The government representatives asked if they could speak somewhere private, so Min-joon led them to the bookstore's small break room in the back. They sat around a table barely large enough for four people, and Min-joon felt trapped in a way that had nothing to do with physical space."Mr. Kang, my name is Director Park Min-soo from the Consciousness Technology Oversight Committee," the oldest of the three began, a woman in her fifties with sharp eyes and an official demeanor. "We are here to offer you a position as special advisor to our committee."Min-joon had not been expecting that. "I am not interested in government work.""Please hear us out before declining," Director Park continued smoothly. "The government has finally recognized that consciousness technology is here to stay and needs proper regulation, we are establishing comprehensive oversight of all upload facilities, both legal and underground. But we lack expertise, we need someone who understands System technology at a

The crisis began with a news report that went viral overnight, a young woman named Lee Hye-jin had uploaded her consciousness at a licensed Collective facility three weeks ago, and now her family was claiming she had been coerced. The story was explosive because Hye-jin was a popular university student with a large social media following, and her followers were demanding answers about what had really happened.Min-joon first learned about it when Director Park called him at six in the morning, sounding stressed."We need you at the office immediately, the Lee Hye-jin case is blowing up and the media is calling for investigations. This could undermine all the regulatory work we have been doing if we do not handle it properly."Min-joon arrived at the government office an hour later to find it in chaos, staffers rushing around with reports and legal documents, emergency meetings being scheduled, and Director Park looking more frazzled than he had ever seen her."What exactly happened?"

Min-joon did not sleep that night, he spent the hours until dawn trying to trace the message with help from Choi Jin-woo, but whoever sent it had used untraceable routing that bounced through seventeen countries. All they could confirm was that it originated somewhere in Southeast Asia."Do you think it is real or just someone trying to scare you?" Choi asked over their video call."I think the Core promised he would return and we should take any threat seriously," Min-joon replied. "What did the message say about watching the news? What are we supposed to see?""I have been monitoring news feeds from around the world and so far nothing unusual has appeared," Choi said. "But it is still early, maybe whatever they are planning will happen later today."Min-joon called an emergency meeting of the key resistance members, everyone gathering via video conference since they were scattered across different cities. Ara, Han, Min-seo, Song Mi-rae, and several others joined looking concerned."

The flight to Ho Chi Minh City took six hours, Min-joon spent most of it reviewing intelligence reports Choi had compiled about the Remnant's suspected operations in Vietnam. The data was fragmentary and circumstantial, but it pointed toward a network of safe houses and server facilities clustered in the city's tech district.He landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in the early morning, the humid tropical air hitting him the moment he stepped outside. A local resistance contact named Nguyen Linh was waiting for him at arrivals, a young woman in her late twenties who had been monitoring underground consciousness technology operations in the city for months."Mr. Kang, welcome to Saigon," Linh greeted him in accented Korean, using the city's old name. "I have a car waiting, we should go to the safe house immediately to review what we have found."They drove through chaotic morning traffic, motorcycles weaving between cars in patterns that seemed impossible but somehow worked. Li

Min-joon felt his power surge back fully, the sedative had worn off enough. He focused his ability on the zip ties binding his wrists, they were plastic and would be easy to snap if he applied the right force.But before he could act, alarms started blaring throughout the warehouse. Tran's expression shifted from calm to alarmed."We have been found, security is breached," one of the other Remnant members shouted.The sound of gunfire echoed from outside the warehouse, Vietnamese police were raiding the facility. Linh must have tracked his phone signal and called in authorities.Tran pulled a gun and pointed it at Min-joon. "If we are caught because of you, I am taking you with us."Min-joon snapped his zip ties with a burst of power and dove to the side as Tran fired. The bullet missed but Min-joon felt the air pressure as it passed his head. He rolled behind a stack of crates, using his power to create barriers between himself and the Remnant members.The police breached the warehou