The alley Kai dove into wasn't real—not entirely. It shimmered like heat waves, pixelating at the edges. A garbage bin glitched sideways, repeating the same three-frame fall every second. His breath came hard. Blood thudded in his ears. But it wasn't fear.
It was adrenaline.
[SYSTEM ALERT: UNKNOWN PLAYER DETECTED IN LEVEL: ALPHA-CORE DISTRICT]
[DEPLOYING FIREWALL PROTOCOL]
"Crap…" Kai muttered, eyes darting up as the sky fractured. From above, a translucent red grid began to descend, locking down the area like a digital guillotine.
He bolted.
Neon signs flickered around him—"404 Café" to his left, "Byte & Brew" to the right. None of it mattered now. His only goal: escape before the Firewall sealed him inside the loop.
A rumble shook the ground. Then a crash. Something landed behind him.
Kai didn't need to look.
"Firewall Construct: Omega Unit—ACTIVE."
He ducked just as a heat beam sizzled through the air, carving a molten line into the pavement. Sparks flew. Cars glitched into fragments.
"Too slow!" he shouted, vaulting over a cracked delivery drone and skidding under a holo-billboard.
Behind him, the firewall unit followed—nine feet tall, blank-faced, armor made from data mesh and code-bound steel. It moved like liquid metal, arms shifting into weapons at will. One moment it was a plasma cannon. The next, a spinning blade.
[Combat Protocol: Kai – Target Priority: MAXIMUM]
Kai's wristband flared to life.
[ABILITY: GHOST CODE – CHARGING… 78%]
Just a few more seconds…
The firewall construct lunged, blade arcing for Kai's neck.
He twisted, narrowly dodging, the edge slicing through the air. Time seemed to slow as Kai activated his HUD menu mid-sprint.
[Inventory: OPEN]
[Equip: EMP Dagger v2.1]
He flicked his hand. The blade materialized—a short, curved weapon humming with crackling digital energy. He turned just in time to parry the firewall's strike. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.
"Why is this thing targeting me like I'm a virus?" Kai grunted, locking eyes with the lifeless visor of the unit.
No answer.
Just another swing.
Kai ducked low, slashing at the firewall's core. The EMP dagger sunk deep—but not deep enough. The construct reeled, glitching for a second.
[CRITICAL HIT: 38% DAMAGE]
[GHOST CODE – 100% READY]
"Finally." Kai stepped back. "Let's see what this does."
He activated the ability. His body shimmered, then flickered—phasing out like a corrupted hologram. The world slowed to a crawl.
Around him, code peeled from buildings, floating like strings in a digital ocean. He stepped through a wall, bypassing the construct. Everything felt… light.
[GHOST CODE ACTIVE – 8 SECONDS REMAINING]
He dashed behind the firewall unit, positioning perfectly.
[INVENTORY: EQUIP – Code Spike Grenade]
He tossed the grenade onto the firewall's back. It latched on with a click.
[3… 2… 1…]
BOOM.
The explosion rippled with a pulse of blue energy, destabilizing the construct's data layers. It froze mid-motion, sparks erupting from its limbs.
[FIREWALL PROTOCOL: TERMINATED]
[SECURITY NODE COMPROMISED – OPENING GATEWAY TO LEVEL BETA]
Kai dropped to his knees, chest heaving.
He'd won.
But only barely.
The red sky above flickered, and for a moment, he saw it—another presence watching him. Not the firewall. Not the system.
Something else.
Something sentient.
The voice from earlier returned, but this time clearer.
"Kai… why did you return?"
He looked up, sweat trickling down his cheek. "I never left. You kicked me out."
There was silence. Then a soft laugh.
"Then let's see if you've truly earned your second life."
A bright flash burst from the alley wall as a rift tore open, revealing a corridor of twisting binary code—a portal.
Kai approached cautiously. "No map. No hint. No backup…"
He smiled.
"Just the way I like it."
He stepped through.
And the world changed.