The monster stopped.
Not because it was injured.
It stopped on its own.
Only a few dozen meters remained between them.
Close enough for Lam Huy Trường to hear its breathing.
Each rise and fall of its massive chest—
made the ground tremble faintly.
Dust bounced in small pulses around their feet.
The air felt heavy.
Hard to breathe.
The creature's blood-red eyes slowly narrowed.
And then—
something changed.
The madness disappeared.
No longer the gaze of a predator excited by blood.
Instead…
it was evaluating.
Measuring.
Observing.
As if what stood before it wasn't prey—
but an object awaiting identity confirmation.
The silence stretched unnaturally long.
Even the distant sounds of battle seemed swallowed whole.
—
Behind him—
the girl in white armor braced a hand against the ground.
Warped metal creaked as she forced herself upright.
Her assist joints responded sluggishly.
A red warning blinked across her HUD.
She clenched her teeth.
"…Is this really the end…"
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper to herself.
Memories suddenly surfaced.
A few days ago.
The recruitment notice.
An unusually high salary.
A newly built research station.
They said only elites were selected.
Back then, she had thought—
this might be the turning point of her career.
A few months of training.
Getting to know senior officers.
Maybe even meeting someone perfect…
Tall.
Six-pack abs.
A normal life.
Stable.
But now—
her first day on assignment.
The research institute attacked by a mutated monster.
She hadn't even gone on a single date.
And yet she was about to die in this remote place.
Her chest tightened.
Tears nearly welled up.
But at that moment—
military instinct dragged her back to reality.
Questions flooded her mind.
Why had control authority transferred to the Professor?
That kind of biological authentication system…
she had never seen it.
Never even heard of it.
More importantly—
this mech should have completely shut down.
Permanently.
Yet now—
faint streams of light moved inside the armor.
Slowly.
Steadily.
A module detached itself.
Deformed metal plates were pushed off and dropped to the ground.
Internal structures shifted.
Rearranging.
Self-correcting.
Like—
a living organism healing its wounds.
Her pupils shrank.
AI technology… has reached this level already?
Nothing like this existed in any training manual.
A chill ran down her spine.
What… exactly was happening?
A low growl echoed ahead.
Not loud.
But enough to make the air vibrate.
The monster lowered its head.
Thick saliva dripped onto the ground, lightly steaming from its body heat.
Its gaze remained locked on them.
Survival instinct crushed every other thought.
She tightened her fist.
Pain shot up from her damaged left leg.
Still—
she stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Standing directly in front of Lam Huy Trường.
"…I'll hold it off."
Her voice trembled slightly.
But her body did not retreat.
Even though she knew—
this was almost certain suicide.
—
Behind her,
Lam Huy Trường finally regained clearer awareness.
His mind still spun.
Transmigration.
The storyline.
The Mad Professor route.
Fragments of information collided chaotically in his head.
He muttered a curse.
"…Damn it."
Why was he here?
Who brought him here?
For what purpose?
A trap?
An accident?
Or something bigger?
The thought halted midway.
…Did it matter?
He looked at the monster.
The distance between life and death—
brutally clear.
If he died here—
every question would become meaningless.
If he wanted the truth—
he had to survive first.
Only the living had the right to seek answers.
The moment that resolve formed—
Beep.
The mech's display behind the girl suddenly flared to life.
Blue light spread across the entire frame.
The AI voice sounded.
Neural synchronization initializing…
The girl snapped her head around.
"…What?!"
Streams of light inside the armor converged at once.
Their oscillations stabilized.
As if waiting—
for a command.
At the same time—
the monster ahead slowly lowered its body.
Not a pouncing stance.
No muscles tensed for attack.
Instead…
it looked like it was waiting for a signal.
Its blazing red eyes never left Lam Huy Trường.
Time seemed to slow.
No one moved.
No one breathed loudly.
A suffocating silence stretched on.
And then—
something appeared in Lam Huy Trường's mind.
Not a thought.
Not a memory.
More like a signal transmitted directly into him.
A strangely familiar sensation.
As if—
he had done this countless times before.
The monster let out a low rumble.
The ground trembled lightly.
The girl's face paled.
"It's coming—!"
Her body tensed, ready to charge.
But—
the monster didn't attack.
It stopped.
Right at the boundary of a few steps away.
Its massive head slowly lowered.
Like an act of confirmation.
The HUD lit up.
A new line of text appeared.
Experimental unit link established successfully.
Lam Huy Trường froze.
"…Experimental unit?"
A chill ran down his spine.
Far on the horizon—
warning signals suddenly began triggering one after another.
One.
Two.
Then dozens.
The HUD quickly flooded with data.
The system voice spoke, emotionless:
Multiple similar entities detected approaching the area.
Silence fell again.
The girl slowly turned her head.
Her voice hoarse.
"…Professor."
"…I think we have a serious problem."
The ground began to shake.
This time—
not from one direction.
But from everywhere.