NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Chapter 19: The Pentagon
The world around them seems to change. The familiar surrounding of the house dissolves into nothingness.
Zack felt like he suddenly fell, and it felt as though his intestines were dropping. Like when you are riding a roller coaster. The ground beneath him disappeared, he was weightless, suspended in mid-air.
The sensation was dizzying, a strange mix of vertigo and nausea. He already experienced this numerous times during the trials, but he could never get used to it.
In an instant, the sensation of free-fall stopped, and the world snapped back into focus.
The light around them exploded into pure whiteness, blinding and overwhelming. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the feeling of falling was gone, and they were standing in an enormous white room.
The vast white space stretched endlessly in every direction, with no sense of up and down. Five doors lined the walls, and a massive, round metallic table in the center, its surface reflecting the light.
He pulled himself up. He saw a three figure on the other end of the room. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was just seeing things. But suddenly, Jake said something that confirmed what he saw. So, he quickly walked towards him.
Jake was already walking towards one of the doors, his gaze shifting between each of them. "Feels like someone's been here before…" he said. He pointed the shoe prints on the floor to Zack.
"Not before us, but with us." Zack shifted his gaze at the three figures walking towards them. Jake followed what Zack was looking at.
The three figures continued to draw closer, their footsteps echoing in the vast white room. As they got neared, Zack could see them clearly.
Two women and one man are approaching.
A tall, broad-shouldered man, chest and biceps bulging beneath his tight shirt.
A tall thin woman with dark hair, her posture was straight and confident. Her physique was a blend of femininity and strength.
An average height woman with red hair, her frame slightly on the fuller side, with a soft confidence that shone through in the way she held herself.
The man stopped in front of them, his piercing brown eyes studying Zack and Jake, meeting Zack's gaze head-on. He is standing as tall as Zack and Jake, radiating strength and authority.
For a moment, no one spoke as if trying to gauge each other.
Then,, the broad shouldered man finally broke the silence.
"You're new." His voice was deep.
"Jake cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "And you're not."
"I'm guessing you are like one of us. Survivors." Zack said.
The red-haired woman let out a small, amused huff. "Took you long enough to notice."
Zack ignored her and focused on the man. "Who are you?"
The man hesitated before answering. "Clark." He tilted his head towards the dark haired woman. "That's Nicole." Then, to the redhead. "That's Anna."
Nicole gave a small nod, not giving an ounce of care to them. Anna, on the other hand, had a smirk playing at her lips, as if she found something amusing about this encounter.
Jake glanced around the room, eyes flickering between the five doors. "So, this is The Pentagon, huh."
"What do you know about this place?" Zack asked Clark.
"We are just confused as you are. We just came here a few hours before you. The system haven't told us anything. So, we figured maybe there were other players that we've been waiting for."
"And I was right," he let out a small laugh.
Zack narrowed his eyes. "So, you also don't have a clue on what is going to happen next."
"Yeah, very much so. All we know is that this where our fourth trial is." Clark said.
"Fourth trial? this is our third trial. How is that possible?" Zack asked, confused, his brows furrowed.
Then, finally, Nicole spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. All eyes were on her.
"During our third trial, we met a few people, survivors, like us…They said they were on their sixth trial and we were just as confused as you are." She said.
Zack processed Clark's words carefully. If their group was on the third trial while Clark's group was already on their fourth,, that meant they weren't all experiencing the same sequence.
Zack and Arya exchanged a quick glancee. "So, you're saying different groups go through different trials at different times?"
"Exactly," Clark confirmed. "That's just our theory, but it makes sense though, right?"
Zack narrowed his eyes. "Which means…your stats should be higher than ours."
Anna grinned. "Bingo."
Jake crossed his arms. "So, you're stronger than us?"
Clark rolled his shoulder. "Well, I guess. Our points are higher, meaning we have access to better equipment and more resources. If you're stuck in this system long enough, you start figuring out how to play the game."
"The group who encountered a while back, were on their sixth trial, and I kid you not, they are one hell of a group. They were the reason we survived," he continued, exhaled sharply with a sign of relief on his face.
Nicole spoke up. "It also means we've seen more than you. And we know more."
Arya's mind raced. If what they were saying was true, then meeting survivors ahead of them was an advantage.
Arya finally spoke up. "So, what's your theory?"
"The asteroids," Anna replied.
"The Asteroids?" Jake echoed.
Anna nodded. "They didn't hit the Earth at the same time. Some people get pulled into the system earlier than others. Some have been here for weeks, maybe months before us."
"So, we can use that to our advantage. The longer someone has been here, the more experience they have. The more they know about how to survive," Jake said.
Arya exhaled, his mind already forming a plan. "Which means, if we share information about the trials we've been through, we can prepare for the ones ahead."
Anna smirked. "Well, that's a good way of looking at things. But here's the thing, you'd better hope that the people ahead of you are willing to share."
Silence.
Nicole crossed her arms. "Sometimes it makes you wonder, what people can do to stay alive. Some people think survival means making sure others don't."
A chill ran down Zack's spine. He already knew that trust was a dangerous gamble in this place. Trial after trial, he had been with this group, but can he really trust them? What if they are selfish enough to save themeselves first before others? But, isn't that what survival was all about?
If what Nicole said was true, then meeting people ahead of them in the game wasn't always a good thing.
Arya looked at the new group in front of them. There is something about Anna that she doesn't like. She gives her the creeps like they bully she had when she was in middle school.
She can't trust this group, she feels like if they had the chance to stab them in the back when they are not looking, they'd grab it without hesitation.
Before anyone could respond, the mechanical voice echoed through the vast white room.
[Welcome to The Pentagon, Survivors.]
[Before the Trial begins, Status Update will be provided.]
[Status Update Initiating]
The stats were different…again…
ZACK'S SCREEN:
UPPER LEFT:
[Participant: Zack Martin]
[Role: Medic]
[Survival Rate: 90% + 3% = 93%]
[Attribute: Adaptive Focus: 95% - 5% = 90%]
[Next Trial: The Transmigration]
UPPER RIGHT:
[Points: 23 points +] MAX: 25000 points
Leadership – pending…
Strategy – pending…
Focus – pending…
Teamwork – pending…
Courage – pending…
LOWER LEFT:
Abilities:
Vital Scan - Level 1 (New ability unlocked) - Able to see another person's vital signs
To unlock: Tap temple twice to activate the scan, as if focusing your mind.
You can use this anytime, anywhere but the time limit is 10 seconds. However, cooldown is 10 seconds.
Zack stared as his glowing screen. His eyes flickered to the instructions. Tap temple twice.
He raised a hand, hesitating for only a moment before tapping his fingers against his temple.
The world around him flickered. A faint, translucent overlay appeared in his vision, scanning the nearest person—Jake.
[Jake Sanchez]
Heart Rate: 87 bpm
Oxygen Levels: 98%
Blood pressure: 110/80mmHg
Temperature: 36.6C
Respiratory Rate: 18 cpm
Condition: Stable
The information blinked in front of him for exactly ten seconds before the display faded. Immediately, a faint pressure settled behind his eyes, not painful but noticeable.
Then, a small [Cooldown: 10 seconds] message appeared at the corner of his vision.
Zack exhaled sharply. 'So, that's how it works. If only I had this ability before, I could have save so much time in the hospital.'
'That's only on Level 1. I wonder what it's like on higher levels,' he muttered to himself.
He looked at the others. They had no idea what he could do now.
However, if he got a new ability, so is the others.
LOWER RIGHT:
Weakness:
Fear of inadequacy
Limited Stamina
Poor vision
'And now, the system also knows my weakness?' 'I cannot let anyone know this because it can be used against me,' he muttered.