2025-12-10 04:23:32Zane spent the next twelve hours in the silent, cold expanse of Warehouse 7, which he had immediately designated the Sanctuary. His first action wasn't to search for treasure, but for weakness. He used the remaining charge in the silver Scion pistol to melt the central lock on the rear access door and used debris to build a series of rudimentary pressure-sensitive alarms around the perimeter.
His body was a map of dull, searing pain. The rapid cycling of his Temporal Shift (Lv. 1) and the surge from the disabled Channeling Unit had left him vulnerable. He collapsed onto a salvaged pallet, letting the System run its urgent diagnostic.
[Host: Zane (Ares)]
[Core Power: 55% (Stabilized).]
[Recovery Status: Critical. Hostile energy residue detected (Scion tech).]
[Mandate: Immediate Detoxification and Physical Conditioning Required to Handle Future Power Surges.]
The System was clear: his mortal shell was too brittle. If he hit 90% power again, the shell would fracture, releasing the God of War and destroying Zane's consciousness.
I need a training regimen designed for a god in a mortal body, Zane mused, using his Divine Code (Lv. 1) to begin interfacing with the Scion Channeling Unit they had left behind.
The unit was now inert, but the residual data was priceless. He downloaded the Scions’ energy logs, their tactical manifests, and the detailed schematics of the Mark of the Serpent Amplifier. This was a direct line into the enemy's operational plans.
The Traitor’s Gilded Cage
The most crucial piece of data he extracted was a brief, coded reference to the Containment Key.
The logs confirmed the System's earlier warning: Liya Chen was the anchor. Her unique, stable life-force energy acted as a biological stabilizer for the ancient seal placed upon Zane. The Scions didn't want to kill her—they wanted to extract her and use her energy to power a permanent, unbreakable prison for him.
Zane activated Basic Surveillance (Lv. 1), focusing its energy signature on Liya’s apartment in the Chen family’s residence. He didn't see the room; he saw the energy field around her—a humming, faint white light that pulsed with her steady heartbeat. She was a silent, unwitting powerhouse.
He observed her through the low-level security cameras he’d set up during his time as the Son-in-Law. She was working on her laptop, meticulously preparing for tomorrow’s Student Council events, completely unaware that she was a cosmic battery.
Little to no romance, he reminded himself. His interest was purely strategic. He felt no affection, only a cold, professional determination to protect his only means of existence. If she were a valuable artifact, he would guard her with the same ruthlessness.
He realized the irony: he had to fight a war to protect his jailer, using the resources of the family that despised him.
Subservience and Acquisition
Zane briefly broke his seclusion to address the fallout of his campus intervention. He called Mr. Chen's newly assigned private line—a phone number that had been delivered to his West Wing office with a respectful, if terrified, note.
"Zane," Mr. Chen's voice crackled, devoid of its usual bluster. "The Zhangs were ruined. Their stocks dropped 40% today. Liya's reputation is untouchable. You... you did what you promised."
"I delivered, Mr. Chen. Now, you deliver," Zane stated, his voice flat. He wasn't asking; he was commanding. "I require three things: full administrative access to the university's research labs, a security team that answers only to me, and the permanent closure of my old utility room."
Mr. Chen, utterly bewildered but compliant, agreed instantly. The worthless Son-in-Law was now the family's shadowy, feared protector.
"And one more thing," Zane added. "Tell your daughter, Liya, that I am working on a very difficult project for the family and must not be disturbed for the next three days. She is to stay inside her residence at all times."
"Why?"
"Because she is the most valuable asset you own, and the threats against her are far beyond your comprehension," Zane said, hanging up before Mr. Chen could reply.
The Enemy's Missing Piece
Back in the Sanctuary, Zane finished translating the Scion tactical manifests. The data confirmed that Vara was the regional Overseer, reporting to a higher command known only as the Obsidian Hand.
More importantly, the manifest revealed the Scions' immediate objective:
The Scions' operation was not fully destabilized by Zane's intervention. They had lost the local Channeling Unit, but they still needed a vital component for their larger operation—a high-density energy source known as the Void Fragment.
[Target Identified: Void Fragment.]
[Status: Currently secured in the vault beneath the city’s Historical Museum.]
[Scion Plan: Acquisition via brute force extraction, scheduled in 48 hours.]
Zane's eyes narrowed. The Void Fragment was a mythological artifact—a compressed core of chaotic energy that could power the Scions' ultimate containment device, or, if Zane could claim it, act as a massive, instantaneous power boost for his own Core Power.
If Vara and the remaining Scions seized it, they could complete their ultimate weapon and end his containment—and his life—within days. If he secured it, his power would surge far beyond the current, restricted 55%.
[New Primary Mission Generated: Void Fragment Acquisition.]
[Objective: Secure the Void Fragment from the Historical Museum vault before Scion forces. Reward: Core Power Surge (High Confidence).]
Zane rose from the pallet, the aches in his mortal body forgotten. His new base was secured, his resources were flowing, and his enemy’s plan was exposed. He had 48 hours to execute a high-stakes, black-ops heist beneath the city’s most secure mortal location.
He accessed the System's training manual. "System. Prepare a physical and mental conditioning regimen for a 48-hour period, optimizing mortal endurance for a 100% Core Power surge."
The System replied instantly, its digital voice cold and absolute. [Protocol Initiated. Beginning Training Cycle Alpha. First Exercise: 1000 Burpees in the next 60 minutes.]
Zane smirked, pulling his combat jacket tighter. The Son-in-Law was finally ready to stop reacting and start ruling.
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Latest Chapter
Chapter 15
Liya Chen stared at the flashing red warning on the Sanctuary's main console: ACTIVATION OF REGIONAL CHAOS ANCHOR IN 12 HOURS. The message was clear, absolute, and terrifyingly precise. In half a day, the city—her city—would become the launching pad for a global Scion invasion.She looked down at Zane, who was completely unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady. He was a dying god encased in a broken shell, and she was the only one left to operate his fortress.Twelve hours. I almost killed him. And now I have to save him, or the world ends.The guilt and terror transformed into the icy focus she usually reserved for ruthless political maneuvering. She had been the most effective Student Council President for a reason: when faced with chaos, she prioritized the objective.Stabilizing the CommanderLiya's immediate priority was Zane's mortal shell. She dragged him onto a clean metal table near the central pillar—the brains of the Sanctuary. She used her phone’s flashlight to
Chapter 14
Liya Chen drove a borrowed, nondescript utility van—one of the Chen family’s logistics vehicles—at terrifying speeds through the deserted industrial roads toward Warehouse 7. Zane lay inert on the passenger seat, his body unnaturally still, wrapped in a blanket salvaged from the back. The silence in the van was broken only by Liya’s ragged breathing and the distant wail of emergency sirens heading toward the Student Union.I broke him. The thought hammered at her. She wasn't processing the god-war; she was processing the shock of her own, accidental violence. She had aimed for control, and she had achieved utter, devastating destruction."Hold on, Zane," she muttered, gripping the wheel until her knuckles were white. "We're almost there. You said this was the only place."The Commander's Last CommandZane’s mind was a black, chaotic void. His consciousness was reduced to a flicker—a single core process fighting the systemic failure of his mortal body.[Host: Zane (Ares)][Core
Chapter 13
The fist charged with the malevolent, raw power of the Dormant Containment Unit was rocketing toward Zane's face. Liya, eyes blazing with ecstatic, purple light, was determined to end the life of the "zero" who had dared to control her.Zane was pinned, critically injured, his Core Power plummeting from 40\%. His body was too slow to dodge, and his shell integrity was too low to absorb the impact. This was the end.But the Commander’s mind, honed by millennia of warfare, never accepted defeat."System! Execute Zero-Point Gambit!" Zane roared, the command ripping the last ounce of air from his burning lungs.[Warning: Zero-Point Gambit is an unstable, self-destructive protocol. Requires full Core Power commitment.]"Commit! Use the fall damage! Inject the remaining Core Power into the Unit's source code!"In the fraction of a second before Liya’s blow landed, Zane didn't try to defend himself. He let the Temporal Shift (Lv. 2) run one final, devastating prediction: the exact mom
Chapter 12
Zane did not take a car. He was operating at 70% Core Power, and the Temporal Shift (Lv. 2) was his only way to traverse the city's chaotic streets in seconds. He focused his mind, pushing the limits of the mortal shell.Temporal Shift: Full Activation.The city blurred into streaks of light and color. The cars became slow-moving obstacles, the people frozen snapshots of motion. In the space of three breaths, Zane had covered three miles, arriving at the deserted East Wing Student Union—the site of his original humiliation and now the stage for his most critical battle.The area was silent, eerily devoid of the police presence one would expect after the Museum heist. The silence confirmed Zane's dread: This was an Obsidian Hand operation designed to be unnoticed.He burst through the main doors, his eyes immediately locking onto the primary energy signature: Liya. She was standing in the center of the vast, dusty lounge—the very spot where he had scrubbed wine stains just days ag
Chapter 11
Zane stepped out of the Chen compound, the early afternoon sun doing nothing to mitigate the cold resolve in his eyes. Liya was safely contained, her terror-induced compliance confirmed by the hidden micro-sensor he'd planted on her desk. Mr. Chen was busy manipulating the mortal media to blame the Zhangs for the Museum heist, creating the perfect smoke screen. The battlefield was prepared.His objective was singular and urgent: Asset Sigma.The Scions had deployed a superior operative specifically to target the Containment Key (Liya). Zane could not allow this asset to familiarize itself with the campus environment or the city's power structure.Search Protocol: Temporal Shift and Divine CodeZane slipped into a large, deserted campus parking garage, the silence broken only by the hum of the air conditioning units. He needed to find an operative who was actively trying to conceal themselves.He initiated his search, combining his two most powerful utility skills:Temporal Shif
Chapter 10
Zane emerged from the sewer tunnels an hour later, shedding his ruined, debris-caked suit near a secluded storm drain. He walked toward the Sanctuary, the Void Fragment now fully absorbed and integrated into his core. The pain was gone, replaced by a cold, absolute sense of control.[Host: Zane (Ares)][Core Power: 99% (Stable).][Mortal Shell Integrity: 85% (Recovery Protocol Complete).][Acquired Skills: Temporal Shift (Lv. 2); Divine Code (Lv. 1); Iron Fist (Lv. 1); Basic Surveillance (Lv. 1).]The 99% power level was a revelation. He didn't just feel stronger; he felt correct. The limits of the mortal shell were still there, but now they felt like sturdy, well-maintained armor instead of a fragile cage. The trauma of the heist had strengthened his vessel.He activated Temporal Shift (Lv. 2). The world didn't just give him predictive data; the entire environment subtly slowed down around him. He could perceive the flicker of a fluorescent bulb, the minute vibrations of the co
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