Chapter 18: The Hollow Nexus
\[Zone Recalibration in: 09:58]
The countdown echoed through the cavern like a heartbeat. Steady. Relentless.
Zayn stood near the restored beacon, eyes fixed on the pulsing crystal. For a moment, he didn't speak—just listened to the hum, the rhythm of the light, and the quiet tension that had settled over their team.
Max reloaded in silence, checking each magazine like a ritual.
Iris wrapped a fresh grip around her blade. "Nine minutes. What happens when the timer runs out?"
\[Recalibration Protocol – Phase Shift Pending]
\[Expected Outcome: Entity Surge / Map Reformation / Infection Spike]
Zayn muttered under his breath. "Entity surge. Great."
The path beyond the beacon flickered open, revealing a new tunnel laced with static and red mist. It wasn't welcoming—it was an invitation written in blood and code.
\[New Area: Hollow Nexus]
\[Biome Type: Derelict Hatchery]
\[Environmental Status: High Contamination / Necro-Code Present]
\[Warning: Viral Entity Traces Detected – Type: Reanimated Infected]
Max's eyes narrowed. "Did that just say 'reanimated'?"
Iris scanned the tunnel's edge. "I've heard that term in corrupted event files. It means zombies. But not like the ones in past updates."
Zayn checked his gear. "Then we move fast. We find cover, locate the data terminal, and prepare for a fight."
They entered the Nexus.
The world changed instantly.
The ground was soft, sponge-like, covered in some kind of biological texture—half moss, half infected code. The walls looked like they'd once been part of a lab, but now they sagged inward, corrupted and warped by time and virus.
And then the smell hit them.
Rot.
Old, wet rot.
Zayn covered his nose. "They're close."
\[Infection Zone Intensity: 78%]
\[Respawn System: Still Offline]
\[Environmental Risk: Very High]
The trio moved into what looked like a central chamber—rows of shattered cryo-pods lined the walls, their glass covers cracked or missing. Some were empty.
Others were not.
The first zombie stirred near the far wall.
Its movements were slow, jerky—like a puppet on broken strings. Its armor bore the faded insignia of past players. But its eyes…
They glowed.
Red and blind.
Then it shrieked.
\[New Entity: Viral Cadaver – Zone\_7 Variant]
\[Weakness: Cranium / Light-Based Disruption]
\[Ability: Pack Call – Alerts All Nearby Units]
The cry bounced off the walls.
Then came the answer.
A second scream.
Then a third.
Zayn raised his weapon. "Positions!"
They took cover behind the collapsed metal wall of a cryo chamber.
\[Zone Recalibration in: 07:33]
Dozens of infected poured in through the tunnel. Some still wore broken helmets, others dragged weapons with rotting limbs. Their movements were unnatural—twitching, unpredictable.
Zayn aimed for the first group. "Three on the left!"
Max lobbed a flash charge. "Brighten their day!"
The chamber lit up—zombies shrieked and flailed as their vision burned.
Zayn opened fire.
One down.
Two.
Another surged too fast—he stabbed it through the eye socket, blade crunching bone.
Iris danced through the chaos, slashing tendons and spinning to avoid gnashing teeth. Her movements were fluid, precise.
\[Infection Intensity: 82%]
\[Zone\_7 Nexus Heat Signature Spiking]
Zayn gritted his teeth. "Too many!"
Max ducked. "They're endless!"
Suddenly, the ground rumbled.
From beneath the floor, a mass erupted—twisted limbs, pulsing tumors, a mouth that wasn't a mouth.
\[New Threat Detected: Hiveborn Stalker – Elite Class]
\[Behavior: Burrow Ambush / Corrosive Spit / Infection Spread]
\[Survival Tip: Sever Core Limbs to Slow]
Zayn's stomach twisted. "That thing wasn't part of the plan."
Max fired. Bullets tore through flesh—but the Hiveborn kept moving, absorbing each hit like a sponge.
Iris shouted, "Get it into the fire zone!"
Zayn kicked over a leaking power cell—its sparks igniting a pool of fuel from a ruptured conduit.
"Max—spark it!"
Max tossed a flare.
The fireball exploded upward.
The Hiveborn screamed as flames consumed its left side. It thrashed, collapsing part of the wall as debris showered over the infected.
Zayn didn't stop moving.
He raced toward a raised control terminal in the back of the room—his only hope for triggering an emergency lockdown.
\[Terminal Accessed – Security Protocol Detected]
\[Activate Hatchery Containment Lock?]
\[Yes] \[No]
Zayn slammed his palm on the screen.
"Yes!"
Steel doors began to slide shut.
The infected howled, pounding on the closing barriers as one by one, the breaches sealed.
Dust and silence followed.
Only the dim glow of flickering lights remained.
\[Containment Successful – Infection Held at Bay]
\[Zone Recalibration in: 04:05]
\[Safe Zone Created: Hollow Nexus – Core Room]
Max slumped against the wall, panting. "I think I cracked a rib."
Iris cleaned her blade. "We're lucky to be alive."
Zayn stared at the sealed door.
He could still hear the growls beyond it.
"We need answers," he said quietly. "Why is this place pulling memories, spawning echoes, releasing infected? This isn't just a game anymore."
Iris met his eyes. "Then we go deeper. Because somewhere in this place... someone wants us to remember."
And somewhere, beyond the sealed door, something waited.
Breathing.
Hungry.
Watching.