The world was still reeling from Lin Chen's broadcast. The fallout from his declaration had rippled across every corner of society, igniting both fear and exhilaration. Governments scrambled to control the masses, to reassert authority, but the truth was undeniable now: the Awakened were no longer shadows. They were out in the open.
Lin Chen, however, had never been one to rest on his laurels. The storm of attention was only the beginning, but it also made him more vulnerable than ever.
The darkness of his private apartment, which once felt like a fortress of solitude, now felt suffocating. Every piece of technology in the room was a potential surveillance tool. His wrist terminal buzzed, pulling his attention from the window where he'd been staring out at the city below, deep in thought.
He glanced at the flashing notification on his terminal: Secure Transmission Incoming – Encrypted Message from Unknown Source.
His fingers hovered over the screen before tapping it. He needed to be prepared for anything, especially with everything changing so quickly.
The message unfurled on his terminal, accompanied by a strange hum that reverberated in his chest—a sensation that made his skin prickle. It wasn't just encrypted. It was designed to be felt, a silent signal sent directly into his consciousness.
"Lin Chen," the message began, written in cold, precise language. "You are a key piece of the X-Project."
Lin Chen's breath hitched. X-Project? He had encountered references to such projects before, during his deep dives into Erebus's past, but they were always fragmented, hidden behind layers of secrecy. This, however, was no longer a fragment. It was a direct communication.
The message continued:
"The world as you know it is not an accident. The System you bear, Salvator, is the result of years of meticulous planning, research, and experimentation. You, Lin Chen, are not merely a survivor. You are the first step in the creation of a new order."
The words struck him with the force of a sledgehammer, each sentence piercing through the veil of confusion that had surrounded his past. A new order? He had known that Erebus had orchestrated much of his life from the shadows, manipulating events behind the scenes. But this? This was different.
"The goal has always been to create the perfect weapon, the ultimate system bearer. You are an integral part of this plan. As the first to awaken under the system, you are both the beginning and the final evolution of the X-Project."
Lin Chen's pulse quickened as he read. Every word of the message seemed to claw at him, pulling him deeper into the labyrinth of his own existence. The pieces of his past—his sudden rise, his unexplainable survival, and the abilities he now wielded—had always felt too orchestrated, too artificial. Now he understood why.
He clenched his fist, feeling the surge of energy beneath his skin. The system's presence hummed in the back of his mind, as if it too recognized the gravity of what was happening.
The message didn't stop there:
"You are a product of the highest-tier research, a prototype intended to surpass all previous models. We have been watching you since your birth, guiding you in the shadows. Erebus was only the first step. You will become the keystone that unlocks the next phase of the plan."
Keystone? The words lingered in his mind, and something stirred in the pit of his stomach. It was all coming together now. Every piece of his life, every moment of his pain and confusion, had been meticulously mapped out by forces he could never have imagined.
"However, you are not alone." The message shifted, and Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat as the next line appeared: "There are others—more like you—hidden around the world. They too are key pieces, but you are the one who will lead them."
His thoughts raced. Others? The world was full of people with extraordinary abilities—Awakened, as they were now called—but had they all been part of this same plan? Were they all experiments like him?
The message concluded:
"We will be watching your next steps closely, Lin Chen. Do not act rashly. You are still useful to the greater purpose. But be warned: there are forces in motion that will seek to control you. You will be tested."
And then, with a sudden sharpness, the message cut off.
Silence descended upon the room, but Lin Chen's thoughts churned, each one darker than the last.
The God-Making Plan. Was this what he had been unknowingly entangled in all this time? Was he simply a tool, a weapon designed to shape the world to Erebus's will?
But there was no time for doubt. The message had revealed too much for him to ignore. His next move was crucial.
The weight of the world had shifted. Lin Chen now stood at the center of an intricate web of power and control, and the game had only just begun.
_______________________________________
Lin Chen stared at the terminal, his mind racing as he processed the chilling words. He knew Erebus had been manipulating events, but this... This was something far darker than he could have ever imagined. The God-Making Plan—he was a cog in their machine, a pivotal figure they had cultivated from the very beginning. Every move, every decision he'd made in the past had been shaped, subtly controlled by forces far beyond his comprehension.
The hum of the encrypted transmission still lingered in the room, an eerie reminder of how small his agency had been in the grand scheme of things. He had believed, up until this point, that his struggles, his rise, were his own. But now, the veil had been torn away, revealing a far more sinister truth.
He clenched his jaw, feeling his grip tighten on the terminal. The message had ended, but the implications of its contents were only beginning to sink in.
"You are the first step in the creation of a new order."
"You are not merely a survivor. You are the ultimate evolution."
The words burned in his mind. It was as if they had always been meant for him, written into the very fabric of his existence.
A soft beep from his wrist terminal broke his concentration. He checked the notification. System Alert: Global power dynamics shifting. New target zones detected. System energy levels rising.
A strange coldness settled over him. Was it simply coincidence that his awakening had aligned with the rising chaos? Was he the catalyst for this global unrest, or was it always part of their design?
He exhaled sharply, pushing those thoughts aside. It didn't matter how he got here. What mattered now was what he would do with this knowledge.
A sudden wave of pressure in his chest, an unsettling awareness that he was being watched, made him glance over his shoulder. The dimly lit room seemed to close in on him, the walls feeling as if they were pressing down. He turned to the window, and for a moment, he thought he saw a shadow move across the cityscape. It was fleeting, but the sensation lingered—someone was out there, watching.
"They are not just watching you, Lin Chen," a voice—familiar and cold—spoke in his mind.
It wasn't the system. This voice was too real, too tangible.
He spun around, instinctively reaching for his energy blade, but there was no one in the room. Only the flickering light of his terminal cast shadows against the walls.
The voice came again, but this time, it felt like a presence rather than words. "Do you think you're the only one they're observing? You were never meant to be the last. You're the first. And after you, there will be others. They've already begun. The X-Project... it has been in motion for longer than you realize."
Lin Chen's heart raced. He knew this voice. It was a whisper from the past, a remnant of his forgotten memories. It was the voice of someone he had met once, long ago. Someone who had been part of Erebus's network. Someone who had disappeared in the chaos of his past.
His breath caught in his throat as he tried to piece the fragments together. "Who are you?"
"It's not about who I am," the voice responded, its tone laced with a cold finality. "It's about what you become."
The line went dead.
Lin Chen stood in the room, feeling the weight of the words settle deep within him. He glanced at the terminal once more, reading the cryptic message again.
"You are the keystone."
A sudden jolt of realization surged through him. The voice... it was a warning. Someone—someone who knew the true scope of his existence—was trying to make him understand: he was more than just a piece in the game. He was the key to unlocking everything.
But he had to make a choice.
His fingers hovered over the terminal. The system's prompts were flashing incessantly now.
[Main Quest: Restructure of Order]Objective: Rebalance global power dynamics between Awakened and non-Awakened.Side Quests: Forge alliances. Identify rogue systems. Establish safe zones.Reward: Diplomatic Influence skill tree unlocked.
The choices were clear: Lin Chen could continue to play the game as it had been laid out before him, following the directives of the System, or he could break free from their control.
But what did breaking free even mean?
As he mulled over his next move, his wrist terminal buzzed again. A message notification blinked on the screen, this one marked as "Priority Incoming." Lin Chen opened it without hesitation.
It was from Li Chu.
"Lin Chen, I've been tracking the situation. We need to talk. There's a bigger picture at play, one that none of us fully understand. We are not just pawns in a game, but part of something much more dangerous. Come to the coordinates I've sent. We can't afford to ignore what's coming next."
Lin Chen's heart thudded in his chest. He stared at the coordinates. They were close—too close. He hadn't heard from Li Chu in days. His mind raced as he thought about the risks, but his instincts told him this was a moment he could not ignore. The time had come to confront the truth.
He stood up, brushing past the terminal, and walked toward the door. He knew there was no turning back now. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, but with every answer came more questions.
The God-Making Plan, the X-Project, the rogue systems—there was something far more sinister at play here.
And Lin Chen would not rest until he understood the full scope of it.