The R-nex server room was a tomb of humming silicon and neon blue light. The air was chilled to sub-zero temperatures to prevent the massive data-stacks from melting under the weight of the city's surveillance logs. Kai moved through the aisles like a shadow, his breath coming in white plumes.
He reached the "Core Alpha" terminal. His fingers danced across the holographic interface, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He didn't have much time. Outside, he could already hear the heavy, rhythmic thud of the R-nex Tactical Enforcers—the "peacekeepers" who carried gravity-batons and zero-mercy orders.
"Come on, come on," Kai hissed.
A progress bar flickered in front of him: DECRYPTING: MALICE_INCIDENT_REPORT_2025.
"You shouldn't be here, Kaelen."
Kai spun around, his hand already sparking with the residual Magma-Blood he'd stolen from Jax.
Standing at the entrance was Mina Sato. She was dressed in the official R-nex Academy "Star-Tier" uniform—a sleek, white-and-gold bodysuit that looked like it was spun from starlight. Her Graft, "Photonic Construct," allowed her to turn ambient light into solid objects. Right now, she was holding a shimmering, translucent bow, an arrow of pure light notched and aimed directly at Kai's chest.
"Mina," Kai said, his voice softening just a fraction. They had been in the same squad before the Blacklist. She was the only one who had ever shared her lunch with the "weird kid with the void power."
"The sensors flagged your biometric signature the moment you touched Jax," Mina said, her voice trembling despite her steady aim. "Why, Kai? If the Enforcers catch you, they won't just expel you again. They'll 'Retire' you. You know what that means."
"I know exactly what it means," Kai said, gesturing to the screen behind him. "It means being erased so R-nex can keep selling action figures of a murderer. Mina, put the bow down. You're a True Believer. You actually want to save people. Don't protect the man who treats us like products."
"Malice is the Symbol of Peace!" Mina countered, her bow glowing brighter. "He saved the coast from the Tsunami-Walker. He gave the city hope when the Dark-Grafts tried to burn it down. He's a hero!"
"He's a brand, Mina! He's a psychopath with a multi-billion dollar PR team!" Kai yelled, the Magma-Blood on his fist flaring a violent orange. "The man you see on the news doesn't exist. I saw him kill a man for a flash drive. I saw him smile while he did it!"
"Liar!"
Mina released the string. The arrow of light hissed through the air, moving faster than the eye could follow.
Kai didn't dodge. He didn't have to. He reached out with his bare hand, activating Null-Void. The moment the light-arrow touched his palm, the luminosity died. The solid construct turned into harmless particles of dust that settled on the floor.
Mina gasped, dropping her bow. She had never seen anyone "eat" her constructs before.
Kai closed the distance in two strides. He didn't hurt her; he grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the screen. The decryption bar hit 100%.
"Look," Kai commanded.
The file opened. It wasn't a text document. It was body-cam footage from an R-nex cleanup drone. The video showed a flattened residential block in the slums. In the center of the rubble stood Malice. He wasn't saving survivors. He was standing over a group of wounded civilians who had seen him use a "Villain Attack" as a cover to eliminate a political rival.
The audio was crystal clear.
"The collateral damage is within acceptable margins for the Q3 earnings," Malice's voice echoed through the cold room. "Terminate the witnesses. Make it look like the villain's explosion got them. And get me a protein shake. This suit is itching."
Mina's knees buckled. She stared at the screen, her world-view shattering like dropped glass. The man she had modeled her entire life after—the man whose poster was on her bedroom wall—was a cold-blooded monster discussing murder like a grocery list.
"No..." she whispered. "R-nex... they told us those people died in the crossfire."
"They lied, Mina. They always lie," Kai said, pulling the flash drive from the port.
Suddenly, the heavy blast doors of the server room groaned. The metal began to glow a terrifying, brilliant white. The temperature in the room didn't just rise; it soared. The cooling units exploded, and the racks of servers began to melt.
"Kaelen," a voice boomed, vibrating the very marrow in Kai's bones. It was a voice that sounded like victory, like hope, and like a death sentence.
The door didn't open; it disintegrated.
Standing in the doorway was Malice. He wasn't wearing his "Press Conference" smile. He was hovering a few inches off the ground, his white cape billowing in a wind that didn't exist. His eyes were glowing with a terrifying, celestial fire.
"I told you to grow up and be a hero, kid," Malice said, his gaze shifting from Kai to the crying Mina, and then to the stolen flash drive. "But it looks like you decided to be a whistle-blower instead. And we both know what happens to those."
Malice raised his hand. The light in the room began to bend toward him, forming a sphere of pure, destructive energy.
"Mina, get behind me," Kai growled, his body turning into a pitch-black silhouette as he prepared to push Null-Void to its absolute limit.