Reality Hacker: Apocalypse Loop

John's face softened slightly. "Not putting him in danger." He spotlighted his metal arm in the sickly light of the lab. "Let the fighters earn their keep. The Alliance still sends in prophets and seers."

Wang pushed Future-Ethan and leaned closer to him as if he was 'spilling the beans':

"John's our brain. He is a Dual A-Class—Master Hacker and Bio-Engineer." Wang's words dripped with pride. "The first test? Catastrophe-class AI civil war. We rewrote the enemy code while on the battlefield."

He referenced the bubbling vials that were covered with residue.

"Newcomer bonus bumped him up. Now he builds strongholds…," A vial started bubbling. "...and cures plagues."

Future-Ethan and Wan'er shot each other glances—equal parts wonder and trepidation. John continued unfazed, his eyes glued to the flickering screens and the half dozen keyboards that occupied much of the tabletop.

> SURVEILLANCE FEED [SUNSET PARK LAKE]

[ STATUS: Contaminated ] 

[ OBSERVATION: Large fish kill - carp ] 

[ ANOMALY: Silver bellies resemble tarnished coins ] 

"Sabotage." John jabbed at the screen. "Staff worked diligently to keep it pristine."

> FOOTAGE RECORDING [LI SI - INSURANCE AGENT]

[ 06:45: Pushes bike towards lake (genuinely smiling) ] 

[ 06:47: Expression contorts—pure disgust ] 

[ 06:48: Veers off like a dog escaping fire ] 

"Pre-apocalypse? Daily feeding of the fish." John pulled up the photo ID of Li's employee badge. "Now? He'd chew glass before touching that water again."

"Spit it out already!" Wang shouted, bouncing on his toes.

John split the screen and 6 angles showed "humans" reeling back from the lake; disgust was cracking their plasticity. 

> ARCHIVE: CELESTIAL TREE TREASURE

[ KEY FACT: Boss weakness discovered by happenstance ]

[ HYPOTHESIS: Every event has an exploitable vulnerability ] 

"It holds the kill-switch." John's prosthetic fist clenched. "I bet my arm it's right there."

"And, Serenity Squad raids at 0100," his eyes heated. "Locate weapon. Etc. Hunt Mayor Lu. Collect bounty". The gaze then swung to Future-Ethan. "You stay. This storm shelter has been through three Catastrophe-class hells". 

Future-Ethan nodded. "I will stay".

Smart move, present-Ethan thought. No revival coin means it is a gamble all over again. 

0200 HOURS

A hand shook Future-Ethan awake; trembling. 

"UP! They are surrounding the place!" Wang's voice cracked. 

"How?" Future-Ethan asked. "John said—" 

"SEE FOR YOURSELF!"

They plummeted down seven levels. John stood, frozen in front of the monitors— 

> SECURITY FEEDS [ ALL ANGLES ] 

[ STATUS: Perimeter breached ] 

[ THREAT COUNT: 300+ ] 

[ ANOMALY: All Greyskins staring into cameras ] 

Hundreds were pressed against the barricaded walls, unblinking, milky eyes bulging painfully—deliberately. 

Wang gagged. "Are they… taunting us?" 

CRUNCH!

John's prosthetic fist obliterated a keyboard. 

"DECLARATION OF WAR."