Chapter: CHAPTER 86: STRANGERElara began to move. Her eyelids vibrated softly before finally opening completely. Her clear blue eyes now no longer emitted that horrifying red laser light. Those eyes looked clean, calm, but... empty.Elara blinked several times, staring at the workshop ceiling filled with steam pipes. She tried to sit up, and Valerius swiftly helped her rest her back on the pillow."Mother... can you hear me?" Valerius asked with tears starting to well up in his eyes. "It's me. Valerius. Your son."Elara rotated her head slowly, staring at Valerius for quite a long time, as if studying every line on the boy's face. However, there was no warm smile that used to always welcome Valerius."Valerius?" Elara repeated the name with a very soft voice, but her tone was flat, as if spelling a word she was hearing for the first time."Yes, Mother! It's me!" Valerius grabbed his mother's hand, kissing it
Last Updated: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 85: AWAKENINGA blinding blue light exploded from Empress Elara's neck. The high-frequency humming sound that was deafening earlier suddenly changed into a softclicksound.That very second, Elara's body which was rampaging with monster-like strength suddenly went limp, the steam rifle in her hand fell to the floor with an echoing clang."Mother!" shouted Valerius, his voice breaking in the midst of the suffocating ozone smoke cloud.Elara fell face down, but before her body hit the floor, Grimbolt had moved. His giant arms caught the empress's body with a gentleness that contrasted with his scarred steel chassis."Status: Subject's heartbeat returned to normal rhythm. Neuro-flare activity... ceased," reported Grimbolt. "Traitor Chip has been permanently deactivated."Edna slumped into her work chair, her hand holding the control lever trembling violently. "It worked... by
Last Updated: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 84: DEFENSE PROTOCOL"Let him go, Mother! It's me, Valerius!" Valerius tried to get closer, but Cogs immediately dove and held his jacket with his beak."Don't get closer, Golden Boy! She will break your neck before you even have a chance to say her name!" shrieked Cogs in panic. "Grim! Use the magnetic locking protocol!""Brain damage risk increased to forty percent!" replied Grimbolt then was forced to drop himself to the floor to release Elara from his back.Elara rolled smoothly and immediately got up. She saw Bastian's makeshift steam rifle lying on the floor. With reflex speed impossible for a normal human, she snatched the weapon."Wait, don't!" shouted Edna who seemed to know the next action Elara would take.Elara did not aim at Valerius. The program inside her head was far more cunning. Her red eyes locked onto the most crucial target in the room, which was the main steam reactor that provi
Last Updated: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 83: HYDRAULIC STRENGTH"One small mistake, Aris, and I will ensure you will never be able to see the sunlight again," growled Bastian, his voice low yet full of threat.The hum from the low-frequency transmitter machine filled Edna's narrow medical room. Blue neon light reflected on the sweat dampening Aris's brow.The Vexxos technician was trembling violently, not just because of the cold from the steam surgical tool, but because the tip of Bastian's large machete was pressed right against his jugular."You guys are crazy... this is a suicidal act," Aris whispered hoarsely. "The chip has its own consciousness. Once you touch its protective layer, it will consider it an act of sabotage.""Shut up and do your job!" snapped Edna. She held the surgical laser with a steady hand, although her face looked very pale. "Valerius, hold this induction cable. Grimbolt, synchronize her heartbeat with your backup power flow. We start in
Last Updated: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 82: THE CHIOCE"The existence of Empress Elara as a free individual is my primary mission," Grimbolt continued. "If memory is the price to be paid to sever the Vexxos chains, then strategically, it is an acceptable loss compared to the total loss of the subject. Life is the foundation; memory is just data."Valerius released his mother's hand and walked toward Elara, staring into those hollow blue eyes. He brought his face closer, hoping for even a slight glint of recognition, a tiny contraction in those pupils when seeing her son."Mother?" whispered Valerius. "Mother, it's me. Valerius. Do you remember when we sat in the palace garden? Do you remember the song you sang when I was afraid of storms?"Elara remained silent. She did not even blink. The red light at the back of her neck pulsed faster and faster, as if the chip inside were mocking Valerius's efforts."Look at her, Valerius," Edna said softly from behin
Last Updated: 2026-05-24
Chapter: CHAPTER 81: THE PRINCE'S CHOICE"This cannot be allowed any longer, Edna!"Bastian slammed the metal workbench, making the surgical equipment on top of it vibrate loudly. He was beyond annoyed upon hearing Valerius's explanation. Aris was now being detained by them in a closed room."The signal from her head keeps radiating," Bastian said again. "Every second we let her stay like that, we are simply inviting the entire Vexxos fleet to drop bombs on our roof!"Edna did not immediately answer. She was staring at the monitor screen displaying the graph of Elara's neural circuits overlapping with Vexxos's red code."Two hours, Bastian. That is the maximum estimated time before this neural encryption permanently locks her original personality," Edna said while still staring at the monitor screen. "If we do not act now, the Elara we know will truly vanish, replaced by their combat algorithms.""Then what else are you
Last Updated: 2026-05-24
The Caffeine System: Critical Heart Protocol
The world didn't end with a nuclear explosion or an alien attack, but with the "Great Silence." Blind monsters called The Sleepers emerged from the bowels of the earth, slaughtering anything that made a sound louder than a breath.
Raka, a paranoid night-shift barista, is trapped in his cafe as a massacre unfolds. On the verge of death, a blue hologram appears on his retina. It's not a guardian angel, but the [Doomsday Streaming System]. This system has the personality of a "Toxic Netizen" who craves drama and is sarcastic, and uses Raka as an Avatar for the entertainment of an entity from another dimension.
To survive, Raka discovers that caffeine is his power source. The stronger the coffee he drinks, the faster his heart beats, and the slower time passes in his eyes (Bullet Time). Raka becomes the fastest man on earth, but at a fatal risk: if his heart rate reaches 450 beats per minute, his heart will explode.
Accompanied by Baginda (the fierce Mutant Swan and System's golden boy), Luna (the mute archer), and Dr. Vanya (the mad surgeon), Raka must run through this silent hell. He fights not only to survive, but to satisfy the "Audience" in exchange for points to upgrade his dying heart.
This is a story about a man running against time, fighting monsters, and arguing with a supernatural admin in his head, towards a bitter but relieving finish line.
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Chapter: Chapter 167: Highest Level PredatorHe tried to send signals to his brain not to do something he would regret later.The fifth punch finally made Raka fall to his knees. He panted heavily, both his hands clutching his own head.The vertical blue glow in his eyes began to blink unstably, slowly fading, and his pupils rounded out again like a normal human's, although the blue color remained faintly.The magma light on his chest dimmed to a more stable level. The room temperature slowly returned to normal.[System: Hah... hah... crazy. My binary-coded heart feels like it's going to drop out too. You hear me, Barista? You're back?]"I-I... I almost..."Raka moaned softly. His body trembled violently not from the cold, but from terror at himself.He stared at his hands covered in monster blood, then stared at Luna who was still unconscious. Unaware that death had just greeted her."System... what happened to me?"Vanya, who had been holding her breath since earlier, slowly lowered her tablet. The woman stepped closer to Raka
Last Updated: 2026-05-30
Chapter: Chapter 166: Predator Side Effect“Raka?” Vanya called softly when she saw the young man move.Raka's footsteps echoed softly on the concrete floor wet with pools of blood. Every step was highly measured, silent, and efficient like a panther approaching injured prey.In front of him, Luna lay unconscious. Fresh red blood dripping from the girl's temple mixed with the freezing factory air, creating a sweet aroma that was extremely tempting to the predator instinct now controlling Raka's nervous system.Whirrr—THUMP.The Dragon Heart in his chest pulsed slowly, pumping aggression hormones and hunger toward his brain. The blue light in the young man's eyes no longer radiated confusion or fear. Rather, it was void of emotion."Raka?"Vanya's voice was heard again breaking the silence. The doctor in the dirty white coat slowly stood up from behind the operating table, her hands tightly gripping the cracked tablet."What are you doing?” Vanya spoke again when Raka didn't answer. “The surgery is done. Step away from there."
Last Updated: 2026-05-30
Chapter: Chapter 165: Sweet PreyThe elite monster that was supposed to be a boss had been finished off in less than fifteen seconds unilaterally. Without resistance. Without drama.Vanya witnessed from behind the surgical table. She held her tablet whose screen was already severely cracked, her eyes widening seeing the incoming data."His heart RPM is a thousand... Internal body temperature 200 degrees... No damage to his muscle tissue," Vanya muttered almost insanely. "He has truly fused. This is no longer borrowed power."From the front hallway, the dozens of Scavengers that had retreated earlier out of fear, were now driven by the smell of their leader's pooling blood.Their pack instinct overcame the logic of fear. They swarmed into the room simultaneously, trying to attack Raka in a sea of fangs and claws.Raka turned his head toward the wave of monsters. His vertical blue eyes narrowed."You're still here?" he asked coldly and just stood tall.He let the hot steam from his chest billow enveloping his body."Le
Last Updated: 2026-05-29
Chapter: Chapter 164: Overdrive Mode"You hear me? Turn off the limiter, System," repeated Raka in a deep voice.[System: Uh, Boss... are you sure? You just woke up from the operating table! The manual book for this Dragon Heart says a minimum 24-hour break-in period! If you go full throttle now, I can't guarantee your sanity won't burn with it!]Raka growled at the system's reply which he thought was annoying."Do it," hissed Raka.His vertical blue eyes did not blink. Those eyes were locked on The Butcher Alpha who was taking a stance for its deadly charge.Inside the System interface, Raka no longer saw rows of countdown numbers. There were no more remaining beats to save. The Dragon Heart had changed his entire body parameters.[System: Request Accepted. Medical Authority Override... Complete.][System: DRAGON ENGINE ONLINE. Removing RPM safety limits...][Current BPM: 120... 400... 800... 1000!]WHIRRRRRRR-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!The sound of Raka's heart exploded from inside his chest. An invisible hot shockwave burst o
Last Updated: 2026-05-29
Chapter: Chapter 163: New Power"Raka..." Vanya whispered with a violently trembling voice. "What are you doing?"Raka stood towering right in front of Vanya. With his back to the doctor. His posture was slightly hunched over with his head bowed. However, his back radiated smoldering hot steam.There was no remnant of a shirt on Raka's upper body. Metallic black scales were visibly covering his left chest up to his neck, emitting a pulsing magma glow.Whirrr—THUMP.Raka did not answer Vanya's question. He didn't even struggle to block the punch of the monster weighing hundreds of kilograms.He blocked the Alpha's fist using only his left hand casually, as if he were catching a softly thrown basketball."You..."Raka's voice came out sounding heavy, layered, and vibrating with a very deep and intimidating mechanical synthesizer echo."You are too noisy in my room."Slowly, Raka raised his head then opened his eyes slowly.Vanya, standing behind him, could see the reflection of Raka's face on the surface of the frozen
Last Updated: 2026-05-28
Chapter: Chapter 162: Opened Eyes"Incredible... perfect. He is a masterpiece," Vanya muttered.Her eyes never left her cracked tablet screen, ignoring the temperature inside the meat factory which now felt like a sauna.On the stainless steel table, Raka's chest which was now layered in metallic black scales rose and fell with a slow breathing rhythm. Hot steam billowed from the crevices of his new skin, mixing with the remaining cold air in the corners of the room.Luna could not share the same enthusiasm as the doctor. The mute girl held her injured left arm.Her hunting instinct warned her that the silence enveloping the Cold Storage right now was not a sign of peace.And Luna's instinct was never wrong.DOOM... DOOM... DOOM...The sound of very heavy footsteps was heard from the darkness outside the broken steel door. The steps were slow, heavy, and full of certainty. Every step made the puddles of ice water on the factory floor vibrate.Luna immediately turned around then raised both her scalpels in a low stance
Last Updated: 2026-05-26
