Altered (Male Reader-Insert)

[6]

 You stand still as to let Lin go ahead and he plays the recorder first.

 "Report start.

 This was originally the research room. But most of the servers were destroyed in that riot. The rest also failed due to being covered in black slime. There's a good ventilations system and an open space. So a group of special black latex beasts used this as a nest. These special black latex beasts follow some rules. They follow anyone's actions like a game. I still haven't understood why they do this. After all, I'm not a PhD in animal behavior.

 Report finish."

 Lin continues on while you stand there thinking how to bypass it. You see him step back a bit as two more boxes follow his movements. You realize they follow the movements of the first person they see and you assume they won't follow you.

 You make the creature bump into a crystal and a box, giving you a path to walk through. You catch up with Lin and he lets you go first this time. You read a note on the wall while he tries to dodge them.

 "The black latex living in this area have special outer caps. Horns and some big wings. I saw animals like this in book, humans call 'dragons'. They like to play. You must win at their game!"

 Dragons? Is that what they look like under those boxes? You turn around and see that Lin has made it pass them. You make it to the final set of boxes but this time it's different. There's five boxes and three of them are following you while the rest are following Lin.

 It's more difficult this time since some of them are bumping into each other. The two of you manage to make it through with Lin directly behind you. You enter the next room and immediately stop in your tracks, making Lin bump into you. He steps to the side to see what's going on.

 In front of you are four white latex beasts like the ones in the disinfecting room. You remember that they always run straight at you. This gives you a boost of adrenaline and you grab Lin's hand and run back into the room just as they were about to touch you.

 You quickly look around the room to see any paths and begin to worry when there's none. You feel something nudge at you and when you look down you see two of the boxes move behind you and Lin. You both turn around just as the white latex cubs enter the room.

 One of them tries to go after Lin but he moves back making the box move forward, knocking the white beast back. It pushes the box away, making it angry and calling the other boxes for help. The two types of beasts begin fighting.

 What happens next feels so surreal. The boxes call for more reinforcements and this time some of the boxes and servers move in to help them. They outnumber the white cubs and start surrounding them. The entire time you just stand there and watch out of confusion.

 You snap out of it when you feel Lin pull on your hand. He's pointing to the exit and you can see that there's a path you can take. You walk around the fight, not wanting to get involved. You notice a note that was previously covered up by the servers.

 "Who am I kidding... maybe you never wake up, I can't remember how many day passed, I want to go again and again, but don't want to let go, tomorrow, I still wait, but how long can I..."

 You two enter the next room and feel relief when you can't see any latex beasts. The first thing you notice is that a part of the floor seems shiny. When you walk on it, you slide across it like ice. You can't change your direction when you're sliding no matter how hard you try.

 There's a row of crystals making you unable to go to the next room. Lin points out that there's a weird round latex ball on the ground. He steps on it and it bounces him forward and over the row of crystals. You did the same thing and see a clipboard to your left.

 "The scientists in group B have successfully mutated some black latex beasts so that they no longer need a 'nucleus'. They no longer have a 'mask' and have turned completely white. For the sake of distinction we simply named them 'white latex beasts'.

 Compared to the black ones, they have a stronger ability to change, can carry more diverse animal genes, and combine them to create compound beasts. There are some white latex beasts who are no longer white and appear as animals. We still call them 'white latex beasts' but we occasionally call them 'variegated latex beasts'.

 Black beasts dislike their white relatives with some even preying on them. The remaining difficulty is how to allow subjects to integrate with the white latex beasts and still have a personal consciousness. As for group C, they're still attached to the black latex beasts and seem to have created lizards with wings..."

 You enter the next room which is full of latex dragons. They didn't chase you immediately which means they must have unique movement. They seem to move on when you do and they chase whoever is closest to them.

 The two of you stick by each other and make your way through the room. You find out that if you both move in sync then they'll only move once. You use this to your advantage and reach the end of the room.

 There's a pile of materials near the exit and checking them reveals to be various research papers that have double tape on their backs. You assume that this was done by the person who has been helping you all throughout.

 Just like with the latex wolves before, the next room is even more crowded. There's less space for the two of you to move in sync so you have to move separately at some point. There are papers on the wall but because of how these latex beasts move, you can't read them.

 You notice some tiny latex beasts that look more like bats. You feel like they're harmless as they're about the size of a palm. With how crowded this room is, you end up splitting away from Lin to let him escape first.

 Lin hesitantly leaves and after some time you manage to escape as well with a latex beast right behind you. You reunite with Lin who's waiting for you in the next room. He looks worried and asks if you're alright since it took you a while to escape.

 You tell him you're fine and that you have to take longer routes in order to escape. He calms down and says that he's glad that the two of you have managed to get this far together. You smile at him and look around the room to check if there's any beasts.

 The room is empty and is littered with crystals. There are a few boxes in some places and the crystals seem to transition into green at the end. There's a note and photos near the exit and the right side of the room is mostly a giant window.

 Looking out the window, you can see the ruined cityscape with the sun high in the sky. There's a building nearby with a sign saying "Thunder Science Company". Your intuition tells you that something will happen here and the next room will be difficult to get through.

 Your intuition is right as a giant hand bursts through the ceiling as you walk forward a bit. It comes towards you but hits a pile of boxes along the way. It stuns it and opens up a path. Like before it chases who's closer.

 Some of the boxes are blocking the way so you have to make the hand knock it over. You always try to make the hand chase you that way Lin can easily get to the end. You use the round latex bump to get over a pile of crystals and get to the end. The hand seems to give up and goes back into the ceiling.

 You look at the photos which show a pink slime turning someone into a pink dragon. There's a note off to the side, you read it while Lin checks the crystals and the photos.

 "The whole tower resembles a 'W'. It was built as a bunker but was then turned into a research institute. It has three parts: one main tower and two auxiliaries. If one is lost, the others will still work."

 All that's left is to enter the next room. You prepare and relax your mind so that you won't panic and make mistakes. Your tired body aches a bit, making you hope that the room after it will let you rest. You glance at Lin who seems to be doing the same thing as you. With all that said and done, you both go inside the room.