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Awakening as a Secret Operative in an AI-Driven World

SeraphWedd
14
chs / week
The average realized release rate over the past 30 days is 14 chs / week.
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Synopsis
Neil, a mysterious "Unknown," woke up in a strange world. A world where a large majority of humans have a miniature AI installed in the middle of their brains... including himself. Something to fill in what humans lack: the ability for speedy, serial calculations and simple memorization. However, that wasn't the problem. Whether it was intended or not, the Neural Constructs "alter" the hosts' very being after they reach "maturation." They could either receive blessings... or a curse. Follow Neil's story as he figures out who he is, what he needs to do, and why he's out there, "cleaning up" bugs.
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Chapter 1 - Chase and...

It was a dark, cold, almost wintry midnight. Faint snow was falling, keeping the entire scenery a mix of gray and white. But despite the late hours, the amount of activity within the city didn't show any signs of decreasing.

In the near sub-zero temperatures, a giant figure sped through an alley, smashing against garbage bins and AC units, destroying everything its large bulk came across.

Crack!

[Target turned right on Pine Street, heading west. I'm extending the perception veil.]

A calm female voice echoed in the small earpiece from the two figures chasing after the giant figure. Although they looked barefoot, their entire bodies were covered from head to toe with what looked like a suit.

An exoskeleton that helped them reach running speeds close to a hundred miles an hour.

"Copy that." The leading one, the blue-haired Asian beauty, promptly replied. "We'll take a shortcut through Wilson Avenue. One-O'-Eight, follow me."

Unlike her cold, mechanical, and precise movements, the other one she just called was running with grace and poise. Each step juggles various sections of her black-exoskeleton-covered body. It was counterintuitive seeing the way she ran and the fact she's not falling behind one bit.

"Aye, aye, Cap~!" The woman replied, her curly auburn hair waving gently behind her with the draft. "Let's quickly clean up this bug and return to base! I already miss Alex..."

The blue-haired beauty glared behind at the woman and warned. "I tell you all the time, but don't call our names while on the mission. Use our designation numbers."

"Humph! Koori's a cheapskate...!"

The woman's gaze turned cold as she mouthed words, "Ophelia, you..." before shutting her mouth. She knew that she'd just be wasting energy trying to convince the girl.

Despite their lighthearted banter, the two didn't drop their speed one bit.

As soon as they got out of another alley, they quickly caught sight of their target, running right in the middle of the road. It was like a tank, rushing towards pedestrians with absolutely no care about "safety."

"Cap!" The brown-haired girl, Ophelia, shouted, but the other one was already acting on it.

"I know!" Koori snapped, waving her hand.

As soon as she did, the semi-piled-up snow in the surroundings began to move. As if lifted by an invisible tornado.

They melted away rapidly, turning into flowing water, before aggregating and forming a "barrier" to hold back the giant figure.

BAM!

Its body struck the ice, causing it to crack. But thankfully, it managed to hold back the bulk of the "monster." Weirdly, the pedestrians who were almost run over and turned into minced meat continued walking, chatting with smiles.

As if they were wholly unaware of the monstrosity looming over them or what was happening a few feet away.

Of course, the giant figure didn't sit still. It slammed its bucket-sized fists against the icy wall, causing the cracks to spread further. However... it was too slow.

The next moment, more water flowed toward the monster, wrapping around its legs, its waist, and its arms, pinning it down in place, unable to move an inch. It might be powerful, but it still had a human's joints, after all.

"Checkmate!"

And right the next moment, Ophelia slipped beside the "monster," patting its shoulder. The next moment, the figure's bloodshot eyes suddenly widened further before staring blankly ahead.

All of its movements halted, as if its mind were frozen in place.

"Target is locked in place. Do it now!" Koori shouted to her earpiece commandingly.

[Copy that. Initiating Teleportation!]

And the calm voice replied immediately.

In the next second, the giant monster's all-muscle body, nearly three meters tall and over two meters wide, began to flicker in and out of existence. The brown-haired woman saw this and quickly jumped back, staying clear of it.

If they go through with their plan, this should've been their "finthem orlow." Teleporting the "enemy" straight into outer space, where only death is certain for a flesh-and-blood body. However...

[E-Error! The target has a high psychic resistance! I can't teleport him too far! Changing the location to a vacant lot nearby with no civilians!]

As expected, not everything went as their plan.

"Got it." Still, Koori responded calmly. As if she was expecting it. "Teleport us together with it; we'll finish the job there."

"With no pedestrians, we could unleash our full strength, after all~!"

Even the brown-haired Ophelia replied cheerfully, almost sounding as if she's looking out for the woman on the other end of their comms.

[C-Copy. Then, I'll be sending the three of you there.]

The next moment, the two girls' visions began to flicker. Just like the figure locked in ice, their bodies looked like they were blinking in and out of existence... but in reality, they were just existing in two places at the same time, intermittently switching back and forth until it stabilized and...

WHOOSH!

The scenery around them stabilized...

But it was now showing a different location entirely.

It was no longer the bustling street, with cars drifting lightly and pedestrians passing by, but rather, a cordoned-off construction site for a new mega building.

"Shit..." Koori cursed, biting her lip. "One-O'-Eight, make sure to control the target, or the Director will get mad at us for repair bills."

She was already thinking of the worst case before the fight even started!

"Hehe, right-o~!"

Ophelia replied lightly, however, rushing toward the monster with swift steps. "But I don't think it would have time to even damage a single pillar—"

But her words were cut short. A panicked warning came to their earpieces.

[S-Something is teleporting into your location! Be careful!]

"...Huh?"

Right as Ophelia heard this—

CRACKLE! BOOM!

A thunderbolt fell right between her and the "monster." It was so powerful that gravel and rocks flew around, causing her to take a few steps back while guarding her face from the projectiles.

"Damn! I almost got hit!" She cursed, peeking between her blocking arms to see the situation.

There, standing on the spot where the lightning fell... a single, humanoid figure stood.

A man with black hair and silvery white pupils, staring toward the ground blankly. He exuded a weird pressure that made everyone present stand still in both wariness and surprise.

Slowly, his gaze rose, staring at the two girls.

He slowly parted his lips, as if about to speak...

When a giant arm, the size of a large bucket, hung over his figure, crashing down rapidly!