The city skyline stretched before Seojin, glowing against the dark night.
She hadn't been home in months—not since the war against the Council had begun. Now, standing in the heart of Seoul, she realized something unsettling.
She felt like a stranger in her own city.
The streets were the same. The people moved as they always had. But something about the air, the atmosphere—it felt different.
Or maybe, she was the one who had changed.
Nari had traced the hidden mainframe to a location beneath an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city.
Seojin, Kade, and Minji moved carefully through the empty corridors, their weapons drawn.
"This place is giving me bad vibes," Kade muttered.
Minji scanned the walls. "It's too quiet."
Seojin's grip on her gun tightened.
They reached an old elevator shaft, its doors rusted and dented. Nari's voice crackled in their earpieces.
"The server should be three floors underground."
Kade raised a brow. "Let me guess—no working elevator?"
"Correct," Nari sighed. "You'll have to climb down."
Seojin peered into the dark shaft.
"No turning back now," she murmured.
Then, she jumped.
They landed in a dimly lit corridor, the scent of stale air and old metal filling their lungs.
Rows of medical rooms lined the walls, each one filled with rusted equipment, broken monitors, and—
Seojin's breath hitched.
Bodies.
Dozens of cryostasis chambers, identical to the one her father had been trapped in.
Minji's voice was sharp. "What the hell is this place?"
Seojin's heart pounded as she moved to one of the glass pods.
The person inside was breathing.
Alive.
Kade cursed. "They're keeping people here?"
Seojin felt a sinking realization settle in her gut. "This isn't just a server room."
Minji's eyes widened. "It's an experiment."
Seojin turned to the central terminal, her fingers moving quickly across the keyboard.
A series of classified files appeared on the screen.
She scanned the documents, her pulse spiking at what she read.
Project Nocturne: Final Phase
Objective: Human Replacement
Status: In Progress
Seojin's breath caught.
Kade leaned over her shoulder. "Replacement?"
Minji's expression darkened. "Oh my god."
Seojin whispered the words as she read them aloud.
"They weren't just controlling people. They were copying them."
Kade's fists clenched. "You're saying—these people?" He gestured to the frozen bodies. "They were meant to be replaced?"
Seojin swallowed hard. "Phase Two wasn't just about mind control." She turned back to the screen. "It was about creating a new society."
A society of perfectly programmed humans.
Ones that would never resist.
Ones that would replace those who did.
Minji's voice was quiet. "They were going to wipe out the real world… and rebuild it from scratch."
Seojin staggered back.
This was worse than she had ever imagined.
Her mother hadn't just been trying to control humanity.
She had been trying to erase it.
The Unexpected Message
Before Seojin could react, the screen flickered.
A new message appeared—one that sent a chill through her veins.
Welcome back, Seojin.
Seojin's blood ran cold.
Minji muttered, "Tell me that's not—"
The speakers crackled.
And then, a voice filled the room.
A voice Seojin thought she had left behind in Geneva.
Her mother.
End of Chapter 119