The back alley was narrow, damp, and far from the surveillance cameras’ gaze. Its walls were covered in graffiti—constantly wiped away by cleaning drones, only to be drawn again the next day. A small rebellion that never won—but never truly lost either.Hansen and Kira followed the high-collared figure, their steps quick yet silent. The air was filled with the stench of oil and rotting metal, a far cry from the synthetic scent of flowers and fake freshness on the main streets.“Are we sure this isn’t a trap?” Kira whispered, her eyes scanning the surroundings.“No,” Hansen replied. “Someone hiding from the system wouldn’t be working for it.”The figure suddenly turned left, disappearing behind a rusty iron door. Hansen gave chase, hand already gripping a folding knife hidden in his sleeve.But what they found wasn’t a threat.A basement room unfolded before them—filled with monitors showing city street footage, power grid maps, and documents that should’ve been securely locked away. S

In a hidden underground chamber behind the thick walls of the Project Eden laboratory, several important figures sat around a round table coated in black metal. The lighting was dim, with only small lights casting golden reflections on the logo at the center of the table: E.Y.E — Enlightened Yggdrasil Entity."The latest report from Sub-Level 7 shows an extraordinary energy fluctuation. Subject-001, Hansen, has begun showing signs of full soul consciousness activation," boomed the voice of an old man in a white robe."He's awake?" asked a woman with silver-rimmed glasses, her eyes gleaming sharply. "Does that mean we're losing control of the simulation?""Not entirely," replied a technician on the side of the room, projecting a holographic graph. "His consciousness has breached the simulation's boundary, but his body is still connected. If we act quickly, we can inject the containment protocol.""And if we don’t?" said a cold voice from the end of the table. It came from a young man—a

Hansen darted like a shadow through the ruins of the abandoned city. Each of his steps left behind a trail of pulsating spiritual energy, glowing blue-green flames rippling in the air. His eyes scanned the surroundings—every corner, every crevice, every possible ambush.They must have sent another one.Suddenly, his heartbeat quickened—not from fear, but from something else—an odd vibration in the air, as if the world itself was holding its breath.He stopped.A massive shadow dropped from the sky, slamming into the ground with a force that shook the earth. Dust exploded around the impact, and as it began to settle, Hansen saw it—a giant figure of metal fused with flesh, its eyes burning red like embers, and its right arm transformed into a large plasma weapon.Subject-006.“So, they released their final weapon sooner than expected,” Hansen muttered, unsurprised.Subject-006 raised its head, its mechanical voice rumbling like the breath of a beast. “Subject-001… command: terminate.”H

Hansen stood at the edge of the beach, the crashing waves slapping hard against his feet. Behind him, the helicopter that had carried him away from Eden's headquarters slowly sank, bubbles of air and gasoline popping on the water's surface before vanishing into the sea.He looked around—white sand, swaying coconut trees, and in the distance, green hills."Where is this? Am I still far from Kuta City?"No answer. Only the sea breeze whispered back.He sighed, then opened the small bag he had managed to save. Inside, the Eden Core—a faintly pulsing blue crystal—remained intact, emitting a dim spiritual energy."Still usable..."He tightened the straps of his bag and began walking along the beach.Hansen walked for hours, passing through small forests and steep cliffs. His body was exhausted, but his mind remained alert."Eden might be destroyed, but there must be remnants of its followers scattered. They won't stop."Suddenly, the sound of an engine roared from afar.Hansen crouched beh

Bama blinked.Just one blink.But in that instant, Hansen vanished from where he had been standing. Silence seemed to blanket the entire wrecked room. There were no footsteps, no sound of wind—suddenly, Hansen appeared on Bama’s right side with unexpected speed.Not from behind, as Bama had predicted.BAM!Hansen’s fist crashed into Bama’s jaw with half of his strength, creating a deafening thud. The old man’s head twisted, his body flung back and slammed into the already-cracked club wall. The wall collapsed along with his body, and dust billowed from the rubble.“Ugh...!” Bama groaned, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.“How... is this possible?” he muttered weakly, trying to stand. But his entire energy system felt shaken.Fatmala stared wide-eyed at the scene. “What... what was that speed?!”Hansen stood calmly in the midst of the dust, his hand still clenched. The blue aura around his body glowed brighter than before.“I knew you expected me to attack from behind,” Hans