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Chapter 7: Escape
All of Shi Rang's information came from two sources: The Management Bureau’s Archives and Robin’s firsthand account.
Perhaps these intriguing online acquaintances had other forums or group chats where they exchanged even more private lore. As a newcomer, Shi Rang hadn’t yet tapped into the full depth of the community. But honestly, the main site already provided more than enough to work with.
After the event “Containment Breach at Facility 031” began, the pop-up window wasn’t just connected to information about all the containment objects within the facility—it also included a meticulously crafted, highly detailed map of the entire facility, as well as a countdown timer labeled [Kappa-3 “Gardener” Arrival].
“Gardener” was one of The Management Bureau’s Mobile Task Forces, an elite unit specialized in dealing with plant-based anomalies. Once “Gardener” arrived, neutralizing the “Doomsday Seed” would be all but guaranteed.
This meant there were 45 minutes left until the event concluded, with the countdown precise to the second.
Robin hadn’t mentioned the “time of occurrence” in her story, so Shi Rang assumed that users on the site had received advance notice of the event and prepared an outline of the narrative beforehand. When the event began, they simply launched into an immersive escape scenario.
According to the timestamp on the chat window, Robin had left the server room and witnessed the guards’ tragic deaths 12 minutes ago.
After completing her situational report, the website had conveniently performed a “map update.”
From the floor plan, Facility 031 resembled an inverted skyscraper plunged deep into the ground. Only two floors were above ground, while eight additional levels stretched below. B1 to B3 housed offices, living quarters, and light-containment zones. B4 to B6 were designated for experimental areas and medium-risk containment. B7 and B8 contained heavy-containment zones. The entire facility was divided into functional sections with meticulous precision.
Elevator shafts and stairwells were scattered throughout the structure like a spine, and at a glance, there was no direct route from B1 to B8—essentially, it was a three-dimensional maze.
The map periodically updated to show the spread of the “Doomsday Seed.” While the accuracy wasn’t perfect, it provided enough detail for Shi Rang to begin piecing things together.
Currently, the Doomsday Seed had overrun all elevator shafts, spreading rapidly along them. Its roots had already claimed the corridors leading to the server rooms on the southern sides of B4, B5, and B8.
At first glance, this appeared to be a multiple-choice question with three options. However, Robin had also mentioned the collapsing ceiling!
Based on the map records, not long before, the “Doomsday Seed” had seized control of the water storage room on the southern side of B4, absorbing the water supply to undergo explosive growth. This caused both the ceiling and floor nearby to buckle under pressure, resulting in a collapse—the “damaged area” was marked on the map with gray diagonal lines.
The only location that matched all of Robin’s descriptions was the server room on the southern side of B5!
With the player’s position now clear, Shi Rang wasted no time, strategizing with every second counting.
He grabbed a stack of sticky notes he kept next to his desk, drew a tiny stick figure in the corner of one, and stuck it onto the map at the B5 server room, labeling it as Robin’s current position.
Most of the facility’s shelters were marked as “locked.” Robin must have been overlooked because the containment chamber for the Doomsday Seed wasn’t far vertically from the server room. Aside from the unfortunate guard, no one else had ventured near the area.
The top priority now was to rescue Robin from the southern side of the facility, deep within its labyrinthine depths.
Using his fingers to trace paths on the screen, Shi Rang quickly identified what appeared to be a safe route. From here, Robin could reach the stairwell, climb up to B2, pass through a shelter still marked as “open.” Even if that shelter closed by the time she arrived, she could backtrack north to another staircase, ascend to B1, and exit via the emergency corridor. Simple enough—or so it seemed.
Just as Shi Rang prepared to relay the plan, a nagging doubt crept into his mind. He went back to review the situation and felt a chill run down his spine.
A trap.
Military strikes might suppress the Doomsday Seed during its initial growth phase, but once containment failed, the structural damage cascaded throughout the facility. Worse still, other anomalies had escaped their confines!
According to the facility’s layout, Facility 031 housed a total of 20 containment objects, scattered across various locations on different floors. These anomalies, which required long-term, stable management, now had more than half marked as “Containment Breach”—as if a prison riot had broken out, with these dangerous inmates escaping their cells.
Shi Rang clicked through several rooms along his proposed route, skimming their profiles. Each new description made his heart sink further: A virus capable of turning humans into zombie-like creatures; a star-like luminescent object that moved unpredictably; tiny organisms emitting gases toxic to the eyes…
None of them were classified as A- or B-level threats, but that didn’t mean they were harmless. Thank goodness he’d double-checked; had Robin followed the original plan, she’d likely have been overwhelmed before he heard another word from her.
Shi Rang’s brain raced as he scanned the rapidly ticking countdown to Kappa-3’s arrival, searching desperately for a path that avoided all breached containment zones. After several failed attempts, he admitted defeat.
As a newcomer, he couldn’t possibly memorize the quirks of every anomaly in such a short time. For all he knew, these things were roaming freely through the facility. If Robin’s luck turned sour, even taking shortcuts could lead her straight into danger. There was no such thing as a truly “safe” route.
Resigned, Shi Rang stuck to his original plan, adding minor detours to ensure Robin passed through areas containing only C- and D-level anomalies. Once satisfied, he sent the revised route to Robin.
Then, opting for the simplest yet most reliable approach, he copied over brief summaries of everything she might encounter along the way.
Here’s the manual—I’m sending you the cheat sheet. Figure it out yourself before contacting me again!
[Wow, this is a lot of info! Did you send me the walkthrough?]
[So supernatural beings really exist? What about urban legends like aliens? Are those real too?]
[Do you guys have tech that can resurrect the dead? That guard...]
[Oh, I know I shouldn’t bring this up right now. My head’s full of stupid thoughts—but does this mean I can set a fire, right?]
“Control the timing carefully. It counteracts flames faster than you think.”
[Got it.]
[I wasn’t idle either—I dismantled your server’s tablet. I don’t understand how it works, but it’s designed to detach anyway.]
[That counts as emergency avoidance, right?]
[Alright, I’m ready.]
“Good luck. Waiting to hear from you.”
[Thank you, stranger!]
“You can call me ‘Mud Truck.’”
With that oddly suave yet comically named sign-off, Shi Rang returned to the event page while Robin executed her move. He dove deeper into studying the anomalies along her route, bracing himself for any curveballs she might throw his way.
If nothing went wrong, this wouldn’t feel like a proper tabletop RPG session!
[CVA-C-888 requires containment in...]
Suddenly, the webpage refreshed automatically. A stark black-and-red popup dominated the screen.
[!Unauthorized Access Detected!]
Instinctively, Shi Rang clicked the alert. When nothing happened, he hit “F5” to refresh the page. But instead of returning to the game, he was greeted by something every internet user dreaded:
[404 Not Found]
What the hell?
He tried accessing The Management Bureau’s Archives via his bookmarks, hoping to return to the unfinished adventure. However, no matter what he did, all roads led to the same error page—as though the entire experience had been nothing more than a dream.
Where did the site go?
Just then, a knock echoed from his front door.
Someone stood outside.
---
Meanwhile, Robin pressed herself against the server room door, feeling the heat radiating through the metal and hearing the sharp crackle of burning plant matter.
Outside, a raging inferno consumed everything. Moments earlier, flames had licked high enough to singe her eyebrows before she managed to slam the door shut.
Burn! You damn murderous piece of vegetation!
But the heat on her side of the door quickly faded from scorching to merely warm.
She remembered the intel her mysterious savior had shared—the Doomsday Seed was actively suppressing the fire.
Tightening the knot of her makeshift harness, ensuring the thick tablet remained securely strapped to her back, Robin took a deep breath and held her soaked pants over her face.
Screw dignity; survival mattered more! If the wet fabric filtered out the toxic smoke, it was worth it.
Counting silently to three, Robin burst through the door, welding torch in her left hand, wrench in her right. She plunged into the choking haze filling the corridor, eyes squeezed shut, sprinting blindly forward.
Right turn after exiting, straight ahead, then left, dodging around corners toward the stairs...
Her heart pounded like it would burst out of her chest. Her bare legs burned under the searing air, and occasionally, her feet crunched over wriggling shapes beneath her. But Robin ignored it all, focusing solely on reaching the wall with her outstretched hand and continuing her escape.
She wasn’t used to this kind of physical exertion, but she had no choice except to keep going. She pushed herself faster and faster, holding her breath against the acrid fumes.
Finally, she broke free of the smoke, stumbling into eerie red emergency lighting.
No plants here—but no time to celebrate. Confirming she hadn’t taken a wrong turn, Robin navigated several twists and turns before diving headlong into the stairwell.
[I made it! I torched that bastard good! I’m in the stairwell!]
As adrenaline ebbed, her hands trembled uncontrollably, fingers twitching as she typed frantically to share the news with her rescuer.
Sure, she looked ridiculous wearing little more than underwear while clutching a pair of pants—but hey, no one could see her!
The stairwell was much cooler, showing no signs of the utter disaster unfolding outside. The winding staircase, with its handrails and sharp turns stretching upward, seemed endless, while enormous floor markers printed on the walls guided Robin’s ascent.
The facility was truly massive—just reaching the bold “B4” label required at least six turns. Taking a brief rest, she pressed the send button, hoping for a response from her savior.
A reply flashed in her peripheral vision almost instantly.
Glancing down at the next landing, Robin prepared to read further instructions—but froze mid-step, struck dumb by what she saw.
“Unable to locate recipient address”
Scrolling up, every line of their conversation vanished, leaving the chat panel eerily blank—as though her savior had never existed.
[Are you still there, Mud Truck?]
[Anyone?]
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