Light swallowed Lin Wei whole.
Not blinding—immersive.
He hung weightlessly in a space that felt infinite and yet intimately close, like floating inside a drop of water reflecting a thousand memories.
The Core Nexus pulsed around him—not as a sphere, but as an expanding network of light.
Lines of energy.Circuits of thought.Fragments of voices.
He wasn't merging with a machine.
He was merging with an inheritance.
The System Fractures
His system—his familiar companion—suddenly flickered.
SYSTEM WARNINGNEURAL INTERFERENCE DETECTEDPRIMARY NETWORK OVERRIDING CHANNELS
The words glitched.
Fragmented.
Collapsed.
Sy…tem… in…ter…rupt—Reboo…ting—
Lin Wei panicked.
"No—don't vanish! I need you!"
A ripple of light touched him, warm and gentle.
Not the system.
Something older.
Something that knew him.
"You no longer need a guide. You were always meant to lead."
His pulse raced.
"That's what Zhao wants—why he—"
The voice soothed:
"Zhao seeks control.You were designed for connection."
The light changed shape—coalescing into a silhouette.
A woman.
His breath caught.
"…Mother?"
The Echo of His Mother
She wasn't solid.Not even real—just a projection formed from neural memories the Core Nexus had archived.
But her eyes.
Her smile.
Her presence.
It was unmistakable.
Lin Wei reached for her.
His hand passed through light.
But warmth remained.
The echo spoke:
"If you're here… it means the world failed to protect you."
Lin Wei clenched his fists.
"It's because Zhao keeps hunting me. Because he wants this system. Because he thinks I'm a key—some kind of sequence—"
Her expression softened with grief.
"You are.But not in the way he believes."
The lights around them shifted—forming diagramsblueprintsmemories layered like sheets of glass.
"Your mind was shaped for resonance.Not control.Not domination.Resonance."
She placed a hand of light on his cheek.
"You feel what others ignore.You notice what others discard.You survive what others break."
"My… talent?"
"Not talent.Sensitivity."
Lin Wei felt his throat tighten.
His mother continued:
"This machine responds to empathy.To effort.To perseverance.That is why Zhao cannot use it."
The Core Nexus pulsed in agreement.
"It rewards those who work… even in silence."
Lin Wei whispered:
"Heaven rewards hard work…"
His mother smiled.
"It was always more literal than you thought."
Zhao's Interruption
Suddenly—
a loud metallic pounding shook the chamber outside.
Muffled shouts.
Zhao's voice—distorted through the heavy doors.
"LIN WEI!Stop the sync!You'll overload!"
Lin Wei jolted.
"Overload?! What does he mean? Am I going to—"
His mother's echo interrupted:
"Only if you resist."
The light surged around him.
Zhao's voice screamed from beyond the doors:
"Do not let it complete the merge!"
Weapons fired.The sound echoed like thunder.
The mother's voice grew faint.
"I'm only a memory.But you—You are real.You are alive.And you must choose your path."
The light receded.
Her outline flickered.
Her final words trembled:
"Don't let them decide your fate."
She vanished.
Lin Wei reached out desperately—
But the light folded inward, leaving him in the boundless void of the Core Nexus.
Alone.
Almost.
The True Sync Begins
His system sputtered:
—System Reboot Partial—User Connection: ExternalCompatibility: 94%WARNING: Emotional Surge Risk
The Nexus whispered:
"Connect."
Lin Wei's fear receded.
His heart steadied.
He exhaled once.
And stepped forward.
The network rushed toward him like a tidal wave of stars.
User Sync: 62%… 71%… 83%
The world convulsed—
Outside — Zhao Breaks Through
The heavy chamber doors glowed red under the cutting torch.
Zhao shouted over the roar:
"Open it! NOW!"
The metal peeled back.
The soldiers burst inside—
—and froze.
Zhao's breath caught.
"…He's in full resonance."
The entire chamber glowed blinding white.
Lin Wei hovered above the floor, surrounded by spiraling circuits of light.
His eyes were closed.
His heartbeat synced with the machine.
Energy poured from the Core Nexus into him.
The soldiers panicked.
"Sir—if this continues—he might—"
Zhao whispered, horrified and awestruck:
"He'll surpass the system itself."
A soldier raised a rifle.
"Should we—"
Zhao slammed the barrel down.
"No.If you disrupt the sync at this stage, it could kill him.Or worse—activate the failsafe."
The soldier paled.
"Failsafe…?"
Zhao didn't answer.
He stared.
Transfixed.
Terrified.
Envious.
Lin Wei floated in radiant light—
Neural Sync: 96%… 97%… 98%
Zhao whispered:
"Lin Wei…What will you become?"
The Threshold
Inside the light, Lin Wei felt his thoughts merge—
but not dissolve.
He felt clarity.Strength.Purpose.
Not power over others.
Power to protect.
To choose.
To be free.
The Nexus whispered:
"Are you ready?"
Lin Wei spoke with calm certainty.
"Yes."
The world paused.
Everything went silent.
User Sync Completed: 100%
The Awakening
The light imploded—then exploded outward in a silent shockwave.
Zhao shielded his eyes.
The soldiers fell to their knees.
The chamber shook as if the earth itself bowed.
And at the center—
floating gently down—
was Lin Wei.
Eyes open.
Calm.
Changed.
Awake.
The Core Nexus floated behind him, dimmer, as if resting.
Zhao took a trembling step forward.
"Lin… Wei…?"
Lin Wei opened his hand.
The residual light crackled around his fingers.
His voice was steady and impossibly calm:
"You chased the system for power."
He stepped toward Zhao.
"I found it for truth."
Zhao's composure finally cracked.
"You—What are you now?"
Lin Wei's gaze softened—almost pitying.
"Not a god.Not a weapon.Just someone who finally understands."
He raised his hand—
And the entire chamber responded.
Lights bending.Circuits shifting.Energy spiraling to his fingertips.
Lin Wei whispered:
"This ends tonight."