With the pistol holstered at his hip and the sweet taste of almond water lingering in his mouth, Alex felt a pang of relief. It wasn't much, but it was something. The System, as far as he could tell, was his invisible lifeline. It provided resources, showed him excitement points, and responded to his needs with unsettling efficiency. The backpack that had appeared with his uniform was spacious, containing a couple of dry food rations he hadn't noticed until now, beyond the water bottle. Enough to last a while.
"Well, chat, it seems survival in the 'yellow worlds' is a bit more... interactive than I thought," Alex quipped, his voice sounding surer now. His chest camera swayed smoothly as he ventured into a new hallway, identical to the ones before. His eyes, through the lenses, scanned every damp stain, every wrinkle in the wallpaper, searching for patterns, clues. "If this is a game, what are the rules? Aside from 'don't get depressed' and 'shoot whatever drags.'"
[Tony Stark]: "You make the rules, Echo. Or you hack them. Check the source code. Is there a deeper options menu?"
[Bruce Wayne]: "Preparation is everything. Assess your resources. Every tool has a purpose. And watch the shadows."
[RandomCiv_30]: "Don't trust the System, Alex! It seems too easy!"
[Rick Sanchez]: "Ha! The naive hope of the human mind! There are no rules, only consequences, kid." Excitement points received: +450 (for curiosity)
Alex paused, considering the comments. A deeper menu? He focused on his glasses. Sure enough, a small "Settings" icon flickered in the upper-right corner of his vision. When he focused on it, a panel opened with more options. Categories like "Advanced Resources," "Skills," and "Map." The "Map" was grayed out, inaccessible. But "Advanced Resources" caught his attention. Opening it, he saw a list of objects and personnel, all with an excitement point cost. "Security Guards," "Field Agents," "Advanced Medkits." The costs were astronomical compared to ammunition.
"Oh. Wow," Alex exhaled. "Okay, chat, I just found the 'skill tree.' And let me tell you, summoning a 'Field Agent' is more expensive than college. I need a lot of excitement points for that." He chuckled. "Any advice on how to farm 'excitement'? Should I do a silly dance or something?"
[Bart Simpson]: "Yeah! Do a dance! Or tell someone to eat my shorts!" [Harley Quinn]: "Do something fun! A little chaos! Guaranteed points!" [User_Random_5]: "Survive something terrifying! That gives points!" [Jessica Jones]: "Don't do anything stupid. Just be yourself. That's self-destructive enough to be entertaining." Excitement points received: +600 (for humor and expectation)
Alex decided to ignore the silly dance suggestion for now. He focused on his surroundings. The hum seemed to intensify as he walked, a deeper resonance felt at the base of his skull. The lighting became more erratic, with some areas plunged into unsettling gloom, only to be snapped back into light with a violent flicker. It was a test of patience, a sensory punishment.
Suddenly, his lens camera caught a movement in the corner of his eye. It wasn't an entity. It was an alteration in the wallpaper. A series of dark marks, like greasy scribbles, that hadn't been there before. He followed the marks with his gaze. They seemed to lead towards a seemingly solid wall.
"What is this?" Alex murmured, drawing closer. His chest camera showed the stain on the wall, a grim contrast against the yellow. "They look like... handprints? But not paint. Like... burned oil. Or something worse."
[Batman]: "Forensic analysis. Is there a pattern to the marks? A direction? A signal?" [Dr. Sheldon Cooper]: "It's an environmental anomaly. Possibly a trace. Do not touch. It could be unknown biological residue." [Dana Scully]: "Gather evidence. The scientific method is your best tool in the unknown." [User_Curious]: "Touch it, Alex! See what happens!" Excitement points received: +800 (for mystery)
Alex hesitated, but his sci-fi fan curiosity was stronger than his common sense. He extended a finger and touched the mark. It was greasy, cold. And when he pulled it back, his skin had no smell, but a small dark smudge remained on his finger. He rubbed it, but it wouldn't come off.
At that moment, the hum escalated into a dull roar. The lights flickered furiously, plunging the hallway into near-total darkness at times. Alex's chest camera became unstable, vibrating with the force of the sound.
"Uhm! Too much noise! This isn't good!" Alex shouted, covering his ears. He spun around, searching for the source of the roar. The pistol was back in his hand, though visibility was almost zero.
From the gloom, an elongated shadow slithered out. It was bigger than the Duller, faster. Alex couldn't see it clearly, only its dark, tentacled form moving with unnatural fluidity. The roar came from it.
"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" Alex gasped, backing away. It was a creature, and it didn't look friendly. The chat erupted in a frenzy.
[Ellen Ripley]: "It's not a passive entity! Shoot it! Shoot for the head!"
[Dutch Schaefer]: "Suppressive fire! Retreat! Get cover!"
[User_Screamer]: "AHHHHHHH! RUNNNNNNN!"
[Freddy Krueger]: "How sweet fear is, Alex! Feel it consume you!"
EXCITEMENT POINTS GENERATED: +3000 (TERROR AND ADRENALINE!)
Alex didn't think twice. He fired. One shot, two shots, towards the moving shadow. The muzzle flashes briefly illuminated the creature: an amorphous, almost gelatinous mass, with whip-like appendages. The roar intensified, but the shadow didn't stop. Alex fired again, feeling the recoil in his hand. One of the bullets seemed to hit, and the creature let out a sharp shriek.
There was no point in staying. He couldn't see well, and the thing was too fast. The goal was to survive, not to be a one-shot action hero. Alex turned and ran. He ran through the yellow hallways, the creature's roar and shrieks echoing behind him. His lungs burned, his chest camera bounced with every stride, his lens camera capturing the blur of the wallpaper as he fled.
"It's not stopping! It's not stopping!" Alex gasped, his voice broken by the effort. It felt like a Mission Impossible chase, but with no Tom Cruise to save him. The hallways seemed to stretch infinitely, each door identical to the last, with no clear refuge.
[Ethan Hunt]: "Find a containment point! A bifurcation! Anything to break its line of sight!"
[Neo]: "The exit is within you, Alex. Find the glitch in the system."
[Jack Shephard]: "Don't look back! Only forward! The hatch is close!"
[User_Runner]: "This is a marathon, not a sprint, Alex! Conserve your energy!" Excitement points received: +1500 (for pursuit)
Alex glimpsed an opening to his right. It wasn't a door, but a breach in the wall, dark and narrow, almost like a natural crack. Without hesitation, he plunged through it, scrambling into the opening. The creature's roar sounded on the other side. The crack led him to an even smaller space, a barely lit service corridor, with exposed pipes and an even stronger smell of mold. He was safe for a moment; the creature was too big to enter.
He slumped against the wall, gasping, cold sweat clinging to his uniform. His excitement point counter had skyrocketed, surpassing 10,000 points. A notification flickered in his vision, just for him: SKILL LEVEL UNLOCKED: BASIC STEALTH.
"Thank God... or System," Alex murmured, forcing a choked laugh. "That was... more exciting than I thought." He looked at the chat, which was still frantic.
[Tony Stark]: "You did good, kid. A little organized chaos. See? Not everything is blowing up buildings."
[Bruce Wayne]: "A tactical retreat. Smart. Now, catch your breath and plan your next move. There's always a next threat."
[Rick Sanchez]: "Boring! He got away. I wanted to see him dissolve into yellow goo." [RandomViewer_9]: "What a relief! I thought that was the end!"
[Chihiro Ogino]: "The calm after the storm. Rest, but don't let your guard down." Excitement points received: +900 (for relief and resolution)
Alex closed his eyes for a moment, feeling extreme exhaustion. The fear was still there, but now it was mixed with a strange euphoria. He had fought. He had run. He had used the System. And most importantly, he had survived. This place was hell, but it was also his new proving ground. And the audience was loving it.
"Okay, chat," Alex said, his voice now a little stronger. "I think we deserve a little break after that. But the adventure continues. And I doubt this is the only 'dragger' in the area." He slowly got up, his eyes scanning the narrow service corridor. This place was different. He had discovered a new type of monster and used his weapon. Now he had to figure out how 'basic stealth' worked and, more importantly, how to find a way to the next stage of this... "show."