The air inside the ruined research facility still crackled with residual energy from Leon’s latest evolution. The faint scent of ozone lingered as his fingertips hummed with controlled arcs of electricity. Every muscle in his body felt like it had been fine-tuned, his nerves more responsive, his perception sharper.

But he wasn’t the only one who had changed.

Eric and Dr. Carter stood a few feet away, their expressions tense as they processed the reality before them. The cores they had absorbed had started to take effect, and already, something was different.

Leon turned his gaze toward Eric. “How are you feeling?”

Eric flexed his fingers before clenching them into a fist. “Weird.” He frowned. “It’s like… my body’s lighter. Faster. And...” He suddenly vanished in a blur, appearing on the other side of the room in an instant.

Leon’s eyes widened slightly. “Damn. That’s speed-type mutation right there.”

Eric’s breathing was heavy, his excitement evident. “Holy shit. I didn’t even feel my legs move, one second I was standing there, the next I was here.”

Carter rubbed his temple, still adjusting to the changes in his own body. “My case is different,” he murmured, glancing at his hands. The air around him shimmered for a second before his entire body flickered, almost like a mirage.

Leon narrowed his eyes. “Cloaking?”

Carter nodded. “It’s not complete invisibility, but it distorts my presence. I think if I focus, I can make it more effective.”

Leon smirked. “That’ll be useful as hell.”

Eric grinned. “So what about you? You absorbed the biggest core here. What’s new?”

Leon glanced down at his palm and flexed his fingers. Instantly, tendrils of electricity coiled around his hand, but unlike before, they didn’t lash out uncontrollably. Instead, the power flowed smoothly, like an extension of his will.

“I’ve reached a new stage,” he murmured, lifting his other hand. A small arc of lightning jumped between his fingertips before shaping into something solid, a blade made purely of condensed energy.

Eric whistled. “Damn, that’s badass.”

Leon twirled the lightning blade, its hum sharp and controlled. “And that’s not all.”

He turned toward a broken console on the far end of the room. With a mere thought, a bolt of electricity surged forward, striking the machine. But instead of simply destroying it like before, the lightning flowed through the circuits, reactivating the display for a few seconds before it overloaded and shut down.

Carter’s eyes widened. “You can control electricity now, not just unleash it.”

Leon nodded. “Before, my powers were raw, just brute force. Now, I can channel and manipulate energy with precision.”

Eric shook his head, laughing. “Man, you’re starting to sound like a damn superhero.”

Leon smirked. “We’re going to need every advantage we can get.”

TESTING THEIR LIMITS

Over the next hour, the trio tested their new abilities in controlled bursts.

Leon’s power had evolved beyond simple lightning attacks. He could now redirect electrical currents, enhance his physical movements with charged energy, and even sense active power sources from a distance.

Eric’s speed mutation made him a blur in combat, allowing him to outrun gunfire and deliver lightning-fast strikes before an enemy could react.

Carter’s cloaking ability worked best in low-light environments, making him nearly undetectable to human eyes and thermal sensors alike.

But their powers came with limits.

Leon noticed that prolonged use of his electricity weakened him faster than before. The stronger the attack, the more stamina it drained.

Eric found that while he could move faster than normal, his body struggled to keep up, meaning he had to be careful not to exhaust himself too quickly.

Carter’s cloaking wasn’t perfect, the distortion effect flickered when he moved too fast, meaning he had to control his breathing and remain focused.

“We need to train,” Leon said as they gathered their gear. “These powers make us stronger, but if we don’t learn how to control them properly, we’ll burn out fast.”

Eric cracked his knuckles. “I’m down for some superhuman training.”

Carter exhaled. “I suppose if we have no choice, we’d better get used to this.”

Leon smirked. “Good. Because things are only going to get harder from here.”

***

Now that they had tested their abilities, they needed to leave the research facility before more enemies arrived.

Leon checked his weapons and supplies. “We head for Blackwood at dawn.”

Eric raised an eyebrow. “That soon?”

Leon nodded. “The longer we stay, the more risk we take. We don’t know who else is watching this place, and after what we just fought, I don’t want to be here when they send reinforcements.”

Carter agreed. “Blackwood is still a day’s journey away. If we start at first light, we can reach it before sunset.”

Leon clenched his fist, feeling the newfound power coursing through him. The game had changed.

And he was ready for whatever came next.

The morning air was crisp, but tension lingered in the atmosphere as Leon, Eric, and Dr. Carter left the ruined research facility behind. They moved swiftly, navigating the overgrown terrain surrounding Blackwood. The once-classified government research base had long since fallen into disrepair, its walls now hidden beneath vines and debris.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Their objective was clear: find the underground bunker rumored to be hidden beneath Blackwood Facility, a stronghold that could serve as their new base.

Leon moved at the front, leading the group with calculated precision. His senses had evolved along with his powers, and he could feel the hum of distant electricity beneath the ground, a telltale sign of a power source still running underground.

“We’re getting close,” Leon muttered, his sharp gaze scanning the ruined facility.

Eric adjusted the strap of his rifle. “You sure? This place looks like it’s been abandoned for decades.”

Carter, who had been studying old maps retrieved from the research facility, spoke up. “Not necessarily. If the bunker was built as a contingency, it wouldn’t be located above ground. We need to find an access point, a hidden elevator, a tunnel, maybe even a vault door.”

Leon nodded, focusing his energy. He reached out, sensing electrical pathways beneath their feet, like invisible veins running through the ground.

“There’s something,” he said, stepping forward. “A power source. Not strong, but still active.”

Eric looked skeptical. “After all this time? How?”

Carter frowned. “If the bunker was self-sufficient, it might have a backup generator still running on minimal power. If Leon can trace it, we might just have a way in.”

They spread out, carefully maneuvering through the ruined structures.

Leon focused on tracking the underground power source, following faint pulses of energy like a trail of breadcrumbs.

Eric used his newfound speed to scout ahead, checking collapsed buildings and partially buried structures.

Carter examined old security panels, searching for hidden mechanisms or entry points.

Minutes turned into hours. The deeper they went into Blackwood, the clearer it became that someone had tried to hide something here.

Then, Eric called out.

“Guys! I think I found something!”

Leon and Carter rushed to where Eric stood. He had stopped near what looked like a broken concrete floor, half-buried under rubble and overgrown vegetation.

At first glance, it was nothing more than an abandoned courtyard, but Eric pointed to a metal hatch, barely visible beneath the debris.

Leon knelt down, brushing aside dirt and leaves. The hatch was reinforced steel, rusted but intact, with a sealed electronic lock.

Carter adjusted his glasses. “This has to be it.”

Eric whistled. “Now the question is, how do we get it open?”

Leon smirked, electricity crackling at his fingertips. “I think I have an idea.”

Leon placed his hand over the electronic lock, sending a controlled jolt of energy through it. He could feel the dormant circuits inside, long inactive but still wired to the hatch’s internal locking mechanism.

With a deep breath, he pushed more energy into the system, forcing a temporary reboot. The panel flickered to life for a few seconds, displaying a security prompt before shutting down again.

“It’s still got power,” Leon muttered. “But I need more time to override it.”

Carter studied the console. “If we can find a manual override, we won’t have to rely on just your power.”

Eric cracked his knuckles. “Or we could just blow it open.”

Leon shot him a look. “That would alert everything within a mile radius.”

Eric sighed. “Fine. Do it your way.”

Leon focused, sending a steady flow of electricity through the system. Slowly, the circuits responded, and he began manipulating the electronic locks manually. It took minutes of delicate control, but then...

Click.

The hatch unlocked with a deep metallic groan, and the ground beneath them shuddered as the ancient mechanism began to release. Dust and rust flaked off as the hatch slowly opened, revealing a dark stairway leading deep underground.

Eric peered down. “Well… this looks inviting.”

Carter adjusted his glasses. “No turning back now.”

Leon took the first step forward. “Let’s see what’s inside.”

A gust of stale air rushed up from the depths of the newly opened hatch, carrying with it the scent of metal, dust, and something faintly sterile. The darkness below seemed to stretch endlessly, the stairway disappearing into a black abyss.

Leon stepped forward, peering into the depths. His enhanced vision allowed him to see faint outlines below, but even that had limits. He turned to Carter.

"How deep do you think this goes?"

Carter adjusted his glasses, glancing at the old research notes in his hand. "If this bunker is anything like the other underground government facilities, we’re looking at least four or five levels below the surface. The most sensitive research would be in the deepest sections."

Eric groaned. "Great. More stairs."

Leon smirked. "Less complaining, more moving."

The stairwell was cold, the air thick with the scent of old metal and stagnant air. Their footsteps echoed, each step sending a faint metallic clang through the narrow space.

As they descended, emergency lights flickered faintly, casting eerie red and orange glows along the walls. The lights were running on backup power, barely enough to illuminate their surroundings.

Eric ran a hand along the metal railing. "Still got power down here. That’s a good sign, right?"

Carter hummed in thought. "Or a bad one. If the power's still running, then there might be… other things still active."

Leon didn’t reply, but he felt the tension in the air. The deeper they went, the stronger the pulsing energy beneath his feet became. It was faint, but unmistakable, there was something powerful hidden down here.

After several agonizing minutes, they reached a reinforced steel door at the bottom of the stairwell. It had no handles, only a security panel on the right side, similar to the one above.

Carter stepped forward, studying it. "This was meant to keep people out… or something else in."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Can we not say creepy things while we’re trapped in an underground death maze?"

Leon placed his palm against the panel, feeling the dormant circuits inside. The security lock was intact, but it had been partially overridden before.

Leon frowned. "Someone's been here before us."

Carter's brows furrowed. "Impossible. The Blackwood Facility was shut down years ago."

Leon focused, sending a controlled jolt of electricity into the system. Sparks flickered as the lock overrode itself, and with a deep hiss, the door unsealed.

A low groan of metal echoed as the thick steel doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit hallway stretching into the facility. The walls were lined with reinforced panels, some marked with old, faded hazard warnings.

The group moved cautiously, weapons ready. The facility was surprisingly intact, considering how long it had been abandoned. Unlike the ruins above, the underground bunker had been preserved.

They passed through several research labs, most of them untouched. Old computers sat covered in dust, their screens cracked. Medical stations lined the walls, stocked with half-used supplies.

Then they came across something unsettling.

In one of the research rooms, a set of containment pods stood against the walls. The glass was cracked, and the control panels were disabled, but Leon could see dried remnants of organic material inside.

Eric grimaced. "Tell me those weren’t used for what I think they were used for."

Carter’s expression was grim. "Biological experimentation. If this facility was involved in early infection research, these pods may have been used to test the virus on subjects."

Leon clenched his fists. He had seen too many horrors in his past life, labs like these, where human lives were reduced to test subjects.

"We keep moving," he said.

As they continued deeper, they reached what appeared to be a command center. Unlike the rest of the facility, this room was still operational.

Multiple monitors flickered, displaying red emergency warnings. Some screens showed old security footage, while others displayed encrypted files.

Leon approached one of the consoles and placed his hand on it. With a controlled burst of electricity, he forced it to reactivate.

The screen flickered, displaying a series of logs.

Carter scanned the screen. "These are old data entries from the facility's research team. If we can decrypt them, we might learn what they were working on before the collapse."

Leon nodded. "Start downloading whatever you can."

Then Eric stiffened. "Uh… guys? We might have a problem."

Eric pointed to one of the security monitors. The screen showed a dark corridor, but something was moving.

A shadow passed through the camera feed—too fast, too silent.

Leon’s eyes narrowed. "We're not alone down here."

Carter paled. "That’s… that’s not possible. The facility was sealed..."

A loud metallic screech echoed from somewhere deep in the bunker.

Leon immediately turned toward the hallway. His senses went on high alert, his body tensing as electricity crackled faintly at his fingertips.

Eric gripped his weapon. "I hate underground bunkers. I really do."

Carter swallowed. "Whatever’s down here… it might have been left behind when this place was abandoned."

Leon exhaled, steadying himself. "Then we deal with it."

The dim emergency lights flickered, and the temperature seemed to drop.

Somewhere in the darkness, something moved.

And it was coming closer.