Mutation Protocols

Time inside Zone 13-X flowed differently.

An hour in, and already the environment was shifting. The fog thickened. Structures warped with organic growths. The sky itself flickered as if rejecting reality.

> [Elapsed Time: 1 hour 8 minutes]

Biohazard Index: 72% – Unstable mutations predicted

Team Sync: 49%

Neural Fatigue Detected: Minimal

The squad advanced slowly, alert and silent.

"Something's not right," Kara muttered. "My electric field's reacting weird. It's like the air itself is… pulsing."

Yuin touched her orb, eyes glowing violet. "The zone's consciousness is waking up. It doesn't like visitors."

Arin scanned with Neural Pulse.

A flicker—movement underground. Fast. Dozens of them.

> [Alert: Tunnel-class Mutants – Approaching]

"Ambush incoming!" Arin shouted. "Form a perimeter!"

The ground erupted.

---

Eight creatures leapt from the earth—half-insect, half-metal, with blade arms and vibrating carapaces.

"Split and rotate formation!" Drex ordered, slamming his sword into the ground and activating a kinetic barrier.

Kara unleashed lightning arcs, stunning two of the attackers.

Yuin used her orb to distort space, briefly trapping one in a time loop.

Arin activated Echo Step and blinked behind a creature mid-leap. A precision slash to its spinal core dropped it instantly.

But it wasn't enough.

One of the creatures latched onto Drex, piercing his shoulder.

"Gaaah!"

> [Teammate Status: Bleeding – Minor Infection Detected]

Arin didn't hesitate.

He focused, channeled Phantom Reflex, and targeted the exact nerve link connecting the creature to Drex.

Strike. Snap. Dead.

Drex fell back, breathing hard.

"You saved me…"

"Later. We're not done."

---

After ten minutes of brutal combat, the squad finally cleared the attackers.

But then the system triggered something unexpected.

> [Mutation Protocol Triggered – Zone Instability Reached Threshold]

Class B Bio-Beast Spawning in 3 minutes

Location: Near Substation 44

> New Mission Directive: Eliminate Mutation Node to Exit Safely

Arin looked at the map projection.

"That's two blocks east. We head now."

Kara looked unsure. "Fighting a Class B with one injured?"

Arin's tone shifted—calm but firm.

"We go now, or this zone consumes us. Your choice."

Drex stood, clutching his arm. "I'm in."

Yuin whispered, "Something… is calling from that place."

---

They moved fast through broken alleys and twisted stairwells.

As they neared Substation 44, the sky darkened into a deep red. Gravity wavered. Time bent slightly.

> [Warning: Mutation Zone Active]

Terrain Effect: Neural Disruption

Skill Cooldowns Increased by 50%

Escape Impossible Until Node is Destroyed

Then they saw it.

A massive creature—ten feet tall, with four arms, flesh fused with machinery, and a glowing tumor pulsing on its chest.

It was guarding a core of pure mutated bio-energy.

> [Target Identified: Class B Mutation Beast – "Gravemind Carrier"]

Subtype: Zone Guardian

Weakness: Bio-Core Nexus (Chest)

Strengths: Gravity Control, Berserker Mode

Threat Level: Extreme

Drex swore. "We can't win this."

Arin's eyes never left the monster.

"Yes, we can. But not if we fight alone."

---

Tactical Plan – Initiated by Xyro AI

> Sync Rate: 63%

Proposed Strategy: Decoy Disruption / Targeted Burst / Psychic Trap / Final Pulse

"Drex, draw aggro. Kara, overload the air with static to interfere with gravity pulls. Yuin—trap its mind when I give the signal."

"And you?" Kara asked.

"I finish it."

They nodded.

---

The fight began like thunder.

Drex charged, sword ablaze with kinetic energy, slamming into the creature's leg to unbalance it. Kara blasted arcs of electricity into the sky, creating localized static surges that distorted the air.

The Gravemind roared, sending out shockwaves of gravity that bent steel and crushed concrete.

Arin moved like a ghost, weaving through debris, calculating the perfect moment.

> [Focused Flow – Activated]

[Phantom Reflex – Engaged]

[Echo Step – Ready]

He closed in.

"Yuin—now!"

Yuin's orb glowed with a blinding pulse, and for a split second, the Gravemind's mind froze.

That was all Arin needed.

He leapt, drove his dagger into the tumor, and channeled a surge of raw system energy.

> [Pulse Drive – Unlocked]

Description: Compresses system energy into a lethal core burst. One-time use per battle.

Result: Target DNA Overload

The Gravemind let out a shriek—and exploded into a vortex of ash and light.

Silence.

Then:

> [Mission Complete]

Time Survived: 6 hours 18 minutes

Team Status: Alive

DNA Gain: +3.0%

Bonus Trait: Mutation Resistance (Lv. 1)

Sync Rate: 71%

They'd won.

---

Back in the academy, Director Virex reviewed the footage.

He leaned forward, jaw tight.

"This is impossible. No E-rank should have accessed Pulse Drive."

Rhea Lin replied, "It wasn't in his system. He created it mid-battle. That energy... it didn't come from us."

Virex stood. "Initiate Phase II. I want his origin traced. Parents. Bloodline. Childhood. Everything."

She hesitated. "And if we find out he's not entirely human?"

Virex's eyes narrowed.

"Then we prepare for war."

---

Arin lay on his bunk that night, sore but satisfied.

The system pulsed quietly beside him.

> [You Are Changing, Arin Verma]

[Next Threshold – DNA Rank D – 12.6% Remaining]

He smiled faintly.

Bring it on.