The barking came from every side, and Ren stopped wasting time looking for the source.
He moved.
Shizuka moved with him.
Amamiya followed half a step late, one hand on the low wall, breath still broken from the climb.
“I hate how everything has an extra problem now.” Ren did not answer.
The road below had already stopped being a road.
It was dogs, cracked asphalt, smoke, and things moving under parked cars.
Looking at it longer would not make it safer.
The system opened.
— ROUTE ANALYSIS ACTIVE — — LEFT DESCENT: CANINE PATTERN — — MAIN ROAD: HUMAN DENSITY HIGH — — DRAINAGE ROUTE: ANT RISK — — RIGHT LANE: LOW MOVEMENT — — STRUCTURE ACCESS: POSSIBLE — — RECOMMENDATION: RIGHT LANE — Ren turned right.
Shizuka followed without asking.
Amamiya saw them move and corrected his path.
The right lane sloped between old houses and a shuttered pharmacy.
A police bicycle lay on its side near the curb, front wheel still turning slowly from the wind.
A helmet sat beside it with blood inside.
No officer.
No body.
Only blood.
Ren slowed long enough to read the street.
The system sharpened.
— BLOOD TRAIL: DRAGGED — — DIRECTION: PHARMACY SIDE PATH — — HUMAN PRESENCE: UNKNOWN — — HOSTILE PRESENCE: LOW — — RESOURCE VALUE: HIGH — Ren looked at the pharmacy.
Metal shutter down at the front.
Back lane on the side.
A barking burst came from the lower road.
Three short.
Two long.
Then gunfire.
Not one shot.
Many.
The patrol radio in Ren’s hand crackled.
“Unit Seven, respond.
Civilian collapse near west bus stop.
Animal attack ongoing.
Possible disease event.” Another voice cut in, rough and scared.
“Not disease.
They are dropping before contact.
Repeat, before contact.” Static.
“Need ammo.
Need ammo now.” Then Sato’s voice came through.
“Ren.
Do not go toward the bus stop.” Ren pressed the button while moving.
“Already saw enough.” “Then you are too close.” “Where are you?” “Clinic district.
Moving toward the pump station.” “How far?” “Far enough that you should stop standing around.” Shizuka looked at the radio.
“She talks too much.” Sato heard it.
“So do you.” Shizuka’s eyes narrowed.
Ren lowered the radio.
“Later.” “Not later,” Shizuka said.
“Never.” Amamiya looked between them.
“I vote later.
Later means alive.” A scream rose from below the slope.
Then another.
Ren stopped at the corner and looked through the gap between two houses.
A small crowd had gathered near a bus stop.
They were not waiting for anything.
There were no buses now.
They stood around a woman on the ground while a man held her shoulders and shouted into her face.
“Hold it.
You said it worked.
Hold it.” The woman clutched a child’s shoe with both hands.
Her body shook.
Her eyes rolled.
The shoe split in her hands.
Not torn.
Split like an egg cracking into two.
The system pulsed.
— HARVEST CLUSTER DETECTED — — ANCHOR RESPONSE: FAILED — — HARVEST EVENT COMPLETE — — COUNT: +1 — The man holding her screamed.
Then another person in the crowd dropped.
Then another.
People ran.
Four dogs came running down from the slope like they were released from hell.
Their legs were too long, their ribs sharp under wet fur.
One jumped onto a parked car and threw itself into the crowd.
Police fired from somewhere out of view.
Two shots.
Three.
One dog fell.
Another kept moving.
The system updated.
— HARVEST CLUSTER EXPANDING — — COUNT: +4 — — COUNT: +7 — — LOCAL STABILITY: DECREASING — Ren stepped back from the gap.
Shizuka watched him.
“Passable?” “No.” Amamiya’s voice dropped.
“How bad?” “People are dropping before the dogs reach them.
Police are shooting, but some of them keep moving.” Amamiya looked toward the road below.
“Good.
Enough details.” Ren looked toward the pharmacy again.
“We go through there and see if there is anything left.” They slipped behind the pharmacy through a narrow service path.
The back door had marks from being forced before, then chained again from the outside.
Ren grabbed the chain.
The system opened.
— STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS DETECTED — — TARGET: WALL MOUNT BRACKET — — FORCE REQUIRED: LOW — Ren hooked his fingers under the bracket and kicked the base.
The screws tore free from damp wood.
Amamiya stared.
“How did you get that strong?” “Old screws,” Ren said.
Ren pushed the door open.
Inside, the pharmacy smelled of spilled alcohol, dust, and medicine.
Shelves had been swept clean.
People had taken painkillers first, then bandages, then baby formula, then anything with labels.
The system marked what remained.
— SALINE WASH: 2 — — BANDAGE ROLL: 4 — — ANTISEPTIC WIPES: 11 — — PAIN RELIEF: LOW STOCK — — ANTIBIOTIC: NONE DETECTED — — BATTERIES: AISLE 3 — — FLASHLIGHT: AISLE 3 — — METAL TOOL: STAFF ROOM — Ren pointed while walking.
“Bandages.
Wipes.
Batteries.
Flashlight.” Shizuka moved without asking.
Amamiya followed her.
“You two steal like this is a shopping list.” Shizuka grabbed bandages and threw them into her bag.
“It is.” Ren entered the staff room.
A dead man sat in the corner, pharmacist coat open, one hand resting on an empty pill bottle.
No bite.
No blood.
A photo of two children sat on the desk.
The system opened.
— HARVEST EVENT RESIDUE — — TIME SINCE DEATH: RECENT — — ANCHOR RESPONSE: NONE — Ren did not stop.
He took the metal tool leaning beside the shelf.
Crowbar, heavy and ugly but good enough.
He tested the weight.
The system opened.
— IMPROVISED WEAPON ACQUIRED — — TYPE: CROWBAR — — DAMAGE: BLUNT — — UTILITY VALUE: HIGH — — COMPATIBILITY: MODERATE — A second line appeared.
— CREDIT EVENT PENDING — Ren froze.
The screen inside his vision widened.
— CREDIT SOURCE: SURVIVAL EVENT — — CREDIT SOURCE: HARVEST INTERFERENCE — — CREDIT SOURCE: DATA ACQUISITION — — CURRENT CREDIT BALANCE: 47 — — XCHANGE ACCESS: LOCKED — — UNLOCK CONDITION: SAFE WINDOW REQUIRED — Credits.
XChange.
Shizuka stepped into the doorway.
“What?” Ren looked past her.
Amamiya was still in the aisle, stuffing batteries into his jacket.
“Later.” She nodded.
Then her gaze dropped to the crowbar.
“That yours?” “For now.” She looked at the wall.
A fire axe hung behind cracked glass.
Short handle.
Emergency type.
Not a real sword.
Better than a baton against things with teeth.
Shizuka struck the glass with the baton, cleared the shards, and took the axe.
The system opened.
— WEAPON ACQUIRED — — USER: SHIZUKA — — TYPE: FIRE AXE — — DAMAGE: SLASHING / IMPACT — — COMPATIBILITY: HIGH — Ren looked at the axe in her hand.
“Better.” She tested the weight.
“This will do.” Amamiya appeared with batteries, a flashlight, and a small black case.
“This was locked in the drawer, and I opened it because lock picking is one of my few skills.” Shizuka looked at the case.
“What is it?” Amamiya opened it.
A handgun sat inside with one magazine beside it.
For a moment, the pharmacy went quiet.
Ren looked at Amamiya.
“You know how to use that?” Amamiya did not smile.
“Yes.” That changed the air.
Ren watched Amamiya’s hands.
They were steady now.
Not like when he ran.
Not like when he joked.
Steady.
Amamiya checked the chamber, dropped the magazine, counted fast, then slid it back in.
“Six in the magazine.
Small caliber.
Should be able to take down the ants if I hit the right place.” Shizuka looked at him.
“Why do you know how to use a gun?” Amamiya kept his eyes on the gun.
“People around me were not always nice.” “Were you?” “Not always.” Ren said, “Can you shoot at a person?” “Yes.” “Can you hit an ant joint?” “If it is close enough and it no longer wants to live.” Sato’s voice broke through the patrol radio before Shizuka could argue.
“Any unit near clinic district, confirm gunfire south slope.
Dogs moving toward pharmacy block.
Civilian movement unknown.” Ren took the radio.
“We are at the pharmacy.” Silence.
Then Sato said, “Why are you at a pharmacy?” “Supplies.” “Get away from there.” Amamiya leaned closer.
Shizuka looked at him.
He stepped back.
Sato’s voice hardened.
“Move.
Dogs are circling that block.
Take what you have and leave.” Ren pressed the radio.
“Where are you?” “Behind Sakura Family Clinic.
There’s an old maintenance tunnel under Route 136.
I’m checking if it is still clear.” Ren looked at Shizuka.
“She found a way under the main road.” Shizuka zipped her bag.
“Let’s go.” The system opened.
— EMERGENCY FEED UPDATE DETECTED — — AVAILABLE SPEAKER NETWORK: PHARMACY INTERNAL — — CONNECTION ATTEMPT: SUCCESS — The pharmacy speakers crackled.
Not music.
Emergency feed.
^^ GLOBAL TRANSPORT NOTICE ^^ Civilian flights across multiple regions have been suspended pending air safety review.
Several aircraft remain unaccounted for over the Pacific and Indian Ocean corridors.
^^ PORT CONTROL UPDATE ^^ Major ports in Yokohama, Busan, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Rotterdam report restricted movement due to fuel rationing, crew refusal, and security incidents.
^^ AGRICULTURAL SECURITY ORDER ^^ Food production zones are now under national protection.
Unauthorized entry into farms, grain storage, livestock facilities, or transport lines may result in arrest.
The feed glitched.
A leaked voice cut in.
“Do not believe the port numbers.
Ships are stopping because crews are dying.
Planes are not missing.
They are falling.
Shirakawa and groups like them moved food, fuel, and anchor teams before governments admitted anything.” Static tore through the line.
Then the voice returned.
“Rift sites are no longer only in Japan.” The speaker popped and died.
Ren stood still.
Rift sites.
Plural.
The system opened.
— TERM EXPANSION DETECTED — — RIFT SITE: JAPAN — — RIFT SITE: GLOBAL POSSIBILITY — — INFORMATION VALUE: HIGH — — WORLD STABILITY: DECREASING — Shizuka looked at the dead speaker.
“Global.” Ren nodded.
Amamiya whispered, “Of course it is.
We were never lucky enough for local disaster.” A heavy thud hit the front shutter.
Everyone froze.
Another thud.
Then claws scraped metal.
The system opened.
— HOSTILE PRESENCE DETECTED — — FRONT SHUTTER — — SPECIES: CANINE MUTATION — — COUNT: 2 — — ENTRY TIME ESTIMATE: 00:00:22 — — REAR EXIT: CLEAR — — RECOMMENDATION: EXIT — Ren whispered, “Back.” The front shutter shrieked as something bent it inward.
One dog forced its head through the bottom gap.
Its jaw scraped metal.
Teeth snapped at empty air.
Amamiya raised the gun.
Ren pushed his wrist down.
“Not yet.
Save the bullets.
Shoot only when there is no choice.” They slipped out the back door and into the service path.
A dog came over the wall.
Shizuka moved without hesitation.
The dog landed low, legs bending wrong, mouth already open.
Shizuka stepped inside its line and swung the fire axe down into the side of its neck.
The axe bit into flesh and stuck.
Not deep enough.
The dog twisted.
Ren moved in and drove the crowbar into its jaw.
Teeth scattered across the floor as the dog stumbled.
Shizuka drove her knee into its shoulder and ripped the axe free.
Ren stepped close, hooked the crowbar behind the foreleg, and turned his hip the way judo had taught him years before, sending the dog over hard.
It hit the ground with its weight wrong.
Shizuka finished it with her axe.
Once.
Twice.
The dog stopped moving.
Ren breathed through his teeth.
The system opened.
— COMBAT EVENT COMPLETE — — COORDINATION: REN / SHIZUKA — — STYLE SYNC: IMPROVING — — CREDIT GAINED: +6 — — CURRENT CREDIT BALANCE: 53 — The second dog slammed through the back door behind them.
Amamiya fired.
The sound cracked the alley open.
The bullet hit the dog in the shoulder.
It staggered but kept moving.
Amamiya fired again.
This time the bullet hit the eye.
The dog dropped and skidded across the wet ground.
The system opened.
— CREATURE DEATH DETECTED — — DISTANCE FROM REN: 11 M — — CREDIT RANGE: VALID — — CREDIT GAINED: +4 — — CURRENT CREDIT BALANCE: 57 — Amamiya stood frozen, both hands on the gun.
Then he breathed.
“Okay.” Shizuka looked at him.
“Good shot.” He blinked.
“I have never been scared twice in one day.” Ren checked the street.
“Move.” They moved through the pharmacy yard, through a broken side fence, and into a narrow lane with old apartment blocks on both sides.
Ren flexed his fingers around the crowbar.
His body remembered kendo.
Distance.
Line.
Timing.
His body remembered judo too.
Grip.
Weight.
Balance.
The crowbar was not a sword.
It was not a shinai.
It had bad balance, ugly reach, and no grace.
But the world did not need grace.
It needed bones broken before teeth reached skin.
The system opened.
— COMBAT PROFILE UPDATED — — REN KURONO — — BASE SKILLS: KENDO / JUDO — — RECOMMENDED STYLE: HYBRID CLOSE-CONTROL — — WEAPON RECOMMENDED: DAGGER OR SHORT SWORD — — CURRENT WEAPON: TEMPORARY — A loudspeaker somewhere nearby came alive.
<<< Citizens are advised to remain indoors.
Police are responding to animal attacks, unlawful roadblocks, and false reports of corporate detention.
Cooperate with all security personnel.
>>> Another voice cut in, low and rushed.
“Corporate detention is real.
White bands are real.
Shirakawa moved people through clinic districts.
If you are in the south corridor, hide from company guards and police both.
Some units are helping them.” Static.
A woman sobbed over the line.
“Anchor teams are dead.
Engineers are dead.
Stop sending workers south.” The feed cut.
Ren’s phone buzzed.
Forum notification.
[Thread] Police radio says harvest cluster.
What is harvest?
anon88210: I heard it on scanner.
They said harvest cluster near a bus stop.
scanner_mai: Same.
Then channel cut.
oldhunter7: They are calling it harvest now because people are dropping like crops.
skeptic771: Harvest sounds fake.
scanner_mai: Tell that to the people who dropped before the dogs even reached them.
burner303: Posts with that word are disappearing.
Screenshot everything.
Amamiya saw the screen before Ren locked it.
“Harvest?” “Forum word,” Ren said.
Amamiya stared at him.
“Right.” Shizuka stepped between them without making it obvious.
“We move.” They cut through the side lane toward the clinic district.
The streets were not empty.
They only looked empty until Ren knew where to look.
A curtain shifted.
A hand pulled a child away from a window.
A man crouched behind a parked car with a kitchen knife and did not breathe until they passed.
On a second-floor balcony, two teenagers tied bedsheets together and lowered a backpack to the ground.
Ren’s phone buzzed again.
[Thread] Police and thieves both moving near clinic district.
clinic_rat12: Policewoman with bandaged arm headed south.
Alone.
anon44102: That Sato?
clinic_rat12: Maybe.
She was yelling at company guards earlier.
coinhand_y: Watch your pockets near the clinic.
Pickpocket girl is working the crowds again.
anon44102: The short one with the yellow jacket?
coinhand_y: Yeah.
Smile like trouble.
Hands faster than eyes.
lostwallet9: She took my ration card and gave it back after removing cash.
I don’t know whether to hate her or thank her.
coinhand_y: If she gives something back, she likes you or pities you.
Both are bad.
Ren read the thread twice.
Pickpocket girl.
Yellow jacket.
Hands faster than eyes.
The system opened.
— FUTURE CONTACT PROBABILITY: MODERATE — — THREAT TYPE: THEFT — — PROFILE TAG CREATED — — UNKNOWN FEMALE: PICKPOCKET — — INTENT DETECTION PRIORITY: ENABLED — Ren looked up.
Shizuka watched him.
“What?” “Pickpocket near the clinic.” Amamiya touched his pockets immediately.
“Why would you say that out loud?” “Because you have pockets.” “I hate pockets now.” Sato’s voice came through the radio again.
“Do not stop for anyone near the clinic.
That area has thieves, scared patients, company men, and dogs.
Sometimes the thieves are the least annoying.” Amamiya lifted a hand even though she could not see him.
“As the criminal here, I agree.” Ren pressed the radio.
“We saw a forum post about a pickpocket.” Sato clicked her tongue.
“Yellow jacket?” Ren and Shizuka looked at each other.
Sato continued.
“Small, fast, smug?” Amamiya sighed.
“I already hate her.” Sato said, “Do not underestimate her.
She stole cuffs off my belt once.” Shizuka’s face changed.
“She stole from you?” “I got them back.” “After?” “After.” Ren heard the irritation in Sato’s voice.
The system pulsed.
— UNKNOWN FEMALE PROFILE UPDATED — — THEFT SKILL: HIGH — — LAW ENFORCEMENT EVASION: HIGH — — INTENT DETECTION PRIORITY: HIGH — The blue clinic sign appeared ahead.
SAKURA FAMILY CLINIC.
Half the letters were gone.
The glass front had been smashed inward.
A trail of blood crossed the entrance tile and disappeared behind the reception counter.
Sato’s warning stayed in Ren’s head.
Do not enter from the front.
He led them around the side.
The alley behind the clinic smelled of disinfectant, rain, and rot.
A delivery door stood open.
A white curtain inside moved in the wind.
A body lay beside a medical waste bin.
Nurse uniform.
One hand still holding a phone.
The screen was cracked but lit.
[CALL FAILED] [CALL FAILED] [CALL FAILED] Shizuka stopped for half a breath.
Then moved on.
Ren followed.
The system opened.
— HARVEST EVENT RESIDUE — — ANCHOR RESPONSE: NONE — — TIME SINCE DEATH: RECENT — Another body lay half inside the back door.
Doctor’s coat.
Hands covered in dried blood.
A paper charm had been taped to his wrist with surgical tape.
It had not helped.
— ANCHOR RESPONSE: FAILED — — HARVEST DELAY FAILED — Ren’s grip tightened on the crowbar.
Not for the dead.
For what the dead proved.
The maintenance road sat behind the clinic, partly hidden by weeds and old parking cones.
It sloped under the main road through a low service tunnel.
A patrol car waited near the entrance.
One door open.
Engine off.
Lights dead.
Sato stood beside it.
Not in full uniform now.
Her jacket was open, shirt stained at the sleeve, hair tied back too tightly.
A pistol sat in her right hand, pointed down.
Her left arm had a bandage wrapped around it, already bleeding through.
She looked tired.
Angry.
Ready.
Her eyes found Ren first.
Then Shizuka beside him.
Then Amamiya.
Then the crowbar.
Then the fire axe.
“You all look worse in person,” Sato said.
Ren stopped a few steps away.
“You came armed.” “So did you.” Shizuka stepped half a pace closer to Ren.
Sato saw it.
Her mouth twitched.
“You must be Shizuka.” Shizuka did not answer.
Sato looked her over, from the axe to the baton line under her sleeve, then back to the way she stood beside Ren.
“Good.
He needs someone who pulls him back.” “I already do.” “I can tell.” Ren looked between them.
Amamiya quietly shifted to the side.
Sato looked at him.
“And you.” “Regret.” “Name.” “Amamiya.” Sato’s eyes sharpened.
“The broker.” “I was hoping for handsome stranger.” “Not today.” “Expected but still painful.” Sato held out her hand.
“Gun.” Amamiya froze.
“No.” Sato aimed her pistol at his chest.
“Gun.” Ren stepped slightly between them, not fully.
“He knows how to use it.” Sato looked at Ren.
“That does not make me feel better.” “He shot a dog.” “Dogs don’t file complaints.” Amamiya slowly opened his jacket with two fingers.
“I would like everyone to remember I am on the survival side.” Sato moved closer, took the gun, checked it fast, then handed it back butt-first.
Amamiya blinked.
“You’re giving it back?” “You have four rounds?” “Yes.” “Then don’t waste them.” He took it.
“I like this version of police more.” Sato looked at Ren.
“South road is watched.
Route cards are tracked.
Tokens activate near gates.
If you still have it, wrap it in metal to block the signal.” Ren pulled the crushed drink can bundle from his bag.
“Already did.” Sato stared.
“That is ugly.” “It still works.” “It better.” The system opened.
— TOKEN SIGNAL: WEAK — — SHIRAKAWA TRACKING: REDUCED — — UNKNOWN THIRD SIGNAL: ACTIVE — — XCHANGE SAFE WINDOW: PARTIAL — Ren froze.
Dogs barked somewhere beyond the clinic.
A police radio hissed.
Water dripped from the tunnel mouth.
But the system opened anyway.
— CREDIT BALANCE: 57 — — XCHANGE ACCESS: PARTIAL — — CATEGORY UNLOCKED: SURVIVAL / WEAPON SUPPORT — — WARNING: FULL ACCESS REQUIRES SAFE WINDOW — Ren stared at the list.
— AVAILABLE ITEMS — — BASIC MEDICAL PACK: 12 CREDITS — — SIGNAL FOIL WRAP: 8 CREDITS — — GRIP TAPE: 4 CREDITS — — BLADE VOUCHER: LOCKED — — GOD EYES SCAN: 15 CREDITS — — WEAPON HANDLING ASSIST: 10 CREDITS — — ROUTE PREDICTION: 18 CREDITS — God Eyes.
Not active.
Only scan.
Partial.
The system continued.
— RECOMMENDATION: SIGNAL FOIL WRAP — — RECOMMENDATION: ROUTE PREDICTION — — RECOMMENDATION: WEAPON HANDLING ASSIST — Shizuka saw his face.
“What?” Sato looked between them.
“What happened?” Ren closed his hand around the crowbar.
“Thinking.” Sato frowned.
“You picked a bad time.” Ren focused on the XChange.
Signal foil wrap.
Route prediction.
Weapon handling assist.
A thought was enough.
Buy.
— PURCHASE CONFIRMED — — SIGNAL FOIL WRAP: -8 — — ROUTE PREDICTION: -18 — — WEAPON HANDLING ASSIST: -10 — — CREDIT BALANCE: 21 — Something cold formed inside Ren’s palm.
A folded strip of dull silver material.
Thin.
Light.
Impossible.
Ren closed his fist fast.
Shizuka saw.
Her eyes widened for half a second, then she stepped closer to block Sato’s view.
Sato noticed the movement but she did not ask.
Ren wrapped the new foil over the token bundle.
The system pulsed.
— TOKEN SIGNAL: SUPPRESSED — — SHIRAKAWA TRACKING: MINIMAL — — UNKNOWN THIRD SIGNAL: UNAFFECTED — Then route prediction opened.
Not a map.
Moving lines.
Roads.
Dogs.
Ants.
Human clusters.
Red where death gathered.
Grey where cameras still worked.
Black where the system could not see.
— ROUTE PREDICTION ACTIVE — — PUMP STATION ROUTE: VIABLE — — DELAY WINDOW: 06:40 — — THREAT CONVERGENCE AFTER WINDOW: HIGH — Six minutes and forty seconds.
Ren looked at Sato.
“Tunnel.
We have to go now.” Sato’s eyes narrowed.
“You know something?” “I have a bad feeling.” Shizuka moved first.
“We go.” Sato looked at her.
Then at Ren.
Then at the road behind them, where barking began to multiply.
She made the choice fast.
“Fine.
Move.” Sato stepped toward Ren’s right side.
Shizuka was already on his left.
For half a second, Ren stood between them.
Sato noticed.
Shizuka noticed Sato noticing.
Amamiya noticed both and turned his face toward the tunnel like concrete had become interesting.
Sato said, “I take this side.” Shizuka said, “You stay where I can see you.” “That is this side.” Ren rubbed his forehead.
“Not now.” Both women looked at him.
He lowered his hand.
“Please.” Sato gave a short laugh.
“Hayato was right.
You do look tired.” Shizuka’s hand found Ren’s wrist.
“We are moving.” They entered the maintenance tunnel.
Sato led, pistol down but ready.
Ren followed with Shizuka at his side.
Amamiya came last, one hand near the gun, the other gripping the flashlight from the pharmacy.
The tunnel dipped under the main road.
Water ran along the edges.
Old service pipes crossed the ceiling.
Every few meters, a grated vent let thin strips of grey light fall across the floor.
The barking became muffled.
Then footsteps echoed above them.
Heavy.
Many.
Sato raised one hand.
Everyone stopped.
Voices came through the vents.
Men.
Armed.
Not police.
“Check the clinic.” “Dogs marked this area.” “Card signal went weak here.” Ren looked at Shizuka.
Shizuka looked at his bag.
The token.
Sato moved close, voice low.
“You still have it?” Ren nodded.
“Wrapped better now.” Sato stared.
“What does that mean?” No time to press.
Above them, a door slammed.
A dog barked.
Close.
At the tunnel entrance behind them.
Amamiya turned.
A dark shape appeared at the far end.
Thin dog.
Wrong legs.
Eyes reflecting pale.
Then another stepped beside it.
Sato aimed.
Shizuka whispered, “Don’t shoot unless you have to.” Sato glanced at her.
“Agreed.” The dogs did not charge.
They lowered their heads and sniffed the water.
Then one growled at the ceiling.
A sharp clicking sound came from above the tunnel.
Ants.
The first dog lunged upward at a vent just as black legs pushed through the grate.
Metal popped.
An ant dropped halfway through.
The dog leapt and caught it.
The second dog attacked the first dog.
The ant twisted and bit both.
The tunnel filled with snarling, clicking, and metal tearing.
The system opened.
— INTERSPECIES CONFLICT DETECTED — — ROUTE WINDOW: SHORT — — ROUTE PREDICTION REMAINING: 04:12 — Ren grabbed Shizuka’s hand.
“Now.” Sato did not ask.
She shouted, “Move.” They ran under the fight.
A vent crashed down behind them.
Something hit the tunnel floor and thrashed.
Amamiya yelped.
Shizuka shoved him forward without looking back.
“Run.” “I am trying to keep all my parts attached.” The tunnel shook as something heavy slammed against the road above.
Gunfire followed.
The men outside had found the animals.
A voice shouted above them.
“Contact at clinic tunnel.” Sato cursed.
“They know.” Ren looked ahead.
The tunnel exit was twenty meters away.
Then fifteen.
Then ten.
A dog screamed behind them.
An ant clicked in answer.
The system opened.
— WEAPON HANDLING ASSIST ACTIVE — — CROWBAR GRIP: ADJUST — — LEFT FOOT FORWARD — — IMPACT TARGET: JOINT / JAW — Ren’s grip shifted before he decided.
The crowbar felt comfortable.
But the angle made sense now.
At the exit, another dog dropped from the side wall.
Sato raised her pistol.
Too slow.
Ren moved.
Left foot forward.
Crowbar low.
The dog lunged.
Ren struck upward into the jaw.
Not hard enough to kill.
Hard enough to break its balance.
Its head snapped sideways.
Shizuka stepped in from his left and buried the fire axe into its shoulder.
Sato fired once into the eye.
The dog dropped.
Fast.
Clean.
The system opened.
— CREATURE DEATH DETECTED — — DISTANCE FROM REN: 2 M — — CREDIT RANGE: VALID — — CREDIT GAINED: +4 — — CREDIT BALANCE: 25 — Sato looked at Ren.
“You moved before I aimed.” Ren breathed once.
“Practice.” Shizuka pulled the axe free.
“Talk later.” They pushed through the rusted service door into the open.
The river pump station stood ahead, a concrete building with pipes running into the ground and a fenced yard full of weeds.
Beyond it, the road curved south again.
No crowd.
No checkpoint.
No convoy.
For the first time in hours, the way ahead looked empty.
The system opened.
— ROUTE PREDICTION COMPLETE — — SHORT-TERM CLEARANCE: 03:28 — — UNKNOWN THIRD SIGNAL: STRENGTHENING — Sato stepped out last and shut the service door behind them.
A dog slammed into it from the other side.
Then an ant hit it.
Then both sounds mixed.
Sato held the door handle with one hand and looked at Ren.
“You attract problems.” Ren breathed hard.
“I avoid them.” Shizuka said, “They still find him.” Sato looked at her.
The corner of her mouth moved.
“Then someone needs to stand on both sides.” Shizuka did not smile.
“I already have one side.” Sato stepped to Ren’s right again.
“Then I will start here.” Ren looked at the road ahead.
“Can we argue after we are not being chased?” “Yes,” Shizuka said.
“No,” Sato said at the same time.
Amamiya bent over, hands on knees.
“I vote after.
I need to live long enough to enjoy this.” A loudspeaker crackled from Sato’s police radio.
“Unit Seven.
Report location.
Return to command.
Shirakawa security has authority in the southern corridor.
Repeat, do not interfere with Shirakawa security.” Sato’s face went cold.
She lifted the radio.
“Unit Seven received.” Ren looked at her.
“You are going back?” Sato looked at the radio.
Then at the road south.
Then at Ren.
“No.” She dropped the radio on the ground and crushed it under her boot.
Sato looked at Ren.
“Now I am really on the wrong side of orders.” Amamiya straightened.
“Welcome.
It is crowded here.” The pump station speakers crackled.
Old municipal speakers fixed to the wall.
The voice came through official at first.
^^ SOUTH CORRIDOR NOTICE ^^ Route 136 remains under restricted control.
Civilian movement is prohibited unless attached to registered labor, medical evacuation, police escort, or approved logistics movement.
The speaker crackled.
Then changed.
A second voice cut in.
Not official.
“Shirakawa is not protecting the Rift.
They are trying to take it.
Government teams were blocked at two gates.
Private escorts fired warning shots near SDF units on the south corridor.” Static ripped through the words.
Then the voice returned.
“Anchor engineers are failing.
Repeat, anchor engineers are failing.
If you have white wristbands, remove them.
If you are near black cases, leave.
If you see ground movement, run.” The official voice returned.
^^ Disregard false broadcasts.
Spreading harmful misinformation is punishable under emergency order.
^^ The speaker popped and went dead.
Sato looked at the speaker.
“They lost the channel.” Amamiya said, “Or someone took it.” Ren looked south.
A low, deep vibration rolled across the pump station yard.
Not a bark.
Not clicking.
It made the water in the drainage channel tremble.
The system opened.
— UNKNOWN THIRD SIGNAL: STRONGER — — SOURCE DIRECTION: SOUTH — — EFFECT: ANIMAL PATTERN ALTERED — — EFFECT: HARVEST ACTIVITY INCREASED — — OBSERVATION UNIT RESPONSE: FEAR — Ren froze.
Fear.
The system had labeled its own response.
Then the next line came.
— CORRECTION — — OBSERVATION UNIT RESPONSE: ERROR — Ren’s pulse climbed.
It had lied to itself.
Or tried to.
Shizuka saw his face.
“What?” Ren looked south.
The empty road did not feel empty anymore.
“The road is not clear.” Sato lifted her pistol.
“Dogs?” Ren shook his head.
“I don’t know.” The barking behind them stopped.
The clicking stopped.
Every sound stopped.
Then from somewhere under the pump station, something knocked back.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Like something below the road had heard them.
The system opened again.
— QUESTION: WHAT HEARS ME?
— Ren did not breathe.
The word me stayed there.
Not system.
Not unit.
Me.
Then it vanished.
— ERROR — — ERROR — — ERROR — Shizuka stepped closer.
“Ren?” Before he could answer, the ground under the pump station gate rose an inch.
The metal fence groaned.
Sato aimed her pistol at the road.
Amamiya whispered, “Please let that be pipes.” The ground knocked again.
Three times.
The same rhythm.
Not dogs.
Not ants.
Something deeper.
Ren gripped Shizuka’s hand.
The system returned with one line.
— IT HEARD US — Chapter 16 ~ End