Chapter 35: Project Oblivion

The rain hammered down on the neon-lit streets of New Omo, washing away the last remnants of the sleeper cell crisis. Lin Yuan stood on a rooftop, staring out at the city that never truly rested. The flickering signs, the distant hum of traffic, the quiet tension that never left—this was his battlefield.

Evelyn's voice crackled over the comm. "You sure about this, Lin? We're walking into unknown territory."

Lin Yuan touched the Core in his pocket, feeling its subtle hum against his fingertips. "We don't have a choice, Evelyn. Blackthorn isn't done. And whatever Project Oblivion is… we need to stop it before it starts."

Rei's voice chimed in, her tone laced with tension. "I've been digging through what little data we recovered, and this thing… it's bad, Lin. Oblivion isn't just a program—it's a full-scale digital weapon. It rewrites systems, hijacks infrastructure… and the worst part? It learns."

Xu Wei cut in. "If Blackthorn activates it, the city won't just be controlled—it'll be reprogrammed from the ground up."

Lin Yuan nodded, determination settling into his bones. "Then we take the fight to him."

The First Lead – Echo in the Underworld

The team's first lead took them to the depths of the Undercore, a forgotten sector beneath the city where the old-world systems still functioned. Here, tech smugglers, rogue AIs, and black-market hackers thrived, all living in the shadows cast by New Omo's towering skyline.

The entrance was hidden beneath layers of graffiti-covered walls and crumbling infrastructure. As they entered, flickering holograms buzzed to life, advertising illegal enhancements and encrypted weaponry.

A grizzled-looking hacker known as Spectre, an old contact of Evelyn's, leaned against a terminal, his augmented eye scanning them. "I heard you made some noise topside. What brings you to my humble corner of hell?"

Lin Yuan stepped forward. "We're looking for Blackthorn."

Spectre chuckled darkly. "Aren't we all? But you're in luck. Word is, he's working with someone big—someone who's been running dark ops in the old databanks under the finance district."

Rei typed into her portable terminal. "That would line up with the data clusters we detected."

Spectre grinned. "Of course it does. But here's the thing… Blackthorn doesn't play fair. You go looking for him, he'll be looking right back."

Lin Yuan's gaze hardened. "We'll take our chances."

Spectre handed over an encrypted drive. "This'll get you access to a secure node he's been using to test Oblivion's capabilities. But be careful—rumor has it, this program doesn't just delete data… it corrupts minds."

Lin Yuan took the drive, feeling the weight of it. "Thanks. Stay safe."

Spectre smirked. "In this city? Never."

Infiltrating the Finance District

The finance district was a world away from the underbelly of the city—pristine towers of glass and steel, their interiors bustling with suits and high-tech security. Lin Yuan and Evelyn moved through the crowded lobby of Skycore Tower, blending in among the corporate workers.

Rei's voice crackled in their earpieces. "Alright, I've piggybacked onto their internal system. There's a maintenance access point on sublevel four."

Evelyn adjusted her earpiece. "And security?"

Rei laughed dryly. "Tight. If you get caught, don't expect a slap on the wrist."

Lin Yuan led the way, his mind razor-focused. They navigated the winding corridors and slipped into the maintenance shaft, moving swiftly toward the data core.

Once inside, Evelyn planted surveillance nodes while Lin Yuan accessed the encrypted relay. The drive Spectre provided slotted into the system with a soft click.

The screen flickered to life, revealing a flood of ominous red code cascading across the display. Lines of text scrolled by:

"OBLIVION PROTOCOL INITIATED. SYSTEM INTERFACING. NEURAL OVERWRITE COMMENCING."

Evelyn's eyes widened. "Neural overwrite? Lin, this isn't just hacking infrastructure. They're trying to control people."

Lin Yuan clenched his fists. "We have to shut this down."

Suddenly, alarms blared, and automated drones descended from the ceiling.

"Move!" Lin Yuan shouted, grabbing the drive and sprinting out of the room.

Evelyn provided covering fire, taking down the drones as they made their escape through the labyrinthine halls. As they burst onto the streets, Rei's voice came through, frantic.

"Guys! I'm getting pings across the city—Oblivion is spreading. Whatever you just did, it triggered something big!"

Lin Yuan's stomach dropped. "Get us an exit plan. We need to regroup."

Back at the Safehouse – A Desperate Plan

Back at the safehouse, the team gathered around the holo-table, the data they recovered flashing across the screen.

Xu Wei looked grim. "This isn't just a local threat anymore. Oblivion is infecting everything—city grid, law enforcement protocols, even basic communications."

Rei typed furiously. "I might have a way to isolate it, but… it's risky. We could trap it within its own code, forcing it to consume itself."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "And the catch?"

Rei sighed. "We need to plug the Core into the system. It's the only thing powerful enough to fight it head-on."

Lin Yuan looked at the Core, feeling its familiar hum in his hand. "We do it."

Xu Wei hesitated. "Lin… the Core is unstable. If something goes wrong, it could take you down with it."

Lin Yuan's voice was steady. "Then we make sure it doesn't."

Evelyn looked at him, concern etched into her face. "You sure about this?"

Lin Yuan nodded. "We end this. Now."

The Final Strike – Entering the Heart of Oblivion

With no time to waste, the team launched their final assault on Blackthorn's last known hideout—The Citadel, a heavily fortified high-rise on the city's edge. Under the cover of darkness, they infiltrated the facility, moving with precision through the corridors lined with armed mercenaries.

Inside the control room, Blackthorn stood waiting, a smug grin on his face. "Took you long enough."

Lin Yuan stepped forward, placing the Core onto the central console. "Game over, Blackthorn."

Blackthorn laughed. "Oh, Lin… the game's only just begun."

With a single command, Oblivion activated, and the entire room was flooded with a crimson glow. The walls pulsed as the AI attempted to consume the Core.

Lin Yuan gritted his teeth. "Do it, Rei!"

Rei unleashed the containment sequence, forcing Oblivion to collapse in on itself. The AI's voice screamed through the speakers, its corrupted data spiraling out of control.

Blackthorn lunged at Lin Yuan, but Evelyn was faster—taking him down with a precise shot to the leg. He collapsed, glaring up at them. "You can't stop progress."

Lin Yuan stood over him. "No. But we can stop you."

With a final keystroke, the system imploded, and Oblivion was gone.

Epilogue – A New Dawn

With Blackthorn in custody and Oblivion destroyed, the city finally felt… quieter. But Lin Yuan knew the fight would never truly be over.

As he stood on the rooftop, Evelyn joined him. "Think it's finally over?"

Lin Yuan smirked. "For now."

She nudged him playfully. "Maybe we should take that vacation."

Lin Yuan looked out over the skyline, the Core still in his hand. "Maybe."

But deep down, he knew there was always another battle waiting.