The restrictions hit immediately.
For the next week, Ted was barred from solo external duties. His assignments were limited to internal labor, wall reinforcement, and supervised patrols only. Every move outside the gates required at least two additional observers, usually soldiers or Marcus's allies. The message was clear: the hub didn't trust him fully.
Ted spent the first two days hauling crates, reinforcing barricades, and helping maintain the inner perimeter. His upgraded stats made the physical work trivial, but he deliberately paced himself and wiped sweat from his brow to sell the image of an ordinary survivor pushing through fatigue.
Elena was often assigned with him, their Ally Bond making the long hours more bearable. During one quiet moment while stacking sandbags along the inner wall, she spoke softly.
"They're watching you every second now. Jax follows you like a shadow. Marcus is grinning every time I see him. We need a plan, Ted. If the next scan goes wrong…"
"I know," Ted replied, keeping his voice low. "The power is still growing. I can't stop feeding or training it, or the hunger will get worse. I need one good external run to test things safely."
On the third day, a supervised patrol finally came. Ted, Elena, two soldiers, and Jax were sent to clear a small blocked section of the outer road, nothing high-risk, but far enough to give Ted a chance.
Horde Sense lit up the moment they left the cleared zone: a scattered group of eleven lesser zombies in a nearby ruined parking lot, with no intelligent variant in range.
The soldiers took point. Ted stayed back with Elena and Jax, pipe ready.
As the main group engaged six shamblers, three lesser infected broke toward Ted's position. This was his window.
He activated **Basic Horde Command**, spending 30 Essence to send a clear mental push to the three zombies: *Turn left. Attack each other.*
Two of them immediately lurched and began clawing at one another with clumsy aggression. The third hesitated before following the command weakly. Ted finished them quickly with precise strikes while the soldiers were distracted, absorbing the essence in the chaos.
*[Necro Essence +9 +8 +11]*
The soldiers noticed the odd behavior but chalked it up to "pack confusion." Jax, however, narrowed his eyes. "Again. They turned on each other right when you were looking at them."
Ted shrugged, wiping his pipe. "Lucky break. They're mindless. It happens."
Jax didn't look convinced, but he couldn't prove anything.
The patrol ended successfully, but the report Jax filed later that evening added another layer of suspicion. Colonel Voss called Ted in for a short follow-up.
"More reports of abnormal infected behavior around you," she said flatly. "We're moving your next deep scan up to tomorrow morning. Dr. Thorne will be running it personally. Stay available."
Ted left the office with a knot in his stomach. The restrictions were tightening.
That night, sleep was difficult. The hunger baseline from Enhanced Regeneration I was rising again after limited feeding opportunities. Ted knew he couldn't wait much longer for a proper harvest.
Elena found him in the barracks corridor during the dim night cycle. "Tomorrow's scan is going to be the deepest yet. Dr. Thorne mentioned neural mapping and regenerative tissue sampling. If your power leaves any trace…"
"I'll use everything I have to mask it," Ted said. "The upgraded Flesh Crafting should help. But if it fails, we may need to think about leaving the hub."
Elena's expression hardened with resolve. "If it comes to that, I'm with you. But we don't run without a plan. This place still has resources we might need."
Before they could say more, footsteps approached. Jax and another guard passed by, giving Ted a long, suspicious stare.
The next morning, the deep scan was worse than expected.
Dr. Thorne's equipment was more advanced, a full-body pod with multiple sensors and a mild sedative to keep the subject still. Ted lay inside as the machine hummed, lights flashing across his skin.
He poured everything into **Minor Flesh Crafting** and mental focus, spending 40 Essence to layer disguise over disguise,adjusting neural signals, blood chemistry, and even subtle tissue responses.
*[Deep Scan in progress. Masking at maximum. Success probability: 71%. Trace regenerative patterns may still register.]*
The minutes stretched painfully. Dr. Thorne watched the readings with intense focus.
"Fascinating," the doctor muttered. "Elevated regenerative factors again, but the neural mapping shows unusual synchronization in the limbic system. Almost as if… there's an external influence pattern. Not infection, but something else."
Colonel Voss's voice came over the comm. "Conclusion?"
Dr. Thorne hesitated. "Inconclusive, but highly anomalous. I recommend 48-hour observation in the containment wing for further study. Non-invasive at first."
Ted's heart rate spiked, but he forced it down with sheer will.
The System flashed urgently:
*[Emergency Quest: Avoid Observation]*
*Prevent transfer to containment wing for 48 hours.*
*Reward: +120 Necro Essence + New Skill Tease.*
Before the colonel could respond, alarms suddenly blared across the hub.
"Perimeter breach! Large horde approaching from the northwest, coordinated variants leading! All able personnel to the walls!"
The scan pod opened automatically as emergency protocol kicked in. Dr. Thorne cursed. "We'll continue this later, Harlan. Report to defense stations."
Ted stepped out, relief mixing with adrenaline. The interruption had bought him time.
As he and Elena rushed toward the walls with the other defenders, Horde Sense exploded with warnings: over a hundred infected, multiple intelligent variants coordinating the assault.
This was no ordinary attack.
The dead were testing the hub's defenses.
And Ted would have to fight, possibly using more of his growing power than ever before.