The abandoned industrial zone was swallowed by the night, damp air thick with the scent of rust and decay. Li Chuan gripped his gun tightly, his gaze locked onto the data on Shen Qiu's screen.
There it was—the name that sent a chill down his spine.
"Experiment Code: Zero."
His breath hitched slightly.
"This experiment… it started three years ago," Shen Qiu's voice was low, unusually serious. "That's when Nightveil began testing memory control on living subjects. And this one—Zero—he is the first person to fully adapt to their technology."
"Adapt?" Cheng Mo frowned. "What do you mean?"
Shen Qiu tapped the screen, bringing up more data. "The core of Nightveil's experiment is 'Memory Reconstruction'. Their goal is to turn human memory into something that can be rewritten, edited like a program. And Zero—he's the first one they have complete control over."
"So you're saying…" Li Chuan's voice was dangerously calm, his anger barely restrained, "They can delete memories? And even implant new ones?"
"Exactly." Shen Qiu nodded. His screen flickered with lines of data, like an endless stream of rewritten history. "What's worse… Zero has undergone multiple personality modifications. His entire thought process, his emotions, even his beliefs—they've all been rewritten by Nightveil. He doesn't even know who he was before."
A heavy silence filled the air.
From the comms, Su Man's voice carried a rare unease. "If their technology has reached this level… then how do we even fight them? If they can erase or alter memories at will, then everything we think we know—it could all be fake."
Cheng Mo clenched his fists, voice cold. "No. There's no such thing as perfect memory manipulation. There has to be a flaw."
Li Chuan exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay calm. "Nightveil can't achieve flawless 'Memory Overwriting'. The human brain's self-repairing ability—it's still an unpredictable factor, even for them."
"If we can find Experiment Zero… and restore part of his original memories…" Shen Qiu murmured, a flicker of hope in his eyes, "Then we might find a way to undo Nightveil's technology."
Li Chuan's eyes darkened. "Find out who he is. We need to track him down."
Shen Qiu's fingers flew across the keyboard. A moment later, a grainy photograph appeared on the screen, along with several key details—
Experiment Code: Zero
Real Identity: Unknown
Estimated Age: 25-30
Location: Nightveil's Seventh Research Facility
"The Seventh Facility?" Su Man's voice sharpened. "That place was shut down two years ago."
"It was shut down," Shen Qiu sneered, "But Zero is still being held there. Nightveil pretended to abandon the base, when in reality, they just tightened their security."
Li Chuan narrowed his eyes. "So that facility is still active."
"Exactly." Shen Qiu nodded. "If we want to find Zero, we need to break in."
A tense silence stretched between them.
Infiltrating Nightveil's research facility?
That was practically suicide.
But there was no other choice.
"We have no way back." Li Chuan's voice was steady, unwavering. "Nightveil's plan is already in motion. If Zero is just their first successful experiment… then soon, there will be hundreds more."
"We have to stop them."
Cheng Mo let out a short, sharp laugh, his smirk laced with danger. "Then let's get moving."
Su Man took a deep breath, her voice low. "This time… failure is not an option."
Shen Qiu's fingers curled around his device, his eyes burning with resolve. "They thought they could create Zero." He exhaled. "We'll make sure Zero becomes the key to destroying them."
Li Chuan's jaw tightened.
Nightveil's darkness had spread too far.
Now, they had no choice but to become the fire that burned it down.
The mission starts now.