The 88-day countdown to the Ascendant Counter-Strike had begun. While Kai focused on stabilizing the Fusion Core and refining the Tier 7 forging protocols, the burden of material acquisition fell entirely on Task Force Anya.
Her mission was critical and nearly impossible: hijack Nexus Corp's most protected supply lines to procure Tier 4+ physical alloys and specialized quantum wiring necessary for the Celestial Moebius Strip sanctuary blueprint designed by Maya.
Anya stood on a freezing, high-altitude platform in the Mid-Sector, overlooking a massive, tiered Nexus Corp automated supply depot. The digital defenses here were Tier 5, doubled after the loss of the Grand Nexus Array.
"Nexus is running a full encryption sweep every thirty seconds, Kai," Anya transmitted through the private link, her voice crisp and focused. She was dressed in her functional combat suit, the Digital Scythe interface active on her forearm.
"Their defenses are crude, Anya, but immense," Kai's voice replied from the secure lab. "The raw data power is overwhelming. Use the Digital Scythe to cut through the noise, but do not risk the Qi Symbiont Ring. We cannot afford to lose your loyalty link."
"Understood. Strategy first," Anya confirmed.
The Infiltration
Anya used a specialized grapple line to descend silently onto the roof of the depot. She located the main supply line access panel—a thick titanium vault guarded by triple-layered digital locks.
She placed her hand on the panel, channeling her purified Essence through the Qi Symbiont Ring. The ring amplified her [DATA] stat, allowing her to see the digital locks as complex, shimmering constructs of light and code.
She activated the Digital Scythe. The weapon extended—a silent, razor-sharp light-blade of pure fusion data.
> EXECUTE ACTION: DIGITAL SCYTHE – ENCRYPTION CUT.
Anya didn't waste time hacking. She used the Scythe to physically slice through the digital layers of the lock. The Scythe, forged from the Fusion Core, cut the code at its root, causing the lock to dissolve without triggering a single alert.
The vault door hissed open, revealing a cavernous interior where countless mag-lev pallets stacked with high-grade industrial materials moved silently on preset routes.
Anya immediately spotted the target: two massive pallets containing Iridium-Adamantite Alloy (Tier 5 structural material) and a spool of Tier 4 Quantum Wiring (essential for Voss's containment field).
The Digital Defense
A silent alarm system detected the intrusion. Not with sound, but with data. A massive, Tier 5 digital defense construct—a shimmering, digital spider—materialized in the center of the chamber, deploying a high-frequency digital net aimed at Anya's Scythe interface.
"Digital defense active, Kai! Tier 5 Arachnid!" Anya reported, dodging the digital net.
"The Nexus code is always flawed! Focus on the anomaly, Anya!" Dr. Voss cut in through the link, her Tier 8 scientific intellect analyzing the digital trace. "The spider's net is using a recursive loop to sustain its defense! Find the digital fracture point!"
Anya saw the flaw: the spider's immense digital net required a single, repeated command loop to function. She channeled her pure Qi through the Digital Scythe, focusing her power into a single, high-frequency digital pulse.
> EXECUTE ACTION: DIGITAL SCYTHE – FRACTURE INJECTION (CHAOS CODE).
A small, single thread of the Wasteland's chaotic energy, embedded in the Scythe's data matrix, was injected into the spider's recursive loop. The digital defense instantly convulsed, the code fracturing and collapsing inward.
The digital spider dissolved into harmless sparks.
[DIGITAL DEFENSE NEUTRALIZED. TIER 5 ARTIFACT ACQUIRED: FRACTURED LOGIC CORE (For Voss).]
Anya quickly secured the alloy and the wiring, using the Scythe to override the mag-lev transport and rerouting the entire train to a remote, shielded transit depot.
The Discovery: Nexus of the Dragon
With the materials secured, Anya focused on the final part of her mission: securing the physical location for the sanctuary. She needed a location that naturally resonated with a Tier 7 spiritual signature to blend with the Moebius Strip design.
She accessed the region's oldest, most heavily encrypted geological survey data—files Nexus Corp had tried and failed to destroy.
Her Qi Symbiont Ring suddenly pulsed violently, translating the raw spiritual energy readings embedded in the geological data.
"Kai! I have the location! It's not a data hub, it's a spiritual nexus!" Anya's voice was electric with excitement.
She projected a complex topological map for Kai and Voss. The map showed a hidden geological formation deep beneath the oldest, most ignored section of Neo-Kyoto—a geological fault line where three major underground spiritual energy currents converged.
"It's the Nexus of the Dragon," Anya announced. "Ancient spiritual texts describe this as the focal point of the region's Qi flow—a natural Tier 7 spiritual nexus. Nexus Corp has been trying to access it for a century, but the natural Qi fluctuations are too extreme."
"Tier 7 spiritual nexus…" Lyra's voice resonated through the link, laced with genuine awe. "It is the perfect foundation for the Celestial Moebius Strip! The natural chaos will mask the construction, and the constant Qi flow will perpetually fuel the sanctuary!"
Kai's voice, now calm and resolute, filled the channel. "Anya, you have secured the materials and the location. Return to the Wasteland base now. Voss and Lyra, prepare the Fusion Core for the initial transfer. Maya, update the blueprints with the Nexus of the Dragon coordinates."
Anya smiled, looking at the desolate freight yard. Her mission was a complete success. She was more than a strategist; she was the logistical master who was building the foundation for the ultimate power.
She initiated her retreat, the Digital Scythe retracting smoothly into her Qi Symbiont Ring, ready for the next phase of the 88-day war.