CHAPTER TWO
990 Words
[Project 37 Protocol Initiated]
[Host Located]
[Calibrating Synaptic Link…]
[Name: Sky Grant]
[Status: Accepted]
[System Activated]
Sky opened his eyes to find himself still lying on the floor. Had he been dead?
While he stared around, wondering how he was alive, an odd blue interface appeared before his vision.
Data flashed before him: names of people, directions, routes, exit. He sat up abruptly and rubbed his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest.
Had his brain perhaps been glitched? He obviously did not look like someone who had just died.
Immediately, he recalled the microchip he had seen and averted his gaze to the broken chamber, there was nothing.
Had he really been hallucinating when he saw those fragments approaching him?
While his mind was still racing for an answer, a notification appeared before him.
[Threat Approaching]
[Estimated Time of Arrival: 10 seconds]
[Suggested Action: Take The Corridor To The Exit]
[Survival Rate: 95%]
What the hell?
Sky sat up quickly and dusted his hands. He had no idea what was happening to him, but he knew he was in danger and needed to leave the building.
“There was an intruder, and you claim you have no idea who it was?” He heard a male voice yell from some distance.
They were still far away, but Sky's ears had detected their voices.
“That's weird,” he said to himself.
He did not have to wait to find out who they were. He quickly got up and dashed out of the room.
“Hey! Who the hell is that? Get him!” someone shouted when they saw him running and immediately foot sounds were heard approaching him.
Sky's heart raced and he breathed heavily as he ran, but he was not just running; he was also calculating, gathering data, and making predictions like a machine.
It was like he was being controlled by something and of course, he wasn't alone.
***
As soon as Sky got out of the exit, his vision became a flash of color-coded warnings and data.
[Another Threat Detected: Two Armed Males Approaching From Behind]
[Estimated Time of Arrival: 9 seconds]
[Suggestion Action: Turn Right To a Sub-tunnel]
[Survival Rate: 90%]
Without thinking, Sky got on his bike and zoomed away towards the Sub-tunnel. His vision directed him, it provided the routes, scanned for threats and dished out directions to him.
When he entered the tunnel, he rode through the narrow passage. Suddenly his bike stopped and went off. Sky sighed and quickly looked around before getting off to check the bike.
It was an old electric bike that he had purchased with little money to start his delivery business, and it had now started acting up.
After he was done checking, he started it but the engine only coughed and refused to start. He tried again, but the results were the same.
Feeling frustrated and pissed off, he wiped the sweat off his neck and looked straight ahead. That was when he noticed them: two armed men approaching him.
He had been too preoccupied with his bike to notice the arrival of the two men or the system's warning.
What the hell was he going to do? he asked himself.
Just then the system came to his aid.
[Cardiac Spike – Engage Neural Override To Enhance Muscle Output?]
[Yes] [No]
Sky, who was now stranded, had no other option but to accept.
“Yes,” he replied, breathing heavily.
He instantly felt overpowered; something had taken control of his body, and before he could think again, his legs moved faster and his body adjusted to the newfound speed.
***
A few minutes later, Sky arrived at his apartment, a mini flat with barely enough property. A small bed that could barely accommodate his six-foot height. A desk where Talia would usually spend her day drawing. A wooden chair and a wardrobe where his clothes and that of his sister's had been cramped in.
He dumped his bag on the ground and slouched down in the chair.
[Threat Cleared]
[Project 37 Phase: Installation Complete]
[Initiating System Integration…]
[Accessing Networks…]
Nico let out a sigh as digital symbols swarm through his vision.
[Injecting Financial Phase…]
[Activating Account Wallet…]
Then his phone buzzed. He brought it out from his pocket and stared at the damaged screen.
“What the hell?!” He exclaimed and sat up quickly, his gaze was fixed to his phone in horror. He watched as his bank app opened and his account balance blinked.
$0.00…
$1,000…
$10,000…
$100,000…
$1,000,000…
$1,000,000,000
Sky's jaw dropped in shock.
“No way did I just get credited by this weird system thingy!” he exclaimed to himself.
[Revenue Sources: 200 Dark Chain Nodes Connected]
[Artificial Operating Trade BOTS: 12]
[Fraud Detection: Disabled]
[Project 37 Financial Phase Installation: Ready]
At first, he couldn't believe it, but the more he stared at the screen, it all became clear to him.
Just an hour ago, he was a bike delivery guy without food to eat, but now, he was a man with billions in his bank account!
However, the system was not done yet.
[Generating New Identity…]
[Creating a Business Entity…]
[Reserve A Building?]
“A building?” Sky asked.
Suddenly, a blueprint showcasing a penthouse flashed before him. It was one of those top rated houses he always admired, and now he was about to own one?
[Purchase?]
[Yes] [No]
“Yes!” he said without thinking and suddenly the screen flickered.
[Property Bought]
[Ownership Transferred]
Sky could not believe his eyes. Just like that, he did not even have to go through the long process of signing documents.His miserable life had come to an end, and he was transformed into something new.
Even though he was yet to understand the system or whatever had gotten into him, one thing was certain: he wasn't some pawn anymore.
He was now rich and dangerous, a combination feared by many.
- Writer
