Chapter 25: THE ANOMALY QUEST.
[WARNING!] [WARNING!] [WARNING!]
A loud ping screamed in their skulls.
[SYSTEM NOTICE!]
— ANOMALY QUEST DETECTED!
[All Eater Blades within this zone have been forcibly linked to a temporary squad.]
Location: [Mall by the Seaside]
Nest Level: [C-Tier]
[LOCKDOWN IN PROGRESS...]
The air shifted violently like pressure from a descending storm. The windows facing the outside world flickered, then warped like old glass being melted in reverse. The exits vanished under pulsing waves of distorted light. From every corner of the building, a shimmering glitch field expanded outward. Ribbons of static-light stitched together, crawling over doors, vents, broken windows, ceilings.
From the outside, the mall now resembled a sealed data vault. Glowing, flickering with unreadable code, as if it were being erased and re-rendered in real time.
Nothing could come in. Nothing could leave.