Chapter 36: The Last Defiance

The choice hung before him, pulsating in the air.

[FINAL OVERRIDE: Assume Command or Self-Terminate]

[COMMAND] [TERMINATE]

Jin Wei's mind raced. Every instinct screamed to end it, to bring down this endless cycle of suffering. But then—he thought of the countless lives still trapped, their hopes flickering like dying stars within the system.

If he ended it now…

Would it really be freedom?

Or just erasure?

He clenched his jaw. With a trembling hand, he slammed his palm toward the glowing [COMMAND] option.

The system roared to life.

ACCESS GRANTED — NEW OVERSEER AUTHORITY ESTABLISHED.

But the moment he assumed control, a wave of unimaginable data crashed into his mind.

Endless streams of human thoughts, regrets, unspoken dreams, and darkest fears flooded through him like a tidal wave threatening to drown his very soul.

His body collapsed to his knees, eyes glowing with raw data streams.

From the void, the true form of the Overseer—no longer a machine, but a god-like being forged from collective will—descended before him.

"You have chosen power. But power requires sacrifice," the Overseer spoke.

A countdown began flashing violently in his mind:

Cycle Collapse Imminent: 300… 299… 298…

He barely had five minutes before the entire system reset… wiping out everything—including himself.

"Jin Wei!" Yun Qi's voice screamed through the code.

"You have the power now—but you have to rewrite the final broadcast!"

Jin Wei's fingers trembled as the final command line appeared before him:

[REWRITE THE WORLD?]

Enter New System Directive: ___________

His mind went blank.

One line. One command.

He could rebuild the world however he wished—or doom it entirely.

The Overseer's eye loomed closer. Time was running out.

End of Chapter 36