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Chapter 30: Unraveling the Truth
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The aftermath of the battle still lingered in the core chamber. Kaito stood before the smoldering remains of the Alpha Watcher, its massive body now a twisted wreckage of flesh and metal. Despite the quiet that followed its fall, the tension among the group remained thick. They had won the fight, but they all knew that something darker was at play—something much bigger than a simple monster hunt.
Kaito wiped the sweat from his brow, his grip on the blade steadying as the system interface flashed across his vision, signaling that the mission was completed.
[Mission Complete: Eliminate the Alpha Watcher]
Reward: 25,000 XP
Slayer Title Upgrade: Unyielding Slayer
Additional Effect: Resistance to Infected Mental Control
His Slayer title had upgraded again, but there was little time to celebrate. The feeling that there was more to this than just fighting the infected lingered in the air.
"We did it," Ayumi said, her voice weary but relieved. She was already scanning the surroundings, making sure no other threats were closing in.
"It's over for now," Kaito replied, his voice low. "But something's not right."
Ryo, who had been tending to his wounds, looked up from his blade, his brows furrowed. "You're right. We've only just begun to scratch the surface of whatever's going on here. That Watcher wasn't like the others. It was smarter. Almost... too calculated."
"We need to find out what this Alpha was really after," Akari chimed in, wiping some blood from her face. "What was the purpose of all this? Why was it leading the infected?"
"Exactly," Kaito said, his mind racing. He had a nagging feeling that the answer was hidden deep within the facility. The Project Genesis data, the Alpha Watcher, and the strange way the infected had evolved—it all pointed toward a bigger conspiracy. "There's something more here, something we haven't uncovered yet. We need to go back to the data core. There has to be more information."
The group exchanged glances, the weight of their decision settling in.
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The Descent into the Data Core
They retraced their steps, heading back toward the data center they had accessed earlier. Kaito's steps were measured, his mind focused. His system had given him another upgrade, sure, but that didn't mean the dangers were over. Whatever this new Alpha Watcher was, it had been just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
As they approached the data terminal, Kaito stopped in his tracks. The door to the facility's central server room was ajar, but it wasn't from their earlier entrance. Something, or someone, had gone through before them.
Kaito's hand tightened around his weapon. "Someone's been here." He turned to the others. "Stay alert."
Ayumi drew her crossbow. "So, we weren't the only ones hunting."
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "This isn't just about surviving anymore. Someone's playing a bigger game."
Akari stepped cautiously forward, her hand brushing the door. The room was filled with the hum of still-active machines. As they entered, she approached the terminal, carefully accessing the console once more. "Let's see what's left on this system. If someone else was here, we need to know who."
The screen flickered as Akari began inputting commands. A few moments later, the data interface stabilized, revealing a set of files and blueprints they hadn't seen before.
"Here we go," Akari said, her eyes widening as she scanned the screen. "It's not just the Watchers... It's something far more dangerous."
Kaito moved closer, his gaze fixed on the blueprints on the screen. They were diagrams of an enormous creature—one that dwarfed even the Alpha Watcher. It was a grotesque hybrid, part human, part infected, with mechanical enhancements. The name stamped at the top of the file sent a chill down Kaito's spine.
Project Omega
"What the hell is this?" Hana asked, stepping forward to get a better look at the screen. "Another experiment? A different kind of weapon?"
"Weapon?" Ayumi repeated. "More like a... bioweapon."
The screen flickered again, and a new notification popped up in Kaito's system.
[System Update: Project Omega Detected]
Objective: Investigate and eliminate Project Omega.
Location: Omega Containment Zone
Reward: 50,000 XP, Special Title: Omega Slayer
"Omega..." Kaito's voice trailed off. "Looks like our fight is just getting started."
"Are you saying there's something even worse than the Alpha?" Akari's eyes searched his face, hoping he was wrong, but knowing that he wasn't.
Kaito nodded, his expression dark. "This is no ordinary experiment. They're creating something—someone—much more powerful than we've faced so far."
Ryo clenched his fists. "Then let's take it down, whatever it is."
Kaito turned back to the screen, his mind calculating. They needed a plan, but this wasn't going to be a typical mission. The stakes had just gone up, and now they were in the crosshairs of something far more sinister.
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A Change in Plans
"Omega Containment Zone," Ayumi read aloud. "It sounds like a place where they keep the most dangerous experiments. We're not walking into just another fight. We're walking into the heart of whatever Project Genesis really is."
"You're right," Kaito agreed. "But we don't have a choice. The moment we step into that containment zone, we'll be fighting for our lives—again."
"I say we go in, guns blazing," Ryo suggested, his voice eager for the battle. "Whatever they're cooking up, I say we end it now."
"We need information first," Kaito said firmly. "We don't know exactly what we're walking into. We could be facing something far worse than we're prepared for."
"Alright, alright," Ryo muttered. "We'll go in carefully."
Kaito glanced at his team, his mind running through the scenarios. He wasn't just leading them into another mission. This time, it was personal. Project Omega wasn't just about survival anymore—it was about uncovering the truth behind the virus, the experiments, and their connection to the infected.
"Let's move," Kaito ordered, his voice resolute. "We go in, we gather whatever intel we can, and we eliminate whatever comes after us. We're Slayer's now—we don't back down from these kinds of battles."
The group nodded, their resolve hardening as they made their way out of the room, heading for the Omega Containment Zone.
The mission had changed once again. And this time, they weren't just hunting infected—they were hunting something far more dangerous.
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