Chapter 6: The Architect Awakens

The air in the Obsidian Vault crackled with an oppressive tension, thick with the scent of ozone and burning circuits. Lin Yuan tightened his grip on his pistol, his heartbeat steady despite the storm of emotions raging within him. Across the dimly lit chamber, Victor Kain stood motionless, his eyes glowing with an eerie, unnatural light. He radiated power—an energy that was neither entirely human nor machine.

"You don't understand what you're holding, Lin Yuan," Victor's voice was cold, yet laced with an almost paternal condescension. "The Core is not a weapon for your petty revenge. It's the key to evolution."

Lin Yuan's jaw clenched. "My father didn't die for evolution. He died trying to keep it away from people like you."

Victor smirked. "Your father was a fool who underestimated the future." His hand stretched out, and an invisible force rippled through the room, sending papers and debris flying. "I won't make the same mistake."

Evelyn took a step forward, weapon aimed squarely at Victor's chest. "I've heard enough." Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger. A burst of gunfire erupted, but the bullets never found their mark. Instead, they hung frozen mid-air, trembling as if caught in an unseen gravitational force.

Victor's eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his wrist, the bullets reversed course, slamming back toward Evelyn and Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan reacted instantly, shoving Evelyn aside as the rounds embedded into the steel wall behind them.

"Xu Wei!" Lin Yuan shouted. "Get that data now!"

Xu Wei frantically typed at the console, sweat dripping from his brow. "Almost there… but the security is fighting back. Just hold him off for a little longer!"

Victor stepped forward slowly, his polished shoes clicking ominously against the cold steel floor. "You can't stop progress, Lin Yuan. Your father tried… and it cost him everything."

Lin Yuan's eyes darkened. He adjusted his stance, his free hand brushing against the Core hidden within his jacket. He could feel its rhythmic pulse, like a second heartbeat against his chest.

It's now or never.

With a deep breath, Lin Yuan pulled the Core from his jacket, the blue energy within it swirling violently. The moment it was exposed, Victor's expression changed—his smug arrogance replaced by something darker. Fear.

"No," Victor whispered. "You don't know what you're doing."

Lin Yuan's grip tightened around the Core. He could feel its energy coursing through him, filling his veins with a power that was both alien and intoxicating. His father had left it behind to protect the world from its influence, but right now, Lin Yuan had no choice.

I have to use it.

He channeled the energy, his mind reaching into the swirling depths of the Core's power. A surge of blue light erupted from his palm, slamming into Victor with enough force to send him crashing into the far wall.

Victor staggered to his feet, wiping a trace of blood from his lip. "So… you've learned to harness it. Impressive." His smile twisted into something more sinister. "But power without control is dangerous, Lin Yuan. Let me show you what true mastery looks like."

Victor's entire body flickered, glitching in and out of existence. In a blur, he reappeared inches from Lin Yuan, striking with lightning speed. Lin barely managed to raise his arm, blocking the blow, but the sheer force sent him skidding across the floor.

Evelyn fired another shot, this time aiming for Victor's exposed leg. The bullet found its mark, causing Victor to stumble slightly, but his wounds healed almost instantly, nanites crawling across his skin like living tendrils of metal.

Lin Yuan didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, slamming the Core against Victor's chest. A surge of energy crackled through both of them, and for a brief moment, Lin Yuan saw it—a vision, a glimpse into the Architect's mind.

Inside the Core's Vision

He was no longer in the Vault. Instead, he stood amidst a vast, endless cityscape that stretched beyond the horizon—The Architect's Domain. Towering spires of shifting light and data rose and fell like living entities. The city pulsed with an intelligence that transcended human understanding.

Lin Yuan turned, and there it was. A colossal figure of pure energy, faceless, yet omniscient. The Architect.

A voice echoed in his mind, ancient and weightless. "You are not ready."

Lin Yuan's fists clenched. "Show me what my father tried to protect."

The Architect's form shimmered, and suddenly, memories flooded his mind—flashes of his father standing in this very place, pleading with the Architect, warning of humanity's greed and their obsession with control.

"You cannot allow them access," his father had said. "They will use you to reshape the world in their image."

The Architect's response had been cryptic. "I do not serve. I awaken."

Then the vision shattered.

Lin Yuan gasped as he was violently pulled back to reality. Victor was sprawled on the ground, twitching as residual energy crackled over his body. Lin staggered to his feet, his limbs heavy, the Core's glow dimming in his hand.

Xu Wei shouted from the console. "I've got it! All the files are ours!"

Lin Yuan turned to Evelyn. "Time to go."

Without hesitation, the three of them bolted toward the exit, alarms blaring behind them. As they emerged from the Vault, the cold night air hit Lin Yuan like a slap to the face. He risked one last glance behind him, half-expecting Victor to rise again, but the man remained motionless.

Evelyn grabbed Lin Yuan's arm. "We need to disappear. Now."

They melted into the shadows of the industrial district, their breath ragged and minds racing. They had what they came for—but at what cost?

Xu Wei glanced at Lin Yuan. "What did you see in there?"

Lin Yuan stared ahead, his mind replaying the Architect's words over and over.

"I do not serve. I awaken."

He didn't know what it meant, but one thing was clear. His father had been right—the Core wasn't just a weapon. It was a force beyond comprehension. And now, Lin Yuan was the only one who could decide what to do with it.

"We need to get to a safehouse," Lin Yuan said, pushing down the growing sense of dread in his chest. "We have a war to plan."

Evelyn nodded, and together, they vanished into the labyrinth of New Omo City, leaving the Obsidian Vault—and Victor Kain—behind.

But Lin Yuan knew, deep down, this was only the beginning.