Alina emerged from the core chamber clutching the faintly pulsing energy crystal. She thought she was safe for the moment—but she hadn't anticipated the Shadow Net operatives quietly surrounding the entire building.
The floating city's night sky was like a deep ocean, neon light bands flickering, reflecting on her calm yet resolute face. The enemy closed in slowly, their footsteps echoing faintly on the metal corridor. Alina's heartbeat quickened, but she didn't panic—years of training had taught her to maintain perfect judgment under pressure.
"Quantum Phantom, activate," she murmured, fingertips brushing the controller on her wrist.Suddenly, the air twisted, and Alina's body fragmented into countless points of light, reappearing at the far end of the corridor. The operatives' eyes widened; their locked-on target had vanished.
However, the Shadow Net leader had anticipated this. The operatives were equipped with disruptors—Alina felt her phantom powers destabilize, her body trembling in the rift. She gritted her teeth, forcing control over the wavering blend of reality and illusion.
"You think you can hide?" a cold laugh echoed from the shadows.
Alina turned swiftly but saw only faint blue points of light—Shadow Net operatives maneuvering with the phantom distortions. She realized this was no ordinary ambush; it was a trap designed personally by the leader. Every move was calculated, every second pregnant with death.
She sprinted toward the rooftop, the city wind roaring past her ears. The skybridges of the floating structures sprawled like a web of steel spiders connecting the city. The operatives pursued, and in her mind, Alina already formulated her next plan: lure them into the quantum trap zone. Once activated, Shadow Net members would be trapped in the virtual rift with no escape.
The skybridge beneath her suddenly shook as flying drones screamed through the night, metallic blades slicing the air straight toward her. Alina leapt, activating her quantum phantom double. The drones chased the illusion while her real body silently slipped into a safe zone.
Breathing hard, she gazed at the flickering fragment of the energy core in her hand. Shadow Net's scheme ran deeper than she had anticipated; she needed to uncover the core's secrets before the entire city faced annihilation.
"Only three days left," Alina whispered, her eyes unwavering.She stepped into the night, vanishing into the shifting lights and shadows of the floating city.