Chapter 10 – The Exit Point
Havenbrook's industrial ruins faded behind them as Kai and Clara pushed toward Hollowpoint. The city loomed ahead, massive, fractured, and eerie. Neon lights flickered across broken streets, reflecting off twisted metal and cracked asphalt. Abandoned vehicles and toppled signs turned the once-bustling city into a deadly maze. Kai moved with caution, rifle in hand, hatchet at his waist, crossbow slung across his back. Clara followed closely, scanning rooftops and alleyways, her presence both a comfort and a potential risk.
A sharp metallic screech rang out from a side alley. Rogue data anomalies—participants twisted and corrupted by the Director's code—emerged, surrounding them. Three, then six, then more. Clara raised her rifle, but her bullets phased harmlessly through them. The corrupted participants were intangible to conventional weapons. She was powerless.
Kai's eyes narrowed. Elara's final garbled message returned to him:
[ADMIN MESSAGE – ELARA]
Kai, listen carefully… there are exit points on the map. Only you can get everyone left out of there… use your admin privileges to activate exit point…
He realized what he had to do. Through sheer force of will and the memory of her instructions, he accessed the hidden admin commands embedded in his HUD. Streams of code rippled across his vision, linking to his weapons. His rifle's rounds glowed faintly with encrypted code—armor-piercing, able to strike the rogue data.
Kai fired. Each shot tore through the corrupted participants with surgical precision. Clara dove for cover, helpless to intervene, watching in awe as Kai's bullets dismantled the rogue data.
From the chaos emerged four survivors—Jade, Rico, Mina, and Torik—panicked but alive. Kai covered them as they fled, moving through the empty streets toward safer ground.
"Stick with me!" Kai barked. "We move now!"
The rogue data fell back, neutralized by his code-infused rounds, leaving the streets eerily quiet. Kai, Clara, and the four survivors pressed onward through Hollowpoint, searching for more participants. The city was a labyrinth of glitching streets, collapsing pavement, and traps left by the Director.
Despite their efforts, only four more survivors could be found along the way. Exhausted, tense, and wary, the group of eight gathered in a temporary safe zone. Every other participant in the city had fallen victim to the Director's manipulations.
Kai lowered his rifle, exhaling. "166 remain," he said quietly. "Every second counts."
Clara adjusted her rifle, eyes sweeping the flickering streets. "This is far from over. The exit point is still ahead, and the Director is watching. One misstep…"
Kai's gaze hardened. "We make it together—or we fail together."
Hollowpoint's central district glimmered in the distance, artificial lights casting shadows across the streets. The city had already claimed so many; its neon glow was a trap for the unwary. But Kai knew the real exit point lay beneath the city. With Elara's instructions decrypted and the admin privileges now at his command, he finally had a chance to lead the remaining survivors to safety.
Every corner held danger. Every shadow concealed death. But for the first time since leaving Havenbrook, Kai held a tool, a plan, and a small group who could survive it with him. Hollowpoint was dangerous, but the exit point was real—and he would not fail.
[Day 22 – 21 Days Remaining – 166 Participants Alive]
End of Chapter 10