The hum of your safehouse's power grid was the only sound as you sat before the glowing monitor. The stolen Echo Protocol package sat beside your keyboard—small, sleek, and encrypted to the teeth.
You flexed your fingers.
Time to tear it open.
Decryption Begins
[New Item: Echo Protocol Data Drive]
Rarity: Rare
Description: Contains encrypted intelligence on experimental operative enhancements. Decryption requires advanced skill or tool use.
You booted up your system's integrated decryption tool. With the Intelligence stat steadily climbing, the process no longer felt overwhelming—just challenging.
Lines of green code scrolled rapidly across the screen as your thoughts focused.
[Hacking Skill +600 XP]
[System Trait Activated: Problem Solver I—+10% Decryption Speed]
But the drive resisted.
"Stubborn little thing," you muttered.
With a deep breath, you overclocked your system's processor, pushing resources to brute-force the layered encryption.
Then—
[Data Decryption: 98%… 99%… 100%]
[Data Retrieved—Begin Compilation? Y/N]
Yes.
The Files Within
A flood of documents spilt across your monitor.
There were logs—detailed records of operative augmentation trials, specifically ones involving adaptive reinforcement and sensory layering. You skimmed through an entry dated two weeks ago:
SUBJECT: Spectre-07
STATUS: UNSTABLE / INCONSISTENT
Operative displays fragmented memory and heightened aggression post-combat. Neural patch integration failed to synchronise. Further tuning is required.
Your heart sank slightly. Spectre wasn't just enhanced—he was broken from within.
More documents surfaced.
Blueprints. Names. Locations.
But one file stood out.
Prototype Module: ECHO CORE v1.2
Description: A biosynthetic combat enhancement module meant to adapt in real-time based on user stress patterns and enemy tactics.
Function: Micro-etheric flow injects combat data into neural loopback for subconscious prediction and reinforcement.
Note: Only 1 unit remains. Stored at Blackridge Station. High clearance required.
You leaned back, brows furrowing.
They're building predictive weapons out of people.
Your system blinked with a notification:
[New Quest: Core Conflict]
Objective: Locate Blackridge Station. Steal or destroy ECHO CORE.
Reward: 5000 XP + ???]
Internal Upgrade
Unlocking that much intel had more than just narrative impact—it rewired something inside you.
[You have levelled up!]
[Level 21 → 22]
Stat Points Earned: 6
You distributed them as always: 1 point into each core stat, and this time, the final point into Luck. A strange warmth radiated from your chest, as if the decision to trust chance was guiding your path.
Then the real surprise came.
[New Skill Acquired: Etheric Flow Reading (Passive)]
Rank: D+
Description: Your subconscious has begun to absorb patterns of movement and energy, allowing minor predictive insight during combat. +3% Dodge and Block Chance against unknown enemies.]
You blinked.
You hadn't pulled this from a gacha. This wasn't earned from grinding. This… was evolution.
And it felt like the beginning of something more.
A Knock at the Door
You froze as your system pinged a new alert:
[Warning: Unidentified Presence Approaching Safehouse Perimeter]
Shifting to the shadows, you readied yourself.
Footsteps echoed down the stairwell—slow, deliberate.
The door creaked open.
You were behind the figure in a flash, hand gripping their collar—until a familiar voice grunted:
"Easy. It's me."
You released the grip instantly. "Matt?"
Daredevil stood there, wearing his black cowl and scarfed armour, batons folded at his side.
"Someone's sweeping rooftops. Not police." He sniffed the air. "And you smell like ozone and machine oil."
You didn't answer. Instead, you gestured him in.
"It's Echo. They've got a prototype—something that turns operatives into living processors."
Matt nodded grimly. "Then we need to burn it before they use it. "You have a location?"
You pointed at the map on the wall: Blackridge Station.
"We hit it hard, fast, and quiet," he said.
You nodded.
Then he gave you a strange look.
"You've changed. Your rhythm, your silence… you're adapting faster than anyone should."
You gave him a steady look. "I adapt to survive."
The Pact
You stood side by side with Daredevil, staring at the red pin on the map. The next move would be dangerous. You knew that.
But something told you… This was the path forward.
[New Party Member: Daredevil—Status: Allied Operative]
[Team Bonus: Tactical Coordination—+5% Evasion, +5% Critical Strikes in Covert Missions]
Closing Notes
Your system pulsed with growing awareness. Adaptation… it was only beginning to take root. But the true awakening would come later.
Soon, you would face your reflection in the heart of darkness. And when that moment came, you'd have to decide:
Do I become the weapon… or the answer?