The night sky hung heavy over Shanghai — no stars, only the pale glow of neon towers cutting through mist.
Leo sat alone in his apartment, eyes locked on the wall-sized screen displaying NeuroEdge's live data. The numbers shifted in green and red streaks, but something deeper pulsed beneath them — hidden code, alive, waiting.
> 💼 [Current Mission: Unmask the Rival System]
🎯 Objective: Identify the Broker's human host
⚠️ Risk Level: Extreme — System Corruption Possible
Aria floated beside him, her usual teasing tone replaced with unease.
Aria: "I've scanned every trace in NeuroEdge's network. The Broker's signal is buried under a triple-layered quantum firewall. That shouldn't be possible for a human."
Leo: "Meaning?"
Aria: "Meaning he's not just another host. He's been merged with his system."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "Merged… permanently?"
Aria's image flickered slightly, her voice soft.
Aria: "If we lose here, you could face the same fate. A failed merge deletes your consciousness — forever."
Leo smiled faintly.
Leo: "Then I guess I'll just have to outthink a machine."
---
The Lure
By morning, Leo launched a new initiative under TruthWork Labs — a collaboration invite to tech founders worldwide.
Within hours, hundreds joined. Among the IPs, Aria detected one that didn't belong — signal origin unknown, masked behind infinite proxies.
Aria: "It's him."
Leo's fingers hovered above the keyboard. "Then let's reel him in."
> 🧠 [Skill Activated: Strategic Manipulation – Level 2]
💡 Subskill: Digital Bait Protocol
He released a false vulnerability in TruthWork's AI security layer — a tiny, deliberate opening.
Minutes later, a shadow slipped in.
The Broker (voice through system): "Curious trap, Ghost. But you'll have to do better than that."
Leo's screen flickered. Code turned blood-red. The Broker's avatar appeared — a faceless mask of numbers and static.
Leo: "Finally showing yourself."
The Broker: "Not quite. You think you're special because your system rewards you? You're just another experiment — like me."
Leo: "You talk too much for a failed experiment."
The Broker laughed, a distorted echo.
The Broker: "Then let's see if your system bleeds."
---
Digital War
The room exploded in streams of light as Leo and Aria's system linked fully.
Firewalls melted into fractal data webs; counter-attacks surged like waves.
> ⚔️ System Combat Initiated
[Leo Fan: Random Career System] vs [The Broker: Trade Dominion System]
Leo's code moved like lightning — rerouting attacks, encrypting files, mimicking neural patterns. But The Broker's algorithms adapted instantly, feeding on every move Leo made.
Aria: "He's learning from us! Every pattern we use makes him stronger!"
Leo clenched his jaw. "Then let's give him chaos."
He unleashed random, untraceable loops — fragments of old careers, each one weaponized.
Delivery drone AIs crashed into The Broker's firewalls. Hacker subroutines detonated viral bombs.
Even remnants of his startup code — the TruthWork verification AI — rose like soldiers under his command.
The Broker (snarling): "Impossible—those are obsolete!"
Leo: "Obsolete doesn't mean powerless."
> 💥 [Skill Upgrade: Quantum Encryption Breaker → Level 3]
🧩 [New Subskill: Data Mirage – Create False System Signatures]
The Broker's defenses shattered. His avatar fractured into static.
The Broker: "You think this is victory? You've just entered the Syndicate's real layer. Enjoy the nightmare, Ghost."
His presence vanished — but not before leaving a single encrypted file on Leo's system.
> [File Name: PROJECT GENESIS]
---
Aftermath
The room went silent except for Leo's breathing. Smoke rose faintly from the overheating processors.
Aria's hologram dimmed but smiled weakly.
Aria: "You did it… but that file—something's different about it. It's not code, Leo. It's origin data."
Leo opened it.
Inside, the first line made his blood run cold.
> [Creator: L.F.]
[Project: Billionaire System Prototype – Year 2097]
Aria froze.
Aria: "L.F… Leo Fan. That's your name."
Leo's hands trembled. "You're telling me… I created the system?"
Aria looked at him — her expression unreadable, almost human.
Aria: "It appears you're not just a player, Leo. You're the origin of the game itself."
---
> 💼 [Mission Complete: Defeat the Broker (Phase 1)]
🧠 New Skill: Data Mirage (Level 1)
🧩 Hidden Quest Unlocked: Reclaim Project Genesis
⚠️ System Note: "The Creator always returns to his creation."
Leo stared out the window, neon reflected in his eyes.
Leo (quietly): "Then it's time I find out what I really built."
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