The city didn't stop to breathe.
It shifted.
As Kade ran, the skyline fractured into motion—hover-ads peeled back, surveillance drones reformed midair, and behind him, coded sirens whispered through encrypted channels. Everyone at the gala now knew: he had the Echo Code.
> [WARNING: Legacy Trace Activated]
Estimated Hostiles in Pursuit: 5
Distance: 214m and closing
"System," Kade hissed between breaths. "Exit plan?"
> Glitch Phase Available
Cost: 12,000 C
Effect: Short-range random displacement.
Risk: Moderate spatial desync. Possible limb loss. Fun!
"…Worth it."
He triggered the phase.
The world yanked sideways like reality had been turned into spaghetti. For two seconds, he didn't exist. Then—whump—he landed flat on his back in a wet alley smelling like rust and fried air circuits.
Alive. Intact.
Mostly.
He groaned and sat up. Behind him, the high-rise of the gala shimmered in the distance like a lie he'd almost believed. Around him: darkness, broken neon, scraps of drones twitching in rain puddles.
Perfect.
> Trace Disengaged
Pursuers Lost
He took a long breath. Then he pulled the shard out.
The Echo Code—a sliver of flickering blacklight, humming low, like it was thinking.
> Object Analysis: Incomplete
Encryption: Quantum B-Redacted
System Comment: "This thing scares even me. You should throw it into a volcano."
Attempt Decryption?
Kade didn't answer right away.
He looked at it. The glow reflected in his eyes. Not just dangerous. Tempting.
"Try the backdoor," he said. "Loop through Virelia's financial sandbox. Use a black-market AI vector."
> Hacking mode activated. Hold still, this might hurt.
It did.
Code flooded his vision in raw, unfiltered chaos. It wasn't just encrypted—it was fighting back. His body spasmed slightly. His ears bled. Then—click.
Unlocked.
> File: SAOC v1.0 Detected
Description: Self-Adaptive Operating Core
Classification: Prototype // Illegal
Original Purpose: Corporate World Domination
Known Effects:
Can override existing city systems
Can build autonomous businesses
Can mimic or forge identities
Reason for Shutdown: Massive existential threat
Kade's fingers trembled slightly.
They hadn't been hunting a prize.
They'd been passing around a nuke wrapped in a mystery box.
> You now possess the blueprint for building a free, self-contained economic empire.
And for the first time since waking in this world… Kade stopped running.
---
He holed up in a quiet server bunker two districts away—long abandoned, long off-grid. Just him, the System, and the prototype. And a choice.
He could sell the Echo Code. Easily. One million credits? Try ten. He could vanish, spend the rest of this new life in quiet opulence.
But that's not what he wanted.
Selling power was survival.
Owning power? That was legacy.
"System," he said, leaning back, "open startup protocols."
> Warning: You are not authorized to register a new enterprise.
"By default. Use the Echo."
> Processing...
Bypassing Virelia Business Registry...
Identity shell 'Kael Orien' linked. Founder credentials forged.
ShadowCorp Status: Registered.
A soft hum filled the room. The screen flickered as it pulled in shell companies, anonymous crypto-rigs, even rogue AI labor pools.
> Business Type: [TECH – GLITCH SECURITY & IDENTITY SYSTEMS]
Startup Name: Oblivion Thread
Initial Capital: 0C
Operating Core: Echo
Status: LIVE
Kade smiled.
He hadn't built a company.
He'd planted a weapon in the center of the city's economy—and now he'd watch it grow.
---
Later that night, he stared at the terminal glow. Echo shimmered faintly on the table. His System pinged him with updates:
1 confirmed investor probe (denied)
Echo attempting mild expansion into rogue data markets
ShadowCorp flagged by a curious algorithm
Vel is still watching.
He paused at that last line.
She hadn't contacted him.
She hadn't tried to trace him.
But the system knew. She was aware. And waiting.
Good.
Let them watch.
Kade didn't need to play their games anymore.
He was building his own.