Genesis: The Evolution Begins

Chapter Thirteen: System Alert: Beacon Neura Detected!

[Ding! System Alert!] A sharp mechanical chime blared inside Mira's mind as she touched the glass casing. [Target 'Beacon Neura' has entered the immediate operational radius. Current distance: 30 meters.]

Mira’s breath caught. She spun around, throwing open the boutique doors, her eyes wildly scanning the crowded street. Nothing. Just ordinary shoppers carrying luxury bags. But the system alert didn't lie.

She was about to dive into the crowd in search of her son when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder.

"Mrs. Aegis, we've been instructed to protect you, which means we can't allow you to enter potentially dangerous areas." She glanced over her shoulder and saw it was the lead guard.

Annoyed, she swatted his hand away from her and glanced back at the crowd.

Just at the edge of an alleyway, a small hooded figure turned the corner. For a fraction of a second, the boy looked back.

Beneath the shadow of his mask, a pair of piercing green eyes met hers, holding a depth of sorrow that no four-year-old should ever possess.

Before she could move, the boy vanished into the urban maze, leaving her clutching the emerald brooch against her racing heart.

"Mrs. Aegis?" The lead guard called out to her for the third time, his posture tense.

"Let's go back." She turned, heading back toward the restaurant. She shot the lead guard a cold glance.

The lead guard noticed the disappointment in her expression but wisely chose not to ask questions.

Mira marched back into the luxurious warmth of the restaurant, the heavy scent of expensive spices doing nothing to calm her racing pulse. She had to stay grounded.

If the system wanted her to find Neura it meant Marvin was alive. He was capable, and he was actively moving through the capital.

She summoned the restaurant manager back to her table to finalize the astronomical transaction.

"The total volume for the blast-frozen meals will require specialized transport," the manager noted, his hands trembling slightly as he processed Alvin’s black card for the second time.

"Where should we authorize the primary shipments, Mrs. Aegis?"

Mira pulled out a scrap of paper, penning down a location that made the manager pause. "Deliver everything to 446 Silverwood Lane. Do not involve third-party couriers."

"Of course, ma'am. The first batch will arrive Sunday morning."

As the manager bowed and walked away, Mira leaned back against the leather booth.

A critical flaw weighed heavily on her strategy. Unlike her past life, where she was a high-level Neogen, her current Level 1 Inventory space had a severe limitation: it was entirely incapable of perfectly preserving organic matter.

Time inside her storage pocket didn't freeze; it flowed roughly twenty times slower than in the outside world.

A hot, freshly cooked dish placed inside today would still spoil completely in less than a year if she didn't upgrade her territory space.

She thought grimly, her fingers tightening around the velvet jewelry box.

Mira stood up, fixing her coat as her bodyguards fell into formation around her.

"We're done here. Take me back to the vehicle."

As her longing for her son reached its peak, she found herself murmuring a song.

"Where did you run? 'Cause I'm searching around now. Are you hiding from me? Out there in the crowd..."

---

Just three streets away from the shopping district, was Marvin, completely out of breath.

[Host. Just one question. Are you stupid?] Neura asked with schadenfreude.

"Neura, shut up," Marvin muttered, leaning his small back against the brick wall of a narrow alley, his chest heaving under the heavy hoodie. "I had everything under control."

[Oh, really? Under control?] Neura’s voice dripped with mechanical sarcasm.

[You literally turned around and looked right at her! You’ve been lecturing me for hours about how we need to stay hidden, how she hasn't awakened her memories yet,

and then the moment you see her, you freeze like a deer in headlights. You wanted her to see you, didn't you? You're a coward, host.]

Marvin’s green eyes darkened, a flash of anger crossing his small face. "I am not a coward.

You don't know what it's like to watch your mother die in a past life, only to see her standing across a street buying jewelry in this one.

My body is four, Neura. My brain just... stopped working for a second. Cut me some damn slack!"

[And that almost ruined the entire timeline!] Neura shot back, the AI's processing speed flaring with genuine irritation.

[If those Aethelgard bodyguards had grabbed you, Alvin Aegis would have your DNA on a desk by midnight. We have a one-billion-dollar supply quota to fill, and you're out here playing peek-a-boo with the timeline!]

"I said, back off!" Marvin snapped through gritted teeth, his tiny fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white.

Silence suddenly enveloped the mental link. Thick, heavy. The kind of suffocating quiet Marvin used to hate when he was scavenging alone in the ruins of the old world.

He leaned his head back against the brick, staring up at the patch of blue sky between the skyscrapers.

The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind nothing but the cold, hollow realization that Neura was entirely right.

He had been reckless. He had let his adult trauma compromise the only reality that mattered right now.

He closed his eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh that sounded far too old for his chest.

He could still see those eyes. For one impossible second, it had felt like she recognized him. The memory twisted something deep inside his chest.

"Hey," Marvin muttered mentally, his tone dropping the defensive edge. "...I'm sorry."

Neura didn't answer immediately.

"I'm serious, Neura. It was my fault," he continued softly, rubbing his small face with his sleeve. "You're just trying to keep us alive. I shouldn't have lashed out at you."

The mental link remained silent for several seconds. Then Neura finally responded, instantly pivoting to capitalize on his guilt.

[Host,] Neura called out.

"What?" Marvin answered.

[I still haven't forgiven you for calling me a wannabe human.] Neura said, her mechanical voice laced with a deliberate, dramatic sadness.

"That was a long time ago." Marvin let out a dry, quiet chuckle, his mood lifting just a fraction. "Of course you haven't. What do you want, you digital extortionist?"

[I want a dedicated percentage of our future trading profits allocated to my computational emotional support.] she stated proudly. [And a formal apology.]

"Fine. Done. Just help me map the quickest route back to Silverwood Lane." Marvin pulled his face mask back up, stepping out of the alley shadows and blending seamlessly back into the busy city crowd.

He took out a crumpled receipt from his pocket and scribbled an old warehouse address across the back. The address he was supposed to keep secret.

"Neura, send this to Zayne's network. Encrypted."

[On it, host. And host... I'm sorry too.]

Marvin paused. "...Don't go soft on me now."

[Wouldn't dream of it.]