Sewer Rat

Jiang Wei had never known the darkness of the New York sewers to be so absolute. The air down here was thick and damp, and the shallow water splashing beneath his webbed feet carried a stench that made him gag. The sewers were much quieter than he had expected, but every step sent his heart racing. He could still hear the faint echo of the sewer grate clanging shut above him, followed by the eerie scraping of claws against concrete.

He had escaped, but not entirely.

His small penguin body was not made for this. Every step felt like a struggle, his legs too short to cover any meaningful distance, his body too slow to make him feel safe. The thought of facing the creature again made his feathers bristle with anxiety, and he forced himself to keep waddling. This wasn't over yet.

The voice of the Soul Evolution System echoed in his head once more, cold and indifferent to his plight.

"Mission update: Survive for 23 hours, 12 minutes. Current status: 58% synchronization. Next ability: Penguin Camouflage, unlocked."

"Great," Jiang muttered, his voice still coming out as a honk. "That doesn't make me feel better."

The system was annoyingly unhelpful when it came to emotions. Jiang longed for something—a hint, a direction, maybe even a bit of encouragement—but all he had was this endless countdown ticking away in his head. The new ability would help, he hoped, but right now, his mind was more preoccupied with survival than testing out new features.

His flippers slapped wetly against the ground, echoing in the tight, confined space. The sound of his own movement felt deafening, but worse than that, it was attracting attention.

The creature that had chased him earlier hadn't followed him directly into the sewer, but he could still hear it. The occasional scraping of claws and the sharp intake of breath aboveground reminded him that it wasn't far off. It was waiting—tracking him from above. It hadn't given up.

He had gotten lucky earlier, diving into the manhole just in time, but he couldn't keep running forever. His body was built for cold water, not the humid filth of a city's underbelly. And though he was moving deeper into the sewers, he knew that if he didn't find a way out, the creature would eventually catch him.

Or worse, he'd stumble into something even more dangerous down here.

Jiang's heart pounded in his chest as the tunnel narrowed and he waddled forward. The air grew cooler as the sounds of the city faded behind him, leaving only the distant drip of water and the occasional rustle of movement. It wasn't the kind of silence that offered comfort—it was the kind that screamed danger.

"Okay, think, Jiang," he muttered to himself. "You can't just keep running. You've got a system, right? Use it."

The system's earlier message flashed in his mind.

"Penguin Camouflage unlocked."

The camouflage ability was supposed to help him blend into his surroundings. It was the first real tool he had been given that wasn't just about running or hiding in water. But how did it work? He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the system, willing it to activate.

"Activating Penguin Camouflage," the system intoned flatly, as if reading his mind.

Jiang felt a strange sensation ripple through his body, almost like a shimmer or a vibration. His vision darkened slightly, and when he glanced down at his feathers, they had shifted subtly in color. His black-and-white penguin body seemed to blur into the darkness around him, blending seamlessly with the shadows of the sewer walls.

"That's... not bad," he muttered, surprised.

It wasn't perfect—he wasn't invisible, but the camouflage gave him a chance to move without being easily noticed. As long as he stayed still or in low light, he could avoid drawing attention.

"Ability active. Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 5 minutes."

Ten minutes wasn't a lot, but it was better than nothing. Jiang moved cautiously now, sticking close to the walls, his small form fading into the gloom. He had no idea if the creature would be able to track him with scent or sound, but at least now he had the advantage of stealth.

He continued to waddle deeper into the sewers, the walls narrowing and the water getting shallower. The creature's presence above him had grown fainter, but it still lingered in the back of his mind like a shadow that refused to leave.

You're still being hunted, he reminded himself grimly.

The sewers twisted and turned in a maze of tunnels, and soon Jiang had no idea where he was or how deep underground he had gone. The smell grew more intense, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he focused on staying alive.

He turned a corner and froze.

There, in the dim light of a broken streetlamp filtering through a grate above, stood two massive creatures. They looked like rats, but they were far larger than anything Jiang had ever seen—nearly the size of wolves, their fur matted and their eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. Their sharp, yellow teeth glistened as they gnawed on some unknown prey, and their twitching movements were quick and predatory.

Jiang's breath hitched in his throat as he pressed himself against the wall. His Penguin Camouflage had just worn off, and his heart raced as he tried to will it to reactivate.

"Ability cooldown: 4 minutes remaining," the system intoned.

Four minutes?! He didn't have four minutes.

The massive rat creatures hadn't noticed him yet, but it wouldn't be long. They were sniffing the air, their beady eyes darting around the tunnel, and their ears twitching at the faintest sound.

What do I do? What do I do?! Jiang's mind raced, panic rising in his chest. He couldn't fight them. He was still just a penguin, and even if he had new abilities, he wasn't a fighter.

Think! he told himself.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind—something the system had mentioned earlier: Penguin Reflexes. He hadn't fully explored what that meant, but it had helped him dodge the creature earlier. Maybe he could use it now.

He took a deep breath, his small chest rising and falling quickly. Speed and timing—that's what he had. He couldn't fight head-on, but maybe, just maybe, he could outmaneuver them.

Jiang waited, watching as the rats gnawed away, their focus on their meal. Slowly, carefully, he began to waddle backward, keeping his movements as smooth as possible. His flippers brushed against the walls, and the faintest sound echoed through the tunnel.

One of the rats lifted its head, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air.

"Penguin Reflexes active," the system chimed in.

Jiang bolted.

His small body darted to the side, slipping through the narrow space between the wall and a rusted pipe. The rats screeched in surprise, their heavy bodies lumbering after him, but Jiang was smaller and faster. He slid on his belly, his body moving with a fluidity he hadn't expected, the penguin instincts taking over as he weaved through the tight, confined space.

The rats snarled, their claws scraping against the concrete, but Jiang's reflexes kept him just ahead of them. His heart pounded as he raced through the tunnels, his mind focused on survival.

He didn't stop moving until the rats were far behind, their frustrated snarls fading into the distance.

Panting, he finally stopped in a small alcove, collapsing against the wall. His entire body was shaking, his heart racing, but he had survived.

"That... was too close," he muttered between breaths. His honk echoed softly in the tight space, reminding him once again of how ridiculous this all was.

Jiang's moment of peace was short-lived.

The system pinged in his mind again, this time with a new message.

"Mission update: Sewer exit located. New mission: Escape the sewers. Time remaining: 22 hours, 34 minutes."

"Escape the sewers?" Jiang asked aloud, still trying to catch his breath. "Yeah, no kidding."

He looked around, realizing he had no idea where he was. The sewer was a labyrinth of tunnels and passages, and he had been so focused on surviving that he hadn't paid attention to where he had gone.

The system's map was helpful in theory, but it was still limited. It didn't give him exact directions, only a general sense of where to go. The exit was somewhere, but getting there was another story entirely.

Jiang forced himself to his feet—well, his flippers—and began moving again. The sound of the rats had faded, but he couldn't let his guard down. There were more threats in the sewers, and he couldn't afford another close call like that.

As he waddled forward, his mind raced with thoughts of the system. It was becoming clear that the system wasn't just about survival—it was about progression. Every new ability, every small victory, pushed him closer to something bigger. But what?