Li Wei crashed onto the pile of dirty laundry at the bottom of the chute, his body absorbing the impact with an unnatural grace.
The nurse landed beside him with a muffled thud and a soft of pain. The dim light of the basement laundry room flickered overhead, casting long shadows across the industrial washing machines.
┌───────────────────────────
│ [Ascendance System] Location: Hospital Basement │
│ Threat level: High │
│ User Status: Combat readiness 80%, injuries worsening │
│ Objective: Escape and evade
│ Warning: Liability detected │
└───────────────────────────
Li Wei's eyes searched around the room, taking in every detail with cold efficiency. The System's warning about the nurse flashed in his mind, and a cruel smile played on his lips.
Even without the System's prompting, he knew she was a liability that needed to be eliminated.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Li Wei grabbed the nurse by her hair, yanking her to her feet.
Am sorry your journey ends here he said is voice cold.
She cried out in pain and as Lil wei pressed the cold barrel of his gun against her forehead.
"Please," she begged, her voice trembling. "I have a daughter. Let me call her, just once. Please, I'm begging you."
Li Wei's expression remained still, his eyes devoid of any emotion. "Your daughter doesn't matter," he said, his voice flat and cold. "Nothing matters except survival."
┌───────────────────────────
│ [Ascendance System] Recommendation: Eliminate the nurse │
│ Reward: Enhanced stealth capabilities │
│ Execute? [Y/N] │
└───────────────────────────
Without hesitation, Li Wei mentally selected 'Y'. His finger tightened on the trigger, the nurse's sobs echoing in the empty basement.
"Please," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to die. I'll do anything. Please..."
Li Wei's hand remained steady, the gun pressed firmly against her forehead.
Suddenly, the air erupted with the sound of gunfire. Li Wei instinctively doge, pulling the nurse down with him behind a stack of industrial washing machines.
┌───────────────────────────
│ [Ascendance System] Alert: Multiple hostiles detected │
│ Current threats: 10 armed guards
│ Incoming: 80 elite reinforcements
│ Estimated arrival: 60 seconds
│ Recommendation: Immediate evasion
└───────────────────────────
Li Wei cursed under his breath. The System's warning flashed urgently before his eyes, his injuries was still in a healing process with each rapid heartbeat.
He stared at the cowering nurse, her hands covered over her ears, tears still streaming down her face.
Get up, he hissed, grabbing her arm roughly. We're moving. Try anything, and I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head."
They moved between a massive laundry equipment, the sounds of the guards growing closer.
Li Wei's breath came in ragged gasps, his wounds screaming in protest with each movement.
As they rounded a corner, Li Wei spotted a guard. Without any thoughts, he raised his gun, aiming for a kill shot.
The nurse, driven by pure survival instinct, grabbed Li Wei's arm and pulled him forward.
Li Wei's vision blurring from the pain and blood loss. The basement seemed endless, a maze of industrial equipment and shadowy corners.
"There!" the nurse suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a small service elevator hidden behind a rack of clean linens.
They stumbled towards it, the sound of approaching footsteps echoing behind them
Li Wei slammed the button, his blood-smeared hand leaving a print on the metal. The elevator groaned to life, its doors slowly opening.
The doors began to close, slow. A hail of bullets pinged off the elevator metal.Finally, the elevator lurched downwards, carrying them away from immediate danger.
Li Wei slammed his fist against the wall, his breathing labored. The nurse stood in the corner, her eyes wide with shock and fear, still very much aware that her life hung by a thread.
┌───────────────────────────
│ [Ascendance System] Evasion successful
│ User status: Critical. Immediate medical attention required. │
│ Liability status: Unresolved
│ New objective: Secure safe location and treat injuries │
└───────────────────────────
As the elevator continued its ascent, Li Wei's cold gaze locked onto the nurse. The System's earlier command Pierced in his mind.
She was a liability, a loose end. But for now, she was also the only thing keeping him on his feet.
When these doors open," Li Wei growled, his voice barely above a whisper, "we run. You try to escape, you die. You slow me down, you die. Understand?
The nurse nodded, her face a mask of fear. As the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival at an unknown floor.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, revealing a dimly lit corridor. Li Wei's grip tightened on the nurse's arm as they stepped out, his eyes darting left and right, scanning for any signs of danger.
┌───────────────────────────
│ [Ascendance System] Location: Hospital 2nd Floor │
│ Threat level: Medium
│ User Status: Combat readiness 75%, injuries critical │
│ Objective: Find medical supplies and secure exit │
│ Warning: Hostage effectiveness decreasing │
└───────────────────────────
Li Wei's mind raced as he processed the System's information. He could feel his strength fading away with each passing moment. He needed medical attention, and fast.
"Where's the supply room?" he hissed at the nurse, his voice barely above a whisper. She pointed with a trembling hand towards a door at the end of the hallway.
They moved swiftly but cautiously, Li Wei's gun never wavering from the nurse's back.
As they approached the supply room, a noise from around the corner made them freeze. Footsteps, growing louder.
Li Wei yanked the nurse into a nearby patient room, closing the door silently behind them.
Through the small window, he watched as two security guards walked past, their voices low and urgent.
"They couldn't have gotten far," one of them said. "Check every room. The boss wants them found, no matter what."
Who's their boss Li Wei thought. His eyes narrowed.
┌───────────────────────────
│ [Ascendance System] New ability unlocked: Enhanced Hearing │
│ Duration: 5 minutes
│ Activate? [Y/N] │
└───────────────────────────
Without hesitation, Li Wei mentally selected 'Y'. Suddenly, the world around him came into sharp auditory focus.
He could hear the rapid heartbeats of the nurse beside him, the footsteps of the guards echoing down distant corridors, even the faint beeping of medical equipment several rooms away.
"Listen carefully," Li Wei whispered to the nurse, his voice cold and threatening. "You're going to go out there and get the supplies I need.
Any sign of betrayal, any attempt to alert the guards, and I'll make sure your daughter grows up an orphan. Understand?"
The nurse nodded, tears silently streaming down her face. Li Wei listed off the medical supplies he needed, his enhanced hearing allowing him to track the movements of the guards throughout the floor.
As the nurse slipped out of the room, Li Wei's mind raced with possibilities.
┌───────────────────────────
│ [Ascendance System] Warning: Morality levels critically low │
│ User evolution progressing faster than anticipated │
│ New paths unlocking:
| [Tyrant]
| [Survivor]
| [Antihero] │
│ Choose your path carefully. It will shape your future abilities
└───────────────────────────
Li Wei's brow furrowed as he considered the System's message. The paths before him were danger and ruthless.
But before he could dwell on it further, his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of the nurse returning, her footsteps quick and nervous.
She slipped back into the room, arms full of bandages, antiseptic, and pain medication. Li Wei worked quickly, cleaning and bandaging his wounds with practiced efficiency.
As the pain medication began to take effect, he felt a surge of renewed strength.
"Now," he said, turning to the nurse with a predatory glint in his eye, "you're going to help me get out of here.
And if we make it, maybe — just maybe — you'll get to see your daughter again."