Time remaining: 6 minutes, 17 seconds.

  Isaac rolled his shoulders, joints popping as he continued stretching. Every single motion still sent a spark of pain through his entire chest, but at the very least, he should be able to fight whatever came his way by now. It also helped that every single visible injury on his body had already closed for the most part. Only some scabs and fresh pink skin remained at this point.

  Another hour or two should fix what was left of the internal damage, too… or so he hoped.

  Unfortunately, that would have to happen back on Earth. As much as he wanted to heal up before returning home, not even his advanced regeneration could fix this much damage in only two hours.

  However, at least Virus Integrity was back at a full hundred after almost falling below fifty.

  Well, as much as I have enjoyed my time here. Isaac yawned, picking up the Quarantine Exit Key. It’s time for me to go. My bed is waiting for me… if it’s still even there…

  And that was another issue. Ever since he had killed the boss and checked the rewards, he was starting to realize just how tired he was. He couldn’t go a minute without yawning and had to actively fight his body to keep his eyes open.

  Really, at this point, he must have been going on for almost twenty-four hours without an ounce of sleep. Sure, he had considered taking a nap here, but who knew if he would wake up before the timer ran out. Getting trapped in this place wasn’t an option.

  So, first priority after getting home? Go to sleep for at least a few hours. Of course, first, he would have to make sure the world wouldn’t end in the meantime, but those were tiny, unimportant details.

  Isaac snorted, stifling another yawn. Right…

  As the timer reached the last four minutes, he glanced at the cube in his hand and nudged a tiny bit of Viron toward it. For once, the energy didn’t fight him and dove right into the object.

  Its glow intensified just as another notification appeared before him.

  Dimensional Key activated. In thirty seconds, you shall be transported back to your last known location on Earth. In a situation where that position is compromised and unsafe to the Host, you will be moved to a different nearby location that doesn’t endanger your life.

  Countdown: 23 seconds…

  So, it has a built-in safety function. Good to know.

  Even if he wasn’t really worried, it would be a shame if the device transported him into a wall, a pile of ruins, or a large group of monsters. The latter he might survive. The other two? Probably not.

  Ten seconds…

  In the blink of an eye, Isaac switched the cube to his left hand while summoning the Root of Blood to his right. Even if the Interface told him he should be good on arrival, he preferred to be safe than sorry.

  Three. Two. One…

  A kaleidoscope of colors exploded from the cube, consuming the world around him in a rush of blinding light. The force nearly knocked him off his feet, but just as quickly as it had appeared, the light vanished, leaving him in near-total darkness.

  Isaac took a deep breath, and the familiar smell of his apartment building’s staircase filled his nostrils.

  Home sweet home…

  Even in the darkness of the lobby he landed in, he still spotted his makeshift barricade. It was in a much worse shape than he had left it in, but the fact it still stood had to be a good sign.

  Let’s get some light in here.

  He felt around the wall next to him, searching for the light switch he knew should be there. It didn’t take long to find, but as he did, he noticed something strange—there were far more cracks in the wall than he remembered. Not that he ever really paid attention to the state of the lobby, but so many irregularities would have been hard to miss.

  Whatever. Maybe I’m just imagining things.

  He shrugged and flicked the switch.

  Nothing happened.

  He tried again and again.

  Still nothing.

  That can’t be good.

  Yet before he could even think of possible reasons why the light was not working, a bunch of red text appeared before him. Isaac paused and carefully read everything the Interface offered. Maybe it would have some answers he desperately needed after his time away from Earth.

  Pioneer, welcome back to Earth! Your planet entered the Second Phase of the Breakout stage a few hours ago. A task has been issued to all Hosts inside every Contamination Zone. Become the main contributor toward its completion to earn better rewards. This task will run for the entire length of Phase 2.

  Phase Two Task:

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Eliminate at least 70% of Wretched inside your Contamination Zone to disable the barrier at the end of this phase. Every Host shall receive rewards based on their contribution. Failing to complete this task during the Second Phase will result in the loss of any potential rewards. However, contamination barriers may still be disabled later on. Good Luck, Hosts!

  Current progress: 13% | Your contribution ranking: 938th | Time left: 66h:52m:2s

  “What?” Isaac muttered, his gaze locked onto the notification.

  If someone saw him, they would have probably assumed that he was surprised by the new task. They would have been wrong—at least partially.

  What truly caught him off guard was his ranking. He had been gone for over half a day since he had killed the first twenty Wretched. Yet somehow, only a bit over nine hundred people outperformed him in all that time? He would understand if his kills from the Quarantine Dimension counted, but this?

  This was a joke. And not a funny one.

  Either humanity’s numbers had dropped to terrifying levels, or everyone was just hiding, waiting for someone else to save them from the big bad monsters.

  Honestly, Isaac couldn’t decide which option was worse.

  Dear god, just what is happening out there?

  For a brief moment, Isaac even considered running outside and slaughtering the Wretched that most likely waited there. However, after having to stifle another yawn, that idea died right away. As much as his blood boiled at the thought of more fighting, he needed some rest.

  Besides, even without a window in sight, it wasn’t hard to tell it was still nighttime—or, at the very least, early morning. No gunshots, no screams. Just some muffled hisses and screeches that reached him through the closed door behind the barricade. He doubted it would be so quiet during the daytime.

  Still, why the hell aren’t the lights working? Isaac wondered internally as he stepped out of the lobby and into the stairwell. His hand found another light switch, but just like the last one, it did nothing besides filling the entire building with a soft clicking noise.

  He clicked his tongue and started up the stairs, his left hand tracing the cracks on the walls while his right gripped the Root of Blood. It wasn’t until he came upon the broken window on the third floor that he stopped. Taking a peek, he confirmed that it was still dark outside. Though dawn couldn’t be too far off—he could make out some vague shapes in the darkness.

  What worried him more was the lack of any light in the distance. No flashes of neons, no active street lamps, nothing. It was like the entire city had lost power while he was away.

  There goes my idea to check the news… At least I have one more option.

  With that thought in mind, Isaac approached the final door on this floor, dismissed the Root of Blood, and knocked.

  “Mrs. Jackson!” he whisper-shouted. “It’s me, Isaac Walker. Please open up.”

  For a moment, no sound answered his call. The woman and her kids could be long gone from here for all he knew. Thankfully, just as he was about to knock again, the lock clicked, and the door slid open.

  Isaac squinted as a bright light hit him right in the face.

  “Good Lord.” He heard a familiar voice whisper. “Mr. Walker, what happened to you?”

  As the woman finally lowered the flashlight, letting him see again, Isaac offered her a weak smile.

  “The Interface happened... It snatched me off the face of Earth after I killed the twenty Wretched. I just got back a few minutes ago.”

  Mrs. Jackson gasped, her eyes growing wide. “You are one of the Pioneers mentioned in the last message!”

  He blinked. “What? What message? You mean the one about the next task?”

  “No, no, no.” She shook her head frantically. “That came before the night. I am talking about the notification from about an hour ago. It announced the fate of everyone who finished in the top five hundred of their Contamination Zones.”

  She must have noticed the confusion on his face because her expression softened. “You don’t know… Oh dear…”

  Isaac, only growing more confused by the second, frowned. “I—“

  Mrs. Jackson cut him off, stepping aside and opening the door wider. “Come inside, Mr. Walker. I fear this may take a while. Just… please keep your voice down. The kids are sleeping.”

  He nodded, trying to fight back another yawn.

  He failed.

  “Thank you,” he said after a moment, ignoring the woman’s pitting gaze as he stepped into the dimly lit corridor of her apartment. “And… I’m sorry I couldn’t help with your husband.”

  “Ah, please don’t worry about that,” she said quickly. “Brandon is fine. He called me from a different number a few hours after you left. He is still at the bank with a couple more survivors.”

  That’s good. One less problem for me. And at least two kids didn’t lose their father. Good for them.

  Mrs. Jackson led him into the living room and gestured for him to sit on the couch. Isaac gladly did just that, his gaze jumping between the different candles lighting up the room. Now he had the final proof that the power was out.

  “Something to eat? Drink, Mr. Walker?”

  “If it’s not a problem, then yes, please. And just Isaac is fine.”

  The woman smiled. “Isaac, it is. Call me Carol, then. I will be back in a moment.”

  Once she disappeared behind another door, Isaac sank into the soft couch, closing his eyes. His breathing slowed down, and before he noticed it, someone was shaking him awake.

  “Mr. Walker? Isaac?”

  His eyes snapped open, his blood coming alive. Yet before any of his skills could activate, his gaze fell on Carol, her face full of concern. He relaxed, letting out a sigh.

  “Sorry, I haven’t slept in a while.”

  “It’s fine.” She smiled and motioned to the plate and glass on the table before him. “Please eat. It’s not much, but it’s all I could put together this fast.”

  “Thank you again,” he muttered and took a sip from the glass.

  Orange juice. Normally, not his favorite, but right now, it might as well have been ambrosia. He gulped half of it in one go and snatched one of the four sandwiches from the plate. Again, it wasn’t anything special, but he couldn’t get enough after the first bite.

  “You shouldn’t rush, Isaac,” Carol chided gently. “Take your time. I will try to explain what happened when you and the others were gone.”

  Isaac gave her another grateful nod and slowed down his chewing a bit. She was right, the food wouldn’t run away.

  “Let me begin with the message I mentioned earlier… It came out of nowhere and woke me up. I thought maybe the next phase was beginning early, but I was wrong, it was much worse…”

  Isaac stopped mid-bite, his gaze on the woman.

  “It spoke about the end of the Pioneer Trials that apparently you and the others had to go through,” she continued. “It didn’t tell us what they were or what happened inside them. All we learned... was that out of the almost ten thousand participants, only six of you survived.”

  Isaac froze, the words hitting him like a sledgehammer. He gulped and placed the unfinished sandwich back on the plate.

  “Six?” he uttered.

  Carol nodded, refusing to meet his gaze.

  Oh…

  Back to Earth!

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