[Yes, when he was on the verge of death, his body automatically created a new body for him, consuming a nearby human body so that it took its human form.]

[I also checked the monster alien base their team subdued and I saw Lance's original body.. or at least what's left of it.]

[The information transmitted from his body composition did not match for parasitism. But on the cloning, there was a high match.]

"I see. So if he exercise this ability, he will be able to create two or more version of himself?"

"That's considered a possibility."

"For him to get stronger, we just need to help him train using his cloning abilities. I believe that if we give him his weapon, Endless, it would accelerate his growth."

Alice nodded. "Currently, that weapon is in Marshal Klein's hands. We cannot stay close to him, so retrieving it is hard." She paused. Her eyes lingered on the poor sleeping figure of Lance. "But it's not impossible."

Cold wind blew, causing their skin to shiver. Lance moved in a stupor, inching closer to the fire for more heat.

Michael was a few feet away, still checking the supplies. In this lush environment, they expected people to survive for five days by eating dry biscuits and drinking bottled water.

Luckily, the supplies Michael managed to snatch consisted more of guns and bullets than food and water. He also took the guns from the two he killed earlier and filled them with bullets.

In the middle of the night, Alice got up and patted Michael's shoulder.

"You can sleep. I will take over."

Michael yawned. "What time is it?"

"Midnight." Alice picked up the blanket he used to cover her and handed it to Michael.

"I'll wake you up before dawn."

Michael absentmindedly nodded. He made his way to where Alice slept and curled up against a tree. Alice sat at the front and examined the four guns they had gotten from the supplies and the two killed men.

Alice stopped her actions when she heard a twig snap. Her heightened senses caught the faint breathing of five people approaching. They blended well into the thick bushes, their footsteps light, making sure their target could not hear them approaching.

Alice did not react and continued to study the gun in her hand. She waited a few minutes before the group made their first move.

A young man with a bald head shot at her, aiming for her head. Alice deflected it with her small knife and fired consecutive shots, aiming at all five of them.

Heavy thuds erupted one after another, waking up Lance and Michael. Lance still had his bedhead but rushed towards Alice with a gun in hand and a blanket draped over his shoulders.

"Enemy? Where?" His words were still slurred. Alice was amused.

"Go back to sleep, bedhead." She shoved him back to his sleeping spot.

"What? No, enemy. There's an enemy."

"Already dead. Now sleep." She forcibly wrapped him in a blanket, not listening to another word coming out of his sleepy mouth.

Lance still struggled a bit, but tiredness and sleepiness were catching up to him. He hadn't rested because he did not feel secure sleeping in this strange environment.

But right now, it was different.

He genuinely wanted to sleep because a familiar presence was by his side. His hands gripped the blanket tightly, feeling reassured that his girlfriend was with him. He closed his eyes.

Alice gave him one last look before getting up to leave. She continued to sit where she sat earlier. She knew it was better to approach the enemies and loot their weapons. However, she did not do it.

Her heightened senses let her detect other people within a few meters. But they were waiting, or resting, not making a move on them first.

Alice let them be. If no one attacks, that's good.

Alice looked down at her hands. Her and Michael's situation was a bit more complicated than what Michael explained.

And unlike them, Alice remembered who she was before she became a Suit. She remembered what exactly happened on the day the two alien species invaded Earth and preyed on humans.

Michael was too young to remember. But she did. And no experiments were able to erase her memories. While she was a Suit, she already knew the truth.

Sometimes, she would be awakened when they put her in hibernation pods. Sometimes, she was able to escape from the illusion they set for her and take a glimpse of reality.

Alice did not get a chance to tell Michael the truth. That the reason why the base abandoned her and Michael, ordering the captain to plunge them both to their death… is because they found out Alice became aware of the reality.

She knew she was living in an illusion and was desperately trying to break free from the control of the main system.

Like Lance, she mutated into an unrecognizable being. She desperately searched for her younger brother's body. But he had died. The corrosion was so lethal he died within seconds of being plunged into the black liquid.

That's when the system connected to her, explaining the truth of the world. And the reason she was chosen is because they wanted her to complete the task of saving the world.

The system also showed her how to save Michael. The reason her younger brother is alive now is because she shared her abilities with him.

So if something happened to him, she would also bear the pain.

And if he dies…she dies with him.

The watch on Alice's hand was glowing green, meaning she had obtained the necessary points to pass this training and proceed to the next.

She pressed the crown button and saw there were five in total who had passed. Now what's left for them to do is to survive and avoid being shot by other trainees for the next four days.

Alice closed her eyes, focusing on her senses to figure out how many trainees were nearby.

Five…
Eight…
Twelve…

With a snap, she opened her eyes. The nearby five people approached her. But this time, they were scattered. From different directions, they were probably attracted by the campfire Michael made.

She turned and grabbed Michael and Lance to stand on their feet. But these two were knocked out completely. 

No choice, she shook them to wake up.

Lance was the first one to get out of his stupor. He look up and blink absent – mindedly.

"Is it morning?"

Alice slapped him on the cheek, hard, causing him to awaken from his stupor.

"Ouch... What was that for?" Lance glared at first, thinking it was Michael again who slapped him hard. But when he saw it was Alice, his irritation died down, and he looked at her, puzzled.

Alice did not answer him. Instead, she pushed Lance in front, putting a gun in his hand.

"Right now, five people are approaching us from different directions. Can you pinpoint their exact location?"

Lance was surprised. He focused on his senses, and sure enough, he could hear the soft footsteps of these people. He could tell they were heading towards him. Like what happened when he and Alice came here, they must have noticed the campfire.

He noticed in the corner of his eye that the campfire had died, but there was faint smoke sizzling out of the burned wood and leaves.

"I…I can," Lance confirmed. The positions of all five of them were at his 2 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 8 o'clock, 10 o'clock, and 1 o'clock.

"Good. Now this gun has exactly five bullets. Kill all of them using this."

Lance's mouth hung wide open. "A – Are you serious? They are at least thirty meters away from us, and there are thick woods surrounding us. Having a clear shot is impossible."

Alice nodded. "It's okay. You can do it."

Lance whined. "No, I don't think –"

"Sniper training." She looked into his eyes. "Haven't you been doing that with your teammates while you were training for the National Championship?"

"...????"

"H–how did you know?"

Alice did not answer. Again. She positioned Lance's hands in a shooting position, accurately pointing the barrel of the gun in the direction where one of the five people was approaching.

"We are not similar to the trainees. We used to be Suits; our physical capabilities were twice as fast and strong as theirs. Our perception is also sharper. Try to focus on your target. Find the vital point where you can shoot accurately and fire."

Lance forcibly swallowed the unsettling emotions he felt in his heart and followed Alice's instructions. Once he focused on the target, it was like a new world for him. His eyes seemed to zoom in on the target.

He could see the silhouette of the man navigating the bushes and branches with delicate and swift motions, making sure he kept his tracks silent so no one could notice him.