Liang Shen sat in the corner of his dorm, the city outside slowly waking under pale sunlight. For a moment, silence filled the room, but it was the calm before the storm.
Glass Pulse 2.0 had survived the first counterattack, but the Deep Circle wasn't defeated. Their next move would be subtler, deadlier. They didn't need brute force—they needed infiltration.
A notification blinked on Liang's laptop:
Node Alert: Unauthorized intrusion detected. Multiple points. Signature: unknown, ancient encryption.
He frowned. This wasn't like their previous digital attacks. This was something… older, more intelligent. The Lotus Engine pulsed urgently, mapping the new signatures across the city grid.
"They've brought in something else," Yan Fei said quietly, scanning the feed. "I've never seen codes like these. It's… alive."
Liang's jaw tightened. "Not just alive. Conscious."
Across New Hangzhou, subtle anomalies began appearing: streetlights that dimmed unexpectedly, autonomous vehicles that paused mid-route, public screens flickering cryptic symbols. Ordinary people noticed nothing—but Liang did. Every fluctuation was a message, every pattern a warning.
Then, a secure channel opened:
Unknown Voice: Architect, you've built your empire well. But the city remembers before you. Step aside, or risk everything you hold.
Liang leaned back, folding his hands. "So you remember the city. And I remember you."
He activated the Lotus Engine fully, letting it sync with Glass Pulse 2.0. Every sensor, every camera, every signal became an extension of his mind. He could feel the Deep Circle's intruders moving like shadows in a living organism.
"They're testing me," he murmured. "And I'll turn the test into a lesson."
Yan Fei looked up, alarmed. "Architect… they're not just after you—they're probing the city itself."
Liang's eyes glinted. "Exactly. And that's why we strike at the root."
He began coding a new layer: Lotus Mirror, a hidden digital labyrinth designed to trap the Deep Circle's consciousness within the network itself. The city's streets would become invisible walls, the signals false paths, and the intruders' perception their own undoing.
The Lotus Engine hummed louder than ever, a golden pulse through his skull. Liang whispered to himself: "Let them learn… the city belongs to the Architect."