The dim light of the red moon illuminated half of the frozen earth. The gale of death—carrying the premonition of extinction—could not pierce the towering walls of PETERUMMAN. Inside, various hidden activities that outsiders could never imagine continued to take place. The contrast between extinction outside and fleeting luxury within stood as a mute witness to a destiny slowly being torn apart.
Sector 03 was the beating heart of PETERUMMAN. Here, vital logistics were managed and Azure crystal energy was purified before being distributed across the entire city. Behind thick, heavily guarded walls, giant turbines spun incessantly, processing and stabilizing deadly radiation. Yet behind the rhythmic drumming of the constant machinery lay a dark secret capable of paralyzing the city in an instant.
At the guard posts, the soldiers of Unit 008 stood tall and rigid. The heavy protective uniforms they wore bore silent witness to the harshness of a year of military training. They were a collection of individuals who had failed to pass the frontline qualification exams, yet remained valuable assets thanks to the academy's rigorous drilling. With iron discipline under extreme pressure, they were entrusted with a vital responsibility: guarding the gates of Sector 03 from external threats.
That night, the freezing cold of the outside world failed to penetrate the warmth of Sector 03, regulated by advanced heating machines. However, deep within the reactor, the screams of the Azure Core echoed like the wails of a soul being tortured by an ancient energy-sucking machine. Members of Unit 008—Subject 029, Subject 044, and Subject 045—patrolled rigidly like machines robbed of their consciousness, moving in synchrony under the control of an invisible protocol.
Inside the control room, Wawa looked at Jep with soft, melting eyes. "Good thing we're not like them," he whispered, then threw out another question, "So, how is Unit 009 doing? After the battle in the Hollow Rims, I heard Ami and Mira were severely injured."
Jep shifted his gaze away from the control panel, releasing a thin sigh. "Amae and Meyra, Wawa! Learn to say people's names right," he corrected in a low tone.
"Oh right, I forgot," Wawa replied with a small smile. "But that quiet boy, Nugia, is amazing, and handsome too. I like him!" His face instantly flushed. "Eeh, no, I mean I admire him." He lowered his gaze, avoiding his partner's probing look.
Jep glanced over in surprise. Wawa indeed possessed an elegant appearance with a voice much softer than other soldiers, but his obsession with Nugia's name was always consistent. "Strangely, you always get Nugia's name right," Jep thought to himself.
The conversation was abruptly cut short. The roar of the reactor engines trembled violently, followed by heavy footsteps echoing from the iron corridor. Those footsteps stopped right in front of the other three members of Unit 008 who remained mute without reaction.
"That fluid is working wonderfully," a voice muttered with a tone of satisfaction.
"Don't waste time, Captain of Sector 07! He hates it," another voice replied from behind the thick darkness.
Snake, the Captain of Sector 07, grunted in annoyance. "So you're there. How did you manage to track me? I went through so much trouble taking this path."
"Someone wants your knowledge, Snake. You're going to get a very lucrative offer."
"Bring me to meet him immediately," Snake threatened, accompanied by a harsh, horrifying laugh. "If that offer is boring, prepare yourselves to become experimental carcasses for wasting my time. Shh... shh... shh..."
Behind the control panel, Jep froze. The cold running down his spine didn't come from the room temperature, but from the clear and present danger right before his eyes. "Wawa, wait here. I'm going to see what's happening out there," he said softly.
"Be careful," Wawa replied anxiously. "If you don't return quickly, I'm coming after you."
Jep nodded quickly. He moved as light as a shadow, passing the paralyzed guards, then walked down the damp Sector 03 corridor reeking of sharp residual oil. His steps stopped behind the shadows of a metal wall, his ears catching murmurs that grew increasingly clear.
"The target is the Azure Core," the deep voice slithered along the wall. "If you successfully steal its core, Captain of Sector 07, everything you desire will be yours."
Jep held his breath. His hands trembled violently as he gripped the corner of the wall, trying to muffle even the slightest sound.
"Very well... but it seems we have an eavesdropper!" Snake said sharply, his eyes narrowing straight toward the dark corner where Jep was hiding.
The air vibrated. Jep tried to pivot his body to escape, but it was too late. A dark shadow darted in a split second, standing right in front of him.
Srek!
A sharp blade hissed, piercing the air and driving straight into Jep's chest. The youth collapsed, slamming against the cold, rough floor of Sector 03. The burning pain stabbing his chest slowly faded, replaced by numbness that rapidly spread across all his nerves. His breath came in gasps, his vision blurring. Is this the end? Will I die in this cursed place...?
Back in the control room, Wawa tapped his fingers nervously. The irregular rhythm mirrored his increasingly wild heartbeat. Ten minutes had passed since Jep left, and the silence of Sector 03 felt far more chilling than usual.
Suddenly, the firm stomp of combat boots broke the silence. A man with a crew cut and a neat commander's uniform stood right behind Wawa. His gaze was as sharp as a scalpel.
"Where is your partner?" the man asked flatly, yet demanding an absolute answer.
Wawa startled in surprise, hastily turning his control chair around. "J-Jep? He... he just said he wanted to check the condition around the main corridor, Commander," he answered stammeringly. His pale face looked anxiously toward the empty corridor behind the commander's back.
The commander narrowed his eyes, his jaw tightening. He glanced at the monitor screen displaying Sector 03 sensor data blinking red—a sign of energy anomalies near the reactor area.
"Checking around?" The commander chuckled cynically. "In Sector 03, curiosity is the fastest way to meet your end. If he doesn't return within a minute, your unit will be recorded as mutineers."
Wawa bit his lower lip. The fear he had been holding back finally broke. A fleeting image of Nugia flashed in his mind; if Jep could vanish just like that in this place, what would become of those deployed on the frontline?
In the corner of the corridor, which had grown silent once more, the fishy scent of blood blended with the thick reek of oil and burnt ozone. Jep lay rigid, his life stripped from his vessel, yet his empty eyes seemed to demand justice. Amidst the frozen silence of Sector 03, a small shadow crept closer—a new mystery had just begun, and Jep's death was ready to drag Unit 009 into an even deeper abyss of conspiracy.