The building was half-collapsed. A pre-apocalypse structure, maybe a mall or a bunker.They found it behind a rusted barrier, past a pit of broken cars.
Inside, the air was thick with dust—and something else.Memory.
[Safe Zone – Temporary. Duration: 3 Hours][Recovery Bonus Active]
He slumped against a wall, finally breathing without blood in his throat.No. 43 dropped her bat beside her, her hands still trembling.
"That was... something," she said.
"You were good."
She blinked. "Did you just give me a compliment?"
"...Maybe."
She smirked and pulled out the Tainted Core Fragment. "What do you think these are?"
He examined his own.Crimson crystal. Slightly warm. Still pulsing.
[Core Fragment (Tainted) – Residue of a fallen Candidate. Can be consumed for XP, or refined for ability enhancement. Warning: May cause instability.]
He read it aloud.
No. 43 stared at hers. "These monsters… they were like us."
He didn't answer.Instead, he looked at the ash, the etched jawbone, and remembered the eye in the sky.
Something—someone—was watching.
And maybe... laughing.
Later, in a ruined office room lit by flickering red lights, they found an old console.Still working.
[Local Log File: Echo #3][Recovered by Candidate No. 17]
He pressed play.
A man's voice crackled, distorted:
"Day 9. Still no answers. The Tower feeds on something. Us? Our fear? I don't know. The time freezes helped early on, but... it's like the world learns. The monsters get faster. Smarter."
"…I thought I was alone. Then I found others. They were already changing."
"…If you hear this—don't trust the numbers. The lower your number, the longer you've been here."
Silence.
No. 43 looked at him. "You're... No. 88."
He nodded.
She swallowed. "I'm 43. That guy was 17."
They both stared at the core fragment again.A piece of No. 17. Of what he became.
A chill crept into the room.And somewhere outside, distant but rising—
The Tower sang.
A deep, vibrating hum, like glass under pressure.
[Objective Update: Tower Activation Level: 95%][New Threats Approaching]
He stood. Gripped his weapon again.
"Rest's over."