Novels by Ugo Lee

The third day was the darkest. Inside Everett’s mind, there was no bunker. There was no Lyra. There was no desert.There was only a massive, endless white room.Everett was standing in the middle of the bright white nothingness. He was not wearing his heavy cloak. He was not holding his chain-sword. He looked down at his hands. They were transparent. He was fading away.A voice echoed through the endless white room. It did not sound human. It sounded like perfect, cold math. It was the voice of the System itself.“SUBJECT EVERETT. FATAL CORRUPTION DETECTED. SYSTEM DELETION IN PROGRESS.”"I am not a subject," Everett said. His voice sounded small in the giant white space. "I am a man."“YOUR BIOLOGY IS FAILING,” the cold voice stated. “THE POISON HAS DESTROYED SEVENTY PERCENT OF YOUR VITAL FUNCTIONS. YOUR STATS ARE PERMANENTLY DAMAGED. IT IS MATHEMATICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SURVIVE. CEASE RESISTANCE. ACCEPT DELETION.”The white floor beneath Everett’s feet began to turn black. The darkness

In the camp, the silence was terrible. It was the silence of absolute, crushed hope.Little Finn, the ten-year-old boy who had been practicing with his wooden stick, watched the screen go dark. He looked down at his stick. He had believed Everett. He had believed he could break his blue box.Finn’s hands shook. He dropped the wooden stick into the dirty mud. He walked away, his head hanging low. The spark inside him was completely dead.Inside the noble cities, the reaction was exactly the opposite.The elite families threw massive, expensive parties. They drank wine. They danced to beautiful music. Lord Valdrin laughed loudly as he watched his baby son destroy more expensive toys with his inherited magic. The nobles celebrated because they knew they were finally safe. The monster in the dark was gone. The peasants would never rise up again.But down in the underground bunker, Lyra was finally awake.She was incredibly weak. Her head pounded. She crawled across the cold concrete floor

The walk back to the hidden underground bunker was the longest walk of Everett’s life.Every step he took felt like he was moving through thick, heavy mud. The dry red dirt of the desert crunched under his boots. The cold wind howled, blowing sharp ash into his eyes.In his strong arms, he carried Lyra. She was completely unconscious. Her skin was as pale as the moon. She had used her own life force, her forbidden blood magic, to stop the green poison from eating his heart. She was so light, but to Everett, she felt like the most precious thing in the entire world.Silas walked next to him. Silas held his sniper rifle tightly. His eyes scanned the dark rocks, searching for any more elite assassins."We are almost there, Everett," Silas whispered. "Just over this next hill. Keep moving."Everett did not answer. He could not open his mouth. If he opened his mouth, he was afraid he would scream.The green poison from the Silent Knife was still inside his veins. Lyra’s red magic had pushe

The last standing assassin, from House Rho stepped back. He looked at Everett, who was pushing himself up onto one knee. He looked at Lyra, who was glowing with terrifying red magic. He looked up at the ridge, where Silas was surely reloading his sniper rifle.The element of surprise was completely gone. Their leader was bleeding out. Two assassins were crippled. One was dead.The assassin from House Rho reached into his belt and pulled out a small black glass ball. He smashed it onto the ground.A thick cloud of black smoke exploded into the air, covering the entire canyon."The Houses send their regards, anomaly," a voice echoed from the dark smoke. "You cannot hide forever."When the thick black smoke finally cleared in the wind, the assassins were gone. They had used a teleportation crystal to escape, taking their wounded leader with them.The canyon was quiet again.The Stat Suppression Field suddenly turned off.The heavy, crushing weight vanished from Everett's shoulders. His

The leader screamed in absolute agony. He spun around and fell into the dirt, dropping the green dagger. His blood sprayed across the dry red rocks."Sniper!" the assassin from House Solenne yelled. He raised his shield and looked up at the high canyon walls.BANG!Another shot rang out. The bullet hit the ground right in front of the assassin, throwing a cloud of red dust into the air."Keep your heads down, you golden bastards!" a loud, familiar voice echoed down from the dark ridge above.It was Silas.Silas was lying flat on a high rock, looking through the scope of his heavy rifle. He pumped the gun quickly, loading another bullet. "I missed the head! Next one goes right between your eyes!"The assassins panicked. They looked for cover. They were trained to fight in close combat with magic. They were not prepared for a Dust Runner sniper shooting from the dark hills.But Silas was not alone.Down in the canyon, the sound of boots sliding fast down the rocky wall broke the silence

The five assassins attacked at the exact same time. They were incredibly fast. They did not lose their stats in the suppression field. They had special glowing white tags on their shoulders that protected them from the drain. They moved with high-level Agility.The assassin with the two short swords reached Everett first. He swung the blades in a fast, deadly cross toward Everett's neck.Everett could not dodge. He was too slow. His body felt heavy and useless.So, he did not dodge.Everett stepped forward, right into the attack. He raised his heavy, dead chain-sword like a simple iron club. He used the sheer weight of the weapon to block the two glowing swords. CLANG!The impact shook Everett's bones. The pain shot up his arms. But he did not stop. He used a pure, raw, human fighting trick he had learned long before the System gave him magic stats.Everett let go of his sword with his left hand. He stepped inside the assassin's guard. He grabbed the assassin by the back of the neck,

Rain slicked streets reflected neon as the city woke to chaos. Smoke rose from the east sector. Alarms blared across rooftops. The logistics hub had exploded.Victor arrived first on the street below. Concrete cracked. Flames licked metal structures. A heavy cloud of smoke rose into the sky.“Zane,” Victor called over comms. “It’s bad. Peak hours.”Celeste’s voice followed, tight and fast. “Minimal casualties. Everyone accounted for so far, but symbolic damage is massive. Media coverage turning hostile already.”Rex scanned the perimeter from a nearby rooftop. “Ash timed this perfectly. They hit the hub when it was busiest.”Zane moved through wet streets, boots splashing in puddles. Rain hammered down. Neon reflected across broken glass. He arrived to see fire crews and civilians scattered.Victor pointed toward the center of the hub. Flames licked a supply stack. Sparks flew across puddles. “All evacuated?” he asked.Celeste checked her tablet. “Mostly. Some minor injuries, but aliv

The city breathed with tension. Steam rose from vents. Rain slicked streets reflected neon. Alarms blared in distant sectors. Urban Core operatives moved swiftly.Victor led a rooftop sweep. Boots hit wet metal. Neon signs flickered. Every corner checked. Shadows shifted across walls and rooftops.Celeste scanned her tablet. “Transit nodes offline. Power disruptions spreading. Data feeds compromised. Ash coordinated this well.”Zane crouched behind a concrete ledge. He observed movement in the streets below. Vehicles stalled at intersections. People ran for cover.Rex adjusted his scope. “Multiple points of sabotage. They hit the city at once. Not for territory, chaos. Terror.”Victor glanced at him. “They’re stretched thin. No central focus, just disruption.”Zane’s eyes narrowed. “Exactly. And they’re not random. Pattern indicates something older. Someone… guiding them.”A train station exploded lightly. Sparks flew. Smoke drifted into the night sky. Victor dove behind a railing. Ci

Rain slicked streets glimmered under neon lights. Steam rose from vents. Traffic crawled in slow, controlled chaos. The city district waited, unaware of the approaching storm.Ash operatives moved in coordinated patterns. Drones hovered above rooftops. Vehicles blocked key streets. Explosions were timed. Infrastructure targeted.Victor checked the perimeter from a rooftop. Rain plastered his hair to his forehead. He scanned alleys, fire escapes, and overhead cables. “They’re in position,” he said.Zane crouched behind a concrete ledge. Neon reflected off puddles at his feet. He traced the lines of streets below. Movement precise. Predictable.Celeste’s fingers flew across her tablet. “Ash is splitting forces into three main corridors. Each hitting a critical node, power, water, transit.”Rex adjusted the scope on his rooftop post. “Cameras show civilian movement. Mostly trapped in upper streets and walkways.”Zane didn’t speak. Only observation. He measured distances, sightlines, and

Rain slicked streets reflected neon. The city hummed with movement, distant sirens, and the low buzz of generators. Urban Core operatives gathered on rooftops. All were armed, ready.Zane crouched on a ledge, scanning. A feed from Celeste flickered on a portable screen. Red dots moved across the map, Ash operatives. Coordinates aligned with Nerissa’s intel.Victor adjusted his gloves. “All clear,” he said. “We move in ten seconds.”Zane didn’t respond. His eyes traced patterns across rooftops. Movement seemed… off. Slightly too precise. Too easy.Rex tapped his tablet. “Data looks solid. Nothing unusual in the feed.”Celeste’s fingers hovered over the screen. “Nerissa said this would be a small Ash cell. No civilians nearby. Quick strike.”Zane shifted weight, keeping low. “Something’s wrong,” he said quietly.Victor glanced at him. “You think it’s a trap?”Zane didn’t answer. He scanned shadows, fire escapes, alleyways below. The city was alive, every movement a signal.Celeste point

Victor moved through the alley silently. Rain slicked the concrete. Steam rose from vents. Gunfire echoed faintly from the streets above.He led two Urban Core operatives. The target: an Ash muscle cell hiding in an abandoned warehouse. No civilians nearby. Clear strike.Victor checked the corners. Lights flickered overhead. Broken glass crunched under his boots. He signaled a halt.Celeste’s voice came through comms. “Alpha entry confirmed. Security systems offline.”Victor gestured forward. They advanced. Metal doors groaned. Pipes rattled. Shadows shifted.Inside, Ash muscle waited. They heard movement, low and calculated. One guard spun toward them. Victor reacted.He fired first. The shot hit the guard’s shoulder. The man went down with a grunt. Victor moved past without hesitation.Two more Ash operatives appeared from a side corridor. Victor dropped low, rolled, and struck. His fists connected. They hit the floor.Celeste’s comms buzzed. “Rooftop teams report movement outside.

The courier ran across the rooftop. Neon lights reflected off wet surfaces. Steam hissed from vents. Urban Core agents followed, silent and fast.Zane stayed back for the moment. He crouched on a higher ledge. His eyes scanned the path ahead. He waited. Observation first. Timing second.Victor leaped to a nearby building. His boots hit steel with a dull clang. He rolled and sprinted toward the edge. The courier glanced back. Panic in his eyes, but he kept running.Celeste moved behind the courier. She tracked him through thermal optics. Every step calculated. Every leap measured. She tapped a communicator. “Approach vectors clear. He’s heading northeast.”Rex followed on an adjacent rooftop. Hands on the rail, he launched himself across the gap. The wind whipped against his face. Neon signs blurred past. He landed silently, rolling to absorb impact.The courier darted toward a skyway connecting two towers. Glass panels above glowed blue. Lights flickered inside. The path was narrow. O