Chapter 1
271words
A sickly sweet jasmine scent drifted through the laboratory vents—the signal that doomsday had begun.
"The alarm system has been eaten."
He stared at the monitor where the camera in cultivation chamber seventeen sizzled and smoked.
The last image on screen showed intern Zhang with golden thread-like patterns spreading across his eyeballs.
"Engineer Thorne!" The security chief's voice exploded through the intercom. "Zone B is overrun! Those things are chewing through the server racks!"
Kay didn't look back.
He grabbed the acetylene cutting torch, its pale blue flame hissing as it carved through the alloy wall.
Heat scorched the old scar on his left cheek as sparks burned dark marks into his antibacterial suit. Behind the wall stood his "Ark."
A Mercedes-Benz Arocs 4x4 chassis supported a ten-meter silver container, its graphene coating gleaming coldly under the emergency lights.
This wasn't just an RV—it was a mobile fortress. Foldable solar panels on the roof resembled a giant eagle's folded wings, while in the glass tank of the aquaponics system at the rear, tilapia tails anxiously slapped against the water's surface.
"Activate the eco-core!" Kay slammed his fist onto the control panel.
Hummmm——
The LED strips of the indoor vertical farm lit up in sequence, illuminating rows of trembling seedlings on hydroponic racks. A crimson warning flashed on the dashboard: [EXTERNAL FUNGAL SPORE CONCENTRATION: LETHAL]
He wrenched the steering wheel. The steel beast rammed into an approaching security guard—the man's eyes already crawling with golden threads, a half-eaten circuit board dangling from his mouth.
"Lila Song!" Kay roared through the vehicle's loudspeaker. "Seed vault! NOW!"
