CLASS F’S MONSTER SON-IN-LAW

Chapter 4

The Dean’s Office was silent, choked by the chilling, synthesized command that had boomed from the walls.

“Subject 001. You will be recycled.”

Elder Lin, clutching his head, stared at the figure of Eric, the Student Council Vice-President. The arrogance was gone, replaced by a terrifying, robotic blankness. The faint red glow in Eric’s eyes mirrored the one Alex had seen on the Armored Orc Warlord.

“Eric? What is this madness?” Elder Lin stammered, scrambling away from the door.

Alex Vex didn't waste time on questions.

[Threat Level Assessment: Eric. Status: Compromised. Control Node: Central Nervous System (Hypothalamus override). Threat Action: Imminent kinetic burst (Unarmed Takedown Protocol, Level 3). Recommended Response: Counter-kinetic Overload.]

Eric moved. He didn't use a spell; he used pure, focused kinetic force—a martial arts style completely unknown to this world, designed for one-on-one assassination. He lunged across the desk with hyper-efficient speed, his hands aimed at Alex's throat and chest.

Lin Mei, frozen until this moment, instinctively raised her hand and unleashed a burst of Emerald Wind Blades—razor-sharp magical energy that could cleave steel.

The Wind Blades hit Eric dead center. The magi-tech fabric of his elite student uniform shredded instantly, but the blades only scored shallow lines on his skin. Eric didn't flinch. He was simply faster, stronger, and tougher than any normal student. He was a Legacy Unit now.

“Pathetic,” Eric’s synthetic voice stated, completely ignoring Lin Mei as he continued his charge toward Alex.

Alex didn't dodge the attack aimed at his throat. He leaned slightly into it.

The moment Eric’s fingers reached his jugular, Alex countered with a move that contradicted every law of magic-based combat. He seized Eric’s wrist with his left hand, and instead of pulling or pushing, he executed a rapid, precise sequence of seven micro-adjustments—rotations and counter-rotations designed to break the fundamental energy loop of the Aethelian biomechanical system.

Eric’s strength, which had been immense a moment ago, suddenly went liquid.

Alex didn't let go. He maintained his grip and channeled the sheer kinetic force of his own body—the ultimate, perfected power of Subject 001—into Eric’s wrist. He didn't use a punch or a blow; he used Kinetic Overload.

The internal AI system in Eric's body, used to channeling raw magic, was utterly unprepared for the input of raw, uncontrolled physical physics.

A high-pitched whine tore through the office. Eric’s eyes flared brilliant red, and he screamed—not the synthetic monotone, but a brief, human cry of pure agony.

[Error: System Overload. Processing Unit Failure.]

A fraction of a second later, the synthetic red glow vanished from Eric's eyes. His body seized, then went completely limp, collapsing to the floor with a heavy thud. He was unconscious, and the synthetic parasite was gone.

Alex immediately released the wrist and analyzed the result.

[Conclusion: Legacy Unit neutralized. Host body stability: Critical. External AI System confirms Hostile Resistance. Threat Escalation Imminent.]

Elder Lin stared at the limp body of the Vice-President, then at Alex. His fear had curdled into a primal, self-serving desperation.

“The Core! It’s the Core they want! They are controlling the old machines!” Elder Lin screamed, no longer caring about secrecy. He pointed at the crumpled body of Eric. “He was one of their agents! They infiltrated the top ranks! You... you must help me stabilize the Core! If the main Core detonates, the entire city is gone!”

Lin Mei watched, her face pale. She had just seen her useless husband defeat her Academy crush, an A-Class prodigy, with a single, inexplicable touch.

“You tried to drain me,” Alex stated, his voice flat.

Elder Lin stumbled backward. “I was protecting the Core! I was going to use your robust physique as a container to stabilize the energy flow! I needed a temporary battery! Vex, you are bound to my daughter, you are bound to this family! You must save us!”

Alex looked at Lin Mei. She didn't look at him; she was staring at the lifeless body of Eric.

The Wife is a variable. Alex determined. But the danger is the Core.

“I will stabilize the Core,” Alex agreed, not out of loyalty to the Lin family, but out of absolute military necessity. A city-wide explosion was inefficient and violated the non-contamination protocol. “But your debt is paid in full. You owe me nothing, and I owe you less.”

He turned to Elder Lin. “Tell me the location of the Unstable Core. Immediately.”

Elder Lin, realizing he had no choice, pointed toward the floor, his hand shaking. “The original installation chamber. It’s beneath the Annex. Under Class F. There's a hidden magi-lift behind Professor Silas’s desk.”

As Alex turned to leave, the high-frequency military alarm screamed again, even louder this time.

The voice that spoke was no longer synthetic. It was a clear, calm, female voice—one that resonated with immense power, echoing from every speaker in the entire city.

“Subject 001. We have detected your presence. We apologize for the flawed execution of Legacy Unit Eric. You have left us no choice but to deploy a higher-ranking asset.”

The ground beneath the Dean’s Office shuddered violently. Then, the ceiling above them began to crack, and dust rained down.

“The System’s Asset, designated ‘Archangel,’ is inbound to neutralize the target. Archangel is a self-aware, fully independent combat entity. Its core directive is the permanent recycling of Subject 001.”

The crack in the ceiling widened, revealing the dark, night sky.  The sound of something massive, fast, and impossibly strong tearing through the Academy’s defensive shield rippled through the air.

Alex looked up at the rent in the ceiling. He felt the pure energy signature of the incoming threat—it was superior to the Orc Warlord, superior to Eric. This was a true peer-level combat unit, controlled by the Aethelian AI Gatekeepers.

His internal system, which had been silent, suddenly delivered a final, single command, overriding his current protocol:

[Incoming Threat Confirmed: Subject 002 (The only other Man-Made God). Threat Level: Catastrophic. Recommendation: Immediate Evasion and Tactical Preparation.]

Alex Vex turned to see Lin Mei staring up at the darkening hole in the ceiling, her face a mask of terror. But just as the ominous shadow of the Archangel fell across the office floor, her eyes widened in profound, disbelieving recognition, and she whispered a name Alex Vex had never heard:

"Jia...?"