Chapter 70: Chapter 13.1: Mass Awakening Three days had passed since Scarlett and Shūmei’s awakening, and Vault Terminus had settled into a new rhythm. The morning found Jin in the Command Wing’s common area, watching his expanded team navigate their first real breakfast together as a complete group. The space felt crowded now—six people around a table designed for four—but there was something comforting about the quiet conversations and shared meals.
[HP: 280/280] [Stamina: 285/285]
As Jin sipped his nutritional drink, he caught himself rubbing his eyes more than usual. They’ve been feeling strange lately—sensitive to light, almost burning at times. When he’d checked in the mirror this morning, he could have sworn his brown eyes looked... faded. Like someone had diluted them with crimson ink.
[Status Effects: Phoenix Vitality (+20% all resistances), Death’s Embrace (Immune to fear), Enhanced Pheromone Production (Active)]
Scarlett sat with perfect posture, methodically eating while simultaneously reviewing tactical data on her tablet. Her red-orange hair caught the artificial lighting as she gestured toward a holographic display of the vault’s defensive systems.
"The outer perimeter sensors show increased Crawler activity," she reported, her emerald eyes scanning the readouts. "Seventeen distinct pack signatures within two kilometers. They’re testing our boundaries."
Sera leaned forward, her amber eyes sharp with interest. "Coordinated?"
"Hard to say. Could be natural scavenging behavior, but the timing suggests possible Alpha influence." Scarlett’s fingers danced across the display, highlighting movement patterns. "We should consider expanding our patrol routes."
Shūmei moved quietly around the table, refilling water cups and ensuring everyone had what they needed. Her crimson eyes occasionally flicked to Jin with worshipful attention, but she otherwise seemed content to serve in the background.
[Affinity: Shūmei Tsurugi (51/100) - Yandere Alert: Level 3/6]
Asha’s voice whispered in his mind. ’I’m detecting new neural pathways and enhanced bio-electrical activity. Though there are some... anomalous readings I’m still analyzing.’
"What does that mean? Anomalous?" Jin thought back, his brow furrowed in confusion.
’Minor fluctuations in your brain chemistry. Probably just an adaptation to your recent resurrection. Nothing concerning.’*
Jin looked around at his companions—his family—and felt a warm contentment set in his chest. They were safe. They were together. For the first time since awakening in this metal tomb, he could actually see a future beyond mere survival.
That peaceful moment was interrupted by Clara’s tablet chiming with an urgent alert.
"Oh," Clara said, her face going pale as she read the display. "Oh no. This is... this is really bad."
Everyone tensed immediately, hands moving toward weapons that weren’t there. Breakfast was forgotten as Sera’s voice cut through the rising tension.
"Report."
Clara’s fingers trembled slightly as she pulled up a holographic display showing the vault’s resource management systems. "I-I’ve been running inventory calculations for our expanded group. The food supplies..."
She gestured, and detailed nutritional charts appeared in the air above the table. Numbers flowed across the display—caloric requirements, consumption rates, projected depletion dates.
"Umm.. With six people, we had approximately three months of supplies. B-But with eight people..." The numbers turned from green to yellow to red. "Five and half weeks.... Maybe.. maybe six if we implement strict rationing."
The silence that followed was heavy with implications. Rosa’s usual grin faded completely. Scarlett’s tactical assessment shifted from external threats to internal sustainability. Even Shūmei paused in her quiet service, red eyes wide with concern.
"There are still eight cryo-pods," Sera said carefully. "Eight more people who need to be awakened."
"U-Under normal protocols, we could awaken two people every two weeks," Clara continued, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. "But that would take a month, and we’d run out of food long before then. Even if we only woke two more people, we’d be looking at critical starvation within a month."
Jin felt something shift inside him—not panic, but a cold certainty that they would find a way. They always found a way. "Can’t we grow food here? Like in a garden?"
"The hydroponic bays are functional," Clara said, "but even with optimal conditions, it takes weeks for crops to mature. We’d need agricultural specialists to maximize efficiency, and..." She gestured helplessly at the pods. "They’re probably in those pods."
"So we’re trapped," Rosa said flatly. "We can’t wake them because we don’t have food, but we can’t get food without waking them."
"There must be another way!" Jin said, standing abruptly. Something was pulling at him, a strange resonance he couldn’t quite identify. "The Phoenix thing inside me has been getting stronger, right? Maybe it can help us find a way!"
’Jin, your bio-readings are spiking again. What are you thinking?’
Instead of answering, Jin headed toward the door. "Clara, show me the vault’s central computer core. If there’s a solution, it’ll be in the system."
---
The central computer core was a cathedral of technology, with towering server banks reaching toward a vaulted ceiling lined with cooling systems and quantum processing arrays. Soft blue light pulsed through fiber optic networks, creating an almost organic rhythm that reminded Jin of a massive heartbeat.
Clara led the way, her engineering glasses lighting up with data streams as she interfaced with the surrounding technology. "The core manages everything—life support, cryo-systems, manufacturing, and defensive networks. It’s the brain of the entire facility."
Jin approached the central terminal, a sleek pedestal surrounded by holographic displays and neural interface ports. As he drew closer, he felt that strange resonance growing stronger, like a tuning fork vibrating in his chest.
[Tsurugi Bloodline: Quantum resonance detected]
[System Integration: Compatible technology identified]
"The normal revival protocols are built around gradual system integration," Clara explained, calling up technical schematics. "Each cryo-pod requires a week of pre-revival preparation—neural pathway re-mapping, cellular restoration, and psychological adjustment. Rushing the process risks brain damage or complete system failure."
Sera crossed her arms, studying the displays with a tactical eye. "What about emergency protocols? Military systems usually have rapid deployment options."
"There are emergency revival sequences," Clara admitted, "but they have a sixty percent failure rate. We can’t risk losing people."
Jin placed his hand on the central terminal, and immediately felt a jolt of connection. The Phoenix Core in his neural matrix seemed to recognize something in the vault’s quantum processes, like two pieces of ancient technology finally finding each other.
[Neural Link Established: Vault Central System]
[Phoenix Core Synchronization: 45%]
’Jin, your neural activity just spiked to dangerous levels. I recommend stepping away from the terminal.’
But instead of stepping away, Jin leaned closer. The holographic displays around him began shifting, showing deeper system architectures that Clara’s clearance couldn’t access. Technical specifications flowed past his vision—not just data, but understanding. He could feel the vault’s needs, its capabilities, its limitations.
"What about this?" Jin said, pointing to a section of code that seemed to pulse with possibilities. "Life integration protocols? Maybe we don’t just wake them up, but help them wake up?"
Clara’s eyes widened behind her glasses as she followed his gesture. "Those are theoretical frameworks. They’ve never been tested on human subjects."
"The Phoenix thing inside me can share life, right?" Jin said, the knowledge coming to him from somewhere deep in his enhanced consciousness. "If I connect to those pods, maybe I can help them wake up safely. Share my healing with them."
[Life Weaver Protocol: Theoretical possibility confirmed]
Scarlett stepped forward, her tactical mind immediately grasping the implications. "That’s incredibly dangerous. You’re talking about linking your life force to eight people simultaneously."
"We have to try!" Jin said simply, his voice filled with determination. "We can’t leave them sleeping forever, and we need their help to survive."
𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺 ’Jin, I’m detecting massive fluctuations in your neural matrix. Something is actively encouraging this course of action. I recommend—’
"Asha, can you check if this would work?" Jin interrupted. "Like, a test if using the Phoenix thing to help wake them up is safe?"
There was a pause as the AI processed countless variables. When she spoke again, her voice carried a note of surprised optimism.
’Simulation complete. With Phoenix Protocol enhancement, emergency revival success rate increases to eighty-seven percent. But Jin... there’s something else. I’m detecting an unknown energy signature during the simulation. Something that shouldn’t be there.’
[Warning: Unknown Entity Synchronization Detected - 15%]
Jin barely heard her warning. His hand was already moving toward the neural interface port, driven by a certainty that felt as natural as breathing. This was what the Phoenix Protocol was designed for—not just personal resurrection, but bringing life to others when hope seemed lost.
"Jin, wait," Sera said, her voice sharp with concern. "If something goes wrong—"
"It’ll be okay. I promise," Jin said, and for a moment his voice carried an odd harmonic quality that made everyone in the room take notice. "Trust me."
He pressed his palm to the neural interface, and the world exploded into sensation.
---
The connection was immediate and overwhelming. Jin’s consciousness expanded beyond his physical body, flowing through fiber optic networks and quantum processing cores. He could feel every system in the vault—the thrumming of the fusion reactors, the whisper of air through ventilation networks, the slow dreams of the people sleeping in cryo-pods.
But there was something else. A presence that had been waiting, patient as stone, for exactly this moment. It didn’t feel malevolent—more like an old friend extending a helping hand. A voice that whispered with ancient wisdom.
*Power shared is power multiplied. Let me help you save them.*
Jin’s rational mind might have questioned the voice, but in the flood of system integration and life-force manipulation, it felt as natural as Asha’s guidance. Another tool in his enhanced arsenal.
Through the vault’s sensors, he could see his physical body standing rigid at the terminal, eyes rolled back and glowing with soft golden light. Clara was frantically checking readings while Sera barked orders to stay back. But their concerns felt distant, unimportant compared to the eight lives hanging in the balance.
One by one, Jin reached out to the cryo-pods. Each contained a unique signature—a brilliant mind trapped in crystalline sleep. He could sense their specialties, their personalities, their fears even in stasis. An agricultural specialist dreaming of green growing things. A weapons designer whose mind buzzed with mechanical precision. A doctor whose consciousness radiated healing warmth.
*Yes. Feel their potential. Help them become what they’re meant to be.*
Jin began the delicate work of accelerated revival, sharing fragments of his enhanced life force with each sleeping form. The Phoenix Protocol’s nanotechnology flowed through the connections, repairing cellular damage and optimizing neural pathways. What normally took weeks of careful preparation compressed into minutes of intense biological alchemy.
[LIFE WEAVER UNLOCKED]
The notifications cascaded through Jin’s consciousness as his abilities crystallized into new forms:
[Life Weaver Protocol Active]
- Enhanced Revival Success Rate: +50%
- Life Force Sharing: Transfer vitality to others
- System Integration: Direct neural interface with compatible technology
- Collective Consciousness Link: Share knowledge and skills across bonded individuals
[WARNING: Unknown Entity Synchronization Detected - 15%]
Jin barely noticed the warning. Eight minds were stirring to consciousness, and the rush of successful revivals filled him with euphoric satisfaction. The voice in his head purred with approval.
*Well done. They will serve excellently.*
The connection began to fade as Jin’s consciousness settled back into his physical form. The golden glow in his eyes dimmed, and he became aware of concerned voices calling his name.
"Jin! Jin, can you hear me?" Sera’s hands were on his shoulders, steadying him as he swayed.
"I’m alright. Did it work? Are they okay?" Jin said, surprised by how true that felt. Despite the massive energy expenditure, he felt stronger than before. More complete.
[HP: 280/280 → 210/280 (Energy expended)]
[Stamina: 285/285 → 180/285 (Life force transferred)]