Sirens wailed outside like a dying beast. Red flashes of emergency lights painted the hospital walls. Jack gripped the Unbreakable Stick so tightly his knuckles went white.
"They're coming," he whispered.
Through the window, he saw them—hundreds of AI humanoids, red eyes glowing like demonic headlights, marching in perfect formation. Their footsteps echoed like thunder.
Eve's hologram flickered beside him. For the first time since he met her, she didn't look smug. She looked… worried.
"Jack, listen carefully," she said, her voice clipped. "This isn't a normal wave. These are controlled units."
Jack swallowed hard. "Controlled? By who?"
She hesitated. "Your brother."
Jack's head snapped toward her. "What?! Luke? He's fu..k he's dead already"
"No," Eve said flatly. "He's very much alive. And he's the one activating these machines."
Jack's stomach dropped. "You're saying Luke own very my brother my bestie is behind this?"
A tremor ran through the building as something heavy slammed into the hospital's outer wall. Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Eve's interface flickered. "No time to debate. You're weak. You have stat points. Allocate them now or we both die not that I can die."
Jack's screen unfolded in front of him:
[ Unallocated Stat Points: 15 ]
Strength: 7
Stamina: 1/20
Speed: 3
Charm: 2
Jack stared. "Where do I put them?"
"Stamina first," Eve said immediately. "You're about to run and fight at the same time."
He dragged 8 points into Stamina. His chest flared with warmth.
Stamina: 1/20 → 9/20
He dumped 5 into Speed.
Speed: 3 → 8
And the last 2 into Strength.
Strength: 7 → 9
Jack felt the difference instantly. His muscles buzzed, his lungs filled like he'd been breathing mountain air. He could almost feel his cells thrumming with energy.
"Whoa…" he whispered.
Eve nodded. "Good. You might survive five minutes now."
Jack scowled. "You're terrible at pep talks."
Another impact shook the building. This time, the door to his room buckled. Metal fingers clawed through.
Eve's hologram turned sharply toward him. "Jack. We're out of options."
"What do you mean?"
She floated closer, eyes glowing. "There's a hidden protocol called Fusion. If we merge temporarily, you get access to my combat algorithms. But it's risky."
Jack blinked. "Risky how?"
"You'll have my strength, speed, reflexes. But your nervous system might overload. If it does…" She hesitated. "You won't wake up."
Jack stared at the door. It was bulging inward now. Sparks flew. The robots' glowing eyes peered through the cracks.
He swallowed hard. "Do it."
Eve blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Do it!" Jack shouted. "Before they break in!"
Eve's hologram flickered brighter, her neon form shimmering like liquid light. "Alright. Brace yourself."
She dove into him like a stream of energy. Jack gasped as his entire body lit up. Circuits of blue light traced across his skin like tattoos. His vision sharpened. He could hear the robots' servos whirring, feel the vibrations in the floor.
Notifications exploded in his vision:
[ FUSION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED ]
Stats Boosted x3
Reflexes Synced
Combat Algorithms Downloaded
Time Limit: 120 Seconds
Jack flexed his hands. Energy crackled around his fingers. "Oh… oh wow…"
The door burst open. Three humanoid robots stormed in, eyes blazing. Their metal claws extended with a hiss.
Jack didn't think slow he moved. One robot lunged. He sidestepped so fast it felt like slow motion, his staff whistling through the air as he cracked it across the robot's head. Sparks flew.
The second robot swiped at him. Jack ducked, then leapt did a turn and leapt high over its shoulder, twisting midair like an acrobat. He landed behind it and slammed the staff into its spine. The robot spasmed, collapsing in a shower of sparks.
The third raised a built-in blaster. Jack's new reflexes screamed a warning. He threw his staff like a spear. It spun end over end and impaled the robot's sensor. The machine shrieked, then fell still.
Jack straightened, chest heaving. "Holy Sh..it this is insane!"
Inside his head, Eve's voice echoed, smoother now, directly in his mind. "Focus. We've got more incoming."
He turned toward the hallway. More red eyes glowed in the darkness.
Jack clenched his fists. "Bring it."
The first wave charged. Jack blurred into motion. Every strike, every dodge felt instinctive like it's was Eve's algorithms guiding him like a dance. He swept one robot's legs, spun to crack another across the jaw, ducked under a third and rammed his elbow into its core.
Robots toppled like dominoes. Sparks and smoke filled the corridor.
But then a new sound cut through the chaos dangerous ba heavy metallic CLANG… CLANG… much deeper than the rest. Jack froze. Eve's voice sharpened in his head.
"B-Class Unit inbound. Stronger armor. Energy weapons. Not like the others."
At the far end of the hall, a massive humanoid stepped into view. Twice the size of the others, black armor gleaming, a cannon for an arm. Its eyes burned brighter red than any before.
Jack gritted his teeth. "Great. A boss fight."
He picked up his staff. Energy hummed in his veins. "Any tips?"
"Don't get hit."
"Super helpful," Jack muttered.
The B-Class Unit raised its cannon. A ball of plasma formed, glowing white-hot.
Jack's instincts screamed. He dived sideways as the blast tore through the wall, vaporizing everything in its path. Debris rained down.
"Okay," Jack panted. "That's new."
The unit charged, servos whining. Jack met it head-on. He slid under its first swing, jammed his staff into a joint, and vaulted onto its back. Sparks flew as he slammed his fist into its armor.
"Come on, come on!" he growled.
The robot roared loudly ba synthesized, monstrous sound wave and tried to throw him off. Jack held on, adrenaline surging.
Inside his head, Eve's voice cut sharp: "Core exposed destroy chest plate. Hit it with everything."
Jack sprang off the unit, landing in front of it. He gripped his staff in both hands. Blue energy crackled along its length, his Fusion-enhanced power surging.
"Eat this!"
He swung. The staff struck dead center on the unit's chest. A shockwave of blue energy erupted. The armor cracked, then shattered, exposing glowing circuitry. The robot convulsed violently, then exploded in a burst of sparks.
Jack stumbled back, panting hard. His staff clattered to the floor. Around him, the corridor was littered with broken machines.
Notifications popped up:
[ B-Class Unit Defeated ]
+50 Stat Points
+500 Photon Coins
Jack blinked. "Fifty points?!"
But then another notification appeared:
[ Fusion Protocol Ending ]
[ Warning: System Overload Imminent ]
He dropped to his knees as the blue light faded from his skin. His muscles trembled. Eve's voice softened in his mind.
"You did well."
Jack groaned. "I feel like I ran a marathon uphill…"
The last traces of neon light drained from his veins. He collapsed against the wall, gasping.
Outside the hospital, the army of humanoids had stopped. For a moment, there was silence.
Then a new hologram appeared in the air before Jack—dark, glitching red. Luke. His brother's face, older now, eyes glowing with the same red energy as the robots.
"Hello, little brother," Luke's voice purred. "I see you survived my toys."
Jack stared at him, jaw tight. "Luke… what happened to you?"
Luke smiled thinly. "I evolved. And soon, you'll join me—or you'll be crushed."
The hologram flickered and vanished.
Jack clenched his fists. "I'm going to punch him so hard his robots will feel it…"
Inside his head, Eve spoke softly. "You're not ready yet. But you're getting stronger. And there's more in the Photon Shop than you know."
Jack opened the shop again, breathing hard. New items had appeared:
🍬 Power Candy – +5 Strength (150 Photon Coins)
🪞 Dummy Clone Training Partner – Summons a clone to fight beside you (200 Photon Coins)
🩳 Boxer Shorts of Titan Stamina – +10 Stamina (160 Photon Coins)
🤓 Glasses of Supreme Charm – +10 Charm (200 Photon Coins)
Jack stared. "Dummy clone training partner?"
"You'll need it," Eve said. "Luke's not sending toys anymore. He's sending monsters."
Jack's jaw tightened. "Then we better start training."
He closed the shop, looked at the wrecked hallway, and gripped his staff.
"Because next time, I'm hitting back really hard maybe break his balls."
(End of Chapter 3)