The Void-Train looked like a black spear rammed through the world’s concrete throat. For twelve hours, the only thing that moved was the steady hum of the kinetic core—a heartbeat echoing through a dead vacuum. They were deep in the “Great Divide,” a wasteland between the Capital and the Eastern Sectors, where the earth was gutted out for the Architects’ endless hunger. Out here, the System’s rules barely mattered. Silence pressed in from every side, heavy and suffocating.
“Status: Level 26. Location: Trans-Continental Sub-Line. Stealth Hull Integrity: 92%.”
Carter sat in the dark, right in the middle of the carriage, silver eyes glued to the one twitching monitor. He wasn’t resting. He kept his mind on the “Ghost-Feed.” Ever since he’d plugged the Architect’s Coin into his body, he coul
