My chest rose and fell slowly as I stared at the ceiling.For the first time since the system appeared in my life… I was afraid of it.Not the missions.Not the aging.The control.The silence in the apartment felt heavier than before. Selene’s absence hung in the air like a ghost that refused to leave.The system had called her a variable.Something disposable.Something that could be removed to increase my survival rate.My fingers curled into fists.“No,” I whispered hoarsely.The phone lay beside me on the floor. Its screen was dark, but I knew it was watching.Waiting.Calculating.For months I had obeyed it. Run when it told me to run. Saved who it told me to save. Accepted the punishment when I failed.I told myself it was worth it because people lived.But now I realized something.The system didn’t care about people.It cared about efficiency.And Selene… didn’t fit into its equation.I pushed myself up slowly and sat against the couch.“You picked the wrong man to control,”