Chapter 4: The Freedom Run

Chapter 4: The Freedom Run

The ashen-blonde girl stared at the trembling woman in the corner. In the dimness of the room, her eyes emitted a faint, eerie glow, her hand pointing at the nurse. Yet, she hesitated for a moment, something within her stopping her from acting.

'No, she was always good to me... I don't really want to hurt her. But... no, a few points are not enough to justify killing one of the few that treated me like a human instead of an animal.'

Tia slowly lowered her hand and smiled at the scared nurse, her hand still trembling after killing four people.

"You can go. I can repay a kindness." The nurse remained motionless, trapped in a state of paralyzing terror, her body curled up in the corner, frozen with fear.

Tia's surroundings blurred as panic surged through her mind, a sinking realization of the dire situation she found herself in. With urgency fueling her actions, she swiftly approached the lifeless doctor, her hand reaching into the rubbery white coat pocket to retrieve a keycard.

'As always, he kept it in the same pocket... I am now a murderer... I must escape before the planetary guard arrives.'

She immediately turned, quickly running down the dark corridors. The darkness enveloped her, punctuated only by the frantic flickering of red emergency lights, the cacophony of unhinged screams, and wild howls reverberating from the adjacent cells of her fellow patients.

Bare feet barely gracing the smooth concrete floor, she darted past a blur of doors and sterile white walls, the world blurring in her wake. Her long hair waved behind her as she ran as fast as her weak body permitted.

Suddenly, a nurse appeared from behind a corner, her eyes going wide in horror when she spotted the blue glowing gun. The tense silence shattered as a steel tray crashed to the floor, its deafening clang resonating through the hallway.

Without hesitation, the girl directed a forceful wave of her hand towards the nurse, an unseen power hurtling her through the airher body colliding with the unyielding concrete wall.

<<<>>>>

<Basic Telekinesis IV (45%)> --> 49%

<<<>>>>

Tia just looked at her unmoving body, not stopping as she kept running, 'I need to run...'

Her relentless stride ceased abruptly when a translucent glass door obstructed her path. Instinctively, she extended her hand and glided the keycard swiftly through the adjacent reader.

A green light lit up on the electrical lock, and the doors smoothly and quietly slid open.

There was a long spiraling staircase leading up and down behind the doors. Tia stopped, her breath already rugged after sprinting through the hallway. She tensed up at the sounds of heavy boots ascending the staircase.

'Guard, or just a doctor?'

She leaned over the railing, looking into the darkness below her.

A bright green light was quickly ascending the staircase, quickly closing towards her. Her hands holding the gun were shaking, as she was unsure about what to do.

'No, this is the fastest way... I can't turn back to use a different staircase.'

Tia calmed down, stilling her mind as she raised her gun, pointing it down.

'What must be done must be done. I can't be soft if I want to survive in this shitty universe.'

The steps and light were ascending higher and higher, the bright green light becoming brighter.

Soon, a man in a grey uniform with a shiny black tactical vest peered from behind the corner of the staircase, holding a small green glowing handgun.

His night vision's two glowing green eyes fell upon the girl, his arms quickly moving, the green gun moving to aim at her.

The world slowed as the young girl pressed the trigger of her gun.

A bright blue light flashed through the whole staircase, reflecting in the metal railing and the plain white walls. A blue orb of plasma shot out of the gun, heading towards the man.

The man with the gun ducked backward at the last moment, the bolt of plasma closely missing him and hitting the wall behind him.

The impact unleashed an explosion of blue light and heat, scorching the surface and leaving a small crater in the concrete.

Tia immediately tensed, knowing she messed up when she missed the first shot and lost the advantage of the first attack, 'Damn, cheap hitman... why couldn't he bring a better gun.'

The man stuck his gun from behind the corner, and green lights repeatedly flashed through the corridor.

Instinctively, Tia flung herself to the frigid concrete floor, the icy surface providing a stark contrast to her overheated body. The green projectiles whizzed past her, their crackling discharges resonating through the staircase, their radiant bursts momentarily blinding her.

[Apprentice Potionmaking]

[Apprentice Artificyng]

[Apprentice Spellcraft]

//

She already knew what she wanted and needed, her hazy memories working as her guide and helper.

Ding!

//

You have learned [Apprentice Potionmaking]

//

'Thanks! ...old friend.'

A stream of new knowledge flooded her mind like data uploaded to a computer, her eyes shining in bright blue light.

Ding!

//

Please pick your starter recipe:

Shitty Potion of Healing

Subpar Potion of Mana

Low-end Potion of Acid

Weakened Poison of Poisoning

Garbage-level Berserk Poison

...

//

Dozens of recipes flooded her vision. All of them were subpar, bad, and low quality. But her eyes lit up as they fell upon one.

'Berserk Poison... You will work. I knew the system would offer me what I need.' She had used the system for years and already noticed the rewards were often too convenient for what she needed in an emergency to be a coincidence.

'The system must be trying to keep its host alive, which is not that weird considering we are bound together.'

Ding!

//

Needed ingredients:

2 x Water Element

1 x Poison Element

1 x Fire Element

1 x Blood Element

//

'This is good. All of them should be available here.'

Tia turned to run again, the clapping of her bare feet echoing through the empty corridors with flashing red lights and blaring alarms.