The air hissed.
The mercenary's finger twitched on the hair-trigger of his pulse rifle, but to Seo-Jun, the movement was as slow as a stone settling in deep water. The world had lost its color, replaced by a high-contrast blueprint of heat signatures and ballistic trajectories.
IRIS: [Trajectory calculated. Impact in 0.004 seconds. Initiating 'Kinetic Redirection'...]
Before the second blue bolt could leave the barrel, Seo-Jun's body moved. It wasn't the graceful movement of an athlete; it was the violent, efficient snap of a machine. He didn't just dodge; he lunged forward, his school shoes skidding against the wet pavement with enough force to crack the asphalt.
"Seo-Jun, stop!" Min-Ah's scream was a distorted, slow-motion echo in his ears.
He didn't stop. He couldn't. The adrenaline surge provided by IRIS felt like liquid fire in his veins, hardening his muscles into something resembling carbon fiber. He reached the first mercenary before the man could even register that his target was no longer in his sights.
Seo-Jun's hand shot out, grabbing the barrel of the pulse rifle.
IRIS: [Structural Weak Point Identified: Overload the cooling vent.]
With a sharp twist of his wrist, Seo-Jun didn't just move the gun—he crushed the alloy casing. A high-pitched whine erupted from the weapon, followed by a discharge of superheated steam. The mercenary let out a muffled grunt of pain behind his visor as the rifle backfired, the energy cell melting into a useless lump of slag.
"Target Alpha is... enhanced!" the mercenary shouted into his comms, his voice synthetic and cold. "Repeat, Alpha is showing Stage 3 Integration! Authorization for lethal force—"
Seo-Jun didn't give him the chance to finish. He drove his palm into the center of the man's chest plate. There was no "martial arts" technique involved—just raw, unbridled kinetic energy. The mercenary was lifted off his feet, hurtling backward into the grille of the black SUV with a sickening thud. The metal crumpled around him, the airbags deploying in a white explosion of dust.
"Whoa... what the..." Dae-Sung stood up slowly, his jaw dropping as he watched the "Quiet Prince" take down a professional soldier in three seconds. "Seo-Jun, you just... you just flew!"
"I didn't fly," Seo-Jun panted, the blue light in his eyes flickering. "I just moved. Dae-Sung, get the others to the end of the alley. Now!"
The remaining two mercenaries didn't hesitate. They abandoned their rifles, reaching for tactical combat knives that hummed with high-frequency vibrations. They moved in sync, flanking Seo-Jun with a level of coordination that suggested they were linked by their own tactical AI.
IRIS: [Master, your internal temperature is rising. Neural strain at 14%. If you continue at this output, your heart will enter tachycardia. I am calculating the most efficient exit route.]
Seo-Jun's vision zoomed in on the SUV. The engine was still running. A faint green light on the dashboard indicated the vehicle was part of the 'Vanguard-6' network.
"IRIS, can you hijack the ignition?" Seo-Jun thought.
IRIS: [Accessing... Encryption is military-grade. 2.4 seconds required. Master, please provide a distraction.]
Seo-Jun looked at the two mercenaries closing in. He felt a strange sensation—not fear, but a cold, calculating hunger. He reached down and grabbed the discarded fire extinguisher Dae-Sung had dropped earlier.
As the two soldiers lunged with their vibro-blades, Seo-Jun didn't dodge. He swung the heavy steel cylinder in a wide arc. The mercenaries were fast, but they weren't expecting him to use the environment as a weapon. The extinguisher collided with the first man's helmet, the visor shattering into a thousand orange shards.
"Now!" Seo-Jun roared.
IRIS: [Override Complete. All doors unlocked. System Hijacked.]
The SUV's horn blared once, and the back doors slid open with a hydraulic hiss.
"Get in!" Seo-Jun yelled to his friends.
Min-Ah, Jun, and Dae-Sung didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled into the back of the armored vehicle, tripping over crates of ammunition and electronic equipment. Seo-Jun dived into the driver's seat, his hands hovering over the haptic controls.
"You don't even have a license!" Jun screamed from the back, clutching his seatbelt.
"I don't need one," Seo-Jun said. His fingers didn't touch the steering wheel; instead, blue data-tendrils arched from his fingertips, plugging directly into the car's interface. "IRIS is driving."
The SUV roared to life, its electric motor screaming as it slammed into reverse, crushing a dumpster before spinning around and tearing out of the alleyway at eighty miles per hour.
As they burst onto the main street of Gangnam, the true scale of the Protocol Zero G became clear.
The city was no longer Seoul. It was a digital graveyard.
Huge sections of the skyscrapers were "glitching"—the glass and steel flickering between physical matter and glowing blue cubes. Cars were piled up in massive multi-vehicle accidents, their electronic systems fried by the descending pulse. Above them, the violet sky had opened up, and massive, hexagonal structures were beginning to lower themselves from the clouds like the legs of a cosmic spider.
"The countdown," Min-Ah whispered, pointing at the dashboard screen.
00:34:21
"Thirty-four minutes," Seo-Jun muttered, his hands glowing brighter as he pushed the SUV through a gap between two burning buses. "IRIS, how far to the house?"
IRIS: [Estimated time: 12 minutes. However, Master, I am detecting a massive energy signature at the Han River Bridge. The 'Retrieval Units' are setting up a localized EMP barrier. If we cross it, the SUV's systems—and your neural link—will be fried.]
Seo-Jun looked ahead. In the distance, the bridge was glowing with a harsh, artificial white light. A wall of energy was being erected, cutting off the Research District from the rest of the city.
"Then we don't go over the bridge," Seo-Jun said, his jaw tightening. "Dae-Sung, check the crates in the back. See if those guys left anything that can punch a hole in an energy shield."
Dae-Sung started ripping open the black crates. "I see grenades, some weird batteries, and... wait, what is this? It looks like a giant harpoon gun."
IRIS: [Correction: That is a 'Phase-Displaced Harpoon'. It is designed to anchor objects in fluctuating space-time. It is exactly what we need.]
"Get it ready," Seo-Jun commanded. "We're going to have to jump the river."
"Jump the river?!" Jun shrieked from the back seat, his glasses sliding down his nose as the SUV swerved to avoid a falling streetlamp. "Seo-Jun, this is a five-ton armored vehicle, not a stunt bike! The laws of physics still apply!"
"The laws of physics are being rewritten, Jun," Seo-Jun replied, his voice eerily flat. He didn't look at his friend. His eyes remained locked on the road, or what was left of it. "IRIS, calculate the localized gravity constant in the bridge zone."
IRIS: [Scanning... Gravity in the Han River sector is fluctuating between 0.8g and 1.2g. The 'Zero G' pulse is creating pockets of low-density space. If we hit the ramp at 160 kilometers per hour at precisely 15:42:01, the trajectory is viable.]
"You heard the lady," Seo-Jun muttered.
"I didn't hear anyone!" Dae-Sung yelled, struggling to mount the Phase-Displaced Harpoon onto the SUV's rear roof rack. "I just hear you talking to yourself and the sound of the world ending!"
Seo-Jun realized then the disconnect. His friends couldn't hear IRIS. To them, he was a boy who had suddenly gone insane, eyes glowing, talking to the air while driving an enemy vehicle through a war zone.
"Dae-Sung, listen to me," Seo-Jun said, glancing in the rearview mirror. His pupils were now vibrating, tiny hex-codes scrolling across the blue iris. "I need you to fire that harpoon at the bridge's suspension cable when I give the word. Not the road—the cable. We're going to swing."
"Swing?! Like Spider-Man?!" Dae-Sung's eyes went wide. "Man, I'm a power forward, not an acrobat!"
"Just aim for the glowing blue line on the HUD," Seo-Jun said, realizing too late that Dae-Sung couldn't see the HUD. "I mean... the thickest cable on the left!"
Behind them, the black SUVs of the Vanguard-6 were gaining ground. They weren't just driving; they were firing. Blue bolts of ionized energy slammed into the rear armor of their vehicle, making the entire chassis shudder.
IRIS: [Rear shielding at 42%. Master, your heart rate has exceeded 160 BPM. Your capillaries are beginning to rupture. I recommend a temporary 'Neural Dampening'.]
"No," Seo-Jun hissed through gritted teeth. A thin trickle of blood began to leak from his left nostril. "Keep the output at max. We don't have time to be safe."
Min-Ah reached forward, her hand trembling as she wiped the blood from his face with her cardigan sleeve. "Seo-Jun... stop. Your skin is cold. You're shaking. Please, just pull over. We can hide in the subway..."
"The subway is a tomb, Min-Ah," he said, his voice softening for just a fraction of a second as he met her gaze. "The Black Box is the only thing that can save you. My parents... they didn't build it for themselves. They built it for this. For us."
The SUV roared onto the bridge approach. Ahead, the white energy barrier shimmered like a wall of solid diamonds, cutting across the asphalt. Mercenaries were stationed there, setting up heavy turrets.
"Jun, get down!" Seo-Jun commanded.
IRIS: [Master, 3... 2... 1... Launch.]
Seo-Jun slammed the steering wheel to the right, hitting a half-collapsed construction ramp. The SUV launched into the air, the engine screaming in protest as the tires lost contact with the earth. For a heartbeat, there was silence—the terrifying, weightless silence of the 'Zero G' effect.
"DAE-SUNG! NOW!"
THOOOM.
The harpoon fired, trailing a cable of shimmering blue energy. It pierced through the energy shield, which rippled like water, and anchored deep into the massive steel suspension cable of the bridge.
The SUV jerked violently as the cable went taut. They weren't falling into the river; they were swinging in a massive, terrifying arc over the white barrier of the EMP field.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Jun screamed, his eyes squeezed shut.
Dae-Sung was holding onto the harpoon mount for dear life, his face turned towards the sky. "I SEE IT! SEO-JUN, THE SKY IS OPENING!"
Through the sunroof, they could see it. The violet clouds had parted, revealing not space, but a massive, shimmering geometric lattice that spanned the entire horizon. It looked like the motherboard of the universe, and it was descending toward Earth.
IRIS: [Successful breach. We are inside the Research District perimeter. 22 minutes remaining.]
The SUV slammed back onto the pavement on the other side of the bridge, the suspension snapping with a metallic crack. They skidded for a hundred meters, sparks flying as the metal belly of the car scraped the road, before finally coming to a halt in the middle of a deserted intersection.
Silence descended, broken only by the ticking of the cooling engine and the distant sound of sirens.
Seo-Jun slumped over the steering wheel, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The blue light in his eyes faded to a dull flicker.
"Is everyone... okay?" he wheezed.
Min-Ah sat up, her hair a mess, her face pale. She looked out the window. "Seo-Jun... where is everyone?"
The Research District was a ghost town. But it wasn't empty. Thousands of people were standing perfectly still on the sidewalks, their heads tilted back, staring at the sky. They weren't screaming. They weren't running. They were in a trance.
"They're being synced," Seo-Jun whispered, his blood turning to ice. "They're being prepared for the upload."
IRIS: [Master, we must move. The Vanguard units will be here in minutes. The 'Nest' is only three blocks away.]
Seo-Jun pushed the door open, his legs feeling like lead. He looked at his friends—the basketball star, the class president, and the girl who kept him human. They looked at him with a mix of terror and hope.
"Stay behind me," Seo-Jun said, his eyes flaring back to life. "We're almost home."
"Stay behind me," Seo-Jun said, his voice a low rasp. "And whatever you do, don't look them in the eyes."
The group stepped out of the smoking wreckage of the SUV. The sound of their footsteps on the asphalt felt unnaturally loud, echoing against the glass facades of the research towers. The thousands of "synced" citizens stood like statues, their breathing synchronized in a slow, rhythmic hum that vibrated in the air.
"Are they... dead?" Dae-Sung whispered, his hand white-knuckled around a metal pipe he'd scavenged from the car's trunk.
"Worse," Jun muttered, his eyes darting frantically. "Their brainwaves are being slaved to the network. Look at their temples."
Small, glowing blue filaments were branching out from the skin of the citizens' foreheads, reaching upward like invisible antennae toward the geometric lattice in the sky.
IRIS: [Master, biological integration is at 82% for the local populace. If you remain in the open for more than 400 seconds, the 'Great Sync' will attempt to override your independent neural architecture. Your 'Admin' status grants you temporary immunity, but your companions are vulnerable.]
"How far, IRIS?" Seo-Jun asked, his eyes scanning the rooftops. He could feel the crosshairs of long-range scanners sweeping over them.
IRIS: [320 meters to 'The Nest'. Behind the dry cleaners on the corner. Master, multiple high-velocity signatures are approaching from the sub-levels. They are not humans.]
"Not humans?" Seo-Jun's blood turned to ice. "Explain."
Before IRIS could respond, the ground beneath them buckled. A section of the sidewalk exploded in a spray of concrete and rebar. From the darkness of the sewer line emerged three mechanical entities. They were sleek, multi-legged, and looked like a cross between a hunting hound and a surgical drone. Their bodies were made of the same flickering "glitch" matter as the sky.
"Retrieval Drones," Seo-Jun hissed.
Min-Ah let out a muffled scream as one of the drones turned its head toward them. Instead of a face, it had a single, rotating lens that glowed with a cold, analytical white light.
"Run!" Seo-Jun roared.
They sprinted down the deserted boulevard. Behind them, the drones moved with terrifying fluidity, their metallic claws clicking against the pavement like a thousand needles.
"Dae-Sung, to the left! Through the alley!" Seo-Jun commanded.
They dove into a narrow passage between two high-rises. Seo-Jun skidded to a halt, turning to face the drones. He felt the familiar surge of liquid fire in his veins—IRIS was forcing his adrenal glands to dump everything they had.
IRIS: [Initiating 'Overclock'. This will result in localized muscle tearing. Proceed?]
"Yes," Seo-Jun thought.
As the first drone leaped toward him, its mandibles glowing with a cutting laser, Seo-Jun didn't dodge. He caught the machine in mid-air. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms that shattered the sleeves of his blazer, but he didn't let go. With a guttural roar, he twisted the drone's head, the metal screeching and snapping like dry wood.
Blue sparks sprayed his face, burning his skin, but he ignored the pain. He slammed the remains of the first drone into the second, pinning it against the brick wall.
"SEO-JUN! WATCH OUT!" Min-Ah yelled.
The third drone had circled around, leaping from the wall toward his exposed back.
CLANG.
Dae-Sung swung the metal pipe with all the strength of an All-Star athlete. The pipe bent on impact, but it was enough to knock the drone off its trajectory. It tumbled into a pile of trash bins, its lens flickering.
"Nice hit," Seo-Jun panted, his eyes bleeding blue static.
"Don't get used to it!" Dae-Sung gasped, dropping the bent pipe. "My hands are vibrating like crazy!"
"There!" Jun pointed to a nondescript, rusted door behind a stack of blue laundry crates. "That's your father's old shop, isn't it?"
Seo-Jun reached the door. It didn't have a handle or a keyhole. It was just a flat sheet of reinforced steel. He pressed his palm against the center.
IRIS: [Identity Confirmed: Admin Son. Genetic signature matches. Opening 'The Nest'.]
The steel didn't swing open; it dissolved, the molecules rearranging themselves to create an opening. The group scrambled inside, and the wall solidified behind them just as the sound of more drones filled the alley.
They were in a small, dusty dry-cleaning shop. But as Seo-Jun walked toward the back, a hidden elevator platform in the floor began to hum.
"We're here," Seo-Jun said, the countdown on his HUD flashing a warning.
00:18:12
"Is the Black Box in there?" Min-Ah asked, looking at the descending platform.
"No," Seo-Jun said, his heart heavy. "The Black Box is the basement. And once we turn it on, we can't come back out. Not as humans, anyway."
IRIS: [Warning, Master. The Black Box requires a 'Stability Anchor' to initiate the Zero G field. One individual must remain outside the core to manually synchronize the harmonic frequency. That individual will be exposed to the full force of the Great Sync.]
Seo-Jun froze. He looked at his three friends. To save them, one of them might have to be left behind to face the sky.