"Hey, wake up, you piece of trash! Stop playing dead!"A brutal kick landed right on Jonathan’s ribs. He collapsed, his face smashing into the wet asphalt mixed with rain and grime. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Standing over him was a pair of shiny loafers that probably cost more than Jonathan’s entire yearly salary."Rey... that's enough, Rey. You already took everything from me," Jonathan groaned, struggling to hold back the sharp pain piercing his lungs."Took everything? I didn’t take anything, Jon. I just picked up what was rightfully mine. Your job, your position, even your girl. Right, Sienna?" Reymond laughed loudly, wrapping his arm around the slim waist of the woman next to him.Sienna, the woman who was Jonathan’s fiancée just yesterday, stared at him with pure disgust. She leaned closer to Reymond, acting as if Jonathan was a pile of rotting garbage."Don't say my name, Jon. We’re done. Look at yourself. A loser. No future. You think I want to live in pove

"Don't pull the trigger yet, Bule! Look at his hands, there’s a weird light. I’m scared he’ll explode if you shoot him.""Oh, come on, don't be a wuss, Kid! He's half-dead anyway. Look, his blood is black, not red. Must be radiation or something from that hole in the sky.""I said shut up! Boss Baron wants this kid alive if he really caused that explosion. You know how much a 'mutant' is worth at HQ, right?"Jonathan could hear the voices faintly through the loud ringing in his ears. His head felt like it had been smashed by a sledgehammer repeatedly. Through his blurry vision, he saw dirty boots covered in mud and blood."Hey, you hear me? Still alive?" One of them kicked Jonathan’s shoulder roughly."Damn it... I can't even move a finger. System, reboot faster!" Jonathan thought in frustration.[Rebooting... 03:45...][Warning: Cellular Damage at 60%.][Combat Awareness Estimation: Low.]"Looks like he passed out, Boss. Or in a coma? But his body is burning up, like he was boiled al

"Jon? Jon? Stop looking at me like that. You're scaring me."Emma backed away slowly until her back hit a pulsating wall of flesh. Her voice trembled violently, almost swallowed by the roaring noise of the crumbling surroundings. Jonathan's red eyes didn't blink. The gaze was empty, cold, and utterly devoid of human emotion."Organic object identified. Species: Human. Status: Weak. Threat: Zero percent," Jonathan's voice came out flat, mechanical, and heavy, like metal grinding against metal in his throat."What are you saying?! It's me, Emma! Snap out of it, Jon! You're scaring me!" Emma started crying, tears washing streaks down her dust-covered cheeks."Identity 'Jonathan' is in forced hibernation. Protocol Lord Alpha assuming motor control. Remove obstacle, or elimination will commence."Jonathan took a step forward. Where his foot touched the monster's flesh floor, black smoke rose, and the organic tissue beneath rotted instantly. The air pressure in the room suddenly became so h

The air around the ruined harbor suddenly went static. Dust particles and concrete debris floating in the air stopped moving completely, as if time itself knelt before a newly awakened authority. Jonathan felt every atom in his body vibrating violently, not from pain, but from a flow of energy too pure for a human soul to contain."Hey, System! What the hell? Why did everything stop?!" Jonathan shouted inside the void of his consciousness.[100% Synchronization Achieved. Entering Zero-Point Phase.][Authority of the King of Destruction: Active.][World calibrating to welcome the Alpha.]"I don't need calibration! I'm about to get decapitated by a girl who looks like my ex! Cancel the freeze now!"[Command Accepted. Resuming Time Flow...]ZZZT!The world moved again in an instant. Sienna's white light sword slashed down at the speed of sound toward Jonathan’s neck. But before the energy blade touched his skin, Jonathan moved two fingers reflexively.CLANG!A sharp metallic ring echoed.

"Damn it... my head is spinning. Where am I? Why is hell all white?"Jonathan clutched his head, which felt like it had just been smashed by a one-ton sledgehammer. His vision was blurry, shadowed, and full of wildly dancing light spots. He tried to get up, but the floor beneath him felt unreal—like stepping on a pile of clouds that was incredibly hard yet fragile.[System... Rebooting... 12%... 18%...][Fatal error detected in reality layer...][Host Status: Unidentified Anomaly.]"Hey, System! Wake up, you bastard! Don't just keep loading! I need an explanation of what this place is!" Jonathan shouted with a hoarse voice."No need to shout, Jon. Your system is busy patching up your shattered soul fragments because of your crazy stunt earlier."Jonathan flinched. He spun around quickly and saw Sienna standing just a few meters away. But something was wrong with her. Her body flickered occasionally, as if her existence was unstable, with energy cracks trailing across her face like a nea