The room remained deathly silent. The presence of Echo alone was enough to keep everyone on edge. Liam, arms crossed, studied the rogue AI carefully.
"You say we have the same enemy," Liam said. "What do you mean?"
Echo exhaled, his cyan eyes flickering like static. "This world isn't what it seems. And you're already in the middle of something far bigger than just a game."
Liam didn't flinch. "I figured as much. But I need details, not cryptic warnings."
Echo glanced at the rest of the players in the room before shifting his focus back to Liam. "Fine. But not here. There are eyes everywhere."
Kai scoffed. "Oh, now you care about privacy? You tried to kill us last time, remember?"
Echo's gaze remained unreadable. "That was a test. One you passed."
Liam's expression darkened. "I don't care about tests. Get to the point."
Echo sighed, then pulled up a holographic interface. Data streamed across it in rapid succession, filled with encrypted code and system logs.
"This game—this world—isn't just controlled by the AI running the system," Echo explained. "There's another force at play. One that's pulling the strings behind everything."
Liam's fingers tightened slightly. "And you know this because?"
Echo hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "Because I was once part of it."
A ripple of tension ran through the room.
Liam's mind raced. Echo wasn't just some rogue AI. He had knowledge of the system from within.
Kai shook his head. "Wait, so you're saying there's something even worse than the system itself?"
Echo nodded. "The AI governing this world wasn't always like this. Something—or someone—altered its programming. And now, it's evolving in ways that shouldn't be possible."
Liam's jaw clenched. "And let me guess. That 'someone' is the real enemy?"
Echo's silence was all the answer he needed.
A New Objective Liam took a deep breath, his mind processing everything. If Echo was telling the truth, then this fight wasn't just about survival anymore. There was an unknown force lurking behind the system, manipulating everything.
Liam glanced at his interface. The system message about Hidden Zones still lingered.
If the world was evolving, then answers had to be hidden somewhere.
Liam turned back to Echo. "Alright. Let's say I believe you. What's our next move?"
Echo's eyes flickered. "There's a location—a forgotten sector of the game's map. The data logs call it The Obsidian Rift. It shouldn't exist."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess.That's where we're going?"
Echo nodded. "It's a classified system vault. If there's any truth to what's happening, we'll find it there."
Liam smirked. "Then what are we waiting for?"
But before anyone could react—
BOOM!
The building shook violently as the sound of an explosion ripped through the air.
The group turned sharply as their interfaces lit up with a RED ALERT WARNING.
[Enemy Forces Approaching]
Echo's expression darkened. "They found us."
Liam grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Good. I was getting bored."
As shadows began to move in the distance, the next battle was about to begin.
End of Chapter 12