The city skyline blurred beneath Lin Chen's feet as he leapt across rooftops, his breath ragged, fists clenched so tightly that sparks of raw energy leaked from his knuckles. The warning from the system echoed in his mind, cold and robotic, but tinged with something dangerously urgent.
[System Alert: Energy Threshold Exceeded. Instability Level: Critical. Recommend Immediate Cooldown.]
But he couldn't stop. Not now. Not when the entire city block had just been flattened in a brutal clash between awakened hosts. Not when dozens of innocent people were buried under rubble, their lives hanging by a thread.
The rage inside him boiled over—memories of the Tower Lab, of Li Chu's altered memories, of Erebus's expanding network. It all surged through his veins like liquid fire.
And then, the rupture happened.
A high-pitched hum shattered the silence of night, followed by a deafening explosion of light. Lin Chen's body convulsed as his control shattered—his carefully managed abilities spilled out like a broken dam.
A ring of violent force exploded outward.
Glass shattered across a five-block radius. Surveillance drones dropped from the sky like dying fireflies. Cars levitated before crumpling inwards, imploding under unseen pressure. And at the epicenter stood Lin Chen, eyes glowing with an unnatural white light, completely consumed by his own energy.
[System Override Initiated. Emergency Protocols Engaged.]
The system had no choice. It activated a hard shutdown. One moment Lin Chen floated above the city, glowing like a dying star. The next—blackout.
He plummeted.
His body slammed through the roof of an abandoned warehouse, crashing into the concrete floor. Dust rose. For a long while, he didn't move.
…
When he opened his eyes again, it was to darkness—thick, suffocating, and silent. The interface flickered back online, but everything was dimmed. Muted.
[System Status: Minimal Functionality. Core Energy Lockdown in Progress.]
Lin Chen groaned. Every muscle in his body screamed, but it was nothing compared to the shame burning through his chest. He'd lost control. Again.
He remembered the look on the terrified child's face before the blast hit. The mother pulling her daughter into her arms. The bystanders who had only wanted to help—and now lay silent under rubble.
"I could've killed them all…" he rasped, staring at his trembling hands.
But before despair could sink its claws in, the system flickered with a single line:
[Would you like to activate the 'Stabilize Core Energy' Recovery Mission?]
He took a breath. "Yes," he whispered.
[Mission Start: Stabilize Core Energy]
Objective: Retrieve 3 fragments of "Stability Factor" from scattered quantum nodes. Time Limit: 12 hours. Reward: Unlock of Core Energy Node. Permanent control bonus: +35%.
[Mission Start: Recover three Stabilizer Modules within 12 hours.]
He stood, his legs shaky, but determination returning to his eyes. If he couldn't trust his own powers, then he'd fix that. He would learn to control it. He had to—before Erebus used his instability against him.
[Location 1: Quantum Node – Ruins of the North District]
The first node lay within the ruins of what had once been a tech innovation hub—now reduced to twisted metal and collapsed walls. As Lin Chen entered, his passive sense picked up flickers of dormant energy pulsing beneath the debris.
He crouched, pressing a hand to the cold floor. A faint hum traveled up his arm.
[Stability Factor Detected. Initiating Retrieval Protocol.]
A column of light burst from the rubble, illuminating a small, translucent crystal.
As he reached for it, shadows burst from the corners of the room—residual data-wraiths left by Erebus's surveillance AI. They lunged. Lin Chen ducked, grabbed the crystal, and activated his temporary fallback skill: Phase Step.
He blinked out of existence for half a second—then reappeared behind the last wraith and drove his fist through its core.
[Stability Fragment Acquired (1/3).]
[Location 2: Quantum Node – Sublevel Tunnel G3]
The tunnels beneath the city were damp, rusted, and humming with residual energy. Lin Chen's skin prickled as he advanced deeper, flashlight in hand. The next fragment's signal was weaker—shielded by environmental static.
He found it embedded in the wall of an old military testing facility, sealed behind hardened steel.
The moment he approached, the tunnel shook. Automated defenses activated—Erebus tech, retrofitted into the infrastructure.
Turrets descended. Electricity cracked.
With his powers locked down, Lin Chen had to rely on raw agility and instincts. He rolled, weaved between blasts, ricocheted off a wall, and jammed a dismantled drone core into the turret's socket—overloading it.
The system beeped.
[Second Stability Fragment Acquired (2/3).]
[Location 3: Quantum Node – Skybridge LZ-9]
The last one was the hardest.
The fragment floated midair above an open chasm. Between Lin Chen and the node stood Erebus's new prototype sentry—a synthetic host with partial sentience, designed to intercept any energy recovery missions.
[Warning: Intense enemy activity ahead. Engagement is inevitable.]
Even with most of his skills sealed, Lin Chen activated his Combat Memory Imprint—a passive ability that let him mimic peak physical reactions from prior battles.
The duel was fierce. Every movement had to be perfect. The sentry adapted fast, copying his moves, predicting his rhythm.
But Lin Chen changed tactics—he stopped fighting like himself. He fought like the fire host from Chapter 54. Like the time-manipulator he had defeated in Chapter 70.
Unpredictable.
He ducked, spun, used environment as a weapon, and finally, with a flying knee and a redirected force blast, sent the sentry crashing into the abyss.
He collapsed, panting.
[Stability Fragment Acquired (3/3). Initiating Core Reconstruction.]
[System Update Complete]
[Core Energy Node Unlocked. New Bonus: +35% Power Control] [New Skill Acquired: Surge Suppression][Skill Description: Temporarily absorb excess energy during emotional surges, avoiding destabilization.]
Lin Chen stared at the rising sun on the horizon. His body ached, but for the first time in a long while—he felt whole.
This wasn't just about power anymore. It was about mastery. About responsibility.
He had almost lost everything. But now—he was stronger, steadier, and one step closer to taking the war to Erebus.
From the ashes of chaos, he would rise—not just as a weapon, but as a force that couldn't be controlled.