The cloaked figures didn't speak.
They simply appeared—three of them—stepping out from the shadows of the ruined city. Their hoods were pulled low, but the shape of their bodies told Kai everything he needed to know. These weren't regular survivors. These were players.
One was tall, their broad shoulders outlined by the glow of the distant acidstorm. The second was shorter, leaner, with the quick movements of someone accustomed to getting in and out fast. But the third one... he couldn't quite tell. Their form shifted in a way that seemed almost unnatural. Floating?
Kai's hand immediately went to his side, gripping the worn piece of rebar he'd been using as an improvised weapon. The blue HUD flickered again in his vision—distorted, lagging, barely functional.
[Warning: Hostile Entities Detected][Analyzing... Match: PLAYER CLASS - Unknown][Power Signature: Above User Level Range][Advised Action: Evade or Surrender]
Kai swallowed hard. He wasn't sure who these players were, but one thing was clear: they weren't here for a friendly chat.
He squared his stance, eyes narrowing.
"You just going to stare, or are we doing this?"
The floating figure spoke first, its voice mechanical, detached. "You triggered a rewrite."
Kai blinked. "What?"
The short one—definitely younger, no older than Kai—pulled back her hood. She had sharp features, piercing gray eyes, and a scar running across her lips. "No one gets rewrite prompts unless they're running a broken build. You've got blackcode running through you."
Kai's brows furrowed. "It's not by choice," he replied, his voice rough from days of near-constant wandering.
The tall one—now stepping forward—pulled back his cloak, revealing heavy combat armor made of sleek, obsidian-colored nanoweave, with glowing red veins running through the material. He moved with the assured confidence of someone who had seen hundreds of encounters, each one ending with them standing victorious. "Doesn't matter. You're running a rogue-tier system. That makes you a valuable asset—or a dangerous liability."
Kai's grip on the rebar tightened. "I'm neither. Just surviving."
The floating figure shifted slightly, the edges of their cloak flickering like a glitching image on a screen. Their eyes glowed a soft blue, and for a moment, Kai thought they were scanning him. "You're an anomaly," they said. "And anomalies get claimed."
The words hung in the air like a threat. But Kai wasn't one to bow down easily. He raised his chin slightly, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing fear.
"Claimed?" he asked, his voice a little more than a challenge. "What do you mean by that?"
Before any of them could respond, a new message flashed across his vision. His system—weak as it was in this zone—managed to deliver it.
[Player Marked: UNCLAIMED ASSET][Faction Intervention: SCAVENGERS OF NULL][YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS TO COMPLY]
Kai's heart skipped a beat. The Scavengers of Null. The name made his blood run cold. This faction didn't just steal resources—they took everything. Players, gear, secrets. They were ruthless. Deadly.
His first instinct was to run. To bolt. But something in the air told him that these players weren't going to let him slip away so easily. His hand instinctively reached for the jagged piece of metal again.
But then, something happened.
The air grew still. For a brief moment, it felt like time itself had paused.
The tall man's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, his voice low. "Run if you want. But it won't matter. We've already tracked you. It's already too late."
The short one, the girl, let out a sharp laugh. It was a sound that didn't match the situation—too casual, too carefree. "You think you can escape from us? The Scavengers? You're in our territory now, kid. This is our game."
Kai's pulse hammered in his ears. He could feel the walls closing in, could feel his options narrowing. His only hope was to make a move before they surrounded him completely.
[Skill Available: Data Spike (Locked)][Warning: No Active Skill Slots][Passive Buff: Instinct Boost Active][Evasion +12%, Speed +10%]
Without thinking, Kai lunged forward, using his speed to try and close the distance between himself and the nearest doorway. His body reacted before his mind could even register the decision—he had been through enough fights to know when it was time to act.
The tall one moved, his hand flicking to the pulse weapon on his hip, but it was too slow. Kai slipped past him, darting into an old maintenance hallway.
[New Objective: Escape Pursuers][Unlocking Path: Utility Subgrid: Depth Level 2]
The system barely functional as it was, offered little assistance, but the glowing arrows in his vision were enough to guide him through the crumbling structure. His feet pounded against the rubble as he ran, deeper into the bowels of the complex. He could hear the echo of footsteps behind him, growing closer.
A chill ran through his spine. They weren't just going to let him go.
He needed a plan.
Fast.
Kai reached an old, rusted service elevator. The doors were half-broken, the control panel flickering with static. He slammed his palm against the doorframe in frustration. The Scavengers were relentless. He'd been lucky so far to survive this long, but that luck wouldn't last.
[System Warning: Heavy Damage to Internal Systems Detected][Recommend Emergency Evacuation Protocol]
Kai ignored it. He couldn't afford to care about his system's warnings right now. He had to focus.
Behind him, the footsteps grew louder.
The short girl's voice rang out. "Don't bother running, kid. We've been tracking you for days. You can't hide from us forever."
He glanced back just as the others turned the corner.
The elevator pinged with a weak, electronic buzz—finally working. He dove in, slamming the button for the deepest level, just as the tall man's fist slammed against the door.
[System Alert: Entering Subzone - Dead Zone Protocol Active][Confirm Subzone Access?][Yes / No]
Kai didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
With a lurch, the elevator dropped into the unknown.
[End of Chapter 2]