Chapter Eleven: Advancement

With the access card in hand, Ash felt as though he had left all danger behind the moment he entered the Fifth Guard Team’s jurisdiction. He walked for over twenty minutes without incident, not encountering a single soul along the way. Of course, this was because he deliberately suppressed his curiosity. Though he now held a master key, he dared not recklessly open the doors to any anomalous containment sites. The dangers here could not compare to those of the Third Guard Team’s district, but lacking a map or clear instructions, who knew what deadly threat might lurk behind an unmarked door?

When the in-game timer reached the fifty-fifth minute, Ash finally arrived at the end of the corridor. This steel passage, while secure, was far longer than the one leading to the control center in the Third Guard Team’s area.

Now, the massive door to the control center stood before him. With his access card, he could enter at any time and see what was inside.

“So, the question is—should I go in right now?” Ash thought. It was a question worth pondering. The crisis in the control center was not something a novice player could handle, yet he worried that even a brief hesitation might cause him to miss a crucial opportunity.

However, before Ash could even hesitate for a few seconds, the massive door before him suddenly slid open!

A figure, unlike the Foundation’s guards, abruptly appeared in Ash’s view.

Apostle of Chaos!

The sudden turn of events made Ash instinctively take several steps back, his collapsible baton snapping up into a defensive position. But the figure in the doorway collapsed to the ground like a pile of rotten mud.

The head of the Apostle of Chaos twisted grotesquely onto its back as if the cervical spine had ceased to exist, its dazed eyes staring blankly at Ash, giving him quite a fright. Then Ash suddenly realized: this Apostle’s manner of death was almost identical to that of the guard he’d seen earlier…

The Silken Shroud!

That accursed thing had made its way to the control center?

Ash pressed himself against the doorframe, peering cautiously inside. Sure enough, beneath the stark gray-white emergency lights, he saw bodies lying haphazardly, their necks grotesquely broken—some Foundation guards, some Apostles of Chaos, and many lab-coated staff. And the culprit behind all this, the Silken Shroud, now stood in silent penance, watched by every terrified eye.

Ash had no idea how the Silken Shroud had reached this place. Under its oppressive presence, both factions had been forced into a temporary ceasefire. Of course, some had tried to take advantage of the chaos to launch surprise attacks—but that only led to more carnage. The Silken Shroud, once out of sight, would teleport and snap the necks of any who dared attack, until it was once again caught in someone’s gaze.

Ash’s arrival shattered the fragile, tenuous balance.

The Apostles of Chaos, crazed and cold-blooded, launched the first attack. The surviving guards, bloodied and desperate, fought back without hesitation. The control center staff scrambled for cover as bullets flew, and amid the chaos, the Silken Shroud began its ritual of slaughter.

[Notice: You have witnessed an anomalous attack. You must make a Willpower Check to avoid sanity damage.]
[Rolling… Your Willpower is Level 2. Check failed!]
[You suffer 1 point of sanity damage.]
[You suffer 1 point of sanity damage.]
…

Four screams, abruptly cut off in the throats of their owners, were swallowed by the gunfire but rang clear in Ash’s ears. He hastily averted his gaze, but the image of bodies collapsing still burned vividly in his mind.

“If this goes on, everyone here will be wiped out. How am I supposed to find the location of the Chief Administrator?” Ash glanced toward the staff hiding near the control consoles. He suspected the answer lay with one of them—his gaze met that of a bespectacled staffer. The man’s glasses flashed with a soft light, and in that instant, he seemed to recognize Ash’s credentials, immediately beckoning him over.

[Notice: The department head of the control center has summoned you. Proceed to the control console at once.]

“The control center head? He must know where the Chief Administrator is!” Ash’s heart leapt, but he didn’t charge recklessly into the firefight. Things were too chaotic for that. Fortunately, the department head didn’t expect him to risk his life; the man raised his hand, and a device strapped to his wrist emitted a pale blue wave of energy, enveloping Ash.

[Notice: You have received temporary protection from the ‘Defender Mark II’ high-grade energy shield. This shield provides a fixed defense level of 21. Shield energy will deplete over time.]

Without hesitation, Ash dashed forward. The Apostles of Chaos didn’t care that he was low-ranking; bullets whistled toward him. Shards of glass exploded as bullets struck, but each one was stopped by the blue shimmer of the energy shield.

[Notice: Shield energy is below 25%. Seek cover immediately.]

Whizz! Whizz!

Ash had no time to marvel at the shield’s effects—two more bullets shattered the blue glow, but they also gave him just enough time to reach the control console. With an agile dive and roll, he slid behind cover.

“Temporary staff D1106 (Foundation personnel ID), did you clean the Silken Shroud’s containment facility?” The bespectacled department head asked in a flat tone. Ash was puzzled, but after he gave an affirmative answer, the man’s expression relaxed noticeably. He immediately ordered the guards to launch an all-out counterattack.

“Research has shown that staff who clean the Silken Shroud’s facility are less likely to be attacked by it for a period of time,” explained a staffer who’d crept up next to Ash. “If we stay close to you, our chances of survival improve as well.”

“So that’s how it works.” Ash nodded, reassured. According to his calculations, he had safely rejoined the main quest. As long as the Silken Shroud behaved as expected, the chaos in the control center would soon subside—unless, of course, something unexpected occurred.

Something unexpected…

Ash recalled the Third Guard Captain’s analysis and the earlier disturbances in the control center. His gaze swept across the gathered staff. Had the Apostle of Chaos’s spy already been exposed and killed, or was there still a traitor waiting to act?

“At this point, if there’s still a spy hidden among us, that would be truly terrifying. If the first attempt failed, they’re determined to destroy this hidden facility no matter what?”

Just in case, Ash gripped his collapsible baton tightly, remaining vigilant. More than a minute passed. The Apostles of Chaos were nearly wiped out. Just as Ash was beginning to think he was being too paranoid, amid the gunfire and screams, a sudden disturbance caught his ear.

Click.

Ash, alert and tense, turned instantly toward the sound. He saw a black grenade rolling across the floor—and a staffer darting low and fast. The others either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t yet reacted. Nearly all those with combat ability were engaged in the firefight, leaving only research staff behind—many of them already wounded. The few who saw the danger froze in terror.

Time seemed to halt as the grenade spun toward them.

It was just a small object, barely the size of a palm, yet it was death incarnate among them. But among the panic-stricken lambs beneath the scythe, one chose to fight for survival.

Now or never!

In a split second, Ash acted without hesitation, swinging his baton at the grenade.

But someone was faster—the department head. He projected his energy shield over the grenade, preventing it from detonating upon impact.

Boom!

The grenade soared away from the crowd, exploding with a sudden flash. The shield, designed for external threats, could not contain the force from inside; red-hot flames tore through the blue barrier, engulfing the fleeing traitor completely.

Bang!

A surge of heat flung Ash and many others to the floor, but at the same time, a series of game notifications appeared before his eyes.

[Notice: You have eliminated a traitorous Foundation operative. Large Contribution Points awarded.]
[According to reward rules, you immediately receive the maximum points for your current level; excess points are stored in your Contribution Pool.]
[Notice: You have gained Double Contribution status. As long as you have points in your pool, all earned points are doubled until the pool is depleted.]
[Notice: Player ‘Ash’ has leveled up. You receive 1 Core Attribute Point and 1 Major Attribute Point; assign them on your character sheet.]
[Notice: You have gained the goodwill of the department head of Hidden Facility No. 19 Control Center. You may now obtain extra information from him.]

I… leveled up just like that?

Ash, slightly battered, picked himself off the floor in surprise. But upon closer examination, he couldn’t help but grumble at the odd rules of the Anomaly Park—after all, that charred corpse must have been a high-level enemy, yet all he got was a single level, and that only because he’d been close to leveling up anyway.

“Well, at least I got double experience. Can’t expect to jump ten levels in one go,” Ash consoled himself, but his attention was soon captured by the last notification. The goodwill of the department head meant more than a smile or a friendly glance—it meant tangible benefits.

Pleased that Ash had acted fearlessly to resolve the crisis, the department head, once the situation stabilized, opened a storage case beneath the console and produced a set of black protective gear. After some quick input on the digital terminal, he handed the suit to Ash.

[Notice: The department head has transferred usage rights for ‘Basic Protective Suit’ to you.]