Zombie Survival System

It was bad. Very bad. Alexandre suddenly felt his entire body violently contract. An oppressive sensation seized him, as if a dark, invisible force were trying to drag him down into the unfathomable depths of the ocean. Breathing became nearly impossible, each inhalation turning into a desperate battle against his own lungs. This second wave of panic was much stronger, much more terrifying than the first. His vision blurred, shadows darkened his sight, and the shapes around him twisted into menacing apparitions. His mind wavered dangerously. He knew he had very little time left.

If he didn't find a solution immediately, he would fall unconscious and it would all be over.

An icy shiver tore through his body. His heart hammered violently against his chest, each pulse echoing deafeningly in his skull. He tried to control his breathing, to regain mastery of his frantic mind, but his primal instincts—triggered by this visceral fear—were screaming at him to flee, to escape the freezing water, to abandon the race and grasp desperately at anything that might prevent him from sinking.

In a brief moment of clarity, Alexandre swept his gaze across his surroundings, frantically seeking an anchor point, a lifeline to cling to. He saw Marlon, paralyzed by the same uncontrollable fear. His friend's face was deathly pale, his eyes wide and staring in horror into the abyss below. His arms flailed weakly in the icy water as if vainly fighting off an unseen force.

No! He couldn't let himself be overwhelmed by this collective panic.

Alexandre briefly closed his eyes, trying to reapply the mental technique that had worked earlier: detaching his mind from his body, viewing himself as merely an instrument controlled by his will rather than his emotions. But this time, it was different. This fear ran deeper, more profound. He realized it wasn't merely psychological. Something else—something external—was influencing their minds.

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed nearby. A student, completely submerged by terror, began diving frantically underwater before resurfacing, gasping desperately, eyes bulging in terrified madness. A bit further away, another swimmer grabbed frantically at a companion, awkwardly trying to stay afloat, inadvertently dragging his panicked friend beneath the surface.

Chaos reigned supreme, tearing the group of students apart in a storm of panic and confusion. Above, drones hovered with cold indifference, identifying struggling candidates, regularly announcing the elimination of those too weak or overwhelmed by fear. Behind them, several rescue rafts were fishing out students incapable of continuing, their faces etched with exhaustion, humiliation, and disappointment.