CHAPTER 398: GUINEA PIGS.

One could not describe the fear that grasped Kareem at that moment. He thought it was the tear gas making his vision blurry, but no matter how many times he robbed them, the oddities remained, causing the voice in his head to get louder and louder.

His crew, the ones who followed him out of the diner, began to notice as well. He had no answers to the questions they posed, and panic began to grow as his silence lasted.

One of them pointed out that the city was gone, which drew Kareem’s attention to the fact that he couldn’t see lights in the distance. Citywide blackouts were a thing of the past, so if one were to occur in this day and age, it could only mean a disaster.

Despite that, save for the panicked voices of his crewmates, Kareem heard nothing. Not the screams and shouts of confused crowds, not the blaring horns of cars and trucks. He couldn’t even hear the ever-present noise in the background.

Some people likened big cities to massive living organisms. That thought occurred to Kareem for some reason, but as he continued to observe his surroundings, another one rose to take its place. If big cities were truly living organisms, then Neo-Vatra was, with every meaning of the word, dead.

Suddenly, light erupted from above. Several spotlights fell from above, blinding Kareem and his crew, and just as horror struck them once more, they heard the sound of engines and wheels rolling over asphalt. Several armored vehicles pulled up to them out of nowhere, adding to the confusion of the situation. The doors popped open, and a dozen figures rushed out, quickly surrounding Kareem and his crew.

Everything from the heavy sound each of their steps made to their movement and coordination hinted at them being professional soldiers equipped with some heavy weaponry under the black cloaks they wore. As they finished encircling them, the strange cloaked figures took aim, and an ominous red glow ignited in the depths of the darkness contained inside their hoods.

Kareem and his subordinates dropped everything and raised their hands in the air. They were outmatched by a long stretch, so holding on to their weapons was just asking to be obliterated. As they continued to observe the strange enemy, a sudden realization struck them.

They were currently at war, and their enemy was said to have obtained some powerful new gear. Right now, Kareem felt that he was looking at that gear.

"Damn it..."

The frustrated whispers signaled that the others had realized the same thing. It quickly spread, and the complaints gradually overcame the silence, only to be shut down by the sound of another armored car approaching. It stopped a short distance away, turning around so the back would face the encirclement.

The doors opened automatically, and someone stepped out, his feet making a heavy metallic sound as they touched the ground. His presence commanded attention, and so did his appearance.

The power suit he wore looked unlike anything Kareem had ever seen—a work of art that wasn’t meant to exist out in the real world. Compact, sharp, and intimidating, with dark plating that hid unimaginable technological innovations.

Kareem looked at its helmet, the visor of which appeared like a round piece of glass. If there was a face beyond it, he was unable to see it.

The dark armor walked forward, and the cloaked figures parted, making way for him to pass. Entered the encirclement, he made his way to where Kareem stood, stopping when only a few feet separated them. Saying nothing, he raised his right arm and turned its palm to the captives.

Kareem almost thought it was a greeting, but what happened next proved him wrong. The dark armor stretched his hand and placed it on the nearby car, the one Kareem his behind earlier.

The air around it shifted, and the next instant, it suddenly crumpled in on itself, twisting in ways that defied logic, as if it were an image being manipulated by computer software.

The result was delivered to them with a violent thud. A car that weighed a minimum of one ton was turned into a ball half its size. It wasn’t crushed, however. Looking at the spherical object, one could tell that it was twisted and bent, like a piece of playdough.

[It’s a lot more painful when a human goes through it.]

As they stared at the strange creation with horror, the dark armor spoke, instilling more fear into their hearts.

[Here is what will happen.] He went on. [You will do what I say. You won’t ask questions, you won’t let me hear you complain. Disobey and you are gone. Nod if you understood.]

Glancing at the balled-up car nearby, no one dared to say a word, and they all nodded in unison.

[Good.] The dark armor said. [I will now explain what this place is, and what you are doing here.]

Just when they thought things couldn’t get any less believable, they were told to their faces that they were guinea pigs for an experiment. Their goal was to survive in the enclosed space they were in, which apparently was an exact copy of Red Lobster’s corner, but didn’t extend beyond the streets surrounding it.

[You have about three months’Tickets worth of breathable air. You will die due to CO2 poisoning long before it’s gone, so your first task will be to ensure it doesn’t get to that.] The dark armor said. [There is a van behind the diner. Inside, you will find the tool and instructions you will need. Your survival is at stake, so I’m confident you will do everything it takes to ensure the experiment is a success.]

That seemed to be the end of the explanation. Though he still found it unbelievable, Kareem couldn’t stop himself from thinking everything though he heard as if it were the truth. As he began considering the implications, the dark armor turned to face him.

[Kareem Warda, you will be coming with us.]

"... Huh?"

At the time, Kareem struggled to believe the absurdity of their situation, his mind refusing to believe it was reality. He soon came to learn that things could get much, much worse, and as his life was quickly brought to it end, the last thought that crossed his mind was whether his friends had survived longer than he did.