I was in a dark shelter. Around me, young people were waiting in rows, not with fear on their faces, but with a strange excitement. In a normal world, everyone in a place like this would have panic on their faces, right? But this was no normal world. Some of the young people were trembling with excitement, while others were smiling as if they were trying to hide a secret. Whispers were buzzing in the air. It was as if we were at a festival, only this festival would either bring you victory or… something else. Where was I? Damn it, I didn't know the answer to that question either. When I opened my eyes, that chaotic moment in the pizzeria had disappeared. The knife, the blood, the screams of the cashier… It had all faded away like a dream. In its place was this strange, cold, metallic shelter. But when I looked more closely, I realized that this wasn't just a shelter. This was another world. Who had robotic arms, glowing eyes, or hair in colors impossible to be natural? Red, blue, even neon green hair… And some of them had an almost invisible energy, an aura, vibrating around them. Like a scene out of a superhero movie.
But then I looked at myself. And that's when I got a real shock. This body… It wasn't my body. Or at least, it wasn't the Kevin I knew. My hair was matted, my beard was untidy. My nails were dirty, the rags I wore smelled disgusting. My stomach was growling with hunger, even my breath was foul. I, who used to be careful about my shirt, tie, and polished shoes, now looked like a hooligan. It was disgusting. Where was Kevin, who was smart, cool, always in control? I felt disgusted with myself. But then, for a moment, the feeling passed. Because there were bigger, stranger things going on around me.
There was a stage in the middle of the bunker. It was lined up with chairs that looked like they had come out of a science fiction movie. Each chair was adorned with metallic wires and light panels. The young people were called up one by one, tied to those chairs, and needles were used to inject fluids into their arms. What was the procedure? I had no idea. But the results… God, the results were horrific. Some of them were reborn after the injection. Their skin became smoother, their eyes sparkled, the energy they called "aura" around them grew stronger. It was as if they had become gods. But others… Some of them would scream and explode in the middle of the injection. Yes, they would explode! Their organs would spill out, but strangely, an invisible vacuum would instantly suck them all in and destroy them. As if this disgusting scene was part of the plan. Others were worse. Their eyes turned gray, their expressions blank and lifeless. They were being carried on stretchers into the depths of the bunker. Where? I didn't know. But something inside me told me those stretchers weren't going anywhere good.
My turn was approaching. My heart was pounding like crazy. What was this place? Why was I here? I had escaped death, hadn't I? That knife stuck in my back at the pizza place… When I remembered that moment, I still felt a coldness in my back. But if I was here, if I was alive, maybe I had a chance. Maybe I could achieve something in this disgusting body, in this disgusting place. After all, how many people had defeated death?
But when I looked around, I realized I was alone. No one was talking to me. When I tried to ask questions, people either ignored me or pushed me away. I tapped a girl on the shoulder and said, "Hey, how are you?" She looked at me like I was an insect. "Don't touch me," she said and pushed me away. I guess I had the status of an insect in the eyes of these people…
If my status was so low, why was I here? What was I doing among these elite, super-powered types? I was smart, yes, but this world didn't work by the rules I knew. I would take risks in the stock market, win or lose. But here? Losing here meant exploding and disappearing or turning into a gray-eyed zombie.
When it was my turn, my stomach knotted. Two metal-armed guards pushed me toward the stage. "Move, skinny!" one said, his voice full of mockery. They tied my arms and legs as I was seated in a chair. The cold metal dug into my skin. Red lights were flashing on the panel in front of me. A needle slowly approached my arm. My heart was beating so fast that I thought my chest would explode.
At that moment, a strange fear gripped me. I hadn't felt such fear in a long time. But… where else had I been afraid? Suddenly, the memories of my previous life began to blur. The chaos at the stock exchange, the boss's shouts, the knife at the pizza place… They were wilting like flowers. This was a bad sign. Losing my memories, forgetting who I was… The fear in my heart increased a thousandfold.
The guard sat me down hard on the chair. It was as if he was tired of this job and was doing everything mechanically. Suddenly, I felt as if cold thorns were piercing my spine. My body went numb, as if I had lost control. My vision blurred as black text appeared in my vision:
*WHISPERS SUCCESSFULLY BLOCKED
*WELCOME!
When the text disappeared, it was as if I had awakened from a trance. The cold, numbing feeling was instantly sucked away. The blue fluid was still flowing into my arm, but nothing was happening. I didn't explode, I didn't go into a coma. Just… nothing.
The officer muttered harshly to the one next to him. "Another failure. Take him to the Facilities."
Facilities? That word sent a shiver through me. I thought of the gray-eyed men being carried to the stretcher. No, this couldn't be it! I wanted to run, but I couldn't move. It was as if an invisible hand was holding me. I couldn't move my arms or legs. I moved as if I were lying on the stretcher of my own volition, like a puppet. The officers called the next person up to the stage, unconcerned.
At that moment, a yellow exclamation mark appeared in my vision. It was blinking, and it remained still even when I moved my head. The soldier pushing the stretcher must have been annoyed by my moving my head too much, so he gave him a sharp look. As if a button had been pressed, my body slowly began to shut down. As my eyes grew heavy, a screen appeared in my vision. It had a single line written on it:
"Opportunity System activated. User: Kevin Stone [New name: Nameless]"
*Congratulations, you have received your first mission!
*First mission: Escape from X-Global Facilities.