Cain felt the weight of the city pressing down, a mixture of metal, wire, and smoke that clung to the spire like a living organism. The Grid had shifted, moved, and reorganized itself overnight, and now it pulsed beneath their feet, humming with a life all its own.
Susan's boots crunched on the debris-strewn corridor. "I still don't understand how it's alive," she muttered, keeping her rifle trained ahead. "It's code… it's supposed to obey rules, not breathe."
Roselle glanced over her shoulder, eyes sharp. "It obeys because it understands us as much as we understand it. That's what makes it dangerous."
Hunter moved alongside Cain, his face grim. "We underestimated how integrated it became with the city's infrastructure. This isn't just a network—it's an organism built on the bones of the city itself."
Steve trailed behind, carrying his pack like a shield. "And it's learning. Every step we take, every move we make, it adapts."
