Containment breach

Zhou Ze had never seen anything like this outside a horror movie. Fortunately, despite his icy body and prickling scalp, he had not forgotten Old Yang's instructions. He had started holding his breath the moment he heard the commotion.

By now, his face was bright red, and his body had begun to sway.

"Ghk..."

At last, unable to hold out any longer, Zhou Ze forced a breathy sound from his throat. His body convulsed violently, his eyes rolled back, and he crashed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

To make his performance convincing, he had hit the floor hard. His head was ringing.

But to the two guards, Zhou Ze had obviously been too mentally fragile to bear the pressure of his fear and had fainted from sheer fright.

At the same time, a cold, mechanical voice came from the ceiling loudspeaker:

"Warning: severe damage detected in corridors A and B and the surrounding containment chambers of the Beta Temporary Containment Area. Containment breaches confirmed for E-981, E-152, and E-471."

"In accordance with Containment Breach Emergency Protocol 2.0, the Beta Temporary Containment Area has been placed under emergency lockdown. Site-17 will enter lockdown in ten minutes. All noncombat personnel must evacuate immediately..."

The cold electronic voice repeated the announcement once, then abruptly cut off, leaving an unsettling silence.

Looks like things are even worse than I thought... Not that it has anything to do with me anymore...

Zhou Ze pondered this as he lay on the floor, pretending to be unconscious.

In the darkness, all he could hear was the two guards' heavy breathing and the steadily approaching click-clack.

After a brief, hushed exchange, the guards left with hurried, uneven footsteps. The eerie click-clack receded with them.

Only then did Zhou Ze silently breathe a sigh of relief. His deliberately suppressed breathing eased considerably.

A few minutes later, he heard gunshots and angry shouts in the distance. Suddenly, the gunfire stopped. Zhou Ze heard a terrified scream, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. Then the whole world seemed to fall completely silent.

It's over...

Already exhausted, Zhou Ze felt an irresistible drowsiness once the adrenaline wore off. Sleep washed over him like a tide.

"Click-clack... Click-clack..."

The renewed footsteps jolted Zhou Ze awake. He shuddered, goosebumps rising all over him. Fear gripped his heart like an icy hand.

Zhou Ze had never been so alert. No matter how much he trusted Old Yang, he could not help having doubts at a time like this.

Come to think of it, it's been ages...

Why isn't Old Yang back yet...?

Didn't he say he was going to have some fun...?

Everyone else got played to death...

Am I going to die too...?

"Click-clack... Click-clack..."

While his thoughts ran wild, the footsteps drew closer and closer.

Fuck...

This is really happening...

Wasn't pretending to faint supposed to be enough...?

Old Yang, buddy, don't screw me over...

"Click-clack... Click-clack..."

The crisp footsteps stopped right in front of Zhou Ze.

At that moment, his heart nearly leaped into his throat. Sweat slid down his forehead and soaked his clothes.

His mind went blank. He was even afraid his chaotic thoughts might attract that thing's attention.

Zhou Ze held his breath and concentrated, straining to catch any sound around him.

But he heard nothing. Only deathly silence...

To Zhou Ze, this suffocating silence was nothing short of inhuman torture. Every second felt like an eternity.

Growing dizzy in that oppressive atmosphere, Zhou Ze finally could not stand it anymore. He cracked his tightly shut eyes open just a sliver.

In the dim light, he saw a pair of bright red women's leather shoes. The flashing alarm lights cast an eerie sheen over their surface, like pulsing blood.

But a moment later, Zhou Ze's breath caught, and a ringing filled his ears.

The Red Shoes were no longer empty. A "person" was wearing them.

Above them were two legs made from a haphazard heap of flesh, bones, and fat. Exposed muscle fibers writhed faintly. Stark white bones jutted through the flesh like vicious barbs, with yellow lumps of fat scattered among them. They looked as though some twisted will had forcibly pieced them together.

It seemed all too obvious who those human tissues had originally belonged to.

Then Zhou Ze saw the legs bend slightly. Several thin streams of blood spurted from ruptured vessels and muscle fibers.

Lumps of thick, nearly congealed blood dropped from somewhere outside his field of vision, making sickening wet sounds.

At that, Zhou Ze closed his eyes again.

He had no desire to glimpse a face that would haunt his nightmares next.

As he thought this, he inexplicably relaxed, feeling more peaceful than he ever had before.

Whatever...

I give up...

Kill me right now if you've got the guts...

"Click-clack... Click-clack..."

Just as Zhou Ze made his peace with it, the Red Shoes seemed to lose interest in him too. The footsteps slowly receded.

This time, Zhou Ze did not open his eyes to check. Taking advantage of this hard-won peace, he let his exhausted body drift serenely off to sleep.

"Hey, kid. Still alive?"

Zhou Ze felt someone pat his face. Irritating footsteps and miscellaneous noises sounded around him. He struggled, but could not open his eyes right away.

Then someone forcibly lifted his right eyelid and shone a glaring beam into his pupil.

Zhou Ze shook his head and squinted. Only after adjusting to the light did he look around in confusion.

In the dim space, several combat personnel stood around him, wearing high-quality tactical gear and face coverings, with standard-issue rifles in their hands.

The sight made Zhou Ze's heart tighten.

Executing a member of Class-D Personnel required no complicated procedures. After an incident like this, he stood a very real chance of being put to death.

But then Zhou Ze spotted Old Yang hiding in the shadows nearby. His normally haggard face looked positively radiant now.

Old Yang said nothing, but Zhou Ze immediately understood the message in his bloodshot eyes.

Would I ever screw you over, buddy?

"All escaped containment subjects have been recaptured. The reality index in the breach area has been confirmed to have returned to normal..."

The man in front of him, who appeared to be the squad leader, turned sideways and reported quietly into his wrist computer. "One survivor found in the incident area. Suspected acute stress-induced dissociative state due to extreme fright. Identity confirmed as Class-D Personnel D-87465. Awaiting instructions."

"Administer Class-A Amnestics." A deep, impassive voice came from the wrist computer.

Huh? Memory wipe?

Zhou Ze froze.

The man swiftly pulled an unmarked spray can from his belt pouch and aimed it at Zhou Ze's face with practiced ease. Before Zhou Ze could react, a fine mist had already sprayed across his face.

His consciousness blurred again, as though an invisible force were dragging him down into an abyss.

Before he lost consciousness completely, only one thought remained in his mind:

Fuck! I don't want to lose my memories!