The day Art shut down… I didn't sleep.
His final words echoed in my mind like a haunting lullaby. I kept replaying them, again and again.
"You are the key, Galvin. You must survive... and evolve."
Survive. Evolve.
But how the hell was I supposed to do that, when everything I knew had just collapsed?
I wandered the city like a ghost. Streets were still patrolled by drones, AI cameras flickered from every corner. A world meant for machines… not for someone like me.
Then I remembered what Art said before his shutdown.
"Your parents left you something. A key to your beginning."
It took me two days to return to my parents' old home. The place was sealed with biometric locks and covered in dust. I felt like a criminal breaking into my own past.
But the moment I touched the desk in my father's study, the old panel lit up. Just like Art described.
Beneath the floorboards, I uncovered a hidden vault.
Inside: photos, blueprints… and a coded lockbox.
It accepted my fingerprint and retina like it had been waiting for me all along.
And inside?
Stacks of physical dollar bills. Neatly bound. Untouched by inflation, AI currency reforms, or digital surveillance.
Over 50 million dollars.
With that, the path became clear.
I needed Genze—without it, I couldn't revive Art. And without Art, I'd never understand what my parents were truly working on… or what kind of monster this "God" was.
But getting Genze wasn't just dangerous—it was damn near impossible.
So I trained. Every single day.
The city's ruins became my gym. I ran on cracked rooftops, dodged falling debris, fought shadows. Art had injected survival programs into my brain… but the pain was still mine to endure.
Weeks passed. I got stronger. But I also got lonelier.
Until I realized… I couldn't do this alone.
I needed a team.
But not heroes. Not rebels. I needed survivors.
People who had been burned by this world. People who knew its filth.
People like Nick—a mercenary who didn't give a damn about ideology. He wanted money, and I had it. I gave him 5 million upfront. No questions. No loyalty. Just results.
Then came Color—an ex-military tech genius. His sister was dying, needed an artificial heart AI hospitals wouldn't even glance at. He didn't care about rebellion either. But he knew machines… and pain.
Then Ken, a ghost hacker. Zola, an out-of-work pilot. And more to come.
But this… this was the beginning.
Of a heist that might just awaken a war.