Chapter 15: The Shadow Retaliation
The storm had crossed borders.
But when you threaten a system, the system fights back.
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### 03:00 — *The Awakening of Unit Zero*
In an abandoned facility beneath the old capital, Director Veyne activated the last protocol: **Unit Zero**.
Seven operatives.
No names. No records. No hesitation.
> "You don't dismantle a movement," he said.
> "You erase its spine."
Their mission was clear:
- Infiltrate Neo's core network.
- Disrupt communication.
- Isolate him.
- Eliminate quietly.
No warnings. No debates.
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### 08:00 — *Echoes Disrupted*
Across Virelia and the allied academies, disruptions began.
- Data went missing.
- Trusted nodes vanished.
- Coordinators went silent.
Kaito was first to notice.
> "We're being pruned," he muttered.
Neo narrowed his eyes.
> "They're not trying to break us publicly anymore."
> "They're trying to gut us silently."
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### 10:00 — *Lucid's Warning*
Lucid intercepted fragments of a buried protocol.
> "Veyne never disbanded the Ghost Program," she told Neo.
> "He buried it. And now he's unleashed it."
Neo nodded.
> "Then it's time I stop being the storm…"
> "And become the lightning."
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### 13:00 — *The Trap is Set*
Neo issued a silent call through the network — a coded rally point buried in the system.
Only trusted allies received it.
He knew Unit Zero would follow.
> "Let them come," he said.
> "But this time, they won't find disorganized students."
> "They'll find trained resistance."
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### 18:00 — *The Clash Begins*
Unit Zero made contact.
One by one, operatives engaged.
They expected chaos.
What they got was coordination.
- Elias countered surveillance.
- Vina rerouted internal grid access.
- Kaito tracked shadow movement.
- Elin led containment.
Neo remained at the center, still, focused — a conductor of resistance.
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### Midnight — *Veyne's Realization*
Back in the shadows, Director Veyne watched the failed reports pile up.
Unit Zero was faltering.
Control was slipping.
His voice cracked with something unfamiliar:
> "He's not just resisting."
> "He's rewriting the rules of power."
And power… no longer belonged to him.
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*End of Chapter 15.*