changed. Muscles were rearranging themselves.

It was a subtle transformation. There was no pain, yet the sensation felt utterly alien.

Suppression? Why?

Weren't we supposed to reach fifteen percent on purpose?

I gripped the railing. Han Yerin narrowed her eyes.

"You don't look well."

"I'm fine."

A lie. It felt as if blueprints were being redrawn somewhere deep inside my body.

Then NK365 climbed onto the rooftop.

"The numbers rose, didn't they?"

Specialized in stabilization, she had noticed instantly. I couldn't lie to her the way I could to Han Yerin.

I nodded.

She took my hand carefully. Her palm was warm.

Kang Seorin joined us, standing close.

"Are you okay right now?"

"I can hold on."

Yoon Harin arrived last and spoke quietly. "What percentage?"

"Fifteen."

"...Fifteen percent is the first adaptation phase. Beyond that—"

She stopped. Han Yerin pressed her.

"Beyond that, what?"

Yoon Harin couldn't bring herself to say it, so I answered for her.

"It mutates."

Han Yerin stared at me, then smiled.

"Doesn't that mean you'll get stronger?"

A simple statement, yet it carried unexpected weight.

"If you get stronger, protect me sometimes too. Like you did for those guys earlier."

She said it lightly, as if punching my shoulder.

I answered without thinking. "All right."

Kang Seorin's eyes flickered ever so slightly at my words. NK365 kept her gentle smile. Yoon Harin lowered her head.

My heart felt tangled. Yet I didn't want to deny it.

We were already sailing on the same ship.

The camera panned across the city once more. On the rooftop, the five of us remained together.