The stillness in Lin Chen's underground command center was deceptive.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the glowing interface suspended in midair. Across the display, system code streamed like a waterfall—elegant, but now... unstable.
[System Warning: Fragment Integration from Host ZERO complete. Data inconsistency detected.][Caution: Core synchronization at 72%—internal logic conflict imminent.][!!! SYSTEM ALERT – Instability spreading across modules. Initiating Emergency Lockdown Protocol.]
"What the hell is going on?" Lin Chen muttered, sitting forward.
The interface flickered—once, then twice—and the room itself dimmed as emergency energy routing diverted to containment nodes.
Suddenly, a sickening grinding sound echoed in the air—metal-on-metal, as if the system was tearing itself apart from the inside.
Then the notifications began to flood in.
System Meltdown
[ERROR 0412: Skill Tree – Incompatible Data Detected][ERROR 1229: Neural Sync Overload][WARNING: Host Neural Patterns Do Not Match Original Calibration][System Emergency Mode: ENGAGED]
Every corner of the virtual UI turned red.
Lin Chen felt a jolt in his spine—then a rush of heat behind his eyes. The system wasn't just glitching—it was dragging his consciousness along with it.
"System—override the error! Restore stable build!"
[Override Request: DENIED. System is undergoing a critical mutation.][Reason: Unforeseen integration of Subject D's memory encryption structure with existing host framework.]
His blood ran cold.
Li Chu's buried memory fragments—the ones he'd seen inside ZERO—were now part of his system core. That wasn't just unstable. It was volatile.
He gritted his teeth as the console began to shimmer and bend unnaturally, reality distorting slightly as system space bled into the real world.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Host is advised to enter Emergency Test Chamber immediately. Core stress testing required.][WARNING: If failed, permanent loss of system functions may occur.]
The Emergency Chamber
Stumbling slightly, Lin Chen made his way down to the reinforced sublevel—what the system once called the Combat Simulation Zone. Now, the name had changed.
[ZONE: C-0 - Emergency Evolution Arena][Condition: System Mutating | Module Functions Locked: 4/9 | Backup Memory Available: No][Initiating Module Conflict Simulation…]
He was suddenly surrounded by nine mirrored copies of himself—each version of Lin Chen representing a different system module:
Combat AI
Tactical Investment Engine
Luck Matrix
Wealth Accumulator
Quantum Movement Module
Mental Interference Protocol
Empathic Feedback Loop
Temporal Microshifter
System Genesis Core
Each "copy" stood in a battle stance.
[Instruction: Defeat the broken modules to restore system equilibrium. Survive at least 1 hour. If Host fails, the system will hard-reset—resulting in total memory wipe.]
"I have to fight… myself?" he breathed.
[Affirmative.]
The first clone lunged. It was faster than him—too fast. Lin Chen barely dodged, activating Quantum Dodge mid-roll and slamming a counter into the side of the "Wealth Accumulator" clone.
Sparks flew. But it didn't fall. These weren't just illusions. They were projections of optimized logic. And they wanted him gone.
One after another, they attacked. Precision. Coordination. Ruthlessness.
Each carried a piece of the system logic that had helped him rise—but now turned hostile, attempting to forcibly "reorganize" his neural framework by overwriting his consciousness.
[Health: 74%][System Instability: 88% → 91%]
He fought back harder—evading with Quantum Flash, pushing his mind with Mental Interference, twisting physics with Temporal Microshifter to buy fractions of a second.
His vision blurred.
But then—
A pulse.
Something awakened inside him.
[ALERT: Host is initiating instinctive override. Skill Tree Unlock: Cognitive Dominance Mode.][New Passive Activated: Logical Supremacy Lv.1 – Immune to internal data overwrite below Tier B modules]
"System," he growled, "This is my mind."
[Acknowledged. Transferring core logic command to host… Host now has control authority level: Administrator.]
With a surge of golden code, Lin Chen forced the clones to pause—then collapse one by one, dissipating into lines of light that re-integrated into his body.
Rebirth of the System
The arena faded.
Lin Chen collapsed to his knees, drenched in sweat—but alive.
[SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE][Version Updated: Codename SALVATOR 2.0][Modules Stabilized. New Functions Accessible.][System Feature Unlocked: Adaptive Evolution Core][New Ability Learned: Precision Field (Lv.1) – Adjust environmental variables to enhance real-time tactical advantage.][Host Compatibility: 99.7%]
He stood slowly, watching as golden data swirled around him like fireflies.
A sense of clarity filled his mind—like he had reached a new plane of awareness. Not just stronger.
More dangerous.
Smarter.
[Optional Directive: Seek out Subject D and initiate synchronization inquiry. System indicates strong compatibility.]
His thoughts flicked back to Li Chu.
And to the growing storm beyond.
They weren't just fighting Erebus anymore.
They were becoming something Erebus had always feared—
Free. Uncontrollable. And evolving.