The cool morning air brushed against Lin Chen's face as he stood on the rooftop of an abandoned high-rise, overlooking the city that had narrowly escaped destruction from his last outburst. Steam still curled off the fractured ground below, and emergency sirens echoed faintly in the distance. Though physically healed, the psychological scars of nearly annihilating an entire city block remained raw.
[System Notification: Core Stabilization Successful. Internal Energy Flow — 89% Stable.][New Passive Skill Activated: Inner Core Resonance][Skill Description: Gradually regulates host's power output in real time, minimizing energy overflow.]
A translucent interface shimmered in front of his eyes, displaying three new modules embedded within his core. Each of the Stability Fragments was now actively syncing with his main energy reservoir, forming a glowing triangular framework that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
For the first time in days, Lin Chen felt calm. Not just on the surface—but within. The chaotic flood of energy that once threatened to tear him apart now moved through his body like a steady current.
Yet he knew this peace wouldn't last.
—
Location: Underground Resistance Hub – Level B3
The elevator groaned as it descended, sparks flickering in the dim lighting. The reinforced doors opened to a dimly lit hall filled with humming terminals, flickering holographic maps, and a half-dozen faces that had become familiar over the last few weeks.
Jiang Yue, the sharp-eyed strategist of the resistance, looked up from a command console. Her eyes narrowed.
"You're alive. Barely," she muttered, then paused. "And… you're stabilized?"
Lin Chen nodded. "For now."
Li Chu wasn't there. Not yet. Since her return, she had been increasingly distant, absorbed in private sessions with the system's bio-diagnostic interface. The energy anomalies detected in her core—along with the discovery that she might be an early prototype—had put everyone on edge.
"Any word on Chu?" Lin Chen asked quietly.
Jiang Yue shook her head. "Not since last night. She's in the isolation chamber. Her energy spikes are too erratic… even the system had to restrict access."
A pang of guilt twisted in his chest.
He turned back toward the tactical interface. The map now showed multiple red dots scattered across the globe. System Hosts—no longer anomalies, but a growing phenomenon.
[System Update: Global Synchronization Events Increasing. Host Emergence Probability +27%.]
[Alert: System User Population Expected to Reach Critical Mass in 72 Hours. World Instability Index Climbing.]
"What's causing the spike?" he asked.
"Some kind of chain reaction," Jiang Yue said grimly. "When you stabilized your core, a signal pulse echoed across the grid. We think it may have triggered dormant hosts… or attracted Erebus's attention again."
A new line flashed on the console:
[Erebus Transmission Intercepted — Origin: Northern Sector, Skytower Facility][Content: 'Activate Phase 2. Bring all candidates to submission.']
Phase 2.
Lin Chen clenched his fists. "Then we don't have time."
—
Training Arena – Resistance Base Core
For the next six hours, Lin Chen immersed himself in internal diagnostics, endurance drills, and power modulation sequences. Every burst of energy now flowed through reinforced channels within his system core. The Inner Core Resonance skill automatically compensated for spikes, redirecting excess power into his muscular frame or dispersing it through the upgraded stability modules.
He pushed himself until sweat soaked his body, until his limbs trembled—but he didn't lose control. Not once.
[System Evaluation: Energy Regulation — 97% Efficiency. Fatigue Resistance — Upgraded.][New Module Installed: Energy Redistribution Node Lv.1][Effect: Auto-adjusts energy expenditure across physical and passive systems during combat.]
Breathing hard, Lin Chen looked at his reflection in the mirrored wall. His body was leaner, stronger. His eyes no longer flickered with uncontrolled light—they glowed faintly, steadily, like the controlled core of a star.
He was ready.
Or so he thought—until the door slammed open behind him.
Li Chu stood in the doorway.
But it wasn't her. Not completely.
Her expression was unreadable. Eyes distant, voice almost mechanical. "Lin Chen."
He froze. "…Chu?"
She stepped forward, the usual warmth absent. "The system inside me is… evolving. I don't know how much longer I can suppress it."
[System Alert: Unidentified Quantum Signature Detected — Proximity Alert.]
[Warning: Subject Li Chu shows signs of dual-core synchronization. Risk Level: HIGH.]
He stepped toward her. "Let me help."
"You can't," she said softly, her voice cracking. "There's something else inside me. Something Erebus left behind. It's... waking up."
And just like that—her body shimmered. The room filled with pressure. Not hostile, not violent—but deeply unnatural.
Lin Chen reached out, energy pulsing through his hands, but stopped just short.
"I'm not going to lose you," he said. "Not to them. Not again."
But in her eyes, he saw a glimpse of something ancient. Something not entirely human.
Before he could respond, she stepped back.
"I need time," she whispered. "And space. Promise me you won't follow. Not yet."
Then, she was gone—vanishing in a ripple of quantum light.
—
System Interface — Final Notification for the Day
[System Task Updated: "Balance of Chaos" Initiated]
Primary Objective: Maintain global stability while investigating rising host emergence.Secondary Objective: Locate and recover Subject Li Chu before synchronization failure occurs.Estimated Host Activation: +324 worldwide. Countdown to Global Cascade: 71:39:12
—
As night fell, Lin Chen stood on the helipad of the resistance base, wind whipping through his coat.
He looked toward the horizon—toward the looming threat of Erebus, the rising storm of awakened hosts, and the girl whose fate now echoed with his own.
The age of secrets was over.
It was time to bring everything into the light.