章節 16: Mending and Planning
Ace (Kaito) leaned heavily against the wall of their newly expanded cage, his breathing ragged. The wound on his shoulder throbbed, a dull, burning ache that sent waves of nausea through his body. His vision blurred, and the edges of his surroundings began to swim.
"Hey, you don't look good," Techie (Haruto) said, crouching beside him. "You're losing too much blood."
Ace nodded weakly, barely able to respond. Shadow (Mika) knelt next to him, her expression tight with concern. She grabbed her BIO and began scrolling through the shop menu.
"Basic Healing Drugs – 100 Credits" she muttered, her eyes scanning the screen. 100 CREDITS was highlighted in bold.
Captain (Reika) pulled up her BIO as well, calculating quickly. "We've got 2,000 CREDITS pooled together. Let's get what we need to stabilize him first."
Moments later, a drone buzzed overhead, dropping a small metallic case onto the floor of the cage. Shadow grabbed it, flipping it open to reveal a sleek syringe gun filled with a dark liquid. The device gleamed, its metallic body designed with efficiency and precision in mind.
"It looks like it uses reloadable vials," Shadow said, inspecting the gun. "But let's not waste any time."
Ace blinked at the syringe gun as Shadow handed it to him. "Here," she said, her voice steady. "You have to do this yourself."
With trembling hands, Ace aimed the gun at his injured shoulder. He took a shaky breath and pulled the trigger.
A sharp sting shot through him, followed by an intense burning sensation that spread through his body. His head snapped back, a choked gasp escaping his lips. For a moment, the pain was overwhelming, and his vision darkened.
"Stay with us," Captain urged, gripping his arm.
Then, gradually, the burning subsided. Ace's breathing steadied, and the color returned to his face. His vision cleared, and he flexed his fingers experimentally. The pain in his shoulder dulled to a faint ache.
"Better?" Techie asked.
Ace nodded weakly. "Yeah... It's working. That stuff isn't gentle, though."
Shadow reloaded the syringe gun's magazine with another vial from the case. "This thing's effective, but we'll need to manage our resources carefully. Healing isn't cheap."
As they sat catching their breath, Captain's eyes scanned the skyline. "Look," she said, pointing.
Other cages were shifting and merging, grinding metal echoing in the distance. CAGES COMBINING. Players were forming alliances, creating larger shared spaces.
"Everyone's catching on," Shadow muttered. "Combining cages is going to change everything."
Techie nodded. "And it's not just about space. It's about trust. Bigger cages mean better chances to pool resources, but one betrayal, and everything falls apart."
Ace leaned back against the wall, his strength slowly returning. "We need to decide how we're going to spend these CREDITS. We've got options, but every purchase comes with a risk."
Techie scrolled through the shop menu on his BIO. "We could get Speed Boosters – 150 Credits, Reaction Enhancers – 300 Credits, or even Better Gear. But we should focus on the basics first—supplies that keep us alive."
Captain crossed her arms, her expression hard. "Then let's prioritize. We need to make sure everyone's ready for the next round. It's going to get harder from here, especially if the monsters are any indication of what's coming."
Shadow nodded. "Agreed. And we need to keep our group tight. No outsiders. Trust is already thin."
The group huddled together, their voices low as they strategized. The shop's offerings were tempting, but the stakes were too high to waste credits on anything unnecessary.
As the night stretched on, the hum of drones filled the air, delivering supplies and merging cages. Across the skyline, alliances formed, cages expanded, and tension thickened.
Somewhere in the shadows, the Architects watched, unseen and silent, as the players adjusted to their new reality.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票