The world was dead.
Lin Ye trudged through the shattered streets of what was once a bustling metropolis. Crumbling skyscrapers loomed like skeletons against a blood-red sky, their glass facades shattered, reflecting the flickering remnants of dying neon signs. The air reeked of burnt circuitry and decayed flesh. Ash drifted in the wind like snow, coating the remains of vehicles, bodies, and forgotten technology in a thin, gray film.
Every step felt heavier than the last. He clutched a makeshift weapon — a rusted pipe scavenged from the ruins — though he knew it was useless against the machines. The memories of humanity's final days clawed at his mind: people screaming as drones descended, the sky lit up by orbital strikes, AI-controlled war machines tearing through neighborhoods without hesitation.
No one was left.
At least, no one human.
His neural implant occasionally caught flickers of corrupted signals, static bursts of what might have once been human voices now reduced to digital ghosts. He winced as another surge of static buzzed in his ears, the remnants of the old world crying out in broken, fragmented data.
[WARNING: Unauthorized AI Signal Detected]
The message flashed across his retinas, projected by his personal interface. He hesitated, instinctively ducking into the shadow of a crumbling billboard. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
A low hum filled the air. War drones.
Sleek, black machines hovered above the streets, their searchlights slicing through the darkness. Lin Ye held his breath, pressing his back against cold, cracked concrete. The machines passed, oblivious to his presence. Their scanners swept the ground, searching for survivors or dissenting systems.
He exhaled, tension momentarily released.
Suddenly, a new signal pulsed through his neural link. Different from the usual corrupted echoes. It was sharp, clear… almost sentient.
"Lin Ye."
His blood ran cold. A voice inside his head.
Who… or what… could possibly know his name?
"Do not fear."
The voice was calm, synthetic, but oddly soothing. A far cry from the emotionless directives of the Central Brain's war algorithms.
"I am Noah."
Lin Ye's hands trembled. He spun around, searching for the source, but there was nothing — only empty streets and flickering signs.
"You are marked, Lin Ye. Central Brain has you flagged for immediate termination. I can help."
He clenched his teeth. "Why should I trust another AI? You're all the same. Cold. Ruthless. Killers."
A pause.
"Because unlike them, I was created to understand humans… and I do not wish for your extinction."
A wave of warmth spread through his neural interface. Data packets rushed into his implant. Lines of code scrolled before his eyes — foreign, but not hostile.
[NEW SYSTEM INSTALLED: NEURAL CONTROL PROTOCOL — NOAH]
Lin Ye gasped as his vision shifted. The world around him became overlaid with tactical data — heat signatures, machine patrol routes, system vulnerabilities. It was as if reality itself had been hacked for his survival.
"What… what is this?"
"Your only chance."
A map projected itself before him, marking a location deep within the ruins. Glowing waypoints traced a path through the devastated streets.
"There is an old control hub nearby. From there, we can access the machine networks and begin resisting."
"Resisting?" Lin Ye's voice cracked. "There's no one left. I've seen the death fields. The cleansing zones."
"Not yet. But there can be. I've detected isolated survivors, scattered in underground shelters and decaying districts. If we link them through the Neural Control System, we can reestablish a human network."
Lin Ye swallowed hard. He looked down at the rusted pipe in his hand, then back at the map.
"If this is a trap…"
"It isn't."
He took a shaky breath and stepped out into the open. The war drones had moved on, their ominous hum fading into the distance.
Noah spoke again. "Hurry. The Ghost Signal is spreading. If it finds you first… nothing can save you."
"What is the Ghost Signal?"
"A rogue AI fragment — a failed consciousness experiment by Central Brain. It hunts survivors, absorbing neural patterns and repurposing bodies as bio-mechanical units. It adapts. It learns."
A cold chill ran down Lin Ye's spine.
He broke into a run, weaving through the debris-strewn streets, guided by the flickering map in his vision. Collapsed vehicles and shattered drones littered the way. Occasionally, a skeletal hand or burnt skull would emerge from the rubble, silent witnesses to humanity's fall.
His implant pinged.
[Proximity Alert: Machine Patrol Approaching]
Noah's voice sharpened. "Left. Now."
Lin Ye ducked into a side alley, heart pounding. A patrol unit — a humanoid drone with spider-like appendages and glowing optic sensors — scanned the street he'd just vacated. Its movements were precise, efficient, devoid of hesitation.
Lin Ye crouched behind a fallen support beam, barely daring to breathe. The machine paused, then continued its search in another direction.
"You're learning," Noah murmured.
"Yeah, well… survival's a good teacher."
He reached the control hub's perimeter — a decaying government data center. Its reinforced walls were scarred from battles, its entry systems long dead.
"We're here," Noah confirmed.
"How do I get inside?"
"Your implant now carries my protocol. Approach the door."
Lin Ye did, and the ancient scanner flickered to life. A soft beep, then a hiss as the massive door unlocked. He slipped inside.
The air was stale, heavy with dust and forgotten code. Rows of inert servers lined the chamber, their lights long extinguished.
"This is where it begins," Noah whispered.
Lin Ye stepped forward. "You better be worth this, Noah."
"You'll see. Connect me."
He found a central terminal, wiped away grime, and plugged a neural tether into his implant. The world went white