In the activity waiting room at this moment, Uzuki stared blankly at the holographic screen of his SmartWrap.
A short line appeared on it:
*ZX-C-IN-G04283*
This was both his identification code and rank.
("ZX" being the Area Code, "IN" the Role, G04283 the serial number or ID code, and finally "C" the sub-rank.)
Artemis suddenly popped out from a screen in the corner, circling around as if she had been waiting for this moment to tease Uzuki for having almost completely consumed all her dignity.
"Oh\~ C rank, huh? I thought you were so impressive!" she tilted her chin, lips curling into a smug smile.
"All that showiness, and in the end, that's it."
Uzuki didn't respond, only glanced at her sideways, quick enough to be almost imperceptible.
Artemis leaned back, hands clasped behind her head, floating as if on an invisible bed.
"Actually, that's already pretty high. Especially for a rookie," her voice monotone, her expression turning completely indifferent, matching Uzuki's.
"TUG has six main ranks: E, D, C, B, A, and S. Each rank is further divided from 0 to 4 — for example, E0 to E4, D0 to D4…"
As she spoke, Artemis closed her eyes and rolled gently through the air, like a bored girl rolling back and forth on her bed, yet continuously reciting as if reviewing a curriculum she had memorized long ago.
Mid-sentence, Artemis unconsciously opened her eyes… and saw Uzuki had returned to his "closed-off meditation" state, sitting cross-legged, eyes glued to the screen, entirely detached from reality.
*Cre-eak*
A grinding sound rang out — none other than Artemis expressing frustration at Uzuki's attitude.
"You don't ever get tired of reusing the same motif, do you??"
"Am I so wicked that I ended up picking someone as annoying as you?"
Uzuki said nothing, fingers still gliding over the screen, as if her words were mere background noise.
Seeing his demeanor, she could only shake her head in exasperation.
"Fine, fine, arguing with you would make even God lose patience. If you want to know something, check the system yourself. I won't waste my breath."
Artemis muttered the last line before slipping back into the screen, no longer caring.
Uzuki remained seated, not casually browsing anything visible on the internet.
But he quickly noticed a prominent notification from TUG and unconsciously clicked on it.
Before him were laws as long as the plot of
With such a volume of information, Uzuki's
*…*
Suddenly, a pause — Uzuki's swiping motion seemed halted, the air so still that everything around seemed frozen!
His finger stopped at one law on the screen:
*Agent Freedom Rights*
His deep black eyes reflected no light as they fixed on the clause, seemingly ordinary, like a moonless night sky, yet within it were stars never revealed, silently tracing their own orbit!
But no one knew what he was thinking at that moment.
◇
\[NOTICE: Uzuki, ID: G04283, is authorized to return home. First mission will be assigned in 3 days.]
A deep, resonant tone sounded, breaking the suffocating atmosphere of the room.
*Click-clack-*
The sound of shoes striking the floor echoed. Uzuki said nothing and slowly slipped on his shoes.
He gently packed a few items into a small bag, slung it over his shoulder, hands in pockets, and walked out of the room.
"Goodbye!"
A clear yet slightly rude voice rang from behind Uzuki — undoubtedly Artemis.
She stood in a
Uzuki didn't respond, walking forward without a word of farewell, as if treating all things equally — flora, fauna alike — gliding past them effortlessly.
*Clack… clack…*
The sound of his shoes echoed along the silent white hallway. Though there was no darkness, the quietness imparted a strangely suffocating feeling.
Following the provided directions, he was now heading to the teleportation area for return.
Uzuki walked slowly down the corridor…
*Click-*
Suddenly, a door opened somewhere from an adjacent activity waiting room, breaking the isolated silence.
"FINALLY, I CAN GO HOME!!!!!!"
A tall figure burst from the room, joyful, as if emerging from a living hell!
And he quickly spotted Uzuki:
"Ah, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!"
He shouted to warn Uzuki, but inertia prevented him from stopping; he barreled toward him like an unstoppable ship.
*BANG!!!*
The collision echoed violently. Contrary to expectation, only the man crashed hard into the wall.
Uzuki, somehow, vanished in an instant and reappeared half a step to the left, leaving the man to smash face-first into the wall.
Uzuki merely glanced briefly, then prepared to continue walking.
"Y-you… are you okay?!!"
His voice came, distorted and broken, face pressed to the floor, sounding both exhausted and congested.
"I'm fine."
Uzuki replied tersely, emotionless, then turned and walked on, paying no further attention.
He quickly reached the Gateway Hub in Zone D, one of the areas Kura hadn't yet explained.
Before him stood a large silver metal door with an adjacent identification panel. Uzuki immediately verified his identity smoothly, though he had only done this once before.
*—Click.*
The metal door slid open, cold air flowing out, brushing his collar like a gentle greeting.
Ahead was a square room, not very large, but its details exuded a technological aura — dark silver alloy floor, faint blue light streaks running from the walls to the center, blinking rhythmically like the veins of a giant organism.
Four teleportation frames stood tall at the corners, like mirrors covered in liquid, reflecting dim star-like light. Occasionally, a ring of light ran along the edge, producing a low "whoosh" signaling the end of a journey.
The rounded ceiling silently rotated small sensors across his body, displaying on the holographic panel:
\[ID G04283, Uzuki – Gate 3 Access Granted]
He glanced at the two corners, where two Agentroids stood, expression:
*(•‿•)*
The robots seemed to guard the gates rather than fight. Uzuki paid them no mind, walking to the portal.
The gate stood silently but possessed a strange allure. Its frame, a black matte alloy circle over three meters tall, etched with intricate grooves glowing faint blue. Six fist-sized energy cores were mounted evenly, light rotating slowly like miniature planets.
Inside the frame, a semi-liquid plane shimmered white-blue, gently rippling like a moonlit lake. Whenever someone approached, it oscillated, forming small whirlpools as if listening and waiting.
He paused, then stepped into it, returning to his emotionless daily life — perhaps he had accepted the minor annoyances here —
◇
*Ting… Ting… Tingggg*
The alarm sounded relentlessly, the same room, the same solitude, the same air that made one feel every cell shiver.
Uzuki emerged from the bathroom in his familiar suit, shutting off his watch as usual, as if programmed like a robot, endlessly repeating lifeless routines.
He descended and poured a simple cup of coffee, no extraneous action, every process precise to the millimeter.
*Teng…*
A notification sounded from his wrist. Uzuki gently set down the coffee, waved gracefully, and pulled up the sleeve to check his TUG-issued SmartWrap.
As expected, it was a message from the organization. Uzuki stared at it, instinctively murmuring, "Huh?!" as if seeing something unbelievable, though its nature remained unclear.
Outside, the city bustled as usual — people moving, vehicles gliding silently like alien ships. Modern homes stretched endlessly, yet among them, one old-fashioned house stood out.
Uzuki slowly stepped outside, not following his usual path but walking in the opposite direction, as if his destination was unknown to others.
He continued into a busy district, the noise of voices, machines, actions filling the air, skyscrapers blending metallic scents with a strangely gentle calm.
A scene others found vibrant, yet Uzuki was detached, standing out in his attire. People seemed unaware of his presence, creating a strange contrast between him and the world.
He moved away from the crowd to a deserted place, where silence was suffocating, no longer colorful.
He paused, tapping his SmartWrap as if verifying something, staring into the void. A blue light spiraled around him, like a small brilliant vortex swallowing a large creature.
The vortex dissipated, Uzuki vanishing from the current space, teleported.
◇
Opening his eyes, Uzuki found himself in a strange room, feet on a gray disc-like platform, surrounded by white walls, a large screen opposite him, and two strange pillars.
The screen flashed like a massive spotlight, then dimmed to reveal:
*\[Request: Uzuki ID: G04283, please place your hand on the verification pad to receive necessary equipment]*
He placed his hand on the pad skillfully, energy lines flowing into the mold, gradually imprinting his hand like a copy-paste, colored energy waves forming.
*Ting…*
"Identity confirmed."
The announcement rang clearly. Nearby, a huge light illuminated, revealing five Space Cubes used in tests. He picked them up, examining and shaking them like dice.
*\[Request: Agent, equip AtomGuard Nova armor; armor icon on the bottom opposite the button]*
The text drew his attention to the icons. Each cube depicted the upper body of an agent resembling an Agentroid, covered in full armor, head encased in a black metal helmet, prism-shaped with curved top, radiating technological warfare.
He pressed the button.
*Khanh—*
A delicate sound, like breaking glass, passed. The Space Cube shattered into thousands of metal fragments, swirling around Uzuki like a steel serpent wrapping its prey.
Fragments slid along his skin and clothes, forming a soft nano-armor layer, flexible and seamless. Then, outer fragments locked into place, forming hard black-silver armor, edges sharp and joints invisible.
The head encased in a metal prism helmet, face completely concealed. In seconds, Uzuki became a cold armored warrior, blue light pulsing like a predator's heartbeat, a presence both majestic and intimidating.
◇
He quickly left the room. Two other agents similarly armored glanced at him briefly, accustomed to this.
"Hey! Hello there."
One agent waved. Uzuki didn't respond, just looked.
The agent continued, asking,
"New transfer here?"
"How long have you been here?"
"It's been a while since a new member joined the team!"
Rapid questions, lacking context, froze Uzuki.
Though confused, he answered:
"New!"
His tone short, mechanical — if Uzuki had been bewildered before, the other agent was tenfold. Arms dropped, stepping back, awkward silence hanging, only distant footsteps and light machine hums remained.
*krrr—psshhh—hum, zzzzip—thoom, clack—hummm*
Metal scraping echoed, air hissing like a mechanical beast. Cold wind swept, ozone and metal scent tearing through the heavy atmosphere.
He glanced back. The door opened slightly, a silver light cut through darkness. A figure emerged — initially resembling Overseer, black suit and sleek helmet. But the helmet bore flowing soft white lights, silk-like. A small detail — enough for Uzuki to realize: not Overseer. Another team.
Oddly, no one seemed surprised, not even Uzuki. It felt everyone expected this person.
The agent advanced, precise movements, measured breaths, radiating cold authority — a commander's presence.
Voice boomed like a summon, echoing through metal walls:
"Now, bearers of the great mission… children of the universe!"
The echo shook spines, pulling all from previous inertia.
Agents stood rigid, armor joints clicking in rhythm. Uzuki joined, straightened, raised hand per instructions, mind still blank.
The voice continued, sharp and clear:
"You all know why you are here, correct?!"
"You know what you must do, right?!!"
"EVERYONE KNOWS WE STAND FOR OUR FATE, RIGHT!!!!"
"YES!"
The shout exploded, sweeping all emptiness from the air. Armor hummed, metal walls resonated, filling the space with duty and fervor.
The lead agent lowered his voice, addressing those directly:
"All agents equipped. Proceed to the next mission!"
Behind him, thin metal shards emerged, swirling into perfect orbit.
*Snap—!*
A snap echoed. The spiral exploded, forming a floating portal. Blue light surged, vortexing, calling those willing to step in, consequences aside.
Without hesitation, the lead agent entered. Others lined up, steps precise, no order needed. Uzuki, unsure, followed silently at the back.
"This mission… may seem simple. Yet carries the weight of an entire universe. An event that seems to originate from an ant could sweep across a galaxy."