As he continued through the ruined facility, Faust encountered several more mutated rats.
Some were smaller than the first creature, while others were even larger.
One emerged from a ventilation shaft.
Another crawled out from beneath a collapsed section of the corridor.
Their appearances were equally disturbing.
Some had exposed flesh, while others possessed additional growths across their bodies. Their eyes glowed with the same unnatural red light.
Every time one approached, Agony reacted immediately.
SWISH!
A black blade shot from Faust's sleeve, cutting through an approaching rat.
The creature collapsed before it could reach him.
Agony's mouth immediately emerged.
CHOMP!
It began consuming the corpse.
Faust watched the process with growing interest.
'So it can eat an entire mutated animal.'
He noticed that the material became slightly more active after every meal.
The threads moved more smoothly, and their responses seemed quicker.
Whether this was caused by the food or simply his growing familiarity with Agony, he could not tell.
However, the creature was clearly enjoying itself.
Another rat suddenly appeared from behind a broken doorway.
"SKREEEEE!"
It rushed toward Faust.
Before he could even turn his head, a black blade shot backward.
SPLAT!
The rat's head was pierced.
Its enormous body collapsed onto the floor.
Agony immediately extended several threads toward it.
Faust glanced over his shoulder.
"You're quite greedy, aren't you?"
"Food."
"Yes, I can see that."
"More food."
Faust shook his head.
"Have your fill than."
The fabric moved toward the corpse.
Within moments, the rat disappeared into Agony's enormous mouth.
Faust continued walking while the creature finished its meal.
They encountered several more rats along the way, but none managed to reach him.
Agony dealt with every attack before Faust needed to move.
Eventually, the corridor opened into a larger section of the facility.
And there, Faust finally stopped.
The passage ahead had completely collapsed.
Enormous concrete slabs filled the entire corridor from floor to ceiling.
Broken furniture, steel beams, and damaged equipment were trapped between them.
Faust examined the obstruction.
'Tch. This section is completely blocked.'
He looked toward Agony.
"Can you eat this?"
The fabric shifted.
"No."
Faust frowned.
"Why not?"
"I can only consume organic materials."
He looked at the enormous pile of concrete.
"So you're a picky eater."
"It is not food."
"Well, that makes things inconvenient."
Faust approached the blockade.
He placed a hand against one of the slabs and examined the surrounding structure.
Several large pieces of concrete were supporting the debris above them.
If he simply cut through everything, the entire pile might collapse.
However, he noticed that the lower section had already separated from the surrounding floor.
There was a dark gap beneath it.
'The foundation must have collapsed.'
He crouched and looked more closely.
The debris appeared to be resting on only a few remaining support points.
'If I break those...'
Faust stood.
"Agony, turn into a hammer."
The fabric around his arm began moving.
Black threads gathered together, forming a long handle with a heavy head.
Within seconds, he was holding a large black sledgehammer.
Faust examined the weapon.
'Good.'
He raised it.
BAM!
The hammer struck a damaged support point.
Cracks spread across the concrete.
Faust moved to another position.
BAM!
The second blow shattered a section of the weakened structure.
The pile trembled.
Dust fell from above.
Agony's voice emerged from his shoulder.
"The structure is moving."
"I can see that."
Faust stepped backward.
"Just a little more."
He raised the hammer again.
BAM!
CRAAAAACK!
The final support broke.
A large portion of the debris suddenly shifted.
Then, accompanied by a tremendous rumble, the entire pile collapsed into the darkness below.
BOOOOM!
Concrete and steel disappeared into the gap.
The sound of falling debris continued for several seconds before fading into the depths.
Faust approached the opening.
He looked down.
There was no visible bottom.
'Hmm. That's quite deep.'
The passage ahead was now accessible, but a wide gap separated him from the other side.
Faust glanced at Agony.
"Can you get me across?"
"Yes."
The sledgehammer immediately unraveled.
Black threads moved along his arm, forming a long blade with a sharp, hooked tip.
Faust raised his hand.
"Then let's go."
SWOOSH!
The blade shot upward and embedded itself deep into the ceiling.
Faust felt the connection tighten.
A moment later, Agony pulled.
His feet left the ground.
He swung across the opening, passing above the darkness where the rubble had fallen.
As he approached the other side, another blade extended from his jacket and anchored itself into the wall.
The first blade released its grip.
With a short pull, Agony carried Faust onto solid ground.
THUD!
Faust landed without difficulty.
He looked back at the enormous gap.
"Convenient."
Agony's voice came from his shoulder.
"Of course."
Faust smiled.
"Don't get too proud of yourself."
The fabric gave a dissatisfied twitch.
He continued forward.
After passing through several more damaged corridors, Faust finally reached a familiar section of the facility.
He stopped in front of a broken doorway.
'This place...'
His eyes moved across the damaged walls.
Despite the destruction, he recognized the corridor.
His office was nearby.
Faust walked toward it.
The reinforced door had been torn from its hinges, leaving the entrance completely exposed.
He stepped inside.
For several seconds, he stood without moving.
The office was almost entirely destroyed.
His desk had collapsed beneath a large piece of concrete.
Several bookshelves had fallen against the walls, scattering their contents across the floor.
The computers were broken, and most of the documents had either burned or become buried beneath the debris.
Faust looked toward the place where his desk had once stood.
'Tch...'
He stepped over a broken cabinet.
His eyes searched the floor.
He was looking for something.
Something he had kept inside his office for years.
Faust moved a piece of broken furniture aside.
He opened the remains of a drawer.
Only burned papers were inside.
He continued searching.
Several minutes passed.
Eventually, beneath a pile of shattered glass, he noticed something familiar.
A photograph.
Faust quickly moved the debris aside.
He picked it up.
Only half of the photograph remained.
The other half had been burned away.
He recognized it immediately.
It was the precious photograph he had kept in his office.
The part showing him was gone.
Only the surviving portion remained, showing the familiar faces of the family he had lost.
Faust stared at it.
His fingers slowly moved across the damaged surface.
For a moment, he remembered the day the photograph had been taken..
The ordinary happiness he had once taken for granted.
Then the memory disappeared, replaced by the empty laboratory around him.
Faust lowered his eyes.
"Tch..."
He looked at the burned edge.
"If I'd known I was going to survive..."
His voice faded.
He had never expected to return to this place.
When he prepared the final stage of his plan, preserving his belongings had been the last thing on his mind.
He had intended to die.
There was no reason to protect anything.
And now, even this photograph had been damaged.
Faust carefully placed it inside his jacket.
Agony's fabric shifted, forming a small inner pocket around the remaining photograph.
He noticed the movement but said nothing.
Instead, he walked toward the remains of his desk.
After clearing a space among the rubble, Faust sat down.
For a while, he simply looked around the office.
Everything he had was gone.
The entire civilization that had once praised him as one of its greatest scientists.
He had destroyed it all.
And somehow, he was the one left behind.
Faust leaned back against the wall.
He closed his eyes.
'What should I do now?'
He had already taken his revenge.
The missile had been launched, and the global command had been activated.
His plan was complete.
'And I can't even kill myself.'
He lowered his head.
'What am I supposed to do with an immortal body?'
The question remained unanswered.
Agony was unusually quiet.
For several minutes, Faust sat among the ruins, thinking about his past.
Then an image appeared in his mind.
A middle-aged man.
The person responsible for the tragedy that had destroyed his family.
Faust's eyes suddenly opened.
'Wait...'
He slowly raised his head.
'That bastard.'
He remembered the man's position.
Someone like him would have access to the safest bunkers in the country.
And considering the warnings issued before the nuclear strikes, he might have reached one in time.
'He could still be alive.'
Faust's expression darkened.
The thought alone was enough to make his blood boil.
He had launched the apocalypse partly to punish the people responsible for his family's deaths.
But what if the man he hated most had survived?
What if he was still living comfortably inside some underground bunker while the rest of the world suffered?
Faust clenched his fist.
"That bastard..."
He slowly stood.
"He's probably still alive."
His eyes narrowed.
"If anyone could survive this, it would be him."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Fine."
He looked toward the damaged doorway.
"Then I'll find him."
His smile widened.
"I want to see how miserable he is now."
For the first time since awakening, Faust had found something he wanted to do.
He adjusted his jacket.
"Come on, Agony. We're leaving."
The fabric stirred.
"Where are we going?"
"To find someone."
"Who?"
Faust began walking.
"Someone I want to see suffer."
Agony remained silent.