The dreaded call rang out again.
"L98 EXTRACTION GROUP! DESCEND ENTRANCE 17 EMERGENCY! L98 EXTRACTION GROUP! DESCEND ENTRANCE 17 EMERGENCY!"
The group rose fast but sluggish—bodies aching, minds fogged. Li had barely slept three hours. Now they were running again.
The stairs, like everything else on this planet, were cramped and grotesquely ornate. Each step seemed to force him against the wall, the carved stone slick with condensation. The building groaned under its own weight.
They passed a few shadowed corridors. Li stole a glance into the adjacent alcoves—and froze.
The unihemispheric sleepers hadn't moved. Colossal forms slumped unevenly against the walls. They sat in silence, unmoving. Through the open window spaces, bursts of purple lit the sky outside, revealing their horrific outlines.
"Don't stare; they're the veterans. Let them sleep."
The team leader's voice crackled in his helmet. Li forced his eyes forward. Emergency, huh. This isn't going to be good either.
A few minutes later and the chill of the planet hit them at full force. They ran into the lower empty town and past a few wrecked blocks. At the end of the run, they were at the mouth of a gaping sinkhole; natural looking, but something told Li that this was artificially made specifically for delving.
"The Drill Team made this. I want everyone to tether up individually. There's a specialized device made specifically for this kind of descent. The string might look small, almost invisible to some, but don't be alarmed. It's high-quality Wuize fiber, right from the bowels of the A-Tier labs.
This is Entrance 17, in case you hadn't figured it out yet. It's an emergency descent point. We don't use it day to day for a reason because of what lurks in the corners.
When we go down, we're fair, vulnerable game for the infestation. Last descent, we lost one man, and fifteen others had to be shipped off-world.
Now, the team below has triggered an emergency. That means we're going in. Y'all follow me and hope that whatever usually lurks here is busy with them
…
Yeah, it's brutal. But that's how it goes.
Ready up. We descend on my go!"
Li glanced at the small pouch at his waist. At first, he thought it was just part of the armor's setup—some generic, mass-produced add-on. But then he remembered: this suit was crafted for this planet. Every detail had purpose. To assume otherwise would be ignorant.
He opened the pouch. Inside, a simple device—hook, grip, button. Press and descend. Simple on paper. In practice? Like trusting your life to a thread. But Li had no time to hesitate. The other Guardians had already leapt off the cliff, one after another, chasing the team leader like falling stars.
Li stepped forward. The abyss yawned beneath him.
He grit his teeth, extended the hook, gripped the handle, and pressed down.
His body dropped. The line snapped tight. Pain shot through his arm.
"Yo! Newbie! Slow the fuck down!"
Mocking laughter crackled through the comms.
The voices twisted in his mind, fusing with memories long buried—classrooms filled with scorn, school elites sneering at the 'useless ones.' He'd tasted that humiliation. He'd swallowed it for years.
But now?
Now he had the experience. He was once an A-tier. Far higher than that loser would ever get, and in this universe, he would prove himself to all those who laughed in their pride at those who were still sprouting.
He grimaced, but remained silent, embarrassment now crawling through his body.
Naryssa turned on a private channel,
"Hey, ignore the loser. I've been on a squad with him before. He's a B-tier. Don't let him get to you. When you are the one saving his ass, he'll learn."
"Haha, thanks. Don't worry Naryssa, I'm fine"
"No, this is important. Even the smallest nagging will drag you down. Remember, he's just as scared as you are. We still have an emergency descent to make."
"You're right, let's go."
This time, Li descended as slowly as possible, hands wrapped tightly around the thin string. The encounter with the jerk still burned in his chest—but alongside the anger, there was longing. He hadn't been back to China in ages, and he wondered how he was doing back on Earth. At least his body there seemed to be on autopilot, which must've reassured his parents. That thought brought some calm, but the other guardian's voice still echoed in his mind.
…
The descent had dragged on for nearly twenty minutes, and still no bottom in sight.
The tunnel walls around them bore the mark of precision—clean, geometric cuts from the Drilling Team, like a diagram come to life. Beneath the surface beauty, though, the black mass oozed silently from cracks. No soldiers. Just the dark.
Li's eyes scanned the widening gap between the Guardians and the carved-out ledges. Too close. If anything lunged from the dark, they'd be dangling like meat, barely able to respond, let alone survive. He understood now why the Wuize fiber lines were nearly invisible. One well aimed slash, and the fall alone would kill you.
"Y'all gotta move faster! We're behind the clock by ten!"
The call snapped through the comms like a whip. The team surged downward.
Li let go; half-controlled, half freefall, just enough to stay upright.
Naryssa's voice came on the communication channel now, her voice soft and fearful.
"Li… I'm scared."
"Me too."
It seemed like the group had just started to process the announcement and the situation they were in. This was an emergency, but now, they had accepted that each journey may be the end. The only thing left was to try.
The ground was still out of sight yet the team leader called out,
"Slow down y'all. Slow it! We're going to hit in two! I don't want anyone injured before we even get to the mess down there!"
Li struggled but managed to slow himself and not long after, harshly landed on the ground. It felt like those times on the playground when he was younger and had attempted to jump off those tall platforms. He almost fell due to the imbalance but steadied himself and regrouped with the rest. He hadn't actually been able to see who called him out and in the darkness, even with the adjusted vision but knew that they had their eyes on him for some reason.
"Shit! Y'all move! Something's happening down there! Move! This isn't a normal emergency!"
When were emergencies ever "normal"?
The group sprinted beneath a massive arch and back into the narrow, ancient system. Here, the stone walls pressed in like the alleys of Kowloon—tight, weathered, and unforgiving.
"Weapons ready y'all! We're close!"
Li tightened his grip on the gun. No panic this time.
They turned a corner and ran headfirst into chaos.
"FIRE!"
The Extraction Crew opened up mid-charge, the room swallowing their shots. Li struggled to process the scene. Spear and Shield teams were scattered, each grappling with towering insectoids; new variants. One flew above, dropping sacs of acid from an organ that pulsed too quickly to be natural.
This was the first time Li saw death.
A headless suit.
A body twitching with acid seeping through.
Limbs torn from something.
Naryssa's voice came through his helmet.
"Li! Cover me, I'll check for survivors!"
"You got it!"
She moved along the outskirts, checking bodies. Li fired in short bursts, one shot taking down a bomber insect. It felt natural now. He kept her covered without effort. A few survivors were still breathing near the edge, and Li helped prop them against the wall.
The team leader's voice cut in, fast and loud.
"L98 EXTRACTION SUBCREW LEADER; BASTARDS COMING UP!"
Another voice followed, tired and strained.
"He means the S-tier that hit A67."
Naryssa and Li locked eyes in the gloom.
"What about the rest?"
"Li, just run!"
He grabbed two nearby soldiers. Naryssa did the same. They ran the way they came. Other Guardians surged ahead, blocking the path between them as they fought to stay close.
Li glanced back into the space they'd just left. The team leaders were still pushing back the infestation, slowly clearing it out. But then, distant, low; a rumble. The ground trembled in rythm with his heartbeat.
Naryssa was already ahead. He nearly collided with a quadrupedal Guardian sprinting past. Together, they charged up the stairs into a tunnel he recognized.
Ahead, several towering figures moved toward them. Their suits were dark, their steps unsteady—but heavy. The veterans. Awakened. They'd been asleep not long ago.
Their presence shook the floor. Up close, they were smeared with the same black substance streaking the walls. No weapons. No visible faces. Just natural maroon plating jutting from an exposed body.
They passed by, ignoring the rush of younger Guardians.
"System users," Naryssa said. "They're going down to help the team leaders."
"System? Oh wait, yeah!"
Li nearly said it aloud, but held back. One question, and Naryssa would know. It'd be like a chemist on Earth asking what water was.
The tremors grew sharper. Each step sent a jolt up his legs, lifting him slightly off the ground. He wasn't the only one, more Guardians surged behind him, while the veterans trudged forward, slow but unshaken. His energy was slipping, adrenaline thinning too soon like winter mist.
A weak voice crackled in his suit.
"Hey… I think I can walk now. You can put me down."
Li didn't recognize it.
"Left," the voice added.
He slowed, letting the Guardian stand. More charged past them. The one on his left limped, leaning heavily on Li's shoulder as they moved together.
Then Naryssa's voice cut in.
"Li! Where are you!? We've made it to the opening. There are Guardians helping us ascend!"
"Naryssa, wait… I… still under."
"I dropped off the wounded, I'm coming back for you!"
"No, you don't! Get out! I'm fine!"
"You're not! I'm coming back! Just keep moving!"
Li shook his head. When was the last time someone came back for him? Someone who didn't just leave when things got hard? Back in China, none of his so-called friends would've done this. Not one.
How long have I been surrounded by losers?
Soon, Naryssa's silhouette was in the distance, running towards Li.
"Here, let me take the other!"
The limping man staggered, but Naryssa was already there, slipping under his arm and helping him forward. Together, they moved fast, disappearing ahead.
With the weight off his shoulder, Li broke into a run. Each step felt lighter, but the ache still clung to his muscles.
It would take him time to understand just how much strength Naryssa had shown—carrying two wounded, rushing them to safety, and still turning back for a friend without hesitation.