The darkness in District 4 wasn't just an absence of light; it was a sensory vacuum. In a world where every citizen was tethered to the System via ocular HUDs and neural-links, the sudden blackout was like a collective blindness. People stumbled in the streets, their internal navigation systems spinning in infinite loops, screaming as the "Connection Lost" red text blinked in their retinas.
But for Jaxen, the darkness was a playground.
"Stay close," Jaxen whispered, his voice cutting through the panic echoing from the streets above. "I've redirected the local power to our bio-signatures. To the System, we're just background noise."
Mira followed him through the pitch-black tunnels, her hand gripping the back of his trench coat. "You're insane, Vane. You didn't just cut the power; you hijacked the 'Priority-A' emergency line. When the High-Admins see that, they're going to send more than just Seekers. They're going to send an Exterminator."
"Let them," Jaxen replied, his eyes darting across the green wireframe of the Under-Grid. "By the time they reboot the node, I'll be inside the kernel."
They reached the 'Root-Node'—a massive, cylindrical chamber buried beneath the district's central plaza. It looked like a beating heart made of fiber-optic cables, pulsing with a rhythmic, golden light that was the only illumination left in the dark city. This was the hub that distributed 'Reality-Data' to District 4. It told the gravity how to pull, the oxygen how to flow, and the law how to punish.
[Location: Root-Node 04]
[Security Rating: S-Rank]
[Status: Emergency Backup Mode]
Standing guard around the pulsing cylinder were four Sentinel-Drones. These weren't the liquid-mercury Seekers Jaxen had faced in the Vault. These were bulky, heavy-artillery units, their chassis covered in "Reactive Armor" that could adapt to any elemental attack.
"We can't sneak past those," Mira hissed, pulling a pulse-grenade from her belt. "Those things have 360-degree sonar. The moment we step into that room, we're Swiss cheese."
Jaxen adjusted his Dev_Eyes. The lenses zoomed in on the drones, stripping away their armor to reveal the logic gates beneath.
"I'm not going to attack them," Jaxen said. "I'm going to give them a conflicting directive."
He opened his Command Console. His fingers blurred in the air, typing at a speed that made the Logic-Heatsink on his hand glow cherry-red. The smell of singed skin filled the tunnel, but Jaxen didn't flinch.
[Console Command: /modify_entity (Sentinel_01-04)]
[Target_Logic: 'Hostile_Target' = NULL]
[New_Logic: 'Hostile_Target' = 'Sentinel_Self']
Mira watched in stunned silence as the four massive drones suddenly pivoted. Their turrets whirred, and instead of aiming at the tunnel entrance, they locked onto each other.
BOOM.
The sound was deafening in the enclosed space. The Sentinels opened fire with high-velocity plasma, tearing into their own ranks. In a chaotic spray of sparks and shrapnel, the S-Rank guardians destroyed themselves in less than five seconds.
"You... you just made them commit suicide," Mira whispered, stepping over a smoking turret.
"I just changed their definition of 'Enemy,'" Jaxen said, his face pale, sweat dripping from his chin.
He approached the Root-Node. The golden cables hummed with a frequency that made his teeth vibrate. He reached out, his hand trembling, and touched the glass casing.
[CAUTION: DIRECT INTERFACE DETECTED.]
[Warning: Root-Access Level 0.01% is insufficient for full control.]
[Required Level: 1.0]
"I'm not here for control," Jaxen growled. "I'm here for the Update."
He slammed his palm against the glass.
"Mira, guard the door. This is going to get loud."
Jaxen didn't just type this time. He plunged his consciousness into the golden light.
The world of the basement vanished. Jaxen found himself standing in a white void, surrounded by billions of floating strings of text. This was the 'Source Code' of the district. He saw the 'Tax_Rate' variables, the 'Punishment_Logs,' and the 'Player_Cap' limits.
He saw a specific file, glowing with a sinister violet light: [Execution_Script_404: Optimization].
This was the command to burn the district. It was already at 45% completion.
Jaxen grabbed the file with his mental hands. It burned like cold fire.
[SYSTEM ALERT: INTERFERENCE DETECTED IN EXECUTION SCRIPT.]
[ADMINISTRATIVE OVERRIDE ENGAGED.]
Suddenly, a massive, holographic hand appeared in the white void, descending from the 'ceiling' to crush Jaxen. It was the manifestation of a High-Admin's will.
"Pathetic Null," a voice boomed, vibrating through Jaxen's very soul. "You think a shard of the Architect's glass makes you a god? You are a flaw. A mistake. And mistakes are erased."
The hand slammed down.
Jaxen felt his [Health] drop instantly. [Health: 15%... 10%... 5%...]
"I'm... not... a mistake," Jaxen gasped, his vision turning white. He reached into his memory, to the years of being stepped on, of being a Zero, of being 'trash.' He took all that resentment and channeled it into a single line of code.
He didn't try to stop the hand. He redirected it.
[Console Command: /set_attribute (Admin_Hand) -> 'Target' = [Execution_Script_404]]
The massive holographic hand, intended to crush Jaxen, was suddenly forced by its own logic to grab the "Optimization" script instead. The Admin's own power was turned against his own command.
With a sound like shattering glass, the hand crushed the violet script into dust.
[Optimization Script: DELETED.]
[Quarantine: LIFTED.]
Jaxen was slammed back into reality. He hit the floor of the Root-Node chamber, gasping for air, his lungs feeling like they were filled with broken glass.
[QUEST COMPLETE: THE ROOT-NODE SIEGE.]
[REWARD: ADMINISTRATOR LEVEL 1.0 REACHED.]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: 'FORCE-QUIT' - Instantly disable any System-based skill within 10 meters.]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: 'MACRO-CREATION' - Save complex code sequences for instant use.]
"Jaxen! Get up!" Mira's voice screamed.
Jaxen looked up. The golden glow of the Root-Node was fading, replaced by a deep, pulsing red.
The 'Optimization' had been stopped, but the System had a backup plan. In the center of the room, the floor opened up.
A figure rose from the depths. It was tall, clad in obsidian armor that seemed to swallow the light. It didn't have a weapon. It was the weapon. A Level 90 Exterminator.
"User Jaxen Vane," the Exterminator said, its voice a chorus of a thousand dead souls. "Your existence is no longer tolerated."
Jaxen stood up, leaning on Mira. He adjusted his cracked glasses. He was bleeding, his arm was burnt, and he was nearly out of mental energy.
But for the first time in his life, his Rank wasn't 'Null.'
[Rank: Administrator (Level 1)]
"Mira," Jaxen said, a cold smile touching his lips. "Hold my coat. I've been waiting to test the 'Delete' button on someone who actually deserves it."