Chapter 11: Buried Secrets

A deep, unsettling silence filled the supply depot. My flashlight flickered across rusted shelves and dust-covered crates, but my focus remained on the system's warning.

System Notification:

Hostile presence detected. Close proximity.

My grip on the rifle tightened. Daniel, breathing heavily beside me, picked up on my tension.

"What is it?" he whispered.

I didn't answer immediately. I listened. The wind howled outside, but inside—inside was something else. A faint, irregular scraping.

Something was here.

I gestured for Daniel to stay low as we advanced deeper into the depot. The cold air felt heavier, thick with decay.

Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw it.

A shadow, slithering between the crates.

It wasn't human.

A guttural clicking sound echoed through the room, followed by a low, rasping breath. Then, a pair of reflective eyes locked onto me from the darkness.

System Identification:

Unknown Variant - Adaptive Predator

Threat Level: High

My heartbeat pounded in my ears. The creature was unlike anything I had seen before. Its twisted form was part flesh, part chitin, its limbs too long, its movements eerily fluid.

Then it lunged.

"Move!" I shouted, shoving Daniel aside as the creature crashed into the shelves, sending metal and supplies tumbling.

I fired. The rifle's muzzle flashed, and a round slammed into its torso. But instead of dropping, the creature twisted unnaturally, absorbing the impact like it was nothing.

Daniel cursed, scrambling for cover. "It's not going down!"

Another shot—center mass. The beast stumbled, but only for a second before lunging again.

My mind raced. Normal bullets weren't enough. I needed something stronger.

Then my system chimed again.

System Reward Unlocked:

Dimensional Storage Acquired.

A new interface flashed before my eyes—an inventory grid. No weight limit. No physical restrictions. Instant access.

And inside?

My looted weapons.

Among them—a high-caliber shotgun loaded with armor-piercing rounds.

I didn't hesitate.

I reached back, pretending to dig into my backpack while summoning the weapon directly from storage. The moment my hand closed around the grip, I yanked it free and leveled the barrel at the creature's skull.

BOOM.

The blast ripped through the air, shredding through the beast's elongated head. A wet, sickening splatter followed as it collapsed to the ground, twitching before falling still.

Silence.

My breaths came hard and fast. Daniel stared at the smoking weapon in my hands.

"Where the hell were you hiding that?" he asked.

I slung the shotgun over my shoulder and exhaled. "Packed it before we left. Thought we might need extra firepower."

Daniel shook his head, still catching his breath. "Remind me never to question your paranoia again."

I let out a dry chuckle before refocusing. There could be more.

We moved quickly, clearing the rest of the depot. No more creatures, but plenty of supplies.

And then—something unexpected.

Near the back of the room, beneath a collapsed metal shelf, I spotted a partially buried armory case. With effort, we pried it open.

Inside, neatly secured, were weapons unlike anything I'd seen before.

Experimental rifles, pulse-based energy weapons, and even small, tactical drones.

Daniel let out a low whistle. "This… this isn't standard military gear."

"No," I muttered, examining a sleek, futuristic rifle. "This is something else."

Something classified.

The realization sent a chill down my spine. This depot wasn't just a supply post. It had been a hidden weapons research site.

And that meant there was more to this island than I had ever realized.

But for now, we had what we needed.

I discreetly stored extra weapons and ammunition in my Dimensional Storage, making it look like I was packing them into my bag. Daniel didn't question it—he was too busy securing his own loadout.

We weren't leaving empty-handed.

But as we prepared to head back to the facility, a new thought lingered in my mind.

If this was hidden here…

What else was buried beneath the ice?

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