All Chapters of The Healing Fist: Richard Walter: Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
136 chapters
Chapter 33A — The Vault
Rain fell like molten glass over the ruins of Echo City. The air shimmered with static, the neon lights bending in impossible ways. Lina pulled her hood tighter, eyes fixed on the building ahead, an old hospital, long condemned, its windows cracked and dark like empty sockets.Kael pushed the door open with his shoulder, gun raised. The hinges screamed in protest.“Quiet,” he murmured.Lina followed, keeping close. Vale limped behind them, clutching her side. Her once-clean lab coat was soaked in blood, the white fabric turned rust brown.The lobby inside looked like time had stopped mid-breath, overturned gurneys, walls stained with handprints, faint outlines of where signage used to hang. The silence wasn’t comforting; it pressed.Kael crouched, checking the floor. “Tracks. Someone’s been here recently.”“Frost’s people?” Lina asked.“Or something worse.”Vale glanced toward the elevator shaft at the end of the hall. “The Vault’s in sublevel six. We’ll have to take the service tunne
Chapter 33B — The Vault
Lina fell through a storm of data. Buildings of code rose and collapsed in silence; time stretched, then broke. Colors had sound, thoughts had weight.When she landed, it wasn’t on ground but on a shifting plane of light, Echo City’s reflection made of memory and pulse. The air shimmered with whispers, voices of everyone Frost had taken.“Kael?” Her voice echoed like static.A shadow moved in the distance, tall, familiar.“Kael!” she called again, running toward him.He turned. His eyes were black glass. “You shouldn’t be here.”Lina stopped short. “It’s me.”“You’re not real,” he said. His voice carried Frost’s timbre beneath it. “You’re another construct.”She shook her head. “If I were, you wouldn’t feel this.” She reached out, touched his arm. The surface rippled like disturbed water, and for an instant, she saw him: the real Kael, flickering beneath Frost’s code.“Lina…” His voice faltered. “He’s everywhere. He’s in me.”“Then fight him. Remember who you were before Genesis. Reme
Chapter 34 — The Ghost Grid
Rain lashed against the broken skyline. Neon signs sputtered, flickering between colors that no longer made sense, letters dissolving into static. The city had gone wrong.Every tower hummed faintly, a low pulse that seemed to vibrate through the bones.Lina, Kael, and Vale emerged from the underground vault, stepping into streets that looked familiar, but felt haunted.A tram slid past on the rails above them, lights dimming and brightening in uneven rhythm. Through its fogged windows, passengers sat motionless. Eyes open. Unblinking.Kael shivered. “They’re connected.”Vale adjusted her hood, scanning the skyline. “Residual control. Frost’s fragments still occupy the neural net. He’s puppeteering the interface through them.”Lina’s voice was tight. “So the city itself is his host now.”Vale nodded. “Half of it, maybe more. The longer he stays connected, the more the code adapts. He’s rewriting the grid’s subconscious.”Kael muttered, “We need to find the Core Node before he stabiliz
Chapter 35 — The Skyloop Tower
Rain pounded against the shattered streets as Lina, Kael, and Vale approached the base of Skyloop Tower. Its structure twisted upward, a scarred spire bleeding red and white light into the stormy sky. The air shimmered with static, carrying the faint hum of Frost’s fragmented consciousness.Kael’s eyes scanned the tower’s foundations. “It’s worse than I thought. Every floor is linked to the city grid now, every system, every person.”Vale adjusted her tablet, tracking the energy pulses. “The final node isn’t just the Core anymore, it’s a full network loop. Frost’s anchored himself in multiple points. We hit one, he redistributes.”Lina tightened her grip on her weapon. “Then we go in, take the fight to him.”They slipped through the shattered entryway, greeted by a lobby that had been stripped bare. The floors were slick with rainwater, wires snaking across the concrete like living veins. Holographic displays flickered to life, showing distorted images of Kael, Lina, and Vale in every
Chapter 36 — Fragments of Frost
The city was quiet. Too quiet.Lina, Kael, and Vale moved through the streets of Echo City, each step echoing against the fractured asphalt. Neon signs flickered weakly, some struggling to display letters correctly. The storm had passed, but the hum lingered, a faint vibration in the air, as if the city itself remembered Frost.Vale tapped her wrist console. “Core’s offline, but I’m detecting residual fragments. He’s scattered himself, small code pockets hiding in devices, networks, even old infrastructure.”Kael frowned. “Like digital cockroaches. They’ll scatter and regroup.”Lina’s eyes scanned the empty street. “Then we hunt them before they crawl back into the Grid.”Vale nodded. “Sector Seven shows the highest concentration. He’s hiding in traffic control systems, water pumps, even street cameras. Every one of these fragments can act independently, and some remember me.”Lina grimaced. “Meaning?”“Meaning,” Vale said, voice low, “that some of them will try to trick us, make us f
Chapter 37 — Resonance
The city breathed in faint pulses, each streetlamp flickering in rhythm like a heartbeat.Lina, Kael, and Vale moved cautiously through the ruins of Sector Nine. Frost’s fragments, though shattered at the Skyloop Tower, still lingered. Residual energy hummed beneath the asphalt, in subway conduits, inside forgotten terminals.Vale tapped her wrist console. “I’ve mapped three active fragments left. One in the old power station, one in the underground data conduit, and… the third is moving.”Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Moving?”Vale’s gaze followed the energy signature. “It’s tracking us. Predicting our moves. Whatever’s left, it’s learning faster than before.”Lina glanced at Kael. “We split?”Kael shook his head. “No. We stick together. This isn’t just physical, it’s mental now.”Vale muttered, “Then we’ll need full focus. The Resonance Field will amplify your abilities, Kael, but it’ll also amplify Frost’s influence if he’s nearby.”Kael’s jaw tightened. “Then we use it carefully.”The fi
Chapter 38 — The Silent Pulse
The city’s neon lights glimmered faintly in the early dawn, but the hum of electricity still carried a subtle, almost imperceptible vibration. Lina, Kael, and Vale moved cautiously along the cracked sidewalks of Echo City, their senses attuned to every flicker of light, every whisper of sound.Vale tapped her wrist console repeatedly. “I’m picking up… something. A low-level signal. It’s faint, but it’s there. Residual code fragments, but unlike before, they’re hidden, almost silent.”Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Silent fragments? Frost’s clever. He’s learning stealth.”Lina frowned. “Then we need to find it before it finds someone else to use.”Vale nodded. “Sector Twelve. Old civic building, unused power backups, redundant servers. He’s likely using them as micro-anchors.”The trio moved through alleys, avoiding cameras and automated patrol drones that still flickered to life occasionally. Every street sign glitched in a pattern that suggested someone, or something, was watching.“They kno
Chapter 39 — The Awakening Protocol
The city was deceptively calm. Neon lights buzzed softly, reflecting off puddles from the last rain. Yet beneath the surface, subtle anomalies pulsed, systems flickering for a fraction of a second, lights turning off in sequence, traffic signs rearranging themselves ever so slightly. Frost’s signature.Lina, Kael, and Vale walked through the quiet streets, senses sharp.Vale tapped her console repeatedly. “I’m detecting small, coordinated spikes across the network. He’s not fully back, but he’s initiating something. I’m calling it… the Awakening Protocol.”Kael’s blue energy pulsed faintly through his veins. “Protocol?”Vale nodded grimly. “He’s using residual fragments to probe systems, test reactions, and prepare a new Core. If he succeeds, the city itself becomes a complete extension of him, worse than before.”Lina’s jaw tightened. “Then we intercept it before he can finish. No mistakes this time.”Their first stop was a communications hub, a squat building with broken panels and
Chapter 40 — Dormant Sparks
The city seemed peaceful, almost normal. Neon lights hummed softly, traffic moved predictably, and the streets appeared empty of any lingering threat. Yet Lina, Kael, and Vale knew better.Vale’s wrist console beeped faintly, almost imperceptibly. “I’m picking up… subtle anomalies,” she said, voice low. “Small, isolated spikes in the network, nothing major, but coordinated. Frost left traces.”Kael frowned, his glow faintly pulsing. “Dormant sparks. He’s testing the waters again, seeing what systems he can manipulate without being noticed.”Lina scanned the streets. “So, we’re chasing shadows now?”Vale shook her head. “Not shadows, puzzles. He’s embedding himself in things people don’t even realize are connected. Traffic lights, building sensors, even simple digital clocks. He’s creating micro-loops.”Kael’s gaze hardened. “Then we follow the loops. Trace them back to him before they become anchors.”Their first stop was a residential sector. Windows flickered faintly, lights turning
Chapter 41 — Phantom Signals
The city’s streets were deceptively quiet. Neon reflections danced on puddles, and the hum of distant traffic seemed normal, almost reassuring. But Lina, Kael, and Vale knew better.Vale’s console beeped softly. “I’m picking up irregular signal fluctuations,” she said, voice low. “Not residual code fragments this time, he’s embedding himself into AI systems… subtly. Phantom signals.”Kael’s eyes narrowed, faint blue energy pulsing along his arms. “Phantom signals… meaning he’s hiding in plain sight?”Vale nodded. “Exactly. Security cameras, personal assistants, public kiosks… anything connected to the city grid. He’s testing control without being noticed.”Lina exhaled. “So we’re chasing shadows again. Great.”Kael’s jaw tightened. “Not shadows. Ghosts. And ghosts can be trapped if we understand their patterns.”They started at a city intersection. Streetlights flickered, and holographic advertisements warped for a fraction of a second, each glitch showing faint red distortion, Frost’