Code Geostorm: A Global Anomaly

What you ever wondered what you'll do if you get transported into a Geostorm apocalypse? Will you be among the winners or the losers? Haha if it was me…I'd be dead at the starting ^^

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Warning!

Warning!

There's a bug in the system. There's a bug in the system.

Xia Yunfei's head pounded as a robotic voice echoed, growing louder and more urgent.

Different participants are randomly being pulled into the System.

A cold, eerie silence followed. When she opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by figures in the same disoriented state—strangers in tattered clothing, standing on the edge of a dark forest, each glancing around with fear and suspicion.

Welcome, participants. The voice was clinical, unfeeling. You are now part of the Forsaken. Your task is to survive.

Xia Yunfei took a deep breath, steadying herself. Glancing around, she noticed that most of them seemed as lost as she was. Some looked like hardened fighters; others, like ordinary civilians. They were all different ages, some barely more than teenagers, others clearly veterans of life's battles. But every face held the same expression: fear mingled with determination to survive.

Then, the System's voice spoke again, issuing the ominous command:

"You have three hours to complete your mission. Fail, and you will be eliminated."

[System Message: New Mission Initiated]

Mission Objective: Locate the beacon of light within the forest. You have three hours.

The silence after the announcement was thick. One of the older men in the group—a broad, scarred man who looked like he'd seen combat—snorted. "A beacon of light in this place? It's pitch black." He spat onto the ground and eyed the rest of them, distrustful.

Xia Yunfei looked around. Most were clutching makeshift weapons, the only tools they'd been given. She herself held a small dagger, hardly reassuring in the face of the shadows that stretched around them.

Then, a voice spoke up—a young woman with a calm, focused demeanor. "If we want to survive, we'd better move as a group. Splitting up in the dark is a death wish."

A few people nodded, and the group hesitantly formed a loose line. But not everyone agreed. A young man scoffed, stepping to the side. "I didn't come here to babysit. Slower people will just drag us down."

Before anyone could respond, a figure stepped out of the shadows ahead, his presence like ice sliding down their spines. He moved with a dangerous calm, his gaze sweeping over the group, calculating and cold.

Dressed in dark, almost military attire, he was clearly not one of them. His expression was unreadable, but the faintest smirk played on his lips.

For a moment, no one dared to move. Then, he spoke, his voice smooth and taunting.

"Are you lost?"

A chill spread through the group. His eyes lingered on Xia Yunfei for just a second longer, and she felt as if he could see right through her, as if he was weighing her, deciding her worth.

"Welcome to the system. I am number 001, Mo Ran, An overseer of all the exams this group will take. If you need my help, tap the beacon on your chest, note you can only ask for my help each exam and you cannot ask me to help you find the items.." After that he turned, fading back into the darkness.

"That… was an Overseer?!" someone whispered in horror.

A murmur of fear rippled through the group. The Overseers weren't there to help—they were only there to observe and enforce, to watch them struggle and fail. Xia Yunfei swallowed hard, gripping her dagger. She didn't know who this Overseer was, but his gaze, his smirk—it was as though he was enjoying their fear.

[System Notification: Time Remaining - 2 hours and 45 minutes.]

The countdown had begun.

Xia Yunfei looked around at the others. "We have to move," she said firmly, her voice steady even as her heart raced. "If we stay here, we're just easy targets."

The young woman from before nodded. "She's right. If we find the beacon together, we stand a better chance."

With hesitant glances at each other, they began moving forward, the forest closing in around them as the shadows deepened. Each rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, sent jolts of anxiety through the group. Some faces were tense, others blank, masking emotions they couldn't afford to show.

As they walked, one of the teenagers in the group—a boy with wide, fearful eyes—whispered to Xia Yunfei, "Do you think we can trust each other?"

She glanced down at him, trying to offer a reassuring look. "Trust? Maybe. But right now, we have no choice but to rely on each other. Stay close."

Xia Yunfei paused, glancing at the towering trees around her, their branches like dark claws reaching into the night sky. She couldn't shake the feeling that the System wouldn't just toss them into a deadly mission without some kind of direction, however faint. Squinting in the dim light, she ran her fingers along the rough bark of a nearby tree, hoping for some sign, some clue.

Then, as if responding to her thoughts, faint words began to burn into the bark, each letter flickering with an eerie, blueish glow.

[Participant: Xia Yunfei has been designated Team Leader.]

Her heart skipped as she watched the message etch itself in sharp, jagged lines. Above her own participant number, a bold, single-digit 001 appeared, standing out against the darkened forest around them.

"What…?" she murmured, but before she could fully process it, more words began to materialize:

A map to the beacon has been produced.

The bark shifted, and slowly, an outline emerged—a rough, glowing map that showed their surroundings. A faint, pulsing line marked the path eastward, where a small, distant dot represented the beacon.

The group had noticed too, their wary eyes flicking between Xia Yunfei and the map. A ripple of unease and grudging respect passed through them. One of them, a man with a distrustful scowl, scoffed. "Just like that, she's the leader?"

But before anyone could argue further, another message carved itself into the tree:

Bonus points for teamwork will be given at the ending.

The man sneered, but he fell silent, his fingers gripping the hilt of his blade. Xia Yunfei's heart was racing, but she kept her expression calm and composed.

"All right," she said, looking over the group. "We don't have much time. The System wants us to find this beacon, and we'll need each other to get there. Complaints can wait until after."

A few nodded in agreement, while others muttered but didn't protest. No one here was thrilled, but survival was their common goal.

"Look," she continued, pointing to the map. "The beacon is due east. If we stick to this path, we'll get there faster."

The distrustful man crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed. "And what if it's a trap? How do we know the System won't just drop us into some death zone?"

"We don't," Xia Yunfei replied evenly. "But the alternative is wandering this place blind. If you have a better plan, I'll listen."

He held her gaze for a tense moment, then shrugged, stepping back into line. The group seemed to settle slightly, each participant falling into an unspoken formation.

"All right then," she said, letting her voice cut through the silence. "Stay together. The System wants teamwork, so let's use it. We don't know what's in this forest, but we'll be safer if we watch each other's backs."