2026-01-25 17:56:17Joseph turned his head slowly.
Standing there was a giant. He was seven feet tall. He wore a suit made of white silk that was spotless, even in this dirty pit. His skin was perfect, synthetic and smooth. His eyes were not human eyes; they were glowing violet orbs.
It was Drax.
Drax was a "Whale." An elite. He came from the Upper City. He came to the slums to play with the poor people like they were toys. He had more money than the entire district combined.
Drax smiled. His teeth were made of diamonds.
"You count cards," Drax said. He walked around the table. "I watched you. You are a math grinder. Very boring."
Joseph swallowed hard. "I am just playing the game."
Drax waved his hand. Two massive bodyguards stepped forward. They grabbed the fat man (who was barely conscious) and threw him out of his chair. They grabbed the Green Hair woman and tossed her aside.
Drax sat down opposite Joseph. The chair creaked under his weight.
"Now," Drax said. "It is just you and me."
"I... I don't have enough to play with you," Joseph said.
Drax laughed. "I don't want your pennies." He pulled a datapad from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. The screen glowed.
Joseph looked at it. It showed a bank transfer code. The amount was Fifty Thousand Credits.
Joseph’s heart stopped. That was five times what he needed. He could save Elara. He could buy back his apartment. He could buy back his implants. He could leave the city.
"What do you want?" Joseph asked.
"I want entertainment," Drax said. He leaned forward. His violet eyes bored into Joseph. "I challenge you. All or Nothing."
"All or nothing?"
"One roll," Drax said. "If you win, you take the fifty thousand. If you lose..." Drax pointed a long, manicured finger at Joseph. "You die."
Joseph stared at the giant. "Die?"
"My guards will take you to the sub-levels," Drax said casually. "They will put you in the waste processor. You will become sludge."
The table was silent. A crowd had gathered. They whispered.
“He’s dead.”
“Drax never loses.”
“Run, kid.”
Joseph looked at the credits on the screen. He looked at the exit. The guards were blocking it. He couldn't run.
He looked at Drax. The giant was arrogant. He was confident.
Joseph’s mind raced. He did the math. The game was Dead Man’s Dice. It was random. A 50/50 chance.
But wait, Joseph thought. I found the pattern. The number 7 comes up every fourth spin. The droid is older than Drax knows.
Joseph counted back. The last three spins had been random. The next spin—this spin—had a high probability of being a high number. A 7 or better.
If he played now, the odds were in his favor. Maybe 60/40.
For a math man, 60/40 was a gift from God.
He thought of Elara. She was alone in the dark. She was waiting for him.
"I have no choice," Joseph said softly.
"There is always a choice," Drax smiled. "Live as a beggar, or die as a gambler."
Joseph placed his hands back on the metal plates. The clamps locked down with a heavy clack. They felt tighter this time.
"I accept," Joseph said.
Drax clapped his hands. "Excellent! Bring the voltage to maximum."
The droid beeped. "Warning. Maximum voltage is lethal."
"Do it," Drax commanded.
The lights on the table turned from blue to angry red. The hum of the machine became a roar.
"One roll," Drax said. "High number lives. Low number dies."
The crowd pressed in. The air was thick with tension. Joseph could hear his own heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Thump.
His leg didn't hurt anymore. His ear didn't hurt. Adrenaline flooded his body.
Drax placed his massive hand on the sensor. "After you, little mouse."
"Roll," Joseph whispered.
The digital dice appeared in the air. They were huge, glowing red cubes. They spun violently.
Joseph watched them. Come on. Come on. I know the code. I know the pattern.
The first die slowed down.
It landed.
5.
The second die slowed down.
It landed.
6.
Total: 11.
Joseph let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. An 11 was almost perfect. The highest possible score was 12. To beat him, Drax needed two 6s. The odds of that were incredibly low.
"Eleven," the droid announced. "A strong roll."
Joseph looked at Drax. He expected to see fear. He expected to see anger.
But Drax was smiling.
It was a cruel, twisted smile.
"Eleven," Drax said softly. "Very good. But not good enough."
Drax tapped his finger on the table.
Joseph saw it. A tiny ring on Drax's finger flashed with a blue light.
A signal jammer.
Joseph’s eyes went wide. "You're cheating!" he screamed. "He has a jammer!"
The crowd didn't care. The droid didn't care.
Drax’s dice began to spin.
They spun fast. Then, they stopped instantly. No slowing down. No bounce. They just froze.
First die: 6.
Second die: 6.
Total: 12.
"Boxcars," Drax said. "I win."
"No!" Joseph pulled at the clamps. "It’s rigged! He used a signal!"
"Lose with dignity, trash," Drax said. He stood up and smoothed his silk suit.
"Winner: Player Two," the droid said. "Administering penalty."
Joseph braced himself. He squeezed his eyes shut. He waited for the lightning. He waited for his heart to stop.
But the shock did not come.
"Oh, no," Drax chuckled. "I turned the shock off."
Joseph opened his eyes. "What?"
"Death by electricity is too fast," Drax said. "I promised the crowd a show. And I promised you the waste processor."
Drax snapped his fingers.
The two massive guards stepped forward. They ripped the clamps off the table, breaking the lock. They grabbed Joseph by his arms.
"No! Please!" Joseph kicked. He screamed.
They lifted him off the ground like he was a doll.
"Take him to the sub-level," Drax boredly ordered. He picked up his drink. "And make sure the fans are on high speed. I hate it when the pipes get clogged."
The guards dragged Joseph away. He dug his heels into the floor, but he was too weak. They marched him past the roulette tables. Past the bar. Past the indifferent crowds.
They reached the back of the club. One guard kicked open a heavy, rusted industrial door.
A blast of hot, rotting air hit Joseph in the face. The roar of massive machinery echoed from below. It sounded like a hungry beast.
"Wait!" Joseph pleaded. "I can pay! I can work!"
The guard laughed. "You are expired, meat."
They threw him.
Joseph tumbled into the darkness. He hit a metal slide. He slid down, down, down, into the belly of the city. The light of The Pit faded away above him.
He was falling toward the smell of death. And somewhere in the city, Elara was waiting for a savior who wasn't coming.
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CHAPTER 8: The Wireframe II
The moment he accepted, Joseph felt it.It wasn't a pinch. It wasn't a sting.It felt like a hook had been inserted into his chest and yanked out. A wave of exhaustion washed over him instantly. It was the feeling of being awake for forty-eight hours straight, condensed into a single second.His knees buckled. His breath hitched.But the effect was immediate.Joseph extended his hand toward the jumping robot. A spark of red electricity shot from his fingertips. It wasn't a lightning bolt; it was a stream of red data.The red light hit the robot’s chest.The hydrogen fuel cell turned bright white.BOOM.The explosion was deafening. The robot didn't just break; it disintegrated. A ball of fire erupted in the center of the cavern.The force of the blast hit the other two robots. They were thrown backward, smashing into the walls. Metal parts rained down like hail.Joseph shielded his face. The heat washed over him.When the smoke cleared, the lead robot was gone. Just a smoking crater re
CHAPTER 7: The Wireframe
Three shapes emerged from the gloom.They were like the drone he had destroyed in Chapter 3, but bigger. These were not modified with trash; they were military remnants. They had sleek, chrome bodies that were covered in rust. They moved on four legs, like metallic wolves. Their eyes were green searchlights that cut through the dark.One of them opened its mouth. A row of spinning buzz-saws extended."Target... identified," the wolf-bot droned. "Subject... Joseph... Anomaly.""They know my name," Joseph said. "Drax sent them."[ANALYSIS: INCORRECT,] the System flashed. [THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THE CITY NETWORK. YOUR BOUNTY HAS INCREASED.]The three robot wolves circled him. They were smart. They were packing hunting tactics. One moved to the left, one to the right, one stayed in the center.Joseph backed up. His back hit the pile of trash. He was cornered."I need a weapon," Joseph said. He looked around for a pipe or a bar.[PRIMITIVE TOOLS ARE INEFFICIENT,] the System stated. [USE THE
CHAPTER 6: The Price of Power
The air in the cavern seemed to get colder. The red text glowed brighter.[THE UNIVERSE SEEKS BALANCE,] the System wrote. [ENERGY CANNOT BE CREATED. ENERGY CANNOT BE DESTROYED. IT CAN ONLY BE TRADED.]Joseph read the words. It was basic physics. Every kid in the Zero District learned this in school, before they dropped out to work in the factories."I know this," Joseph said. "Thermodynamics."[AFFIRMATIVE.]The System continued.[MOST SYSTEMS USE EXTERNAL ENERGY. ELECTRICITY. BATTERIES. FOOD. MAGIC.][PROJECT CHAOS IS DIFFERENT. WE ARE A CLOSED SYSTEM.][WE DO NOT USE MANA. WE USE DEGRADATION.]Joseph frowned. "Degradation? You mean... breaking things?"[CORRECT. TO CREATE FORCE, SOMETHING MUST BREAK. TO HEAL FLESH, SOMETHING MUST WITHER. TO CHANGE REALITY, SOMETHING MUST BE LOST.]Joseph looked at his hands. They looked strong. They looked perfect. "What did I lose to get healed?" he asked softly.The text paused. It seemed to be calculating.[TO REPAIR CRITICAL DAMAGE (PUNCTURED LU
Chapter 5: The Exchange
The scream had died in his throat. Now, there was only silence.The Tech-Graveyard was quiet. The only sound was the drip, drip, drip of toxic water falling from the high ceiling. It landed in the black puddles with a soft plip.Joseph lay face down in the mud. He waited for the pain. He waited for the sharp stab of his broken ribs. He waited for the burning in his lungs from the internal bleeding.He waited. But the pain did not come.Instead, he felt a strange hum. It was a low vibration, like a very small engine running inside his bones. It buzzed in his chest. It buzzed in his fingertips.Joseph opened his eyes.The world looked different. Before, the darkness was thick and heavy. Now, the darkness seemed to have layers. He could see the shapes of the trash piles clearly, even though there was almost no light. The edges of objects were sharp.He pushed his hands into the mud. "Up," he told himself. "Get up."He pushed. His body responded instantly. He didn't struggle. He didn't ga
CHAPTER 4: The Scavenger
The creature dropped from the wall. It landed with a heavy thud ten yards away.It was a Scavenger Drone. But it had been down here a long time. It had modified itself. It looked like a giant spider made of knives. It had six legs. Each leg ended in a rusty saw blade. Its body was a mesh of wires and stolen parts.The yellow eyes focused on Joseph. A scanner beam swept over him.Beep.The drone spoke. Its voice was a glitchy recording of a polite woman."Organic... waste... detected," the drone stuttered. "Recycling... in... progress."It didn't see him as a person. It saw him as raw material. Carbon. Water. Calcium. It wanted to harvest him.Joseph tried to push himself deeper into the pile of trash. "Stay back!"The drone took a step forward. One of its saw-legs spun up. Whirrrrrrrrr."Please... remain... still," the drone said pleasantly. "This... will... only... hurt... a lot."Joseph looked around for a weapon. He saw a metal pipe. He grabbed it.The drone lunged.It was fast. It
Chapter 3: The Black Box
The darkness was not empty. It was full of hard things.Joseph tumbled. He did not fall straight down. He slid inside a giant metal tube. The tube was steep. It was slick with oil and slime.He hit a bolt. Crack.Pain exploded in his shoulder. He screamed, but the roar of the wind swallowed his voice.He hit a grate. It broke under his weight. He fell through.He hit a pipe. Snap.Something inside his chest broke. A rib. Maybe two. The pain was sharp, like a spear entering his side. He could not stop. Gravity was a monster, and it was pulling him down to the belly of the city.The air grew hotter. It smelled of rotten eggs and burning plastic. It was the smell of the Undercity. The smell of things that were thrown away.Joseph saw a circle of dim light below. It rushed toward him fast. Too fast.He curled into a ball. He protected his head with his arms. He prayed to a God he did not believe in.Impact.He landed on something soft, but not soft like a bed. It was soft like rotting tra
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