Chapter 15: The Omega Code
The ground cracked beneath its steps.
Zayn Arif barely had time to react before the hulking Marauder—Omega—lunged forward. A blur of motion, cloaked in firelight and shadows. The creature's limbs twisted unnaturally, shifting between digital armor plates and exposed muscle rendered in broken pixels.
Iris shouted, "Fall back! Scatter formation!"
Zayn rolled to the side, narrowly dodging Omega's crushing blow. The boss slammed its fused limbs into the forest floor, splitting the ground in a semicircle and sending a shockwave of corrupted code through the earth.
[Warning: Environmental Distortion Detected]
[Zone\_6 Map Terrain Stability: 42%]
[Terrain Collapse Likely in 03:00]
Max dashed across the camp perimeter, drawing fire with a series of suppressed shots. "This thing's not a normal boss! It's reading us like we're *bugs*!"
Zayn gritted his teeth.
[System Update: Boss Marauder – Code Name: Omega]
[Absorbed Abilities: Sonic Pulse (ZMP-Theta), Hardened Skin (ZMP-Beta), Shadowstep (ZMP-Delta)]
[Weakness: Unknown – Behavior Adapts Per Encounter]
The fire flared behind Zayn. He pivoted, unsheathing the Signal Knife—but its glow was dim.
Still cooling down.
[Signal Knife Cooldown: 27 Seconds Remaining]
Iris dashed to his side, panting. "We can't brute force it. It learns too fast."
Zayn's eyes flicked toward the ruins of the camp. Among the discarded gear, he spotted a half-buried crate, pulsing faintly with corrupted light.
[Scannable Object Detected: Legacy Supply Box – Version 1.0.2]
[Item Pool: Pre-Infection Patch | Contents Randomized]
He sprinted for it, skidding beside the crate and jamming the override chip into its lock.
[Decrypting... Complete.]
[You have obtained: High Voltage Arc Trap x1, Emergency Cloak x1]
He grabbed both and yelled toward Max.
"Flank left! I'll bait it through the trap!"
Omega's head twisted unnaturally as it spotted Zayn—eyes flaring with red lines. It released a sonic pulse, warping the air as it charged again.
Zayn bolted.
He dove behind the broken jeep, tossing the Arc Trap into the clearing between him and Omega.
The trap activated with a deep hum—four rods slamming into the dirt, lines of lightning crackling between them.
Zayn waited.
Five seconds.
Then Omega entered the field.
It froze mid-step—caught. Screeching.
Electricity surged through its glitching form.
[Omega Status: Stunned – Duration: 06 Seconds]
Zayn didn't hesitate.
He activated the Signal Knife.
[Signal Knife Activated – Durability Remaining: 3 Uses]
He stabbed it into Omega's lower leg—direct into a flickering weak spot.
The creature shrieked.
Not like before.
This sound was different.
Pained.
Afraid.
[Damage Registered – Structural Instability Triggered]
[Omega Behavior Shift: Defensive Pattern – Shadowstep Enabled]
With a burst of dark particles, Omega blinked out of sight.
Max cursed. "It vanished!"
Iris was already scanning. "It's circling! Watch your six!"
Then came the laughter.
Low.
Distorted.
Echoing from all sides.
[Omega Status: Cloaked – Visual Tracking Disabled]
Zayn activated the Emergency Cloak just as Omega reappeared mid-air—diving down where he had stood a second earlier.
The impact cratered the ground.
Zayn flickered into visibility again five feet away, panting. "Not invincible, just fast."
Iris whispered, "I think it's bleeding memory... that scream—it remembered something."
Zayn frowned. "Can we use that?"
[Memory Fragment Detected – Source: Omega Node]
[Fragment Name: ERROR//LOBBY\_07]
[Do you wish to sync?]
[Yes] \[No]
He tapped **Yes**.
The world flickered.
For a moment—just a breath—he was somewhere else.
A lobby.
Empty.
A flickering "Waiting for Players" sign hovered overhead.
Then a girl's voice: "You promised we'd survive, Zayn."
Static.
Then the camp again.
He gasped.
"What the hell was that...?"
Max stared. "You okay?"
Zayn turned back to Omega.
It was limping.
Almost... hesitating.
"It's not just a monster," he muttered. "It *was* a player."
Iris lowered her weapon, barely audible. "All of them were. At first."
Omega let out another corrupted shriek—and charged again.
But slower.
As if confused.
[Omega Status: Processing Conflict – Behavior Pattern Degrading]
[Final Phase Imminent – Countdown: 00:45]
Max slung a grenade toward it, but Omega swatted it aside.
Zayn felt something shift in his chest.
Pity?
No.
Resolve.
"I'm ending this."
He dashed forward, sliding beneath Omega's massive arm, planting the last Arc Trap directly on its back.
Then—stabbed it again with the Signal Knife.
One final pulse.
[Signal Knife Durability: 2 Uses Remaining]
[Memory Sync: Forced – Omega Node Collapse Triggered]
Omega shuddered.
And fell.
No scream.
Just a hiss of escaping data.
Its body dissolved into fragments of code, then ash.
[Omega Defeated]
[You have obtained: Glitched Memory Core – Sealed]
[Unlocked: Virus War Event Progression – Phase Two Begins Soon]
The silence returned.
Zayn collapsed to one knee.
Iris knelt beside him. "We're not done, are we?"
He shook his head.
"No. That was just the start."
[System Message: Global Notice – Marauder Boss Omega Defeated by Player: Zayn\_Arif]
[Unlocked Area: Zone\_7 – Infection Depth Layer One]
[WARNING: Deeper Zones May Rewrite Core Game Code – Proceed with Caution]
Max sighed. "I miss the days when this was just a battle royale."
Zayn stared at the sky.
It had gone dark again.
Flickering.
Almost... like it was watching.