In Chapter 2, we'll dive into the Mutation and Evolution aspects. Han Chen's body is changing, and he's about to encounter his first major challenge—and his first potential partner.
Chapter 2: The Crimson Evolution.
The heat in Han Chen's marrow wasn't just adrenaline; it was a structural rewrite. As he dragged himself onto the rusted landing of the 105th floor, his skin began to steam in the cool, salty air.
[NOTIFICATION: BODY RECONSTRUCTION IN PROGRESS...]
[EVOLUTION PATH: PRIMAL HUMAN STAGE 1]
[STRENGTH: 2 ➔ 8]
[AGILITY: 3 ➔ 7]
[SENSES: MUTATION DETECTED — 'DEEP-SEA VISION' UNLOCKED]
Han gasped as his vision fractured. The darkness of the unlit corridor transformed. He could see the heat signatures of rats scurrying behind the walls and, more importantly, the faint, rhythmic pulse of a Mana-core through the ceiling. His muscles tightened, the once-flabby tissue now hard as corded rope.
"Is this the power of the System?" he whispered, clenching his fist. The jagged piece of scrap metal he held actually bent under his grip.
Suddenly, the floor above him groaned. A thunderous crash echoed, and a figure plummeted through the ceiling, landing in a heap of dust and broken drywall just ten feet away.
It was a woman.
She was dressed in the high-tech, reinforced polymer armor of the Sky-Guard, the elite military force from the top floors. Her armor was shattered, revealing a deep, pulsating purple wound on her thigh—a Blight-Sting from a mutated sea-wasp.
[DING! TARGET DETECTED.]
[NAME: LIN MEI (RANK: SILVER COMMANDER)]
[STATUS: POISONED / GENE-INSTABILITY / COMPATIBILITY: 94%]
[MISSION: THE FIRST ANCHOR]
[OBJECTIVE: Save Lin Mei and establish a 'Life-Bond.' Failure to neutralize the poison will result in her mutation into a Sea-Ghoul.]
Han hesitated. A Silver Commander could kill him with a thought—usually. But right now, Lin Mei was coughing up black bile, her eyes rolling back.
"Stay... back... scavenger," she hissed, her hand trembling as she tried to reach for the laser-blade at her hip.
"You're dying," Han said, his voice deeper, vibrating with his new Strength stat. "And if you turn, I'll have to kill you anyway. Let the System—let me—help you."
Before she could protest, a screech tore through the stairwell. A Stalker-Evolution Mutant, a six-limbed monstrosity with the head of a shark and the body of a cheetah, crawled through the hole in the ceiling. It had been hunting her.
[DANGER! STALKER-EVOLUTION MUTANT (LEVEL 12) DETECTED.]
[PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL: 15%... UNLESS EVOLUTIONARY SYNERGY IS ACTIVATED.]
"Lin Mei!" Han shouted, leaping over the debris. He didn't have a gun. He didn't have a sword. He had the System. "If you want to live, give me your hand!"
As the monster lunged, its serrated claws inches from Han's throat, he grabbed Lin Mei's hand.
[LIFE-BOND INITIATED: 'EMERGENCY CONTRACT.']
[TRANSFERRING SYSTEM VITALITY... EVOLUTIONARY OVERLOAD STARTING!]
A blinding surge of white light connected them. The poison in Lin Mei's veins didn't just disappear—it evolved. Her eyes snapped open, glowing with a fierce electric blue, and Han felt his own Strength double as their auras merged.
The Stalker Mutant hit an invisible wall of pure pressure and was sent flying backward into the rusted wall.
Han felt a surge of raw, masculine protective instinct. He looked at Lin Mei, who was staring at him in a mix of horror and sudden, inexplicable attraction. The 'Bond' was working.
"Hold on," Han grinned, feeling the power of a Level 12 Hunter flowing through his veins. "The world is drowning, but we're just getting started."
What's Next?
In Chapter 3, the action will peak as they fight the Mutant together, and the first "Romance/Intimacy" rewards of the System will be revealed as they find a safe haven to recover.
Would you like me to focus more on the fight scene or the "System Rewards" for their new bond?