The wind carried ash through the broken streets.
Burned paper drifted across the road like gray snow as the five of us stood in the middle of the ruined block.
Akira rested his spear casually on his shoulder, looking far too relaxed for someone standing in the middle of a destroyed city.
Ren stared at him suspiciously.
"You look way too happy about all this."
Akira shrugged.
"Happy isn't the word."
He tapped his temple.
"Excited maybe."
Rei narrowed her eyes.
"You said you're Subject 11."
Akira nodded.
"Yep."
He looked at me again.
"And you're definitely Subject 16."
I stiffened.
"How do you know?"
Akira smiled.
"The system."
He raised his hand and flicked his fingers in the air like he was swiping through invisible screens.
"Subjects can detect each other when they're close."
A small message flashed in my vision.
SUBJECT DETECTED — ID: 11
So he wasn't lying.
Ren groaned.
"Great. The monster apocalypse comes with a player list."
Ren's father stepped forward slightly, gripping the heavy wrench in his hand.
"Why are you alone?"
Akira's smile faded slightly.
"For now."
His eyes shifted briefly toward the smoke-covered skyline of Tokyo.
"Others are moving."
Rei crossed her arms.
"You've seen more subjects."
Akira nodded slowly.
"And some of them are already hunting."
Ren blinked.
"Hunting what?"
Akira looked at him like the answer was obvious.
"Other subjects."
The street suddenly felt colder.
Rei's expression hardened.
"So this isn't just survival."
Akira shook his head.
"No."
His tone was calm.
"It's competition."
Before anyone could respond, the system message appeared again in front of my eyes.
SUBJECT NETWORK UPDATE
TOTAL SUBJECTS DETECTED IN ZONE: 9
Nine.
Somewhere in the ruins of Tokyo, nine people had been chosen.
Ren rubbed his face.
"So let me get this straight."
He pointed between Akira and me.
"You guys are… players."
He gestured toward the monsters roaming the city.
"Those things are enemies."
Then he gestured toward the skyline.
"And there are other players out there trying to kill you."
Akira nodded.
"That's the short version."
Rei looked thoughtful.
"What about the resource node?"
Akira immediately perked up.
"Oh."
He pointed down the street.
"You guys saw that too?"
I nodded.
"Four hundred meters."
Akira grinned.
"Then we're going the same direction."
Ren sighed.
"I hate how casual you are about this."
We started walking together.
The streets grew quieter the farther we moved from the café.
The ruined buildings loomed over us like broken giants.
The resource marker in my vision kept blinking.
Distance: 312 meters
Akira walked beside me.
"So."
He glanced at me.
"You got any abilities yet?"
I hesitated.
"...One."
Akira nodded approvingly.
"Nice."
Ren looked between us.
"Am I the only one who doesn't have superpowers here?"
Rei responded calmly.
"You probably just aren't a subject."
Ren groaned.
"Fantastic."
As we turned another corner, Akira suddenly stopped walking.
His expression changed instantly.
Serious.
"Wait."
We all froze.
"What?" Ren whispered.
Akira pointed toward a building ahead.
A convenience store with shattered windows.
"That's the resource node."
The marker in my vision confirmed it.
RESOURCE NODE — 28 METERS
But something was wrong.
The store doors were already open.
Rei noticed it too.
"Someone else got here first."
Akira nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Then a voice came from inside the store.
Smooth.
Calm.
"I was wondering when you'd show up."
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
A young woman.
Tall.
Long silver hair tied in a loose braid.
She wore a dark jacket and held a long combat knife casually in her hand.
Her eyes scanned all of us.
Sharp.
Calculating.
Then the system message appeared.
SUBJECT DETECTED — ID: 3
Akira chuckled softly.
"Oh."
He waved casually.
"Hey Mira."
The woman sighed.
"You always travel with trouble, Akira."
Ren whispered to me.
"...You know her?"
Akira nodded.
"We ran into each other earlier."
Mira leaned against the store entrance.
"And he tried to steal my supplies."
Akira shrugged.
"I prefer the term borrowing."
Rei stepped forward.
"You opened the resource node."
Mira nodded.
"Most of it."
Ren blinked.
"Most?"
Another voice spoke from the shadows behind her.
Deep.
Quiet.
"You talk too much."
A second figure stepped out.
Huge.
At least six and a half feet tall.
Broad shoulders.
Scarred face.
A massive metal hammer rested on his shoulder.
The system flashed again.
SUBJECT DETECTED — ID: 7
Ren swallowed.
"Oh great."
The giant man's eyes moved across our group slowly.
Cold.
Unfriendly.
Akira sighed dramatically.
"Ah."
He pointed at the man.
"And that's Ryu."
Ryu didn't smile.
Didn't greet anyone.
He just stared at me.
For several long seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Subject 16."
My heart skipped.
"You know me?"
Ryu shook his head slowly.
"No."
His grip tightened on the hammer.
"But I've been looking for you."
The street went silent.
Even the wind stopped.
Rei stepped slightly in front of Ren.
Akira rolled his shoulders.
"Well."
He looked between all of us.
"This just got interesting."
Above us, thunder rumbled through the smoky sky over Tokyo.
And somewhere in the distance…
Something massive roared.