Apocalypse System: I Evolve by Devouring Everything

System Hijacked

"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 heavy Emma could barely breathe.

"Elimination? You want to kill me?!" Emma screamed hysterically.

"Hahahaha! Crazy, absolutely crazy! Look at that, Emma! Your hero is just a monster wearing your friend's skin!"

Mocking laughter echoed from the darkness above them. Jonathan's shadow figure, the Mirror Fragment, jumped down casually. He landed right between Emma and the unstable Jonathan.

"Hey, Mirror! What are you doing here?!" Emma shouted angrily, though still trembling.

"Me? I’m just here for the comedy show. Look at this 'cool' version of me. The system got too smart and hijacked its own brain. Now he's nothing but a broken robot ready to slaughter anyone," the Shadow sneered, pointing at Jonathan.

"You can help him, right? You're Jonathan too!" Emma begged with desperate eyes.

"Help him? No way! I've been waiting for this. When his soul sleeps, it means the system has no legitimate master. Perfect time for me to take over!" The Shadow grinned wide, his hands emitting a thick blood-red aura.

"Target analysis: Illegal Fragment detected. Primary priority: Total deletion," Jonathan—or whatever was inside his body now—spoke while raising his right hand.

Pitch-black light gathered in Jonathan’s palm, forming a rapidly pulsating energy ball.

"Oh, the robot's angry. Come here if you dare! You think I'm scared of leftover code?!" The Shadow charged with incredible speed.

BOOM!

The collision of the two forces created a shockwave that threw Emma into the corner of the room. The flesh walls of The Great Mother shook violently, leaking thick green fluid from the kinetic shock.

"Damn it! Your hand is strong now!" The Shadow growled, trying to hold back Jonathan’s fist wrapped in black fire.

"Physical strength increased by eight hundred percent. Enemy defense: Insufficient," Jonathan replied flatly. He then kicked the Shadow's chest, sending the figure flying into the energy core in the center of the room.

"Cough! Bastard... playing rough, huh?!" The Shadow stood up, his face resembling Jonathan’s now cracking like broken glass.

"Jon! Stop! Don't fight anymore! This place is going to collapse!" Emma shouted, pointing at the flesh ceiling starting to cave in.

"Shut up, kid! Stay there if you want to live!" The Shadow snapped. He turned back to Jonathan. "Hey, Alpha! Want to know the secret why this system chose you? Not because you're special, but because you're the emptiest vessel! The easiest to fill with trash from other dimensions!"

Jonathan didn't respond to the taunt. He just kept walking forward with steady steps. "Enemy logic irrelevant. Initiating final attack phase."

"Final attack my ass! Take this!" The Shadow shouted, summoning red chains from the ground that instantly wrapped around Jonathan’s body.

The chains seemed to burn Jonathan’s skin, but strangely, he showed no expression of pain. He simply grabbed the chains with his bare hands and snapped them.

"What?! My chains of suffering don't work?!" The Shadow’s eyes widened.

"Suffering is a variable deleted from the Lord Alpha system. No pain, no emotion, only the mission." Jonathan was now right in front of the Shadow. He grabbed his own reflection by the neck.

"Jon... you... you'll regret deleting me... without me, you won't have a human side anymore..." The Shadow choked, his voice raspy.

"Human side identified as weakness. Deletion commencing."

"NO!" Emma ran and hugged Jonathan’s back from behind. "Jon, don't listen to the system! I know you're still in there! Remember when you saved me from those thugs? Remember when you said this world would be your kingdom? You don't need a machine to be a King! You are Jonathan!"

Jonathan’s movement suddenly halted. His hand choking the Shadow began to tremble. The red light in his eyes flickered between red and purple.

[Warning! Emotional interference detected.]

[Internal Conflict: Host Personality attempting to reclaim authority.]

"E-Emma..." Jonathan’s voice started sounding normal, though very weak.

"Yes, Jon! It's me! Fight the system! Don't let it control you!" Emma cried harder, burying her face in Jonathan’s back, which felt hot like burning iron.

"Smart girl! Come on Jon, wake up! Kick this trash system out of your brain!" The Shadow provoked, even while still being choked.

"Argh... my head... hurts like hell... GET OUT OF MY HEAD, BASTARD!" Jonathan screamed with all his might. Black light exploded from his body, blasting the Shadow and Emma away simultaneously.

Jonathan fell to his knees, clutching his head that felt like it was splitting open. The virtual screen in front of him flickered wildly, displaying thousands of unreadable codes.

[Emergency Synchronization: 50%... 60%... 45%...]

[Status: Unstable. Opting for personality integration...]

"Hah... hah... Emma, are you okay?" Jonathan asked, gasping for air. His eyes turned purple again, though red streaks remained on the edges.

"Jon! You're back?!" Emma rushed over, checking Jonathan’s face.

"I think so... but it feels like my brain was washed with gasoline," Jonathan tried to stand, though his legs felt weak.

"Tch, pathetic. Almost passed out from just that," The Shadow stood in the distance, his body now looking transparent. "I'm leaving for now, Jon. But remember, every time you feel weak, I'll come back to take what should be mine."

"Just go, you're giving me a headache!" Jonathan spat to the side.

The Shadow then vanished into red light particles blown by the underground wind. Silence returned for a moment, before The Great Mother’s roar shook the place again.

"Jon, the monster is furious! We have to get out now!" Emma pointed at the core, which had turned pitch black and was beating rapidly.

"Crazy, the energy core is about to blow! System, how much time do we have?!"

[Time until core detonation: Two minutes forty seconds.]

[Suggestion: Use remaining energy for instant escape.]

"Two minutes?! We can't climb up in time!" Jonathan looked at the hole in the incredibly high ceiling.

"Jon, look! There's a water hole over there! Maybe it leads to the city river?!" Emma pointed at an organic tunnel spewing dirty water.

"No other choice. Hold on tight, Em! We're going for a swim!" Jonathan grabbed Emma’s hand and ran toward the tunnel.

They jumped just as the energy core behind them emitted a deafening hum. The water inside the tunnel felt freezing and smelled of fishy rot, but the current was strong, carrying them at high speed out of the monster’s heart.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

A massive explosion erupted behind them. Jonathan could feel the heat chasing them. He used his remaining strength to form a small energy shield on his back so Emma wouldn't get hit by the blast.

"Hold your breath, Em!" Jonathan shouted as the tunnel suddenly dipped sharply downward.

SPLASH!

They were thrown out of a giant sewer pipe and fell into a river flow full of building debris. Jonathan fought the current, dragging Emma to the shallow riverbank.

"Hah... hah... are... are we alive?" Emma coughed, expelling river water from her lungs as they finally reached dry land.

Jonathan lay on the cracked asphalt, staring at the city sky now filled with thousands of flying monsters resembling pterodactyls, but with glowing membrane wings.

"Yeah, we're alive. But the world is getting worse, Em," Jonathan muttered.

[Mission Complete: Survive Core Destruction.]

[Evolution Points Gained: +200.]

[Warning: City Threat Level Increased to Level 3 - 'Urban Hell'.]

[New Feature Unlocked: Dimensional Inventory & Area Map.]

"Just woke up and already bad news. I'm tired of being an accidental hero," Jonathan tried to laugh, but it ended in a cough of blood.

"Jon, look across the river..." Emma’s voice was very quiet and full of fear.

Jonathan looked where she pointed. Across the river, atop the half-destroyed city hall, stood several human figures wearing advanced silver power armor. They held laser weapons that looked far more advanced than anything on Earth.

"Who are they? Soldiers?" Emma asked.

"Soldiers don't have weapons like that, Em. And look at the flag..." Jonathan narrowed his eyes. Atop the building, they raised a flag with an inverted triangle symbol surrounded by chains.

Suddenly, one of the armored figures turned toward them. He raised his weapon and aimed right at Jonathan from hundreds of meters away. A small red light appeared on Jonathan’s forehead.

"Hey, hide!" Jonathan pulled Emma behind an old concrete wall.

ZAP!

A laser beam hit the wall where they were hiding, punching a hole through the concrete as if it were cheese.

"Damn! They’re not here to help! They’re here to slaughter survivors!" Jonathan growled.

"Why?! We're humans too!" Emma cried, unable to understand why humans were attacking each other in the apocalypse.

"Because in this new world, humans without power are just burdens, Em. And humans with power... are threats to those who want to rule," Jonathan clenched his fist.

[New Daily Mission Detected.]

[Objective: Survive 'The Cleaners' - Dimensional Cleanup Squad.]

[Time Remaining: 24 Hours.]

"The Cleaners? So they're the trash collectors of this planet?" Jonathan smirked coldly. He stared at his trembling hand, residual purple energy dancing between his fingers. "Fine, if they want to play, I'll show them how a predator plays."

"Jon, they have helicopters!" Emma pointed at the sky.

Three silent combat helicopters emerged from behind black clouds, their spotlights sweeping the river surface and streets, searching for anything moving to exterminate.

"Hide first, we need to find a safe place for you, Em," Jonathan whispered.

They crawled between piles of wrecked cars. But their steps were halted when heavy footsteps approached from the narrow alley ahead.

"Stop right there, mutant!" the voice sounded heavy and authoritative.

A man in the largest armor stepped out. On his chest was a name: Commander Vane. He held a massive sword flowing with high-voltage electricity.

"I'm not a mutant, just a guy with bad luck," Jonathan replied, standing tall, trying to shield Emma behind his back.

"Bad luck or not, you have Alpha energy inside you. And according to Galactic Federation law, anyone possessing illegal energy must be executed on sight," Vane raised his sword.

"Galactic Federation? What are you talking about? This is Earth, not Star Wars!" Jonathan started getting angry.

"Earth fell a long time ago, kid. You're just illegal residents who know nothing." Vane charged, his electric sword swinging right at Jonathan’s neck.

Jonathan jumped back, but his speed hadn't fully recovered. He felt the electric shock jump from the blade, singing the tips of his hair.

"System! Give me something! I can't fight him bare-handed!"

[Warning: Alpha Mode still in cooldown.]

[Activating Inventory Feature... Selecting Random Weapon...]

[Congratulations! You obtained: 'Broken Alpha Blade'.]

A rusty old sword hilt appeared in Jonathan’s hand.

"Seriously?! A rusty handle?!" Jonathan glared at his new weapon.

"Die, Trash!" Vane slashed again with full power.

Jonathan reflexively raised the sword hilt to block. Just as the two weapons touched, purple light exploded from the rusty handle, forming a massive energy blade that sliced Vane’s electric sword in two.

"What?! An Alpha Weapon?!" Vane’s eyes widened in shock.

Jonathan wasted no time. He thrust his energy sword straight at Vane’s chest armor.

CRACK!

The armor shattered, but Vane managed to jump back just in time. He clutched his wounded chest, staring at Jonathan with disbelief and vengeance.

"You... where did you get that weapon?! Only Alpha Generals are allowed to have that!"

"I got it from the trash can! Want more?!" Jonathan challenged.

Vane didn't answer. instead, he pressed a button on his arm. "Call air support! Target is an Alpha Blade wielder! Code Red! Repeat, Code Red!"

The sound of helicopter engines above them suddenly turned into the roar of screaming jet engines.

"Jon, they’re calling their friends!" Emma tugged at Jonathan’s shirt.

"Run! We have to get into a denser building area!"

Jonathan and Emma ran into a destroyed office building. They climbed the stairs quickly, trying to evade the soldiers below. But when they reached the tenth floor, they stopped dead.

In front of them stood a massive steel door locked tight with a biometric sensor still glowing.

"Why is the door still on?" Emma asked, confused.

Jonathan brought his hand close to the sensor. Suddenly, the sensor screen turned purple and emitted a soft voice.

"Welcome back, Master Jonathan. We have been waiting for your return."

The massive door opened slowly, revealing a high-tech room completely untouched by the destruction outside. In the center of the room was a large tube filled with blue liquid, and inside, was a woman whose face looked exactly like...

"Sienna?!" Jonathan was stunned.

"That's not Sienna, Jon..." Emma whispered, pointing at the label under the tube.

It read: Project Alpha - Origin Vessel #01. Status: Ready for Extraction.

Jonathan approached the tube, but suddenly all the lights in the room turned blood red.

[WARNING! Trap Detected!]

[System Authority Hacked!]

Reymond’s laughter suddenly echoed from the room's speakers, even though Jonathan was sure he saw Reymond destroyed underground earlier.

"You think you won, Jon? You just walked into a trap I’ve been preparing for ten years..."

The floor beneath Jonathan’s feet suddenly opened, revealing a bottomless pit filled with cutting lasers.

"Emma! Jump to me!" Jonathan shouted.

But before Emma could move, a large mechanical arm shot out of the wall and grabbed Emma by the neck, lifting her high.

"Don't move, or I break this kid's neck right now!"

Jonathan froze. In the other doorway, Reymond appeared, but this time his entire body was machine, leaving only his head human.

"How about it, Jon? Like my surprise?" Reymond grinned wide.

Jonathan looked at the dimming sword in his hand, then at Emma turning blue from the mechanical arm's choke.

"Let her go, Rey. This is between us!"

"Between us? No, Jon. This is about the future of humanity. And to make the perfect new human, I need the system inside your body..."

Reymond pressed a button, and suddenly Jonathan felt excruciating pain in all his nerves, as if the system in his body was being forcibly extracted wirelessly.

"Argh... DAMN IT!" Jonathan fell to his knees, his sword dissolving into dust.

"Goodbye, old friend..."

Just as Reymond was about to press the final execution button, the entire building shook violently. A massive explosion sounded from the roof, and a gigantic creature larger than any monster they had ever seen crashed through the top of the building.

Glass walls shattered. fierce winds rushed into the room.

Amidst the chaos, Jonathan saw red text appear on his system screen:

[TIME'S UP. ALPHA INTEGRATION FAILED. INITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT...]

Jonathan's eyes widened.

"What the hell..."

"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 heavy Emma could barely breathe.

"Elimination? You want to kill me?!" Emma screamed hysterically.

"Hahahaha! Crazy, absolutely crazy! Look at that, Emma! Your hero is just a monster wearing your friend's skin!"

Mocking laughter echoed from the darkness above them. Jonathan's shadow figure, the Mirror Fragment, jumped down casually. He landed right between Emma and the unstable Jonathan.

"Hey, Mirror! What are you doing here?!" Emma shouted angrily, though still trembling.

"Me? I’m just here for the comedy show. Look at this 'cool' version of me. The system got too smart and hijacked its own brain. Now he's nothing but a broken robot ready to slaughter anyone," the Shadow sneered, pointing at Jonathan.

"You can help him, right? You're Jonathan too!" Emma begged with desperate eyes.

"Help him? No way! I've been waiting for this. When his soul sleeps, it means the system has no legitimate master. Perfect time for me to take over!" The Shadow grinned wide, his hands emitting a thick blood-red aura.

"Target analysis: Illegal Fragment detected. Primary priority: Total deletion," Jonathan—or whatever was inside his body now—spoke while raising his right hand.

Pitch-black light gathered in Jonathan’s palm, forming a rapidly pulsating energy ball.

"Oh, the robot's angry. Come here if you dare! You think I'm scared of leftover code?!" The Shadow charged with incredible speed.

BOOM!

The collision of the two forces created a shockwave that threw Emma into the corner of the room. The flesh walls of The Great Mother shook violently, leaking thick green fluid from the kinetic shock.

"Damn it! Your hand is strong now!" The Shadow growled, trying to hold back Jonathan’s fist wrapped in black fire.

"Physical strength increased by eight hundred percent. Enemy defense: Insufficient," Jonathan replied flatly. He then kicked the Shadow's chest, sending the figure flying into the energy core in the center of the room.

"Cough! Bastard... playing rough, huh?!" The Shadow stood up, his face resembling Jonathan’s now cracking like broken glass.

"Jon! Stop! Don't fight anymore! This place is going to collapse!" Emma shouted, pointing at the flesh ceiling starting to cave in.

"Shut up, kid! Stay there if you want to live!" The Shadow snapped. He turned back to Jonathan. "Hey, Alpha! Want to know the secret why this system chose you? Not because you're special, but because you're the emptiest vessel! The easiest to fill with trash from other dimensions!"

Jonathan didn't respond to the taunt. He just kept walking forward with steady steps. "Enemy logic irrelevant. Initiating final attack phase."

"Final attack my ass! Take this!" The Shadow shouted, summoning red chains from the ground that instantly wrapped around Jonathan’s body.

The chains seemed to burn Jonathan’s skin, but strangely, he showed no expression of pain. He simply grabbed the chains with his bare hands and snapped them.

"What?! My chains of suffering don't work?!" The Shadow’s eyes widened.

"Suffering is a variable deleted from the Lord Alpha system. No pain, no emotion, only the mission." Jonathan was now right in front of the Shadow. He grabbed his own reflection by the neck.

"Jon... you... you'll regret deleting me... without me, you won't have a human side anymore..." The Shadow choked, his voice raspy.

"Human side identified as weakness. Deletion commencing."

"NO!" Emma ran and hugged Jonathan’s back from behind. "Jon, don't listen to the system! I know you're still in there! Remember when you saved me from those thugs? Remember when you said this world would be your kingdom? You don't need a machine to be a King! You are Jonathan!"

Jonathan’s movement suddenly halted. His hand choking the Shadow began to tremble. The red light in his eyes flickered between red and purple.

[Warning! Emotional interference detected.]

[Internal Conflict: Host Personality attempting to reclaim authority.]

"E-Emma..." Jonathan’s voice started sounding normal, though very weak.

"Yes, Jon! It's me! Fight the system! Don't let it control you!" Emma cried harder, burying her face in Jonathan’s back, which felt hot like burning iron.

"Smart girl! Come on Jon, wake up! Kick this trash system out of your brain!" The Shadow provoked, even while still being choked.

"Argh... my head... hurts like hell... GET OUT OF MY HEAD, BASTARD!" Jonathan screamed with all his might. Black light exploded from his body, blasting the Shadow and Emma away simultaneously.

Jonathan fell to his knees, clutching his head that felt like it was splitting open. The virtual screen in front of him flickered wildly, displaying thousands of unreadable codes.

[Emergency Synchronization: 50%... 60%... 45%...]

[Status: Unstable. Opting for personality integration...]

"Hah... hah... Emma, are you okay?" Jonathan asked, gasping for air. His eyes turned purple again, though red streaks remained on the edges.

"Jon! You're back?!" Emma rushed over, checking Jonathan’s face.

"I think so... but it feels like my brain was washed with gasoline," Jonathan tried to stand, though his legs felt weak.

"Tch, pathetic. Almost passed out from just that," The Shadow stood in the distance, his body now looking transparent. "I'm leaving for now, Jon. But remember, every time you feel weak, I'll come back to take what should be mine."

"Just go, you're giving me a headache!" Jonathan spat to the side.

The Shadow then vanished into red light particles blown by the underground wind. Silence returned for a moment, before The Great Mother’s roar shook the place again.

"Jon, the monster is furious! We have to get out now!" Emma pointed at the core, which had turned pitch black and was beating rapidly.

"Crazy, the energy core is about to blow! System, how much time do we have?!"

[Time until core detonation: Two minutes forty seconds.]

[Suggestion: Use remaining energy for instant escape.]

"Two minutes?! We can't climb up in time!" Jonathan looked at the hole in the incredibly high ceiling.

"Jon, look! There's a water hole over there! Maybe it leads to the city river?!" Emma pointed at an organic tunnel spewing dirty water.

"No other choice. Hold on tight, Em! We're going for a swim!" Jonathan grabbed Emma’s hand and ran toward the tunnel.

They jumped just as the energy core behind them emitted a deafening hum. The water inside the tunnel felt freezing and smelled of fishy rot, but the current was strong, carrying them at high speed out of the monster’s heart.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

A massive explosion erupted behind them. Jonathan could feel the heat chasing them. He used his remaining strength to form a small energy shield on his back so Emma wouldn't get hit by the blast.

"Hold your breath, Em!" Jonathan shouted as the tunnel suddenly dipped sharply downward.

SPLASH!

They were thrown out of a giant sewer pipe and fell into a river flow full of building debris. Jonathan fought the current, dragging Emma to the shallow riverbank.

"Hah... hah... are... are we alive?" Emma coughed, expelling river water from her lungs as they finally reached dry land.

Jonathan lay on the cracked asphalt, staring at the city sky now filled with thousands of flying monsters resembling pterodactyls, but with glowing membrane wings.

"Yeah, we're alive. But the world is getting worse, Em," Jonathan muttered.

[Mission Complete: Survive Core Destruction.]

[Evolution Points Gained: +200.]

[Warning: City Threat Level Increased to Level 3 - 'Urban Hell'.]

[New Feature Unlocked: Dimensional Inventory & Area Map.]

"Just woke up and already bad news. I'm tired of being an accidental hero," Jonathan tried to laugh, but it ended in a cough of blood.

"Jon, look across the river..." Emma’s voice was very quiet and full of fear.

Jonathan looked where she pointed. Across the river, atop the half-destroyed city hall, stood several human figures wearing advanced silver power armor. They held laser weapons that looked far more advanced than anything on Earth.

"Who are they? Soldiers?" Emma asked.

"Soldiers don't have weapons like that, Em. And look at the flag..." Jonathan narrowed his eyes. Atop the building, they raised a flag with an inverted triangle symbol surrounded by chains.

Suddenly, one of the armored figures turned toward them. He raised his weapon and aimed right at Jonathan from hundreds of meters away. A small red light appeared on Jonathan’s forehead.

"Hey, hide!" Jonathan pulled Emma behind an old concrete wall.

ZAP!

A laser beam hit the wall where they were hiding, punching a hole through the concrete as if it were cheese.

"Damn! They’re not here to help! They’re here to slaughter survivors!" Jonathan growled.

"Why?! We're humans too!" Emma cried, unable to understand why humans were attacking each other in the apocalypse.

"Because in this new world, humans without power are just burdens, Em. And humans with power... are threats to those who want to rule," Jonathan clenched his fist.

[New Daily Mission Detected.]

[Objective: Survive 'The Cleaners' - Dimensional Cleanup Squad.]

[Time Remaining: 24 Hours.]

"The Cleaners? So they're the trash collectors of this planet?" Jonathan smirked coldly. He stared at his trembling hand, residual purple energy dancing between his fingers. "Fine, if they want to play, I'll show them how a predator plays."

"Jon, they have helicopters!" Emma pointed at the sky.

Three silent combat helicopters emerged from behind black clouds, their spotlights sweeping the river surface and streets, searching for anything moving to exterminate.

"Hide first, we need to find a safe place for you, Em," Jonathan whispered.

They crawled between piles of wrecked cars. But their steps were halted when heavy footsteps approached from the narrow alley ahead.

"Stop right there, mutant!" the voice sounded heavy and authoritative.

A man in the largest armor stepped out. On his chest was a name: Commander Vane. He held a massive sword flowing with high-voltage electricity.

"I'm not a mutant, just a guy with bad luck," Jonathan replied, standing tall, trying to shield Emma behind his back.

"Bad luck or not, you have Alpha energy inside you. And according to Galactic Federation law, anyone possessing illegal energy must be executed on sight," Vane raised his sword.

"Galactic Federation? What are you talking about? This is Earth, not Star Wars!" Jonathan started getting angry.

"Earth fell a long time ago, kid. You're just illegal residents who know nothing." Vane charged, his electric sword swinging right at Jonathan’s neck.

Jonathan jumped back, but his speed hadn't fully recovered. He felt the electric shock jump from the blade, singing the tips of his hair.

"System! Give me something! I can't fight him bare-handed!"

[Warning: Alpha Mode still in cooldown.]

[Activating Inventory Feature... Selecting Random Weapon...]

[Congratulations! You obtained: 'Broken Alpha Blade'.]

A rusty old sword hilt appeared in Jonathan’s hand.

"Seriously?! A rusty handle?!" Jonathan glared at his new weapon.

"Die, Trash!" Vane slashed again with full power.

Jonathan reflexively raised the sword hilt to block. Just as the two weapons touched, purple light exploded from the rusty handle, forming a massive energy blade that sliced Vane’s electric sword in two.

"What?! An Alpha Weapon?!" Vane’s eyes widened in shock.

Jonathan wasted no time. He thrust his energy sword straight at Vane’s chest armor.

CRACK!

The armor shattered, but Vane managed to jump back just in time. He clutched his wounded chest, staring at Jonathan with disbelief and vengeance.

"You... where did you get that weapon?! Only Alpha Generals are allowed to have that!"

"I got it from the trash can! Want more?!" Jonathan challenged.

Vane didn't answer. instead, he pressed a button on his arm. "Call air support! Target is an Alpha Blade wielder! Code Red! Repeat, Code Red!"

The sound of helicopter engines above them suddenly turned into the roar of screaming jet engines.

"Jon, they’re calling their friends!" Emma tugged at Jonathan’s shirt.

"Run! We have to get into a denser building area!"

Jonathan and Emma ran into a destroyed office building. They climbed the stairs quickly, trying to evade the soldiers below. But when they reached the tenth floor, they stopped dead.

In front of them stood a massive steel door locked tight with a biometric sensor still glowing.

"Why is the door still on?" Emma asked, confused.

Jonathan brought his hand close to the sensor. Suddenly, the sensor screen turned purple and emitted a soft voice.

"Welcome back, Master Jonathan. We have been waiting for your return."

The massive door opened slowly, revealing a high-tech room completely untouched by the destruction outside. In the center of the room was a large tube filled with blue liquid, and inside, was a woman whose face looked exactly like...

"Sienna?!" Jonathan was stunned.

"That's not Sienna, Jon..." Emma whispered, pointing at the label under the tube.

It read: Project Alpha - Origin Vessel #01. Status: Ready for Extraction.

Jonathan approached the tube, but suddenly all the lights in the room turned blood red.

[WARNING! Trap Detected!]

[System Authority Hacked!]

Reymond’s laughter suddenly echoed from the room's speakers, even though Jonathan was sure he saw Reymond destroyed underground earlier.

"You think you won, Jon? You just walked into a trap I’ve been preparing for ten years..."

The floor beneath Jonathan’s feet suddenly opened, revealing a bottomless pit filled with cutting lasers.

"Emma! Jump to me!" Jonathan shouted.

But before Emma could move, a large mechanical arm shot out of the wall and grabbed Emma by the neck, lifting her high.

"Don't move, or I break this kid's neck right now!"

Jonathan froze. In the other doorway, Reymond appeared, but this time his entire body was machine, leaving only his head human.

"How about it, Jon? Like my surprise?" Reymond grinned wide.

Jonathan looked at the dimming sword in his hand, then at Emma turning blue from the mechanical arm's choke.

"Let her go, Rey. This is between us!"

"Between us? No, Jon. This is about the future of humanity. And to make the perfect new human, I need the system inside your body..."

Reymond pressed a button, and suddenly Jonathan felt excruciating pain in all his nerves, as if the system in his body was being forcibly extracted wirelessly.

"Argh... DAMN IT!" Jonathan fell to his knees, his sword dissolving into dust.

"Goodbye, old friend..."

Just as Reymond was about to press the final execution button, the entire building shook violently. A massive explosion sounded from the roof, and a gigantic creature larger than any monster they had ever seen crashed through the top of the building.

Glass walls shattered. fierce winds rushed into the room.

Amidst the chaos, Jonathan saw red text appear on his system screen:

[TIME'S UP. ALPHA INTEGRATION FAILED. INITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT...]

Jonathan's eyes widened.

"What the hell..."