Meteorborn Terra

"I'll be fine, Aries. I'll see you soon enough, so go first," Theo reassured her sister.

Before Aries could protest, a familiar deep voice of a man spoke up. "I owe you my life. Thank you." Theo turned to see the security guard he had saved earlier. 

The man scratched his head before adding, "Also… I'm sorry for hitting you before. It's just that I felt bad for those people. I still want to believe their case isn't hopeless, that maybe there's a cure."

Theo sighed. "I understand what you mean. But trust me, once they're bitten, the virus has already killed them." 

His voice was firm as he continued, "The infection strips them of their humanity. Once transformed, there's no turning back. There is no cure, only destruction." He repeated the exact words the system had told him.

"How can you be so sure of that?!" Commander Brix cut in.

Theo gulped. "I have a system that gives me information about it," he admitted with a sigh.

"Huh? A system?" The commander and the security guard both frowned at him.

Theo shrugged. "It's been inside me ever since I woke up after getting hit by the meteorite. It tells me things."

"Right! I saw you take down that monster!" The security guard's eyes widened. "You have supernatural abilities, don't you? No ordinary man could crush a monster like that with his bare hands!"

"He practically took down all the Infectees here," another survivor muttered. "I saw it while peeking through the door."

The commander eyed Theo with suspicion.

Meanwhile, the security guard extended his hand to him for a handshake "By the way, I'm Calix."

"I'm Theo," he replied, accepting his hand.

"Sir, we're ready to escort the uninfected survivors," a soldier suddenly reported.

"Alright, move out," Commander Brix ordered.

Calix turned to Theo. "Don't worry, I'll look after your sister."

Theo gave him a small nod.

As Calix escorted Aries, she glared at Theo and said, "Promise me you'll see me soon!"

He nodded with a smile, watching as Aries reluctantly followed the first group of evacuees with Calix.

"This is unfair!" An elderly man with a gray tag suddenly huffed in frustration. "Why are we being left behind when we could all go down together? And what's with these damn gray tags?! You just left us with gray tags all here! We deserve an explanation! What's going on?!"

Commander Brix kept his expression unreadable as he responded, "It's not safe to escort all of you at once. We're moving in batches. We've been instructed to take the ordinary survivors first, the ones who need more attention."

There were seven survivors left, including himself. But one was missing… Sunshine. He had to find her first, so being left behind was fine with him. Still, he understood how anxious the rest of the survivors were, especially those who were scared and just wanted to get out of the hospital alive.

"No! That's absurd!" a woman snapped, panic rising in her voice. "If you're not going to take us, we'll leave on our own! Why should we wait when those monsters upstairs could come down here at any moment? You cleared all the levels downward, so why do you need to take us in batches?"

She turned and walked toward the fire exit, but before she could take another step…

Click.

The sound of a rifle being raised froze her in place. One soldier aimed his rifle at her.

"What is this?! Why are you pointing your gun at me?! It's our choice to leave or not!" the woman barked.

The soldier holding the rifle hesitated, but before he could lower his weapon, a bald man beside him suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the rifle from his hands.

With a furious growl, the bald man swung the weapon like a club, slamming it into the soldier's face. The impact sent the soldier stumbling backwards, but before he could react, the bald man struck again, then again.

Crack.

"Stop! Stand down!" Other soldiers rushed in, grabbing at him, trying to pull him away, but it was as if he didn't hear them. He shoved them off with unnatural strength, his grip on the rifle tightening.

A single gunshot rang out.

The bald man froze, his breath ragged, his eyes wild. His grip loosened just slightly as his head snapped toward the source of the gunfire. The lieutenant had fired a warning shot into the ceiling, his rifle still raised.

For a second, silence filled the room.

Then the bald man slowly turned, his bloodstained hands gripping the rifle once more. His eyes locked onto the lieutenant.

He raised the rifle, aiming it directly at the officer's chest.

Bang!

A second gunshot.

The soldier on the ground, beaten, bloodied, and barely conscious, had fired first. The bullet struck the bald man square in the chest. His body jolted, his grip slackened, and he crumpled to the floor with a heavy thud.

A female soldier rushed over, checking his vitals.

She looked up, her face grim. "No pulse. He's gone."

"Move away from him this instant!" Brix's voice was sharp and immediate.

But before they could react, the bald man's body rose and convulsed violently. His veins darkened beneath his skin. His eyes rolled back, and a guttural, inhuman screech tore from his throat. 

His fingers curled like claws, his back arching at an impossible angle. His arms split open as grotesque, elongated tendrils shot out… twisting and branching like gnarled tree limbs. 

They lashed out wildly, striking anything in their reach. A soldier barely managed to dodge as one slammed into the wall, leaving deep cracks in the concrete.

"Shoot him in the head!" Commander Brix ordered.

"Damn it, I can't get a clear shot!" another soldier yelled, his hands shaking as he tried to aim.

The creature let out a guttural snarl, its distorted limbs whipping through the air. One of the tendrils struck a soldier square in the chest, sending him flying backwards with a sickening crunch. Blood spattered across the floor.

The remaining soldiers took their shots, their gunfire echoing through the area. Theo clenched his fists, ducking and moving with the others to a safer spot. This one is stronger than the last Meteorborn I killed… he thought, watching as the soldiers struggled to bring it down.

[Ding! Each Meteorborn Terra kill grants +1000 EXP and +100 Gold Coins.]

'That much for a Meteorborn Terra? Is that different from a regular Meteorborn?'

[Ding! Killing a Meteorborn Terra unlocks Observer's Insight, an ability that allows you to perceive limited details about others. The stronger you become, the more secrets you can unveil.]