Kill to Evolve: The system that demands blood

Chapter 2

Ronan gasped as his eyes flew open.

His chest rose and fell in sharp, ragged breaths.

That wasn't possible, how was he still alive?

He remembered dying—bullets reversing midair, slamming into his chest, the agony of his body shutting down. He had felt his life slip away.

Yet here he was.

Flat on his back on the cold floor of Lab-06.

He sucked in a deep breath, hands trembling as he touched his chest. His uniform was still torn where the bullets had hit, but beneath the fabric—his skin was intact. Not a single wound.

"What the hell…" His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

A sharp ding echoed in his skull.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZED.]

A sudden flood of red text appeared before his eyes, glowing like warnings burned into his vision.

[You have been resurrected.]

[Kill to maintain existence.]

[Failure to execute a kill within 24 hours will result in life force erosion.]

Ronan's stomach twisted.

This wasn't a nightmare. It was real.

Somehow, he had come back to life. And now, something—this system—was telling him he had to kill… or die again.

His thoughts spiraled.

How was this happening? How did he qualify to get chosen by a system, and of all the missions he could have been assigned, why this?

Before he could process it, a scream shattered the air.

Ronan's head snapped up.

Across the ruined lab, bodies lay strewn across the floor—security guards, scientists—lifeless. Blood pooled beneath them, the metallic scent thick in the air. But there seemed to be someone alive, two people infact.

Near the control panel, Dean was still alive—but barely. A masked attacker had him pinned down, one knee crushing his chest. The man held a blade crackling with blue energy, raised high, ready to plunge it down.

Dean struggled, his gun lying uselessly on the floor. His wrist was bent at an unnatural angle, his face twisted in a weak frown, his eyes blurred with tears of fear and despair

Panic surged through Ronan,he couldn't just watch Dean die.

Then, another ding rang in his skull.

[FIRST EXECUTION TARGET IDENTIFIED.]

A glowing red outline highlighted the masked man, and a countdown appeared in the corner of Ronan's vision.

[23:59:59]

His time had started, and he had just been assigned his first mission.

The system was forcing him to make a choice.

Ronan's heart pounded.

He wasn't a killer. He wasn't some heartless monster who could take a life without hesitation. He was just a security guard. A single father. Someone who took this job to keep his son safe.

But the system didn't care.

It had given him an order.

And if he refused—his life would end right there.

Just the thought of defying the system and something shocking happened.

A searing pain erupted in his chest.

Ronan choked, doubling over as an unbearable burning sensation spread through his veins. It felt like his body was breaking apart, cell by cell.

[WARNING: LIFE FORCE EROSION IN PROGRESS.]

"Shit—!" Ronan clutched his chest, gasping.

This was insane, he had no choice, this was a do or die situation.

As soon as he made up his mind to carry out the mission, the pain vanished, but the message was clear. The system wasn't bluffing.

Kill or get killed by the same system that just revived him, well...

His gaze snapped back to Dean. The blade was inches from his throat—

Ronan moved.

It wasn't normal. His body reacted instantly, unnaturally fast. In a blur, he grabbed a fallen security baton and sprinted forward.

CRACK!

The baton slammed into the side of the masked man's head.

The attacker stumbled, his energy blade slicing the air instead of Dean's throat.

Dean collapsed backward, gasping as he stared at Ronan, his eyes wide with shock and horror. "Ronan—?! I saw you—how the hell—"

No time to explain.

The masked man recovered fast, spinning toward Ronan. His movements were precise, too controlled.

Not some random thug. A professional killer.

And Ronan was just a guy with a baton.

The attacker lunged.

Blue energy blade flashing—

Ronan barely dodged. The blade nicked his side, tearing through fabric and skin. The sting jolted his nerves, but it was nothing compared to what he had just gone through.

His enhanced reflexes kicked in, and he twisted out of the way.

He couldn't win like this, this man was too strong, he had to think of another way.

His eyes flicked downward—

The attacker had a gun strapped to his thigh.

Ronan lunged, aiming for the gun.

The masked man's instincts kicked in, and he quickly slashed his knife towards Ronan, cutting through his arm, pain flared across his open wound, but he ignored it.

He ripped the gun from the attacker's thigh, his speed unatural.

Before the man could react—

BANG.

The gunshot rang out.

The bullet punched through the attacker's skull.

A splash of dark red misted the air.

The masked man crumpled to the floor.

Silence.

The gun in Ronan's hands felt heavier than it should. His heart pounded, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps.

Then—the words appeared.

[FIRST EXECUTION COMPLETE.]

[REWARD: PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES +10%.]

A rush of strength flooded his limbs. His wounds stopped bleeding and healed instantly. His mind felt sharper and more precise than moments ago.

And something inside him twisted as he realized what just happened.

He had just killed a man.

And the worst part?

It didn't feel wrong.

The rush of strength flooding his limbs, the clarity in his mind—it was intoxicating. But there was no time to think about that.

A low beep echoed in his head.

[NEXT EXECUTION TARGET LOADING…]

Ronan's body tensed. Footsteps thundered down the hall.

They were coming.

Dean let out a shaky breath from the floor, his broken wrist clutched to his chest. His wide, terrified eyes locked onto Ronan.

"You… you died, Ronan. I saw it." His voice cracked, thick with disbelief. "What the hell is happening?"

Ronan wanted to answer. He really did. But what could he even say? I don't know how I came back, but if I don't kill again, I'll die for good?

His mouth opened, but—

THUD.

The lab doors slammed open.