[Choice Accepted: Special Forces Integration Commencing][Warning: This process may be...unpleasant][Commencing in 3...2...1...]Unpleasant was an understatement.The moment the countdown hit zero, agony ripped through me. It felt like every nerve ending in my body was on fire, my muscles seizing and spasming uncontrollably. My vision blurred, the concerned faces of the medics replaced by a swirling vortex of colors and distorted shapes. It was far worse than anything I experienced when escaping the mines.[System Purge: 10% Complete][Error: Slave Protocols - Not Found][Recalibrating...][Warning: System Instability Detected]The System, usually a detached observer, seemed to be struggling to keep up with whatever Chen had initiated. I gritted my teeth, trying to focus on something, anything, other than the searing pain."Hold him down!" Chen's voice, usually so calm and collected, was edged with urgency. "He's convulsing too much!"Strong hands gripped my limbs, pinning me to the cold metal table. I could hear the frantic beeping of medical monitors, the whirring of machinery, and the panicked shouts of the technicians. It was a chaotic symphony of sound that mirrored the turmoil raging within my own body.[System Purge: 25% Complete][Error: Unknown Energy Signature Detected][Source: Recruit Zero][Nature: Undefined][Warning: System Override Attempt Detected]My back arched, a silent scream tearing through my throat. I felt something inside me, something beyond the pain, struggling to break free. It was like trying to contain a supernova within a glass jar. The adaptive metabolism trait was going wild."What's happening to him?" a medic yelled, his voice laced with terror. "His vitals are spiking all over the place! We are losing him!""Keep the integration going!" Chen ordered, her voice unwavering. "It's the only way to stabilize him! The God's Game Tutorial will kill him otherwise."[System Purge: 40% Complete][Commencing Special Forces Adaptation Protocols][Error: Compatibility Issues Detected][Warning: High Risk of Neural Damage]Adaptation protocols? What did that even mean? Before I could ponder the question, a new wave of agony crashed over me, this one different from the last. It felt like my very DNA was being rewritten, my body forcibly reshaped from the inside out.[Adaptive Metabolism Trait: Attempting to Assimilate Adaptation Protocols][Error: Insufficient Data][Requesting External Data Source...]The System was...asking for help? That couldn't be good.Suddenly, the ship lurched violently, throwing everyone off balance. Alarms blared, and the emergency lights pulsed with an even more frantic rhythm.[Alert: Ship Under Attack][Hostile Boarding Imminent][Probability of Survival: Decreasing]"They're boarding!" someone shouted. "We need to buy more time!""Status on the integration?" Chen barked, her voice cutting through the chaos."Fifty percent complete, Lieutenant!" a technician replied. "But his system's fighting it every step of the way! We do not have enough time!""Then make more time!" Chen snapped. "Divert all non-essential power to the integration process. And get me a weapon. If they want him, they'll have to go through me first."[System Purge: 50% Complete][Adaptation Protocols: 10% Complete][Warning: System Failure Imminent]The pain reached a crescendo, my vision whiting out completely. I felt myself slipping away, the voices around me fading into a distant hum. Was this it? Was this how my escape from Xy'tak ended? Not with a bang, but with a system overload in some forsaken transport ship?Then, just as suddenly as it began, the pain started to recede. It was still there, a throbbing ache in every cell of my body, but it was no longer the all-consuming inferno it had been moments before.[System Purge: 60% Complete][Adaptation Protocols: 25% Complete][System Stabilization: Commencing...]I gasped, drawing in a ragged breath. My body still trembled, but I could think again. I could see again, the blurry shapes of the medical bay slowly coming back into focus."He's stabilizing!" a medic exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. "Vitals are still erratic, but they're within acceptable parameters!""Keep him under observation," Chen ordered, her glowing eyes fixed on me. "And get that integration completed. We're not out of the woods yet."[System Purge: 75% Complete][Adaptation Protocols: 40% Complete][Alert: System Repaired and Updated][New Functionality: Accessing Special Forces Database...]The next few minutes were a blur of activity. The ship continued to shake, the sounds of battle growing closer. Medics and technicians hovered around me, monitoring my vitals, adjusting the machinery, their faces etched with a mixture of fear and determination.[System Purge: 90% Complete][Adaptation Protocols: 65% Complete][Integration Successful][Welcome to the Special Forces, Recruit Zero][Commencing God's Game Tutorial Preparation...]As the System announced the completion of the integration, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. My eyelids felt heavy, my limbs leaden. But beneath the fatigue, I felt a flicker of something else. Something new. A sense of...potential."Welcome to the grinder, Zero," Chen said, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "You survived the integration. Now comes the hard part."The ship lurched again, and the sound of gunfire echoed from somewhere nearby."Looks like our guests have arrived," Chen said, her smile turning predatory. She picked up a wicked-looking energy rifle from a nearby weapons rack. "Time to introduce them to the Special Forces."As darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd made a terrible mistake. But then again, what choice did I have? It was either this or back to the mines.