Chapter 8: System Purge
572 Words
The metallic figure landed in the center of the shelter.
The floor cracked beneath its feet.
People screamed and scattered.
Kai immediately activated System Vision.
[TARGET ANALYSIS]
Designation: Observer Drone
Classification: Unknown
Threat Level: C+
Primary Function: System Surveillance
Secondary Function: Purge Unauthorized Users
Kai's expression changed.
"Purge?"
The drone's head turned toward him.
"TARGET IDENTIFIED."
A red beam formed in its palm.
Kai grabbed Mira's arm.
"Move!"
They jumped aside.
The beam struck the floor, sending a shockwave through the shelter.
Kai rolled behind a support pillar.
Mira raised her hand.
A transparent blue interface appeared around her fingers.
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: ACTIVE]
She pointed toward the drone.
Its movements suddenly slowed.
Kai stared.
"You're using System Hack?"
Mira shook her head.
"No. Something different."
The drone suddenly broke free.
[COUNTER-HACK ACTIVATED]
Mira's eyes widened.
"It's adapting!"
Kai looked at his interface.
[SYSTEM HACK]
Success Probability: 28%
Too low.
He needed another strategy.
Kai scanned the room.
Emergency power generators.
Security cameras.
Automated defense turrets.
A network.
His eyes narrowed.
He opened the hidden menu.
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE]
Available targets: 47
Kai smiled.
"I don't need to hack the drone."
He targeted the shelter's defense system.
[SYSTEM HACK]
Target: Emergency Defense Network
Success Probability: 91%
"Got you."
He activated it.
The walls opened.
Automated turrets emerged.
The drone turned toward them.
THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!
Energy rounds struck its armor.
The drone staggered.
Mira immediately understood.
She raised both hands.
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE]
[Temporary synchronization initiated.]
Kai's interface flashed.
[MIRA REQUESTING SYSTEM LINK.]
Kai accepted.
For one second, their interfaces merged.
Something extraordinary happened.
[DUAL SYSTEM CONNECTION ESTABLISHED.]
Kai suddenly saw what Mira could see.
She could see what he could see.
Their abilities synchronized.
[COMBINED SKILL CREATED]
SYSTEM BREAKER
Effect: Temporarily disables System-based defenses.
Duration: 5 seconds.
Kai stared.
"Five seconds."
Mira nodded.
"That's all we need."
The drone recovered and charged toward them.
Kai and Mira raised their hands simultaneously.
"System Breaker."
A wave of blue energy swept across the shelter.
The drone froze.
Every light on its body went dark.
[SYSTEM DEFENSES: OFFLINE]
Kai rushed forward.
He activated System Hack.
This time, the probability was different.
[SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 99%]
His hand touched the drone.
[SYSTEM HACK COMPLETE.]
The machine collapsed.
Silence returned.
Kai looked at Mira.
"We did it."
But Mira wasn't celebrating.
She was staring at the destroyed drone.
"What?"
She pointed toward its chest.
A small black symbol was glowing beneath the damaged armor.
Kai used System Vision.
His interface immediately filled with warnings.
[UNKNOWN SYSTEM FRAGMENT DETECTED.]
Kai's heart skipped.
It was identical to the fragment he had received earlier.
He opened his inventory.
The fragment inside it began glowing.
Then the drone spoke.
Its voice was barely audible.
"Two fragments..."
Kai froze.
The machine's head lifted slightly.
"Two unauthorized users..."
Its eyes flashed red.
"The Administrator will awaken."
The drone exploded in a burst of energy.
Kai and Mira were thrown backward.
When the smoke cleared, the shelter was silent.
Kai slowly stood.
"The Administrator..."
Mira looked at him.
"You know what that is?"
Kai shook his head.
"No."
His System suddenly displayed a new message.
[SECRET OBJECTIVE UNLOCKED]
FIND THE ADMINISTRATOR
Reward: System Authority
Failure: Humanity's evolution will be terminated.
Kai stared at the final sentence.
Then another notification appeared.
[WORLD EVENT]
FIRST WAVE: PHASE TWO BEGINNING.
Far above Earth, the Core began to glow.
And this time, something emerged from it.
A fleet of unknown spacecraft.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD