The Command Center pulsed with energy. Holographic panels hovered in the air, spinning slowly around a glowing crystal core. The floors vibrated faintly beneath Jaden's boots, humming with the power of a fully awakened system.
He stepped inside and exhaled.
This wasn't just another shelter. This was something more.
This was a central brain—capable of monitoring, managing, and expanding everything he'd built.
The system greeted him.
Command Center Online
Grid Control Systems: Active
Sector Uplinks: 4 Connected
New Title Unlocked: Grid Architect (Tier 2)
Jaden's vision flooded with new menus. There was a map of Neo-Lagos—complete with real-time energy status across dozens of zones. The sectors he'd saved—9, 12, 14, and now 18—glowed a warm green. The rest blinked red or orange, unstable or offline.
Carl walked in behind him, craning his neck as he looked at the floating UI.
"Is this all... from your system?" he asked.
"Yeah," Jaden said, spinning the map with a swipe. "And it just leveled up."
Carl grinned. "We really lit up the city."
More teammates entered: Emma, Luke, Sarah. Everyone had dust on their boots and sweat on their faces, but they stood still, staring at the network Jaden was now linked to.
New Features Unlocked
– Project Queue (Auto-Deploy Blueprints)
– Drone Management Panel
– Sector AI Relays
– Defensive Grid Access (Locked)
"I can manage construction from here," Jaden said. "I don't have to be on-site anymore to send a blueprint or help finish a build."
Emma looked impressed. "You've basically become... the city's operating system."
"Not yet," Jaden said. "But close."
Outside, Sector 18 had already begun to change. Vendors reopened stalls. Streetlights turned on in places that hadn't seen power in years. Children laughed as they raced up and down the newly lit road, and the thick fog that once hung over the zone was finally clearing.
Jaden stood on the rooftop with Carl, watching everything from above.
"This feels... different," Carl said. "Bigger than any zone we've touched."
Jaden nodded. "That's because this is more than survival now. We're building a system. A real one."
Then a sound echoed through the center.
Ping.
Incoming Encrypted Message
Source: External System (Unidentified)
"You're waking up the city, Architect. Not everyone wants that."
Symbol Attached: A circle, cracked down the middle.
Jaden frowned. The image lingered in the air—a broken world, split in two.
Emma appeared beside him. "Who sent it?"
"No ID. But they knew how to ping my system," Jaden said. "Which means someone has access to a broken version."
Carl folded his arms. "A fake Architect?"
"Maybe," Jaden said, eyes narrowing. "But even broken systems can still cause chaos."
Later that night, Jaden sat alone on the edge of the Command Center's upper platform. Sector 18 stretched out before him—its buildings breathing again, lights glowing softly like fireflies.
He opened the new Project Queue Panel and created a plan.
Phase 1: Reinforce Sector 18
– Build Shield Nodes (x4)
– Activate Turret Perimeter
– Assign Surveillance Beacons
Phase 2: Power Transfer
– Link Sector 18 to Sector 12
– Share Blueprint Access
– Train Local Overseer (AI or Human)
Phase 3: Expansion Beacon
– Scout New Zones
– Deploy Auto-Drones
– Map Unclaimed Territories
Jaden tapped the green confirm button. The panel folded away into the system's interface.
Then he opened his messages again—and stared at the symbol the unknown sender had left.
A cracked circle.
It bothered him.
Not because it was threatening, but because it was... familiar. He had seen something like it years ago. At the tech school. Before he dropped out.
There had been rumors about a secret program. Codename: Black Architect—a failed attempt by NovaCore to give someone full system control over the city.
Had they succeeded?
Jaden wasn't sure yet.
But something told him that Sector 18 was only the beginning.