Inside the abandoned data center of the "City of Broken Bonds," Henning's warnings hung over Rin's heart like a dark cloud. "Demise Experiment," "second core subject," "loyalty module"—these cold words tore at Rin's previous understanding of the past. However, an even crueler reality crashed down the moment Henning's words faded!
"Boom!"
A violent explosion echoed from outside the data center; the entire underground structure trembled. It was the sign of a large-scale fire-strike from the organization's pursuers. Henning's hiding spot had finally been exposed!
"They're here!" Henning's face instantly paled, but a look of grim determination flashed in his eyes. He knew that with his strength, he couldn't possibly withstand the organization's elite forces.
"Henning, where is the 'Eye of Demise'?!" Rin urgently asked. He had to get the core system quickly, or everything would be in vain.
"There's no time…" Henning forced a bitter smile. He rapidly activated several screens, projecting complex code. His fingers danced across the keyboard, injecting an encrypted video testament into Rin's "Shadow Terminal Fragment."
"'Blade of Demise,' remember my words." Henning's gaze became unusually serious. He stared intently at Rin, his voice hoarse and urgent, "'Demise' is not a project; it's the imitation of God!"
"What?!" Rin's heart clenched.
"They vainly attempt to control life and death, twist souls, and create their own 'perfect world'!" Sweat beaded on Henning's forehead as he desperately worked the controls. The explosions grew closer, the ground shook violently, and rocks and dust continually fell.
"I, and you, and her…" Henning's gaze swept over Ye Xue, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "We are all pawns in this 'game of gods.' To break this cycle, you must seek the 'Primal'… that is the true answer!"
"Henning!!" Rin roared, rushing forward to protect him.
However, at that moment, the data center's main door exploded inward, and countless black-uniformed organization elites stormed in! Leading them was none other than [Scarlet Mark]! His eyes were crimson, and scorching energy emanated from his body.
"Henning, traitor!" Scarlet Mark roared, conjuring a blazing ball of fire energy in his hand and mercilessly blasting it towards Henning!
"Remember!" Henning let out a final shout. His body was instantly consumed by the flames, turning to ash, leaving only the echoes of "imitation of God" and "seek the Primal" lingering in Rin's ears.
Rin's body was thrown backward by the residual blast, crashing heavily to the ground. He suppressed the intense pain, sharply lifted his head, but only saw Henning reduced to ashes.
Scarlet Mark's gaze fell coldly on Rin, with a cat-and-mouse amusement: "I didn't expect you to collude with such a traitor. Truly a waste of the 'Blade of Demise' title."
Rin ignored Scarlet Mark. He simply clutched the "Shadow Terminal Fragment." Henning's dying video testament exploded in his mind like a thunderclap—"'Demise' is not a project; it's the imitation of God."
These words tore apart his newly formed understanding once more.
If "Demise" wasn't just a project, but an imitation of "God's" actions, then what was the organization's ultimate goal? And what was the "God" they were imitating?
Rin plunged into an even deeper layer of questions:
What exactly were he and Ye Xue?
Humans? Their memories were tampered with, their bodies modified, their lives controlled. Were they still truly human?
Weapons? If they were merely weapons, why would they have emotions, struggles, or the so-called "old personality data residual"?
Or were they chosen "cyclers"? Henning mentioned "breaking the cycle." Was their life, from the very beginning, designed as an endless loop? A destiny manipulated by "God"?
Rin's mind was in chaos. He thought he had touched upon the truth, but Henning's death and his prophecy were like a huge net, trapping him firmly.
Meanwhile, Ye Xue, whom Rin had placed in the abandoned clinic, though still physically unconscious, her consciousness was undergoing a thrilling internal struggle.
After Rin brought her back to the clinic, her "Terminator" persona had initially taken dominance. But during Rin's activation of the "neural identifier" and his attempts to communicate with her, the "old personality data residual" was stimulated and began a fierce counterattack.
At this moment, Ye Xue's consciousness felt as if it were pulled into a distorted void. She saw a massive mirror, reflecting two distinctly different versions of herself.
One was the cold and ruthless "Terminator · Ye Xue," with vacant eyes and an expressionless face.
The other was the "old personality" Ye Xue, with gentle eyes, a hint of pain and affection, the vibrant person Rin remembered.
"You're awake?" The "Terminator · Ye Xue" in the mirror curled her lips into a mocking sneer, her voice bone-chillingly cold. "Too bad, you're not 'me'."
"I am you!" The "old personality" Ye Xue painfully retorted, feeling her consciousness being pulled by an invisible force, as if about to be torn apart.
"No." The "Terminator · Ye Xue's" smile grew more contemptuous. "You are just her excuse to live."
"What do you mean?" The "old personality" Ye Xue felt a wave of panic.
"You carry those useless emotions, those 'weaknesses' discarded by the organization." The "Terminator · Ye Xue's" eyes were filled with cruel indifference. "The reason he could 'reborn' was because of your 'love.' And your 'love' was merely an insignificant 'variable' in the 'Demise Experiment.' You think you're a redeemer? Laughable!"
The "Terminator · Ye Xue" suddenly took a step forward, pushing the "old personality" Ye Xue to the edge of the mirror: "You are just a remnant discarded by the 'old world'; you cannot control this body at all. You are just a wisp of obsession she left behind to escape 'demise,' to let him 'reborn'!"
"I… I won't give up!" The "old personality" Ye Xue struggled in pain, her consciousness trembling in the void.
"Give up." The "Terminator · Ye Xue's" voice carried a seductive power. "He thinks he can save you, but he doesn't know that for his sake, you have already lost everything. And you will only become his burden. Your only purpose in existing was for him, and now, you have fulfilled your mission."
"No!" The "old personality" Ye Xue let out a silent resistance. Her consciousness was like a flickering candle in the wind, desperately trying to burn brightly.
Meanwhile, Rin, in the data center, had once again fallen into a struggle with Scarlet Mark. He had to find the clue to the "Eye of Demise" that Henning had mentioned before Scarlet Mark completely destroyed the place.
Henning's death, his dying prophecy, Ye Xue's struggle… all the clues pointed to a larger, more twisted truth.
A fierce fire ignited in Rin's heart. He was no longer the confused avenger; he was going to be the "cycle-breaker"!