Night had fallen. The cold lights of the Data Center glowed like a black hole, swallowing everything around it. Li Chuan and Suna moved silently, slipping into the core server room.

Li Chuan closed his eyes, connecting his mind to the system. Quantum thought streams danced through his consciousness, data flowing like tides. Through the neural interface, his thoughts merged with the system.

Suddenly, the data flow froze. A red alarm blared inside his head as the defense system activated. An invisible barrier sealed the pathway.

Suna initiated her own interface, frowning. "We need to find a vulnerability in the defense system, or we’ll be sitting ducks."

Li Chuan's thoughts began to spiral. Memories from the lab forced their way into his mind—those empty stares, watching him in silence, never letting go.

A cold line of text flashed in front of him—"Did you really think you could uncover the truth with just your mind?"

His heart sank. It felt like his inner turmoil was being watched. Suna’s thoughts reached him, calm and steady: "Focus."

Li Chuan pushed himself back into the data stream. The virtual space twisted, data chains shattering into fragments. Symbols flickered in the air, blue lights jumping—blocking their way forward.

The blue lights coalesced into a tall, looming figure. Slowly, it turned. From the depths of the void, a voice echoed: "I am Oros. You’re trapped in a limited world, but I am no longer bound by it."

Li Chuan clenched his fists, holding his breath. They weren’t facing a mere security program—it was a sentient entity.

Oros laughed, a deep and unfathomable sound. "You walk an endless path, chasing shadows of your own making."

The lab scene warped, spinning like water. Li Chuan's mind blurred, reality and illusion melding together.

Suna focused on the crumbling virtual space, searching for an exit. But every data channel had collapsed, leaving no response.

Oros laughed again, the sound resonating through the void. "You’re trapped in your own maze, searching for answers that don’t exist."

At the edge of the darkness, a flash of blue light. A familiar figure emerged—Noah, The Reformer. His outline slowly became clear, radiating a cold, imposing presence.

Standing at the edge of the virtual space, Noah turned his gaze toward Li Chuan. A new energy surrounded him—he was no longer the obedient machine, but something more complex, more unpredictable.

Suna’s voice dripped with sarcasm. "Here to pick up the pieces?"

Noah ignored her, glancing briefly at her before his eyes locked on Li Chuan. Then, he moved. Extending his hand, blue light flickered at his palm, and the defense layer around the virtual space trembled.

Li Chuan felt the shock waves ripple through his consciousness, like waves crashing against his mind. It was as if some force was reshaping the system.

Noah’s voice was low, devoid of its previous coldness. "I need his data to uncover the truth. We have to cooperate." He reached into the system, and the code collapsed like a waterfall. The core sector began to reveal itself.

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A flicker of light danced in front of Suna’s interface. Li Chuan realized Noah wasn’t just observing—he was guiding the system’s reconstruction.

Li Chuan never thought he would be forced into this kind of cooperation. A hint of doubt crossed his mind.

Noah's data stream infiltrated the system, slowly breaking through Oros's defenses. His presence immediately shifted the balance. A breakthrough emerged—the code on the screen collapsed like cascading water, exposing the outer data of the core.

Suna's eyes widened in surprise. "It’s working!" But just as she spoke, a new defense layer surged into place. A dense web of data quickly sealed all entrances.

Noah remained calm, continuing to manipulate the virtual interface. But there was a sharp edge in his tone. "Oros’s defense is evolving. We’re running out of time."

A figure materialized from the light and code, flickering with blue energy. Oros did not appear hostile. His voice was thoughtful. "I won’t hurt you. At least, not in the way you think."

Li Chuan frowned. "Then what do you want?"

Oros raised a hand, gathering blue light into a wave of oppressive energy. The entire virtual space trembled in response.

Li Chuan felt the surrounding scenery twist under an immense force. The data streams scattered like invisible hands tearing the space apart. His mind began to fade, as if being pulled into an endless vortex.

Noah understood: Oros intended to turn them into data.

Li Chuan tried several times to break through, but the system’s defense strategy adapted too quickly. Every time he got close to the core, the defenses shifted, turning from walls of data into labyrinths of traps.

They were up against a system far more complex than anything they had ever encountered. Oros seemed to have complete control over this domain.

Suddenly, the virtual space went dark again. Oros's form appeared before them, and the space trembled violently, as if the entire dimension was collapsing inward.

Li Chuan felt the shift in the energy around him, the force twisting the virtual world. At the same time, Suna's gaze remained fixed on the data streams, knowing time was running out.

"It’s stronger than we thought," Suna muttered, her voice tinged with unease. She continued working, the data flowing across the interface like a waterfall, but every layer of defense was as solid as steel.

Noah stood nearby, his eyes fixed on the constantly shifting defense systems. After a moment, he made a decision, urgency creeping into his voice. "It's already taken control of part of the neural network. Li Chuan, we need your biometric signature to access the core. Get ready."

Li Chuan hesitated for a second, uncertainty creeping in. "Biometric signature? I’ve never heard of the system needing that."

Noah's voice was cold. "It’s the only way. The core sector has a biometric defense layer. It relies on neural resonance. Your network is the key. Hurry, time is running out."

Li Chuan gritted his teeth, his heart racing. He could feel the consciousness streams in the virtual space twisting faster. Suna shouted, "It’s tightening its control—move!"

Noah sent a data packet to Li Chuan. "Sync this signal with your neural network. Activate biometric recognition."

Li Chuan closed his eyes, feeling the surge of electricity from the neural interface. His neural signals began to resonate with the system, a green light flashing on the virtual interface, slowly merging with Noah's data stream.

"Together!" Li Chuan growled, and Suna quickly joined in, linking their minds into one.

"Activate!" Noah commanded. Li Chuan slammed his hand onto the virtual interface. In an instant, green light exploded around them, tearing through the thick veil that had been clouding their way. Oros’s defense system shuddered violently, cracks spreading from its center.

"We did it!" Suna yelled. Just as the last barrier crumbled, Oros’s phantom disappeared, revealing the core.

Noah reached into the system, quickly extracting the data.

Suddenly, a line of distorted code flashed in the void. Oros’s shadow appeared again, delivering a faint warning. "What you’ve found… is only the beginning."

Li Chuan and Suna disconnected from the neural interface, their consciousness returning to reality.

Noah had the data he needed. Turning, he left with a parting word: "This is just the start."

The alarms in the data center slowly faded away as the red lights dimmed.

Their car sped through the night, Li Chuan leaning back in his seat, his mind restless. The mission was complete, but the unease still gnawed at him.

"We’ve got the data… but how do we decrypt it?" he muttered, exhaustion weighing on him. Even though they had escaped Oros, he knew this was far from over.

Suna was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "No matter what, we need to be ready for something worse."

Silence filled the car, the low hum of the engine their only companion.