e expedition were the most tense days Rin had ever experienced.
Not because of the increasingly tough training,though that was exhausting too. But because of pressure from all sides.
From the Dome Council,which was watching more closely.
From Kai,who was now like a shadow, always there, always observing, always asking questions in a flat tone that made Rin uncomfortable.
From the green pattern on her arm that kept spreading.It had now almost reached her right shoulder as well, even though Mei kept providing new gel every night.
And the heaviest.
From the network's voice growing stronger.Every night, the voice whispered more clearly. Every morning, Rin had to struggle harder to separate that voice from her own thoughts.
"You won't last much longer…"
"Let us out…or you'll die out there…"
"They will kill you…if they find out…"
Rin began sleeping only three to four hours per night, and even that was full of nightmares.
Day One of Preparation: Mission Briefing
All of Team 07,including Kai who was now officially back as a member, were gathered in the Sector-3 Briefing Room.
A small room with a long table,a large screen on the wall, and a holographic map of the Yellow Zone slowly rotating on the table.
Instructor Yashida stood at the front,with a tablet in hand and his usual serious expression.
"Team 07," he said in a flat tone. "Your mission. Enter Yellow Zone Sector-12, collect spore samples from three different locations, and return in three days. Simple, but don't underestimate it."
He pointed to the holographic map.A yellow area with several glowing red dots.
"Yellow Zone Sector-12 is located eight kilometers from Tianhai Dome,near the Red Zone border. Spore concentration there is higher than the simulation zone, averaging forty percent denser. Meaning, you will start feeling mild hallucination effects after six hours."
Shun swallowed,his hands trembling as he held his tablet.
"Mycelites there are also more aggressive,"Yashida continued. "Class-D and C are common. Class-B is rare, but possible. And if you are very unlucky…" He paused for a moment. "You could encounter a Class-A."
Jian raised his hand."If we encounter a Class-A, what should we do?"
Yashida looked at Jian with a flat expression."Run. As fast as you can. And hope it doesn't chase you."
Silence.
"You will be given standard equipment.Weapons, medkit, navigation tools, emergency tent, and food for four days. One day extra. Communication with the dome is for emergencies only. You must rely on yourselves."
Yashida looked at them one by one.His gaze lingered slightly longer on Rin and Kai.
"One more thing,"he said in a more serious tone. "If any of you show signs of severe contamination, high fever, heavy hallucinations, or drastic behavioral changes, you are required to report immediately. We will evacuate that person. If you don't report, the entire team will be disqualified. And possibly quarantined."
Rin felt her chest tighten.
Severe contamination.
Drastic behavioral changes.
That's me.
Mei glanced at Rin.A gaze full of warning.
Don't get caught.
"Questions?"Yashida asked.
No one raised their hand.
"Good.Collect your equipment at the supply warehouse. Expedition begins tomorrow at 06:00. Don't be late."
Day Two of Preparation: Equipment Collection
Team 07 went to the Sector-3 Equipment Warehouse,a large building with tall racks full of expedition gear.
They were given:
Expedition uniforms.Thick dark green anti-spore jackets, light chest protection, tactical gloves, and portable oxygen masks.
Weapons.Rin and Akira got stun rods. Jian got a new heavy machete, sharper than the old one. Mei got new dual knives with special sheaths. Shun got a flare pistol and sensors. Kai got… no weapons. Just navigation tools.
"Why don't I get a weapon?"Kai asked in a flat tone.
The warehouse officer looked at his tablet."Instructions from above. You are still under post-medical-test observation. Not yet permitted to carry lethal weapons."
Kai didn't protest.Just nodded slowly.
But Rin could see something in Kai's eyes.Something displeased.
As if a part of Kai remained,and that part was angry.
After finishing, they left the warehouse with full backpacks.
Jian walked ahead,checking his machete with a satisfied gaze.
Shun walked behind,hugging his tablet as usual.
Mei walked beside Rin,then whispered softly.
"Tonight,come to my house. I have something you must take."
Rin glanced at Mei."What?"
"You'll see later.But come alone. Don't tell anyone."
Rin nodded slowly.
That Night
Rin went to Mei's house in Sector-3.
She made sure no one was following,taking rarely-used back routes, avoiding security cameras.
Arriving in front of Unit 47,the door was already slightly open.
Rin entered and found Mei waiting with a small box on the table.
"Close the door,"Mei said curtly.
Rin closed the door,then approached.
Mei opened the box.Inside were several tubes of pale blue gel, some special bandages, and a small syringe containing bright green liquid.
"What are these?"Rin asked.
"Gel.You already know. Enough for five days. Apply every morning and night." Mei picked up the bandages. "These are anti-detection bandages. If the green pattern on your arm starts becoming too clear, wrap it with these. These bandages have a layer that blocks biological signals, so if someone scans you, the pattern won't be detected."
Rin took the bandage.It felt like normal cloth, but colder.
"And this…"Mei carefully took the green syringe. "This is an emergency synchronization suppressant. If you start losing control, if the network's voice is too strong and you can barely tell your voice from theirs anymore, inject this into your arm. It will suppress the mycelial network in your body for six to eight hours. But…"
Mei looked at Rin with a very serious gaze.
"This can only be used once.If you use it, your body will react harshly. Fever, nausea, muscle weakness. And after the effect wears off, synchronization will accelerate twice as fast. So use it only in a true emergency."
Rin looked at the syringe with mixed feelings.Fear, but also relief.
At least I have a last resort.
"Thank you,"Rin said softly.
Mei nodded,then looked at Rin's arm. "Show me."
Rin opened her jacket,showing her left and right arms.
The green pattern now covered almost her entire arm up to her shoulders.Like a network of roots spreading under her skin. Even moving slowly, like a pulsing vein.
Mei let out a long sigh."Faster than I thought. How many times a day do you hear the network's voice?"
"All the time,"Rin answered honestly. "Whenever I'm still, the voice comes. Sometimes I can't sleep because the voice is too loud."
Mei looked at Rin for a long time,then spoke in a tone she rarely used. A caring tone.
"Rin,you need to know something. If synchronization continues like this, you'll enter stage three within two weeks."
"Stage three?"Rin asked.
"Transformative,"Mei answered. "Your body will start changing physically. Your skin will turn pale. Your eyes will glow green permanently. Your breath will smell of fungi. And most dangerously, you will start losing human emotions."
Rin felt a chill spread throughout her body.
"Then what should I do?"
Mei was silent for a long time.
Then she answered in a tone that offered little hope.
"We have to be quick.We have to enter the Red Zone and find the Mycel Heart before you fully change. Because if you reach stage four, assimilation, you won't be able to return."
Rin looked at her hands.Hands that no longer felt entirely like her own.
"How long do I have?"
Mei looked at Rin with a serious gaze.
"If you can control it well,one month. Maybe less."
One month.
Only one month before I'm no longer me.
Day Three of Preparation: Final Survival Training
Team 07 underwent final survival training before the expedition.Simulated camping in a low spore concentration zone, first aid practice, and emergency evacuation drills.
Kai participated,but her movements remained mechanical. Her smile remained flat. And occasionally she looked at Rin with a gaze that made Rin uncomfortable.
During first aid practice,Kai suddenly asked Rin.
"Rin,have you ever felt your body is different? Like something is growing inside?"
Rin tensed.
"No,"Rin answered flatly. "Why do you keep asking the same thing?"
Kai looked at Rin longer,then smiled. A smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Because I feel it.After the medical observation. Like something they put inside my body. But I don't know what."
Rin didn't answer.
Kai continued in a softer tone,almost like a whisper.
"Sometimes I hear voices.Voices that aren't voices. Like a low frequency. Have you ever heard that?"
Rin felt her chest tighten.
Kai knows.
Or Kai is testing me.
"No,"Rin answered firmly. "I've never heard anything. Maybe you should report to a doctor."
Kai looked at Rin for a long time,then nodded slowly.
"Maybe you're right."
But Rin knew.
Kai didn't believe.
The Last Night Before the Expedition
Rin couldn't sleep at all.
She lay on her bed,staring at the ceiling, her mind in chaos.
Tomorrow they would enter the Yellow Zone.
The outside world.
A place where she might no longer be able to hide this.
Akira slept in the next bed.His breathing regular. As if he had accepted whatever would happen tomorrow.
Rin looked at her arm.The green pattern moved under her skin, even glowing faintly in the darkness.
And the voice came again,stronger than ever this time.
"Tomorrow you will see our world…"
"You will feel home…"
"And you will know you are no longer human…"
Rin squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to suppress the voice.
But the voice didn't stop.
It even laughed softly.
As if waiting for something.
Morning: Expedition Day
Rin woke at 05:00,before the alarm sounded.
She showered quickly,put on her expedition uniform, applied Mei's gel all over her arms, and wrapped the most visible parts with the anti-detection bandages.
She stored the emergency syringe in an inner jacket pocket.Hidden, but accessible.
Akira woke a few minutes later.His face tired, but focused.
"You ready?"Akira asked.
Rin looked at Akira,then answered honestly.
"I don't know."
Akira smiled faintly.A meaningful smile.
"I don't know either.But we'll try to survive together. Okay?"
Rin nodded.
They left the dormitory and walked towards the Yellow Zone Exit Gate,Door A3.
There,Team 07 had already gathered. Jian with a focused gaze. Mei with a calm face. Shun with trembling hands. And Kai with an empty gaze.
Instructor Yashida stood in front of the gate.
"Team 07,"he said seriously. "This is no longer a simulation. This is the real world. Real monsters. Real danger. Real death."
He looked at them one by one.
"Are you ready?"
Rin looked at her team.Five people who would bet their lives together for the next three days.
Then she nodded.
"We're ready."
Yashida nodded,then gave a signal.
The large gate in front of them began to vibrate.A heavy mechanical sound echoed throughout the area.
The gate opened.
And for the first time in their lives,they saw the outside world.
Greenish-gray mist flowed in like a living creature.The smell of damp earth, fungi, and something sweet-rotten, like overripe fruit, wafted in.
In the distance,giant fungal trees towered high. Reaching thirty meters tall, with large fungal crowns covering the sky.
And Rin felt something.
The green pattern on her arm suddenly vibrated violently.
Like coming home.
The network's voice whispered in an almost happy tone.
"Finally you're home…"
Rin bit her lower lip, trying to suppress the sensation.
This isn't home.
This is the enemy.
"Let's go,"Mei said. "We have to enter now."
They stepped inside,one by one, into the mist.
And the gate closed behind them with a loud sound.
CLANG.
No way back.