Chapter: CHAPTER 122: LEGACY OF THE SHADOW CROWNOne year has passed.That morning, the city was not woken up by curfew sirens or tear gas hisses. Instead, the sound of music from a gramophone echoed in the square, answering the hammer clinks of workers rebuilding the East Sector connecting bridge. The air no longer smelled, but rather of fresh bread and steam billowing from public heating pipes that were now free for anyone.In an open workshop on the outskirts of the palace wing, a fifteen-year-old young man was kneeling on an oil-stained floor. His face was splattered with engine grease, and his hands which were now muscular and calloused were busy adjusting a pressure valve on a steam prosthetic leg for a war veteran.Valerius Alaric. The people no longer called him the "Lost Prince". On the streets, they knew him as the "Shadow Mechanic"."Done," muttered Valerius then wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. "Try moving it, Silas."Silas, the old man who used to climb the ice mountain with him, moved his new
Last Updated: 2026-07-07
Chapter: CHAPTER 121: DUTY COMPLETED"Please..." Kael crawled on the floor, his hand reaching out towards Valerius. "Open the door... I will turn it off... I promise..."Valerius stared at the hologram monitor. The bomb countdown showed two minutes. Their time was truly almost up, both from the explosion and from their giving-out lungs.Valerius stepped closer to Kael then bent down slightly so his face was level with the man who had destroyed his family. He let Kael see that in his eyes, there was not the slightest intention to negotiate anymore."I don't need to turn off your bomb, Kael. I just need to lock the door and let you suffocate with me in this room.""You... you're just bluffing! You are crazy! You wouldn't dare leave your life here!"Kael screamed with a high-pitched voice. He crawled on the marble floor, his hands clutching his chest. The oxygen in the Throne Room had depleted. His vision began to blur, every breath he took only brought a burning sting to his lungs.Before him, Valerius was no longer standi
Last Updated: 2026-07-07
Chapter: CHAPTER 120: THE FINAL BLUFF"I don't need anyone's help!" snapped Kael."You do," cut Valerius sharply. "Because out there, those people you call pathetic are tearing your Praetorian forces apart. Without direct orders from you, they are just brainless machines. You are losing, Kael. And you are terrified."Valerius imitated Kael's way of speaking which was condescending but full of calculation. He stopped acting like a hero and began to act like a ruler playing poker with lives as the stakes."This is my offer," said Valerius. "You turn off that device voluntarily, and I will let you be tried fairly. You might spend the rest of your life in an underground prison, but you will still breathe. You will still have that 'life' you worship so much.""And if I refuse?" challenged Kael, his eyes glancing towards the hologram monitor showing an eight-minute countdown to detonation."Then we both will die here," answered Valerius without the slightest hesitation. "And believe me, Kael, I already lost everything one year
Last Updated: 2026-07-07
Chapter: CHAPTER 119: DOOMSDAY DEVICE"I will not let you die alone, Grim!" shouted Valerius without looking back, his voice piercing through the hissing steam and the boom of metal.Valerius ran fast across the cracked marble floor, dodging the silver liquid shrapnel splattering from the brutal fight between Grimbolt and The Argentum Shade.In front of him, Commander Kael seemed to take a step back, his trembling hand fumbling for something on the arm of the Sun Throne. The elegance he displayed earlier evaporated, replaced by the lines of panic of a tyrant realizing his fortress had been breached."Stop right there, Prince!" roared Kael.He pulled a small energy pistol from inside his coat and fired wild shots.Valerius rolled on the floor, using the carcass of a destroyed Praetorian robot as temporary cover, then lunged forward again. The anger he had buried for a year—. More precisely since the night his mother fell covered in blood, was now concentrated at the tip of his short sword.Kael no longer tried to shoot. Wi
Last Updated: 2026-06-29
Chapter: Chapter 118: BLOODY WELCOMEThe white dust from the ruined tungsten gate still hung in the air like fog as Valerius stepped into the grand corridor leading to the Throne Room. Every step left dirty boot prints on the marble floor.The atmosphere inside the palace was so quiet, a suffocating silence, sharply contrasting with the echo of war still raging in the outer courtyard.Grimbolt walked right behind him. The sound of the Sentinel's footsteps was no longer light metal clinking, but bass thumps vibrating the building's foundation. His scorched black chassis emitted a constant hiss of steam, and the heat radiating from his body made the air around them ripple."Cogs, report," whispered Valerius to his communicator."I'm still up here, Golden Boy! I'm between the ventilation pipes right above the throne," Cogs's voice sounded small but sharp. "Kael is alone there. I mean, biologically he is alone. But my infrared sensor caught something... strange. There is a mass of cold energy behind the throne. Be careful, t
Last Updated: 2026-06-27
Chapter: CHAPTER 117: REDEMPTION IN THE THRONE ROOM"You failed to guard this door before, old machine! You will fail again now!"That Vexxos Captain's voice shrieked full of insult from behind the concrete barricade on top of the palace wall, followed by a mocking laugh that echoed through the loudspeakers.Below him, hundreds of laser rifle barrels and Nanotech grenade launchers simultaneously locked onto a single position in the middle of the courtyard, which was Grimbolt. The Sentinel stood tall, letting his giant body become an open target under the Neo-Alexandria sky which was now the color of hot copper."Target locked! Annihilate that scrap!" ordered the Captain.Instantly, a rain of projectiles and energy beams showered Grimbolt. Explosion after explosion hit his Titanium-X chassis.Bartholomew ducked behind the ruins of a pillar, pulling Valerius so he wouldn't be hit by metal shrapnel. The mute giant gripped his hammer
Last Updated: 2026-06-26
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 224: Poisonous Cocktail PartyThe main atrium of the Underground Mall that night was transformed into a very grand sect banquet hall. The hanging crystal chandeliers emitted a dim red glow, illuminating the wide expanse of velvet carpet.About fifty elite members of The Red Sip Society wearing blood-red silk robes gathered in a circle on leather sofas, holding tall crystal glasses filled with a thick red liquid glowing golden.Second Harvest Blood.Near the central fountain, a giant glass dispenser tank with a gothic design stood firmly. Inside the tank, hundreds of liters of Raka's blood churned slowly in rhythm with the temperature control pump.Dr. Vanya Salsabila stood beside the dispenser, crossing her arms over her chest with a very stiff professional smile. On her futuristic glasses, the biometric data of the sect members blinked, displaying their heart rates starting to increase just by smelling the vapor of that blood."How is it, Doctor? Did your formula work well?" Baron approached Vanya, swirling his c
Last Updated: 2026-07-07
Chapter: Chapter 223: Secret SupplementBEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEP!The emergency alarm of the Harvest Sector suddenly shrieked high, breaking the silence of the sterile room where Raka hung upside down. The red lights on the walls began blinking frantically, projecting a blood-colored glow throughout the room.Inside his chest, the Dragon Heart that had just received a dose of thick Robusta coffee from Vanya beat wildly. Whirrr—THUMP! Whirrr—THUMP!Its ultrasonic vibrations spread widely through the metal chains binding his feet, triggering the floor's seismic sensors which immediately sent a danger signal to Baron's control room.[System: Energy Leak Alarm Active! Your Dragon Heart signal is too noisy, Raka! Baron in the control room must be panicking seeing his monitors!]"D-Damn..." Raka gritted his teeth.His upside-down hanging body began to feel warm, but his hands were still locked tightly by the electronic handcuffs behind his back.The steel door of the Harvest Sector slid open forcefully.Baron rushed in. His elegant fac
Last Updated: 2026-07-06
Chapter: Chapter 222: Anemia and HallucinationsThe world in Raka's eyes now only consisted of two colors: the blinding white of neon lights and the dark red of drying blood stains on the concrete floor below him.The second "harvest" process had just finished ten minutes ago. This time, Baron did not only take 500cc, he sucked almost a liter of Raka's blood to fulfill the demands of the ever-growing elite cult members in the atrium above.Raka began to feel his body shrinking. The skin on his face felt pulled tight, his lips were chapped due to extreme dehydration, and his body temperature kept dropping until he felt as if he was being hugged by a block of ice.Whirrr... thump... whirrr...His Dragon Heart throbbed very slowly. The reactor in his chest blinked dimly, sending danger signals that continuously pierced his brain nerves."System... turn off... the lights..." whispered Raka barely audible, even to himself.[System: Blood Volume Detection: Critical (35% below operational limit). Blood Pressure: 70/40.][System: Raka, if
Last Updated: 2026-06-29
Chapter: Chapter 221: Luna in the Lion's DenThe Sector 9 underground warehouse smelled like a combination of rotting wet fur and predator droppings.The room was not as luxurious as the shopping center atrium above; its walls were rough concrete that constantly dripped pipe seepage water, creating a chillingly damp atmosphere. There was only one yellow light bulb swinging on the ceiling, casting an unstable dim light.In the middle of the room, there was a large iron cage usually used to confine circus animals. Inside it, was Luna sitting leaning against the iron bars.Her hands were empty. Her proud compound bow and the scalpel given by Vanya had been confiscated by Baron's followers."Honk..." Baginda snorted softly beside Luna's foot.That mutant goose looked highly offended. His metallic white feathers were messy, and he constantly pecked the dirty cement floor as if protesting the quality of accommodation they receive
Last Updated: 2026-06-28
Chapter: Chapter 220: Vanya the ChefVanya never imagined her brilliant medical career would lead her to a laboratory that looked more like a five-star restaurant kitchen than an autopsy room.She stood in the middle of a room whose walls were lined with shiny white ceramic and stainless steel.Before her, lined up the most cutting-edge laboratory equipment that was hard to find even in government hospitals before the apocalypse, some of which included high-speed centrifuges, cellular incubators, to mass spectrum scanners that were still functioning perfectly thanks to a stable underground electricity supply.Vanya sipped coffee from the thin porcelain cup provided. She ignored the fact that her hands were still trembling slightly due to the sedative gas in the restaurant earlier."An impressive facility, isn't it, Doctor?"Baron's baritone voice echoed as he stepped into the laboratory. The man had taken off his ceremonial robe, now only wearing a red silk shirt with a fashionable transparent laboratory apron. He walked
Last Updated: 2026-06-28
Chapter: Chapter 219: The First Harvest"Hold your breath, Mr. Raka. This process will only feel like a mosquito bite... a very hungry steel mosquito," whispered Baron with a tone so calm, as if soothing a patient.Raka Adhitama felt the incredibly cold metal tip pressing against the skin of his neck, right above the carotid artery that throbbed fast due to his upside-down body position. His eyes bulged, staring sharply at Baron who was adjusting the pressure on the vacuum machine beside him.CRASH!"AAAGHH!"Raka let out a suppressed scream as the large cannula needle pierced his skin and entered his blood vessel. The pain was not only from the physical puncture, but from the highly unnatural suction sensation.He could see the dark red liquid glowing golden purple begin to flow rapidly through the transparent hose. That blood moved swirling inside the hose, towards a crystal collection tube prepared on the trolley.
Last Updated: 2026-06-27
