Chapter 14: Countdown to Chaos

The clock was ticking.

Lin Yuan stood in the dimly lit safehouse, staring at the blueprint of New Omo City's power grid displayed on the holographic screen before him. The Ascendants' Phase Zero plan was unfolding faster than he had anticipated. If they succeeded in triggering the EMP wave, the entire city would be thrown into darkness and chaos—crippling infrastructure, shutting down security systems, and giving the Ascendants free rein to seize control.

Evelyn paced behind him, loading a fresh magazine into her rifle. "We've got less than 48 hours before they hit the grid. What's the plan?"

Rei leaned against the console, tapping furiously on her wrist-mounted device. "I've been digging through their files. They're hitting four substations simultaneously, feeding all that energy into a central core located here—" she pointed at a heavily fortified facility on the map, "—the old Nexus Energy Plant. That's where they'll detonate the pulse."

Xu Wei's fingers flew across his terminal. "They've built redundancy into their system. Even if we disable a couple of substations, the remaining ones will be enough to trigger the blackout. We need to take them all down at the same time."

Lin Yuan exhaled, considering their options. "We split up. Evelyn, you take the northern sector. Rei, you handle the east. Xu Wei, stay here and coordinate comms. I'll take the Nexus plant myself."

Rei shot him a sharp look. "Hold up. You're going in alone? That place is gonna be crawling with Ascendants."

Lin Yuan's jaw clenched. "I have the Core. They won't be expecting what I can do with it."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "We'll back you up as soon as we're done with our targets, but you better not get yourself killed."

Lin Yuan allowed himself a small smirk. "No promises."

Northern Sector – Evelyn's Mission

The northern substation loomed ahead, a massive structure surrounded by towering fences and patrolled by armed Ascendants. Evelyn crouched in the shadows, watching their movements through her rifle's scope.

She clicked her comms. "In position."

Xu Wei's voice crackled in. "You have a five-minute window before the next patrol loop."

Evelyn moved swiftly, slipping past the guards and planting explosives along the main power relays. As she worked, a chill ran down her spine—something felt off.

Suddenly, an Ascendant stepped around the corner. Evelyn's instincts kicked in, and she dispatched him silently with a quick blade to the throat. She wiped the blood off her knife and set the final charge.

"Substation rigged," she whispered. "Moving out."

Eastern Sector – Rei's Hack

Rei slid under the perimeter fence of the eastern station, her visor scanning the area for potential threats. Unlike Evelyn, she preferred stealth and tech over direct confrontation. She slipped into the control center, bypassing the outdated security with a few deft keystrokes.

"Almost there…" she muttered, disabling the primary power relays remotely.

An alert suddenly flashed across her screen—unauthorized access detected.

"Shit," Rei whispered. The alarm blared, and red emergency lights flooded the room. Guards swarmed in.

"Xu Wei, I need an exit, now!"

"I'm on it!" Xu Wei's voice crackled back.

Rei grabbed a flash grenade from her belt and hurled it toward the doorway. The burst of white light bought her enough time to slip out the back and into the shadows.

"Eastern substation compromised, but it's down," she panted into the comms. "Heading to evac."

Nexus Energy Plant – Lin Yuan's Assault

Lin Yuan approached the Nexus plant, its towering silhouette a stark contrast against the night sky. The Core pulsed faintly in his chest pocket, reacting to the energy surrounding the facility.

He exhaled slowly and moved in.

Inside, the plant was a hive of activity. Ascendant operatives moved with purpose, setting up their final preparations for the EMP detonation. Lin Yuan ducked behind cover, observing their leader—a man clad in black tactical armor, his face hidden behind an ominous mask.

"The city will fall tonight," the leader's voice echoed through the chamber. "And from the ashes, we will rise."

Lin Yuan clenched his fists. Not if I can help it.

Slipping through the shadows, he planted a series of EMP charges around the main control hub. But before he could activate them, an alarm blared through the facility.

"You think we wouldn't be ready for you, Lin Yuan?" The masked leader's voice cut through the chaos.

Lin Yuan's eyes widened as several heavily armored Ascendants stepped into the room, their weapons trained on him.

He sighed. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

Drawing the Core from his jacket, he activated its latent energy. A wave of blue light pulsed outward, short-circuiting the Ascendants' weapons and sending them reeling back. Lin Yuan moved swiftly, taking them down one by one with precise strikes, the Core's energy enhancing his speed and strength.

But the masked leader remained unfazed. With a flick of his hand, he unleashed a pulse of energy of his own—dark and corrupted, a twisted version of the Core's power.

"You don't understand what you're dealing with," the leader growled, his voice filled with eerie resonance. "The Architect showed us the way. You? You're just a failed experiment."

Lin Yuan braced himself as the leader lunged forward, their energies colliding in a dazzling display of power. Sparks flew, and the facility trembled under the strain of their battle.

Breathing heavily, Lin Yuan reached for the detonator. "You talk too much," he muttered, pressing the button.

The EMP charges erupted, sending cascading waves of energy through the facility. The substation flickered, then died. The leader staggered back, momentarily disoriented.

Seizing the moment, Lin Yuan rushed forward, delivering a crushing blow that sent the leader sprawling. He didn't wait to see if the man got back up—he had done what he came for.

"Xu Wei," Lin Yuan called into his comm, sprinting toward the exit. "The Nexus plant is down. Phase Zero is stopped."

Xu Wei's relieved voice came through. "Confirmed. Evelyn and Rei are on their way to rendezvous. Get out of there now!"

Escape and Aftermath

Lin Yuan emerged into the night, the distant sounds of sirens wailing in the background. Evelyn and Rei pulled up in their hovercar, and he jumped in without hesitation.

"Nice timing," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

Rei grinned. "Told you we'd back you up."

Evelyn punched the accelerator. "We did it, Lin. Phase Zero's off the table."

Lin Yuan glanced out the window as they sped through the darkened streets. The Ascendants were crippled, their plans shattered. But deep down, he knew this wasn't the end.

"The Covenant's still out there," he said quietly. "Victor won't stop."

Evelyn nodded grimly. "Then neither will we."

Lin Yuan leaned back in his seat, the Core resting against his chest, its energy subdued for now. The battle was won, but the war was far from over.

And he was ready.