The Unwritten Code

Lin Wei sat in the dimly lit room, his body still aching from the chase, the fight, and the strange, electric pulse that had changed everything. Across from him, Echo leaned against a rusted metal console, arms crossed, her cybernetic fingers tapping against her bicep in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

She was studying him. Evaluating.

"So," she said at last, "let's cut the bullshit. You're not just some street rat with bad luck."

Lin Wei tensed but kept his expression neutral. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Echo smirked. "See, that's the thing. I don't believe you." She pushed off the console and took a step closer, the blue light from her hands casting eerie shadows on the walls. "I saw what happened back there. The enforcers moved in, and then—boom. Time staggered."

His fingers twitched. She noticed.

"You didn't just dodge them. They slowed down. Like something was messing with their perception." Echo's gaze locked onto his, sharp and calculating. "That wasn't a glitch. That was you."

Lin Wei remained silent.

The words hung between them like a weight pressing against his ribs. She had seen what happened when his ability activated. He had barely begun to understand it himself, and now someone else had a front-row seat to his biggest secret.

"Look, I don't care where you got it," Echo continued, "but I know what I saw. And if you can do something like that, the enforcers are never going to stop hunting you."

She was right.

The enforcers marked him as unstable—a threat. The moment his abilities triggered, he had become something they couldn't ignore. He wasn't just another fugitive now; he was a loose variable in their system, and if there was one thing the city didn't tolerate, it was unpredictability.

Lin Wei exhaled. "And what do you want?"

Echo grinned. "I want you to stop lying to me."

He clenched his jaw. He was out of options. If Echo had wanted to hand him over to the enforcers, she would have done it already. The only reason she was keeping him alive was because she saw potential—or danger.

Either way, she was right about one thing. He couldn't keep running forever.

Finally, he spoke. "It's called the System."

Echo's expression didn't change, but her tapping fingers stilled.

"It's in my head," Lin Wei continued, his voice steady but low. "It gives me quests, levels me up, grants me abilities. Like some kind of… game mechanic." He hesitated before adding, "I didn't ask for it."

Echo didn't react the way he expected. No shock, no disbelief—just a slow nod.

"Figured it was something like that," she muttered.

That caught him off guard. "You believe me?"

"You think you're the first one?"

Lin Wei's breath hitched. His mind raced. There were others?

Echo watched his reaction carefully. "The System doesn't just appear in people's heads for no reason. It's always looking for something. And when it finds what it wants, it takes."

Lin Wei frowned. "What do you mean, 'takes'?"

Echo's expression darkened. "People don't get the System. They survive it. And not many do."

A cold weight settled in his gut.

Before he could ask more, a loud clang echoed through the room. The door behind Echo slid open with a hydraulic hiss, and two figures stepped in.

One was a broad-shouldered man with a cybernetic eye glowing faint red. His arms were covered in mechanical plating, cables running along his skin like exposed nerves. The other was a slender woman draped in a high-collared coat, her gaze sharp as a blade.

"Echo," the man rumbled, voice deep and mechanical. "This him?"

Echo didn't turn. "Yeah."

The woman took a step closer, her boots clicking against the floor. "Lin Wei."

He tensed. "Who are you?"

"We're the ones keeping you alive."

Lin Wei glanced at Echo, but she didn't offer an explanation.

The woman studied him for a moment before saying, "The Black Veil has been tracking System anomalies for years. You're not the first, but you're… different."

Lin Wei frowned. "Different how?"

"Most System anomalies don't last more than a few days before the enforcers erase them. You've lasted longer."

A chill ran down his spine.

The man crossed his arms. "Question is, are you an asset or a liability?"

Lin Wei's fists clenched. "I didn't ask for this."

The woman's lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "None of us did."

A tense silence settled over the room. Lin Wei could feel the weight of their gazes, measuring, waiting. They weren't going to kill him—not yet—but their patience wouldn't last forever.

Finally, Echo spoke. "We're moving out in three hours."

Lin Wei's eyes narrowed. "Moving where?"

She met his gaze. "You want to survive? You come with us."

Lin Wei's pulse quickened. The Black Veil wasn't offering protection. They were offering a deal.

And deals always came with a price.