The sun was high, but the shadows in the camp felt longer.
Ji-hoon sat alone at a table near the edge of the food tent, picking at some dry biscuits. People moved around him—traders haggling, guards laughing—but he couldn't relax. Not when something was hiding among them.
He needed answers. Clues.
So he started watching.
Over the next few hours, he kept track of who walked where, who talked to whom, and who didn't. Most people followed routines. But three didn't.
One was a supply runner. Normally cheerful, loud, full of gossip. Today, she was quiet. Moved slow. Never smiled.
Another was a guard who paced the fence line but never actually looked outside it. His eyes stayed low, scanning the dirt, his lips moving like he was whispering to himself.
And the third… was one of the merchants.
Big guy. Leather coat. Sold ammo and weapon mods. Ji-hoon remembered him being gruff but sharp. Today, he just sat by his stall—staring. Not at anything. Just... staring.
Ji-hoon approached slowly, pretending to browse.
"Morning," he said casually.
The man didn't answer.
Ji-hoon glanced down. The merchant's hands were shaking—barely, but enough to notice. His fingers tapped the wood of the stall in a slow, strange pattern.
Ji-hoon leaned in. "You okay?"
The man looked up.
But it wasn't a look of recognition. Not even confusion.
Just a blank stare. His eyes unfocused. Like he was seeing something that wasn't there.
Ji-hoon backed away.
Something was wrong. Not just mentally—physically. The man's skin had a faint gray tint, like he hadn't slept in days. And under his collar… something pulsed.
Ji-hoon couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like a dark vein, too thick, moving slightly under the skin.
He didn't ask more questions.
He left and made his way to Ada's tent again.
She wasn't there.
Instead, a guard stood at the entrance, arms crossed. "She's out on patrol."
Ji-hoon didn't wait. He turned and walked fast toward the edge of camp.
This was spreading. Silently.
And now it was clear: whatever this was, it wasn't just causing sickness. It was changing people.
He returned to the medical tent, where the girl still slept. The nurse was gone. Ji-hoon sat beside her and opened his system panel.
He checked the local logs. They didn't show much—but one new flag appeared.
[Entity Profile: Hollowed (Unverified)]
He tapped it.
Description: Corrupted replication of standard NPC behavior. Exhibits loss of routine memory, emotional detachment, and foreign system signals. May be contagious. Risk Level: UNKNOWN.
His pulse jumped.
This wasn't part of the base game. Not from the DLC either.
This was new code.
Something was rewriting the world.
He looked down at the girl. Her lips twitched again.
Ji-hoon leaned closer.
Her eyes opened—suddenly, wide.
But not in fear.
They were hollow. Empty.
Then her mouth moved.
"You should not have stayed."
She bolted upright.
Ji-hoon fell back, hand on his knife, but the girl collapsed again—just as quickly. Breathing heavily. Like it hadn't happened.
He stepped away, heart pounding.
Something inside her had spoken.
Not her voice. Not even her mind.
Something else.
He left the tent, nearly colliding with Ada outside.
She grabbed his arm. "You see it too now."
Ji-hoon nodded. "It's spreading."
Ada glanced around. "We've got maybe a day before it takes over half this camp."
"What do we do?"
Her grip tightened. "Find the source. Before it finds you."