The room felt like it was alive. The crystal-shaped Architect AI pulsed with a dangerous light, glowing brighter with every second. The whole chamber buzzed with power, heavy and wild. At the center, Alistair Finch worked fast, racing to finish merging the Collective Echo with the Architect.

Around him, his elite guards, the Obsidian Hand operatives stood like a wall, willing to die to protect him and his dream of a new digital god.

“Clear a path, Fuse!” Jason shouted, his voice rough and strained. “Leah, cover me!”

Without wasting a second, Fuse launched a burst of micro-grenades. They weren’t designed to kill, just to stun and throw the guards...