The Mumbai facility was different. No hidden basement, no corporate cover. Just a massive compound in the slums where no one would look twice at screaming children.
Alex's team had grown. Word was spreading among system users worldwide. They now had fifty volunteers from twelve countries, all united in shutting down Project Olympus.
"Satellite shows the compound has psi-shielding," Maya reported. "My tech abilities are being blocked."
"Mine too," added David. "Whatever they're doing in there, they don't want system users interfering."
Elena pointed to the thermal imaging. "Two hundred people inside. But the heat signatures are... wrong. Some are too hot, some too cold. And look at these patterns."
Alex studied the display. The heat signatures were moving in perfect synchronization, like a hive mind.
*PSYCHIC ENHANCEMENT DETECTED*
*WARNING: MENTAL ATTACKS POSSIBLE*
*RECOMMEND MENTAL SHIELDING*
"Maya, can you boost our mental defenses?"
"Already on it. But Alex, whatever they've created in there is powerful. I'm getting feedback just from passive scans."
The attack came without warning.
*PSYCHIC ASSAULT DETECTED*
*MULTIPLE CHILD MINDS LINKED TOGETHER*
*PAIN... SO MUCH PAIN...*
Alex fell to his knees as alien thoughts invaded his mind. He saw through the eyes of modified children, felt their agony as their brains were rewired and networked together.
*Help us,* dozens of young voices whispered in his head. *Please make it stop.*
"System enhancement: Mental Fortress!"
*PSYCHIC SHIELDING ACTIVATED*
*EXTERNAL THOUGHTS BLOCKED*
Alex stood up, his expression furious. "They're using the children as weapons. Forced psychic linking."
"How many?" David asked, his own mental shields flickering under assault.
"At least fifty kids. Maybe more. And they're in constant pain."
Elena checked her equipment. "The compound is too well shielded for remote shutdown. We'll have to go in directly."
"Which is exactly what they want," Alex realized. "This is a trap."
*TACTICAL ANALYSIS: CONFIRMED TRAP*
*RECOMMENDATION: ABORT MISSION*
*ALEX CHEN: RECOMMENDATION REJECTED*
"Trap or not, we're going in. Those children need help."
The assault on the Mumbai compound was unlike anything they'd faced. The moment Alex's team got close, the psychic attacks intensified. But now they weren't random pain - they were targeted, personal nightmares drawn from each team member's worst memories.
Alex saw his college failures played out in excruciating detail. Maya relived her childhood poverty. Elena experienced every betrayal she'd ever suffered. David faced the civilians he'd failed to save as a hero.
*PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: EXTREME*
*MENTAL DEFENSES HOLDING*
*MORALE: DECLINING*
"Push through!" Alex commanded, forcing himself to focus on the mission. "It's just illusions!"
But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. The children were broadcasting real emotions, real pain. Every step forward meant experiencing their suffering directly.
They reached the compound's main building after twenty minutes of mental torture. The guards weren't enhanced soldiers - they were children with dead eyes and glowing neural implants.
"I can't fight kids," David said, his golden energy flickering weakly.
"You won't have to," Alex replied grimly. "Maya, can you disable those implants?"
"Not from here. I'd need physical access to the control center."
"Then that's where we're going."
The inside of the compound was a maze of interconnected rooms, each containing children in various stages of psychic modification. Some sat motionless, their minds linked to central computers. Others writhed in restraints as surgeons installed neural implants.
Alex had seen many horrors since gaining his system. This was the worst.
*ABSOLUTE EVIL CONFIRMED*
*MERCY PROTOCOLS DISABLED*
*EXECUTION MODE ACTIVATED*
The research staff died quickly. Alex didn't hesitate, didn't negotiate. Anyone wearing a lab coat in this facility was complicit in the torture of children.
Dr. Priya Sharma, the facility director, tried to bargain as Alex cornered her in the control room.
"Wait! You don't understand! We're creating the next stage of human evolution!"
"By torturing children?"
"Sacrifice is necessary for progress! These street children had no future anyway!"
Alex's hand moved. Dr. Sharma joined her colleagues in death.
*FACILITY CONTROL ACQUIRED*
*BEGINNING IMPLANT SHUTDOWN*
"Maya, help me with this console. We need to safely disconnect the children without causing brain damage."
Working together, they carefully shut down the psychic network. One by one, the children's agonized mental screams faded to normal thoughts.
When the last connection was severed, Alex felt fifty small minds reach out to his, no longer in pain but in gratitude.
*Thank you,* they whispered collectively. *Thank you for making it stop.*
"Elena, David - we need medical teams, social workers, long-term care facilities. These kids are going to need years of therapy."
As they evacuated the Mumbai facility, Alex received another update from his global network.
"Boss," came a voice from Berlin. "We've located facility number four. But you're not going to like this one."
"What is it?"
"They're not experimenting on random victims anymore. This facility is targeting the families of system users. They have the wife and daughter of Heinrich Mueller, the German hero system user. They have the parents of Sarah Kim, the Korean thief system user."
Alex's blood went cold. "They're trying to force us to cooperate."
"It gets worse. The facility sent a message to all known system users: 'Surrender yourselves for experimentation, or your loved ones die.'"
*HOSTAGE SITUATION: GLOBAL SCALE*
*OLYMPUS STRATEGY: PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE*
*RESPONSE REQUIRED: IMMEDIATE*
Alex looked at his exhausted team. They'd saved hundreds of victims, but Project Olympus was escalating.
"How many system users have family members in custody?"
"At least two hundred. Maybe more."
Elena put her hand on Alex's shoulder. "We can't save everyone at once."
"Watch me." Alex activated his global communication system again.
*BROADCAST TO ALL SYSTEM USERS WORLDWIDE:*
*OLYMPUS HAS TAKEN HOSTAGES*
*DO NOT SURRENDER*
*WE'RE COMING FOR EVERYONE*
*HOLD THE LINE*
*- ALEX CHEN*
*QUEST EVOLUTION: RESCUE ALL HOSTAGES*
*DIFFICULTY: IMPOSSIBLE*
*ALEX CHEN: IMPOSSIBLE IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR TUESDAY*
"Maya, how many facilities are holding family members?"
"Seven of the remaining ten sites."
"Then we hit them all simultaneously. Elena, I need every enhanced individual who's willing to help. David, coordinate with international law enforcement. Maya, start planning seven simultaneous raids."
"Alex," David said quietly, "even with our full network, we don't have enough people for seven coordinated attacks."
Alex smiled grimly. "Then it's time to call in some old friends."
He activated a communication channel he'd hoped never to use again.
*TO: ALL FORMER VILLAINS WORLDWIDE*
*FROM: ALEX CHEN*
*OLYMPUS HAS HOSTAGES*
*CHILDREN, FAMILIES, INNOCENTS*
*I KNOW WE'VE BEEN ON DIFFERENT SIDES*
*BUT THIS IS BIGGER THAN HERO VS VILLAIN*
*WHO'S WITH ME?*
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Former enemies, defeated foes, and rival system users all signaling their willingness to help rescue innocent victims.
*VILLAIN NETWORK ACTIVATED*
*HERO NETWORK ACTIVATED*
*COMBINED FORCE: 500+ ENHANCED INDIVIDUALS*
*FINAL PHASE BEGINS*
*SEVEN CITIES*
*ONE NIGHT*
*TOTAL WAR*