A City Without an Owner

“No. Because it knew you would steal it.” Gu lowered his voice. “The harder we fight, the faster it learns. Lin Yan, you aren't resisting it. You're feeding it.” The well walls lit up with a faceless humanoid. The shadow was sharper than the earlier enforcement programs. Its chest bore no countdown, only a white letter: N. [ANOMALY LEVEL RAISED TO THREE.] [ONE CORRECTIVE OPPORTUNITY GRANTED: EXECUTE THE UNLAWFUL HOLDER TO INHERIT ALL SHARDS.] A confirmation button appeared before Gu. He did not press it. “I won't kill you today,” he told Lin. “I want to see which of us it truly wants.” The shadow vanished. Deep in the mountain, countless servers roared awake.