Chapter 5: Run!

"I swear, System! One of these days you really are going to get me killed!" Luis shouted at the top of his lungs, no longer bothering to keep his voice down or worry about staying quiet.

The fear and frustration had boiled over, and all he could think about was putting as much distance as possible between himself and that ticking time bomb he had just created.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, his breathing coming in ragged, heavy gasps. Every time his right foot hit the floor, a sharp, burning pain shot up his ankle, making him stumble and sway dangerously with every other step.

But he bit down hard on his lower lip, ignored the throbbing ache, and forced himself to keep moving. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, numbing the pain just enough to let him push forward.

Shhh! Shhh!

The heavy thud of his footsteps and his loud shouts echoed loudly through the narrow metal corridor. It was impossible for anything inside the cafeteria not to hear the commotion.

Within seconds, the sound of chittering, clicking mandibles, and scraping claws erupted from behind him.

First, a beetle roughly a meter long darted out through the bent, broken double doors. Its hard, glossy shell caught the faint red emergency light, and its thin, translucent wings unfurled with a sharp humming sound, lifting it off the ground.

It waved its long, sensitive antennae, caught Luis's scent instantly, and turned its head toward him, its small black eyes glowing with primitive hunger.

Another beetle followed right behind it, scuttling quickly across the floor.

Soon, even the largest of the creatures, those nearly three meters in length, with thick, spiked exoskeletons, began to push and shove their way toward the exit. But the opening was far too narrow for their massive bodies.

They squeezed their bulk against the metal frame, grinding and bending the reinforced doors even further, yet they could not squeeze through. Trapped, they could only snap their powerful jaws and hiss in furious frustration, sending waves of clicking sounds echoing outward.

"Damn it! They're right on my heels!" Luis risked a quick glance over his shoulder and felt his heart jump into his throat.

The smaller, more agile insects were already closing the distance rapidly.

Their speed was terrifying. In just a few heartbeats, the lead creature was less than two meters away, its clawed legs reaching out, ready to latch onto his back and drag him down.

"Commander! Enemy at six o'clock! Only one meter away!" The System's voice blared in his ears, sharp and urgent, acting as his extra pair of eyes.

"You! Don't you dare come near me!"

Luis's hand shot down to his waist, grabbing the heavy frame of the plasma weapon he had clipped there after removing its power cell.

Even without energy, it was still a solid, durable piece of military-grade alloy. He gripped it tightly with both hands, twisted his body around with all his remaining strength, and swung it backward like a baseball player hitting a fastball.

BANG!

The impact rang out like a hammer striking an anvil.

The beetle, which had just opened its mouth to strike, was hit squarely in the head.

The force sent it flying backward through the air, tumbling end over end before crashing hard into the opposite wall. It slid down to the floor, its legs twitching wildly before growing still.

But Luis had no time to feel any sense of relief or triumph. The second insect was already upon him, its long, needle-like proboscis darting straight toward his chest with blinding speed.

"System!" Luis roared in panic.

His body was still twisted and off-balance from the previous swing, leaving him completely open.

There was no time to dodge, no time to raise his arms properly. If that stinger pierced his suit, it would likely go straight through his ribs.

The System responded instantly, moving with a speed and precision far beyond Luis's own reflexes. Working in perfect harmony, it subtly guided his muscles, shifted his weight, and corrected his posture in a split second.

Luis's arms moved as if on their own, bringing the weapon horizontally between himself and the charging beast.

CLANG!

The sharp stinger struck hard against the thick side of the gun frame with a loud metallic ring.

The beetle froze for a moment, clearly confused that its attack had been blocked. It shook its head vigorously, then tried to bite down, attempting to crush the metal in its powerful jaws, but the alloy was far stronger than its mandibles.

It could only grind uselessly against the surface, producing a screeching sound that made Luis's teeth ache.

"AAAHHH! Get off!"

Luis summoned every last bit of his energy, shoved the creature away with a violent thrust, then lifted his good left leg and kicked it as hard as he could right into the soft, unarmored joint beneath its head.

The insect let out a high-pitched shriek and was sent spinning backward, crashing into the wall before dropping to the floor.

Luis didn't wait to check if it was truly dead or just stunned. He turned and sprinted forward again, limping heavily but pushing his body to its absolute limit.

He knew that even if he had fended off these two, the sound of fighting would only draw more of them from deeper inside the cafeteria.

 -----

Back inside the kitchen, the energy battery was reacting violently.

Sealed inside the heating unit, the high-density power cell was being subjected to intense, concentrated heat. It began to glow, first turning a dull, angry red, then shifting rapidly to a blinding, fiery yellow-white.

The casing of the cube swelled slightly, expanding beyond its original dimensions, and the metal walls of the appliance groaned loudly under the rapidly building pressure.

For a split second, everything seemed to hold still.

Then it happened.

BOOOOOOM!

A deafening explosion tore through the kitchen.

The blast was far more powerful than anyone had anticipated, it didn't just destroy the machine; it melted through the serving counter, ripped apart the metal partition walls, and surged outward into the main dining hall.

Tables, chairs, loose equipment, and debris were thrown in every direction, turning into deadly shrapnel. The wave of scorching heat and raw energy incinerated everything in its path.

The dozens of beetles that had made the cafeteria their nest had no time to react.

The smaller ones were instantly reduced to ash, while the larger ones were thrown against the walls and crushed under the force of the shockwave.

Their thick shells offered no protection against such concentrated energy; they were shattered, burned, and torn apart in mere moments.

The giant beetle still stuck halfway through the doorway was caught directly in the blast. It was ripped free from the frame and hurled into the corridor, only to be engulfed immediately by the expanding fireball.

It let out one final, ear-splitting screech before being consumed by the flames, its massive body breaking apart into charred fragments.

The explosion did not stop there. The shockwave rolled forward like a tidal wave, followed closely by a massive wall of searing fire and smoke, racing straight down the corridor where Luis had just run.

"Almost there! Just a little further!"

After fighting off the two creatures, Luis had not slowed down for even a single second. Now, up ahead, the familiar doors of the Central Lift Station finally came into view.

"Open it! Hurry and open the doors right now!" he shouted, only three meters away from safety.

The System immediately sent the command to the control panel, and the heavy doors began to slide apart with a soft mechanical hiss.

But at that exact moment, the ground beneath his feet heaved violently.

A thunderous roar echoed through the entire deck, shaking every pipe, panel, and support beam.

The lights flickered wildly, turning from dim red to pitch black and back again in rapid succession.

"Damn it! If I had stayed there even ten seconds longer~" Luis gasped, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Before he could finish his thought, an invisible force slammed into his back like a giant fist.

It lifted him completely off his feet, sending him flying forward through the air as if he weighed nothing. He crashed hard onto the metal floor of the lift, rolling across the smooth surface until he hit the opposite wall.

Through the widening gap of the doors, he caught a horrifying glimpse of what was coming, a raging wall of fire and smoke rushing toward him at terrifying speed, turning the entire hallway into a blazing inferno.

"Close the doors! Close them now!" he screamed with the last of his breath.

Hiss! Thud!

The doors slid shut with a heavy, resounding clang just as the flames reached the entrance.

The impact rattled the entire frame, but the reinforced plating held strong. For a few seconds, intense heat seeped through the metal, making the air inside grow uncomfortably hot, but then it began to fade quickly.

Luis lay sprawled across the floor, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His head spun, his vision blurred, and the pain in his ankle mixed with the exhaustion of running and fighting.

The shock of the blast and the adrenaline crash hit him all at once, making his limbs feel heavy and weak. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his thoughts began to drift apart.

Slowly, his consciousness faded away, and everything dissolved into deep, endless darkness.

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