Reality Hacker: Apocalypse Loop

Ethan gripped the paper bag, knuckles turning white.

His eyes fixated on the factory entrance, empty.

11:02.

Time crawled by.

No Chen.

Had he missed the signal? Was I too subtle?

The cooldown expired. It's done.

> ACTIVATE: EYES OF THE DOOMED!

"Relax! The villa is merely an outer shell, they will never find the entrance!"

Wang Zichen put a shaky confidence in his voice.

None predicted what would follow.

The disguised beasts moved with dismal determination.

Directly to the bathroom.

Leading them was an old woman wearing the cleaner's garb.

Face locked into a plastic smile.

She stopped at the split toilet.

Eyeballs plopped out with a squelch.

Skin turned a grizzly vegetable-green.

CRACK!

Her iron-gray hands snagged the bowl.

Ripped it to shreds!

"Holy SHIT! How'd they find it?!" Wang shrieked.

"What now?" Future Ethan said.

"No sweat! I still have eight layers! Fort Knox—"

Wang fumbled to light a cigarette. Hands were shaking.

On screen, monsters stumbled into the tunnel.

A shiny alloy wall slammed down.

Barrier One.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Lead monster plated the metal.

Others shed human skins.

Dozens of green fists hammered.

Wang expanded his chest. "See? Solid as—"

CRACK!

The barrier exploded like glass.

Monsters rushed forward.

Wang's jowls flapped. "Run. RUN!"

He darted deeper into the arcade.

Future Ethan and Chen followed. "But what about the seven other barriers?!"

"All the same damn strength!" Wang wheezed, stumbling across a hidden panel.

Future Ethan's voice was pitched. "That's 'Fort Knox'?!"

One flimsy barrier gone. Seven still to go, and color left their faces.

"Move! Didn't know they hit this freaking hard!" Surprisingly, Wang led them in the sprint. "Never blow cover in Disaster-Class events! Amateurs!"

They broke into a narrow tunnel.

"Is there another exit?" Chen grunted.

"Course! Three ways out! Name is Wang Zichen, genius strategist!"

Ethan finally gained a name. 

The tunnel came out into an underground parking garage. 

Two armored vehicles were chillin' there. 

"Military APCs?! Where—" Future Ethan was amazed. 

"No time! IN!" Wang dove into the driver's seat with no hesitation. 

Future Ethan and Chen ducked behind. 

"Seatbelts! NOW!" 

The engine growled awake. 

The garage door creaked open. 

The APC zipped out, like a bullet in flight— 

—into the back alley of a public restroom. 

This guy does have a toilet fetish, Ethan thought with grimness. 

Wang was steering with one hand, phone pushed to his ear: 

"John! Compromised! Sh*t coming your way...Two new guys. Guy and girl..." 

The APC was flying through traffic, doing 100 mph. 

CRUNCH! 

A sedan was pushed sideways. 

"Humans" crawled from the wreck— 

—twisting, hair splurting green, running after them. 

THUD! SCRAPE! 

More cars were flung aside. More monsters were being created. 

A swarm was forming. 

Thick green sludge smeared across the rear windshield. 

Something pushed up against the glass—a rotting face. 

They did kick the hornet's nest.

Monsters attacked the APC. 

Clawed hands clutched the door handles. 

Bodies slammed down onto the roof. 

"FUCK!" Wang jerked the wheel sharply. 

The metal shrieked as the attackers were scraped off. 

Up ahead: highway on-ramp. 

"Why the highway?!'' Future Ethan yelled. 

"Here. John's compound is past the farms!" Wang yelled back. 

The APC jumped towards the on-ramp- 

- When darkness swallowed the sky. 

BANG!!! 

Something huge hit the hood of the APC. 

The reinforced windshield bowed inward. 

Future Ethan's head jerked forward. 

Then it all went black. 

Ethan's vision was agony. 

Future Ethan woke- 

- to teeth. 

Green-haired monsters biting away at flesh. 

He felt every bit. 

Every piece of skin was being torn from him. 

Seconds later. 

Future Ethan. 

Dead. 

The time came back to 11:02. 

Ethan gasped; startled from the Death Replay. 

Real time: seconds. 

Replay time: thirty long minutes. 

He rubbed his arms. 

The phantom pains still gnawed at him. 

So much intel... 

First: Chen received his message. Came to the factory. 

Second: they exposed their market. 

Enter Wang Zichen. Their rescue. 

Fatal mistake: leading the monsters to his door. 

Bunker failed. 

Escape... 

pole... 

teeth... 

Brutal. 

Wang's words rang in his head: Disaster-Class... Extinction-Level... 

What were the game mechanics? 

Wang was seasoned. 

And that call: "Got two newbies." 

Ethan felt his blood turn cold. 

He meant us. 

Chen and I... 

We were the new players.

We're the new players.