Cain sat at the edge of the hotel balcony, cigarette smoke curling into the night, a fragile tendril disappearing into the vast darkness.
The city below pulsed with a chaotic energy, a mesmerizing tapestry of red and gold, neon arteries running through cracked streets, a stark contrast to the cold, sterile precision of his own thoughts. Clubs spat out drunk kids with cheap perfume and too much cologne, their laughter and shouts echoing faintly in the distance.
Cars wailed in traffic, a symphony of frustration and impatience. And the occasional gunshot echoed far enough away not to matter, a grim reminder of the violence that simmered beneath the city's glittering surface.
The System’s interface hovered in his vision—unblinking, patient, a constant presence that both comforted and unne
