The sun had long set, casting a gloomy amber over the towering city skyline. In a secure, underground data vault beneath the Tower Lab, Lin Chen stood alone, staring at the holographic projection of the classified file he'd just decrypted.
File: X-0 Subject Profile — Name: Li Chu. Status: Active. Designation: Emotional Calibration Prototype. Memory Code Index: [E-01 to E-77]
The words burned into his mind like fire.
"She's... not just a victim," Lin Chen muttered, clenching his fists. "She was made this way."
The system's voice cut through the silence, solemn and direct.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Subject 'Li Chu' confirmed as Prototype X-0 — Developed for experimental emotional pattern mapping. Direct correlation to Erebus Project: H.E.A.R.T.]
He scrolled through the documents. Each data point unraveled another cruel layer: memory modifications, emotion control simulations, controlled emotional exposure—all leading to a series of calculated heartbreaks and resets. Li Chu's life hadn't been her own for a long time.
One entry stopped him cold:
"Calibration Success: Subject shows signs of empathy, attachment, and reactive sacrifice. Recommend proximity bonding with Target Alpha — Codename: Lin Chen."
His name.
His role in her programming.
He staggered back, nearly dropping the interface. "They used me… as a variable?"
[SYSTEM ALERT: Emotional instability detected. Advisable to pause interaction and apply 'Cognitive Dissonance Dampener.']
"Override it," Lin Chen growled. "I need to feel this."
He remembered every moment—her warmth, her moments of vulnerability, the flickers of affection in her gaze. Were they real? Or just programmed reactions in a long experiment?
But even if they were planted... she had cried for him. Bled for him. Fought beside him. Protected him.
"Real or not," Lin Chen whispered, "those memories are ours."
The ground trembled faintly. Above the lab, a transport drone had landed—Li Chu's signal signature pinged softly in his augmented vision. She was here.
He bolted up the spiral staircase, bursting through the rooftop door just as the last wind from the drone's blades died down. There she stood—Li Chu, arms folded, expression distant. Her hair was darker, now almost black, her eyes sharp and glazed with a kind of artificial calm.
"Li Chu…" Lin Chen stepped closer. "It's me."
She didn't move. Her tone was flat. "I know. Target Alpha. Lin Chen."
He flinched.
So it's true. The code was still active.
But even through her emotionless exterior, he saw something—an internal tremor, a barely perceptible hesitation.
"Do you remember when we sat by the river, and you told me you hated people who pretended to understand you?"
Her lips parted slightly. A flicker. "I…"
"That wasn't programmed. That was you," he said, voice cracking. "And no matter what they rewrote, no matter how much they've buried your real self—I'm going to bring you back."
[SYSTEM TASK UPDATE: Emotional Resonance Trigger Detected. Dormant memory thread E-32 partially restored.]
She winced. Her knees buckled slightly, and Lin Chen rushed forward, catching her.
A sharp ringing echoed in both their minds.
[EMERGENCY SYSTEM DIALOGUE: Initiating de-fragmentation protocol. Subject Li Chu — Memory Node Reactivation: 5%]
"Stop it…" she whispered, clutching her head. "Get out of my mind…"
"You're not alone, Li Chu." Lin Chen held her tighter. "This time, I'll fight for you. Not just against Erebus… but against the pieces of you they tried to erase."
As the moon rose over the fractured city, Lin Chen made a silent vow.
He would no longer be a player in Erebus's experiment.
He would become the virus in their code.
And he would rewrite destiny.