Two days after the coordination test, training life continued with increasing intensity.
Every morning,Frontliner Cadets gathered on the field for physical training. Running laps around the dome, push-ups with added weight, endurance training in rooms with low spore concentration. Every afternoon, they studied theory. Maps of the Yellow and Red Zones, Mycelite classifications, survival strategies, and emergency evacuation procedures.
Every night,they returned to their dormitories with aching bodies and exhausted minds.
Team 07 was slowly recovering,though the cracks among them were still palpable.
Jian was still mostly quiet,but he no longer looked at Rin with full suspicion. More like wary, cautious.
Shun was still nervous,but he was starting to provide data with more confidence.
Mei remained calm as usual,but she spoke more often with Rin outside of training, giving tips on how to control the mycelial network without appearing suspicious.
And Akira,there was still distance between him and Rin. They talked, but not like before. As if there was a thin glass wall between them. Transparent, but still there.
But at least,they were still trying.
On the morning of the third day, something changed.
Rin was training on the field,running laps around the dome with other cadets, when she saw something in the distance.
A transport vehicle stopped in front of the Sector-3 administration building.The door opened, and out stepped a teenager with short silver-white hair and a familiar face.
Kai.
Rin stopped running,gasping for breath. She watched Kai from afar and felt something strange.
Kai looked different.
Not physically.Her body was the same. But the way she moved. Slower. More careful. As if she was learning to walk again.
Rin wanted to run over,but an instructor shouted.
"ASAKURA!DON'T STOP! KEEP RUNNING!"
Rin was forced to continue,but her eyes kept glancing towards Kai.
Kai stood there for a moment,looking at the field, then walked into the administration building escorted by two medics.
At noon, during lunch break.
Team 07 gathered in the Sector-3 cafeteria,a large dining hall with long tables and a large wall screen displaying dome news.
Rin sat next to Akira,eating processed mushroom soup. Standard dome food, bland tasting but highly nutritious.
Jian sat across from them,with Shun beside him. Mei sat at the end of the table, as usual, slightly apart but still part of the group.
"Did you guys see Kai this morning?"Akira suddenly asked.
Everyone nodded.
"She looked weird,"Akira continued. "Like she wasn't herself."
"Maybe she's just tired,"Shun said. "Medical observation must be exhausting."
"Or,"Jian said in a serious tone, "they did something to her."
Everyone looked at Jian.
"What do you mean?"Akira asked.
Jian looked around,making sure no one was listening, then spoke in a low voice.
"You think they just'examined' Kai? For what? If she wasn't infected, why would they keep her for four days?" He paused for a moment. "I've heard rumors. The Dome Council has an experimentation program. They take people with biological anomalies, people like..." He glanced briefly at Rin. "And they run tests on them. Sometimes those people come back. Sometimes they don't."
Rin felt her chest tighten.
Biological anomalies.
People like me.
Mei spoke up.Her tone was cold but firm.
"That's just a rumor.No proof."
"But there's no denial either,"Jian countered. "And if it's true, we have to be careful. All of you."
He looked directly at Rin,but this time his gaze wasn't suspicious. More like a warning.
Before anyone could respond,the cafeteria door opened.
Kai entered,wearing a clean, neat Frontliner Cadet uniform. Her face was pale, but she smiled when she saw Team 07.
"Hey,"she said softly. "I'm back."
Everyone immediately stood up.
Akira ran first,hugging Kai tightly. "KAI! We thought you..."
"I'm fine,"Kai answered. But her voice sounded flat. As if she was reading from a script.
Shun approached too,his face relieved. "W-where have you been?! We were worried!"
"Just medical observation,"Kai answered in the same tone. "They just checked me. Made sure I wasn't infected."
Jian looked at Kai sharply,as if analyzing something.
Rin walked closer slowly,and when she was near Kai, she felt something.
A small vibration.
Like a familiar low frequency.
Like the frequency from Mycelites.
But very weak.Almost imperceptible.
Rin tensed,but she didn't show any reaction.
Kai looked at Rin,and for a moment, there was something in her eyes. Something empty.
Then she smiled again."Rin. I heard you guys passed the coordination test. Congratulations."
"Thank you,"Rin answered softly, still wary.
Mei stood behind,not approaching Kai. Just observing from a distance with a sharp gaze.
Kai sat at the table with them, but something was different.
Her movements were too regular.Like a robot learning to mimic humans.
Her smile was too perfect.No small twitches, no natural expressions.
And her eyes.
No light in them.
In the afternoon, advanced training.
Kai joined the training with Team 07,but something was wrong.
During spore detection training,Kai, who was usually the most sensitive, now couldn't detect anything.
"Kai,there are spores to the right," the instructor said. "You should be able to feel that."
Kai was silent,then slowly shook her head. "I don't feel anything."
The instructor frowned."Why? Your sensitivity should be higher than the others'."
"I don't know,"Kai answered flatly. "Maybe something changed."
The instructor noted something on his tablet,then asked Kai to sit down.
During navigation training,Kai, who usually could read wind patterns accurately, now gave incorrect data.
"Wind from the northwest,"Kai said.
"Wrong,"the instructor said. "Wind from the east. Are you sure you're okay?"
Kai was silent,then nodded. "I'm sure. Maybe I just need time to adjust."
But Rin knew.
This wasn't about adjusting.
Something was wrong with Kai.
That night, Rin met Mei outside the dormitory.
They stood by the fence separating Sectors 3 and 7,a place with no security cameras.
"You felt it too,right?" Rin asked directly.
Mei nodded."Yes. There's something inside Kai. Like a low frequency. Like..."
"Like Mycelites,"Rin finished her sentence.
Mei looked at Rin with a serious gaze."But not a full infection. It's like something implanted. Like they put something inside her body."
Rin felt a chill creep up her spine."Why would they do that?"
"I don't know,"Mei answered. "But I have a theory." She paused for a moment. "They might be trying to create artificial Mycelites. People who can sense the mycelial network, but remain under their control."
Rin tensed."Like weapons?"
Mei nodded slowly."Yes. And if that theory is correct, Kai is no longer the Kai we knew."
Silence for a moment.
"So...what should we do?" Rin asked.
Mei looked towards the distant administration building,where Kai had been taken four days ago.
"We have to find out what they did to her.And we have to make sure they don't do the same to us."
Rin nodded slowly,but something bothered her.
If they can change Kai, can they also change me?
Or am I already too changed to be changed again?
That night, Kai did not return to the Sector-4 dormitory as usual.
She was placed in a special dormitory in Sector-2,along with several other cadets who had recently returned from "medical observation."
Rin searched for information about that dormitory and found something disturbing.
The Sector-2 dormitory for"Cadets Under Special Observation" was a place where the Dome Council placed people they considered different.
People who had the potential to become threats.
Or weapons.
Two days later.
Training continued,but Kai grew stranger.
She didn't talk much anymore.Her smile was mechanical. Her movements as regular as a robot's.
And most disturbingly,she began to report things.
During team strategy training,Kai suddenly asked Rin in a flat tone.
"Rin...have you ever felt something strange? Like a low frequency?"
Rin tensed."Why do you ask?"
"Because the instructor said it's an early sign of synchronization with the mycelial network."Kai looked directly at Rin, an empty gaze that made Rin uncomfortable. "Have you ever felt that?"
Rin knew this was a trap.
Kai was gathering information.
For the Dome Council.
"No,"Rin answered flatly. "I've never felt anything like that."
Kai looked at Rin longer,then nodded slowly.
"Okay.I believe you."
But Rin knew.
Kai didn't believe her.
That night, Rin couldn't sleep.
She stared at the ceiling with a chaotic mind.
Kai is no longer Kai.
They changed her into a spy. Or worse.
And if they find out about me, they'll do the same to me.
Or they'll kill me.
Rin closed her eyes and felt the green pattern on her arm moving faster.
The network's voice whispered again,stronger than before.
"They will take you,like they took her."
"But you can fight,if you let us out."
Rin shook her head hard.No. I won't give in to you.
But the voice didn't stop.
"You can't fight them alone.You need us."
"Let us grow.Let us protect you."
Rin opened her eyes,gasping for breath. Her body was damp with sweat.
She looked at her arm and froze.
The green pattern on her arm had now crept up to her shoulder.
Even through Mei's gel.
It's growing too fast.
I'm running out of time.
The next morning, an announcement came.
All Frontliner Cadets were gathered on the field.
Commissioner Lian stood at the front with a serious expression.
"In three days,you will undergo your First Field Expedition to the Yellow Zone. A real expedition, not a simulation. Duration three days and two nights."
The crowd began to murmur.
"Each team will be given different missions.Prepare yourselves well. Because this is no longer a drill."
A large screen behind her lit up,displaying mission lists for each team.
Rin quickly searched for her team's name.
TEAM 07:
MISSION:Investigation of Yellow Zone Sector-12
OBJECTIVE:Collect spore samples and ecosystem change data
DURATION:3 days 2 nights
DANGER LEVEL:Medium-High
Rin took a deep breath.
This is it.
First expedition into the outside world.
Mei stood beside her,whispering softly.
"Yellow Zone Sector-12.That's near the Red Zone border. High danger."
"Why are they sending us there?"Rin whispered back.
Mei looked at Rin with a serious gaze.
"Because they want to see how long you can last before your abilities are revealed.This isn't an ordinary mission, Rin. It's a test."
Rin felt a chill creep up her spine.
They know.
Or at least,they suspect.
And this expedition was their way of making sure.