Every awakener is a survivor chosen by the System.And survivors—never coexist.
Night falls again.Light rain taps against the rusted rooftop, each drop like a tiny countdown.
Ethan leans by the cracked window, eyes fixed on a distant red light.It doesn't belong to any street signal—its flicker moves in a precise rhythm, almost syncing with his own System's frequency.
[Warning: Unidentified Host Detected.][Host ID: Ω_03][Status: Active][Range: 1.2 km]
He whispers,"So… I'm not the only one."
The wind stirs the torn curtain as he picks up his helmet and slips into his soaked delivery jacket.The electric bike coughs once, sputtering to life, before rolling into the night.
The city is unnervingly silent.Neon reflections ripple in puddles, sketching a cold blue vein across the wet streets.The faint hum of the System glows before him—drawing lines, predicting turns, calculating every possible route.
He accelerates.Notifications stream in behind his eyes.
[Objective: Observe before engagement.][Risk Level: Medium.]
"Observe?" he mutters. "No. I want to know who's watching me."
Minutes later, he arrives at the signal's source—a crumbling office complex with shattered windows and dead elevators.The wind howls through hollow floors, carrying echoes like whispers of forgotten lives.
[Distance: 80m… 50m… 10m…]
Then—light.
Atop the building, fluorescent panels flicker to life.A figure stands at the edge.A girl, holding an umbrella beneath the rain.
Her black hair clings to her pale face, coat fluttering as the storm presses against her.Before her hovers a glowing red interface, lines of data streaming like blood.
[Ω_03: Mission in Progress — Intercept Network Source.]
Ethan's eyes narrow.That mission target—was him.
"Who are you?" His voice is low, taut with suspicion.
The girl glances down, calm and detached."Just a task. No need for names."
Her red system pulses—A circle expands outward like a spreading wound.
In an instant, every surrounding signal dies.Even the falling rain seems to slow midair.
[Ω_03 Skill: Field Override Lv.2 — Activated]
Ethan's scalp prickles as static ripples through the air.Red code streaks across his vision, invading his own interface—Overlapping, disrupting, corrupting.
His blue panel fractures into shards of light.
"You're intruding into my System?!"
He slams a command forward.
[Counter-Protocol Initiated — Memory Shield Lv.1]
The two systems collide.Blue and red light twist together, clashing violently above the rooftop.Electric arcs split the rain, scattering sparks across the storm.
She steps back slightly, eyes narrowing."Your response speed… it shouldn't be this high."
Ethan grits his teeth, veins pulsing at his temple."I remember every pain. Do you?"
His hands tighten. His mind sharpens.The blue glow surges—He forces her intrusion out.
The red light shatters.
[Conflict Resolved.][New Data Captured: Ω_03 Source Code Fragment.][Mission 002 Complete — Business Entity Established.][Reward Unlocked — Skill: Computational Foresight Lv.1]
A flash of blinding light sears his vision.Ethan gasps as his consciousness fractures—then expands.
Suddenly, he sees seconds ahead.Every trajectory, every potential move—And in that glimpse, she turns—leaps from the rooftop.
"Wait—!"
He lunges forward, catching nothing but cold air.A splash echoes faintly below.He looks down, rain mist curling around the empty street—She's gone.
The System flickers once more.
[New Mission Available — Track Subject Ω_03][Hint: Survivors share one origin.]
Ethan stands motionless under the rain.Wind threads through his hair; water drips down his chin.A realization dawns—he's no longer just a victim.Not even merely an awakener.
This city hides shadows deeper than he imagined.And every "chosen" by the System carries the same wound.
He whispers to the storm, voice steady yet cold:
"So even fate itself… is competing for survival."
Lightning splits the clouds, painting silver veins across the sky.Rain scatters like shards of glass.
His gaze hardens—calm, distant, unyielding.
"If someone has to lose this game…""Then I'll be the one to end it."