The Almighty Garbage Collector: Reclaiming My Throne

The Bridge of No Return

"Run," the voice said again. It was a familiar, distorted tone, like someone speaking through a heavy blanket. Before I could ask who it was, the line went dead.

I looked down at my phone. The signal was gone. Ms. Alabi and her team finally burst into the room, their boots loud against the floor. She saw the empty space where my sister had been and the lingering dark energy of the man who looked like me.

"Where is she?" she asked, her voice tight.

"Taken," I said. My hands were balled into fists, my knuckles white. "They are holding her at an underground facility. They want the Scavenger System."

Ms. Alabi walked over to the spot where the man had stood. She knelt down and picked up a tiny, glowing black feather that had been left behind. As soon as her skin touched it, her eyes turned wide with realization.

"Tunde, this is not a normal kidnapping," she said, standing up. "This feather is the mark of the Black Sun Faction. They are not just any shadow group; they are the people who have been pulling the strings behind the government for the last fifty years. If they want your system, they want the power to rewrite the city's destiny."

"I don't care about their plans," I said, walking to the window. The rain was still falling hard over the city. "They took my sister. I am going to the Lagos bridge tonight. They think they can use her to trap me, but they don't know who they are dealing with."

"You cannot go alone," she said, stepping toward me. "The bridge is their stronghold. They will have hundreds of elite soldiers, high-tech weapons, and trap systems waiting for you. If you show up with just your fists, you will not leave alive."

"Then I will bring something else," I said.

I turned to the Scavenger System. I needed to grow stronger, and I needed to do it fast.

`[System Alert: New Mission Available.]`

`[Mission: Reclaim the Second Seal.]`

`[Condition: Defeat the Black Sun’s regional enforcer and retrieve the stolen Life-Essence.]`

`[Reward: Ability to manifest Dragon Armor and permanent Level 3 upgrade.]`

I looked at the system screen. I didn't have much time. I needed to move before the sun set.

"Ms. Alabi, I need your help," I said. "You control the infrastructure of the city. I need you to black out the entire district surrounding the bridge. I need no cameras, no streetlights, and no electronic monitoring for five minutes."

"That is a massive operation," she replied, her eyes searching mine. "If I do that, the central intelligence will trace the command back to my personal network. I could lose everything I have built."

"You want revenge against them as much as I do," I said. "Help me, and we finish this together."

She stared at me for a long moment, then nodded. "Fine. I will prepare the blackouts. But Tunde, be careful. The man you saw, the one who looked like you, is not your brother. He is a high-level biological clone created by the syndicate to replace you."

A cold feeling settled in my stomach. A clone? That explained why he moved and spoke with such eerie precision. They weren't just stealing my life; they were trying to delete me and replace me with a puppet they could control.

I left the hospital and went back to the street. Commander Okoro was waiting by the vans, his face anxious.

"Young Master, we have news," he said, bowing low. "The Black Sun Faction is already moving their heavy artillery to the bridge. They know you are coming. They are inviting you to your own funeral."

"Let them," I said. I climbed into the van and took a deep breath.

`[System Alert: Dragon Bloodline stability is currently at 45%.]`

`[Warning: Engaging the Black Sun requires at least 70% stability.]`

`[Suggested Action: Absorb remaining life force from local artifacts.]`

I looked around the van. I had some small, useless jade charms I had picked up earlier. I crushed them in my hand, and the system drained the energy from them, moving through my body like cold water.

My vision began to blur, and my muscles ached. I could feel the Dragon Bloodline expanding, pushing against my limits. It was painful, but it was the only way. I needed every ounce of strength I could pull from this city.

The ride to the bridge felt like it lasted hours. The city streets were wet and dark, the shadows seeming to stretch out and reach for us. I could feel the presence of the Black Sun Faction growing closer. They were waiting.

We arrived at the base of the bridge exactly at midnight. The city was quiet, the usual roar of traffic replaced by a heavy, unnatural silence. Then, right on cue, every single light in the district flickered and died. The entire world turned into a deep, heavy black.

"Now," I whispered.

I jumped out of the van and started to walk toward the center of the bridge. My footsteps were silent. I could see in the dark now, my eyes picking up the heat signatures of the guards waiting in the shadows.

I was ten feet away from the center when a floodlight snapped on, blinding me. A hundred rifles were pointed directly at my chest.

Standing in the center of the road, holding my sister Ife by her arm, was the man who looked like me. He held a high-tech pulse gun to her temple.

"You showed up," the clone said, his voice mocking. "I honestly thought you would run away to save your own life."

I looked at Ife. She was pale and weak, her eyes half-closed, but she was alive.

"Let her go," I said.

"Give me the system," he countered.

I reached out my hand as if to touch the air, activating the system’s interface. But instead of the system menu, I whispered a secret code I had found in my father’s old hidden records.

"Override code: Dragon's Fall."

The ground beneath the bridge began to hum. The clone looked down, his eyes widening in panic as the steel road started to melt like wax under his feet.

"What did you do?" he screamed.

The entire center section of the bridge collapsed, sending us all falling into the dark water below.