Chapter Four: The Great Escape

Panic spread as the specter of death appeared. In the pitch-black darkness, hearing was greatly sharpened, and a crisp snapping sound instantly set Ash's nerves on edge. Only now did the hurriedly activated portable lanterns of the Security Officer sweep their beams toward the source of the noise.

All eyes converged at once.

There, a figure was collapsing slowly to the ground, his neck now level with his shoulders.

[Notice: You have witnessed an anomalous attack. You must undergo a Willpower Check to avoid sanity loss.]

[Notice: Checking… Your Willpower Level is 2. Check failed!]

[Notice: You have lost 1 point of Sanity.]

[Notice: Your Sanity will gradually recover only when out of combat and far from anomalous events.]

[Beginner Warning: If your Sanity reaches zero, you will enter a state of madness, subject to instant death checks at intervals, and your actions will be hindered.]

These were the system notifications Ash received. Even with his Willpower talent, his Sanity inevitably dropped by one point; the other four lost three points each. The unluckiest among them was not a veteran—less than fifteen minutes into the game, his sanity bar had already fallen by nearly a third. Fortunately, this loss was recoverable.

But at that moment, none of the players cared about the system prompts. Though they had known an attack might come, they had not expected it to be so abrupt, so visceral.

The game’s hyper-realistic characters made the players feel as if they’d been thrust into a true supernatural event. Although the guard’s face was masked, under the beam of light, his bloodshot, bulging eyes sent a chill through all present. His neck had been twisted with immense force, his head flopped limply against his shoulder, and his body collapsed in slow motion. Death had arrived, sudden and without warning.

Silken Sash... Neck Snapped.

Only now did the players realize the true meaning behind that gentle name.

“What kind of sick humor is this?”

Ash cursed under his breath; the other four players looked equally grim.

“Containment breach! Immediate alert!” The Security Officer nearly ground his teeth to dust as he ordered his subordinates to activate all lights. Beams of illumination swept the area, but Silken Sash was nowhere to be seen. Ash noticed a nearby guard’s brow beading with cold sweat—the disappearance of Silken Sash weighed heavily on them. And perhaps it was just his imagination, but that guard seemed desperate to stay close to Ash, just as the other players found themselves shadowed by nervous guards.

With the situation unclear, the players had no choice but to remain where they were. The Security Officer, having lost all trace of Silken Sash, growled into his communicator, unwilling to give up: “Calling Control Center—containment facility under attack, anomalous entity Silken Sash has breached containment. Repeat, Silken Sash has breached containment! We've lost its location, requesting backup, requesting backup!”

A response came at once, but the other party was likewise in distress—indeed, their situation was even more dire.

“Third Security Officer, I order you to abandon the search for Silken Sash and return to defend immediately! An unknown number of Apostles of Chaos have broken into the facility and are attacking the research division. The situation is extremely tense. You must lead the Third Security Team to the research division at once…”

A burst of static, and the remote communication was abruptly cut off.

The Security Officer froze for half a second, then erupted in curses: “Damn it, how can there be comms suppression inside the Foundation? There’s a traitor—there has to be! Chaos Beacon came prepared. The Control Center is in deep trouble!”

“Sir, what should we do?”

“We have no choice—we’ll have to split up. The research division cannot fall, and the Control Center needs support. We're understaffed as it is. Those damned vermin really picked their moment!” The Security Officer slammed his fist down, denting even the steel floor. The crisis was critical. He had to muster every available force, assigning the Silken Sash guards to the squads. He turned to his deputy: “You take fifteen with you to the Control Center. I’ll take the rest to support the research division.”

He swept his gaze across the five players and addressed his deputy with a grave tone: “Bring these people along as well. If there’s an emergency, follow the staff manual to the letter.”

“Yes, sir!”

[Notice: You have accepted a mandatory assessment task—Support Assistance.]

...

Mission Name: [Support Assistance]

Objective: Help at least five members of the Third Security Team reach the Control Center. The more members survive, the greater your reward. Failure will forfeit your right to future missions.

Rewards: Contribution Points, Equipment

Description: The route from Third Security Zone to the Control Center passes through numerous containment areas. The Chaos Beacon’s assault has caused multiple anomalies to breach containment, escaping the Foundation’s control. These entities are highly aggressive, roaming the facility and possibly impeding the Security Team’s advance. Your task is to assist the security forces unconditionally and help them reach the Control Center as quickly as possible.

[Notice: According to the staff manual, in emergencies, senior staff have the right to order junior personnel to undertake dangerous tasks. Refusal is considered treason against the Foundation.]

...

“Who wrote these draconian rules?”

The players exchanged glances, full of silent complaints, but the armed deputy Security Officer hurried them along, entirely ignoring the vanished anomaly, Silken Sash.

Staring down the pitch-black corridor ahead, Ash thought that if that thing attacked from the shadows, they’d all be wiped out.

But based on the direction of the mission, at least in the short term, such a disaster was unlikely; otherwise, this would be an unwinnable mission, and Singularity Games would hardly design something so foolish. Besides, the Security Officer’s decisive actions suggested there might be more beneath the surface.

As they advanced, Ash also noticed that the recent chaos had left everyone with some injury. Because he’d dodged in time, he’d only taken a minor hit—losing two health points. The worst off among the players was Gallop, whose left arm now moved awkwardly.

[Left Arm Damaged (Moderate): Range of motion is limited, attack strength reduced, stamina consumption increased by 10%. Injury does not heal automatically over time.]

When the explosive orb went off, Gallop had been near the bulkhead. The shockwave flung him across the hallway, slamming him into the far wall. His injury slowed his running, leaving him trailing the group, and the pain setting of the Anomaly Park game made him especially miserable. Even with pain reduced by ninety percent, his throbbing left shoulder left him anxious for what lay ahead.

With his speed reduced and stamina drain increased, at the current pace he would soon be left far behind—and the consequences of falling out of the group were all too obvious.

Scalearm, seeing Gallop’s troubled expression, offered quiet encouragement: “Don’t worry. The situation isn’t clear yet. We could stop at any moment. Just do your best to keep up.”

Gallop forced a smile, but his face remained pale.

When he first learned he’d won a spot in the test, he’d been too excited to sleep all night, as if the world of veteran players was opening its doors to him.

Everyone knows that being the first through the gate can put you ahead all the way. Players who gained veteran status through testing always made a name for themselves. Of course, Gallop knew that the established veterans would flock to popular Singularity titles, but with everyone starting from scratch, ordinary players had a much better shot at outpacing them.

Veteran players are veterans for a few simple reasons: skill, experience, luck, dedication, or money.

But in a new game, most of those advantages vanish. All that’s left is experience and adaptability. Even if the combat system is based on the market’s standard fighting mechanics, tweaks like stamina and other changes can massively increase the learning curve—and sometimes totally change how the game is played. This is the best opportunity for ordinary players to leap ahead.

Like so many others, Gallop wanted to be that lucky fish leaping over the dragon gate. Yet, now, with his arm aching, he could only think gloomily that he’d be the first player eliminated.

A poor start—how could he leap at all?

But the game’s pace cared nothing for Gallop’s mood. The battle royale had already begun. The group was forced to flee under the glaring emergency lights, Gallop only managing to keep up thanks to Scalearm’s encouragement.

Soon, the deputy Security Officer used emergency clearance to open a heavy door, revealing a scene of devastation. Foundation security, dressed in their uniforms, had clashed here with the invading Apostles of Chaos. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties. Bodies lay scattered everywhere. One containment facility for anomalies stood open, its state much like the previous one—even the blast pattern was the same.

Clearly, the explosive orb had struck here as well.

The deputy Security Officer surveyed the scene and suddenly frowned. On the wall of a nearby corridor, a huge breach had been torn open—this was how the Apostles of Chaos had forced their way into the Foundation.

Now, however, the breach had been sealed. When the Control Center realized the crisis, it activated Defense Protocol 19, sealing the entire area to prevent more Apostles from breaking in. But this also meant that everyone left inside was now trapped in a life-or-death struggle.

“We’re finished,” the deputy muttered, lips tight, struggling to hide his panic.

At that moment, he realized just how dire things were. If the Apostles of Chaos had blasted open two anomaly containment units in quick succession, they could certainly breach others. The thought of all the dangerous anomalies in his sector breaking free made his scalp crawl. If things were really that bad, there’d be no hope of reaching the Control Center. They’d all be dead before they got there.