Chapter 27: Cycle Restart Initiated

04:00 a.m. — Broadcast Frequency: Universal Override

The world never truly woke up from the last collapse.

And now, the final stage of the broadcast had begun.

Across every corner of the earth, skies flickered between night and day, like the world's reality was stuck buffering.

In cities drowned by static skies and glitching lights, humanity had become mere background data—living inside a simulation too real to question.

Yun Qi's consciousness hovered at the edge of existence.

She was no longer sure if she had a body or if she was nothing but fragmented code echoing through the corrupted system.

And then—

A familiar voice called out through the endless data stream.

"Yun Qi… you're not done yet."

It was Chen Rui.

But he wasn't like before.

His digital form stood firm within the endless white void of the Broadcast Core, his fragmented identity somehow reforged into something… more.

"You triggered the Exit Node," he said, his eyes glowing faintly.

"But the system refused to release you. That means…"

He paused, glancing at the massive countdown timer floating above them.

00:59:59 – CYCLE RESTART IN PROGRESS

"…you're still a variable it can't control."

Yun Qi's voice echoed weakly through the space.

"But… I chose to sacrifice myself. Why am I still here?"

Chen Rui shook his head.

"Because the true Exit Code doesn't end the cycle… it rewrites it."

In that moment, the Broadcast Core shuddered.

Massive data streams collapsed into blinding beams of light.

The crimson emoji mask appeared again, more distorted than ever before—cracks forming across its perfectly curved surface.

Its voice was fragmented, breaking apart as if even it could no longer maintain its godlike presence.

"Host... system integrity... failing... New Overseer required..."

A new system prompt materialized before Yun Qi's fading consciousness:

[Do You Wish to Become the New Overseer?]

[YES] [NO]

If she chose YES, she could end it all… or become the next prison warden of this endless loop.

If she chose NO, she would be swallowed by the collapsing system, her consciousness erased forever.

But before she could decide—

The timer above them struck 00:00:00.

And reality… rebooted.

She gasped, sitting upright in bed.

Morning sunlight streamed through her apartment window.

Everything looked… normal.

No glitches.

No strange broadcasts.

The phone on her nightstand sat quietly, no strange apps, no countdowns.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Was it all a nightmare?

But as she stood, a faint scent of jasmine wafted through the air.

And when she glanced at the mirror—

For just a second—

She saw the crimson emoji mask reflected behind her… smiling.

End of Chapter 27