3:17 a.m.

The city

hadn’t woken.

But the game—

had begun.

SID Operations Room.

No lines now.

Only—

chaos.

“False leads,” said Tan Chih Lin.

“Many.”

Coordinates split.

Paths multiplied.

Signals fragmented.

One became two.

Two became four.

Not escape.

Control.

“He’s guiding us,” said Lee Wai Hing.

“No,” said Chang Hsin-Yan.

She watched the screen.

“He’s filtering.”

Silence.

“He’s testing our decisions.”

The air dropped.

“He’s observing,” said Kim Min Jung.

“He’s learning,” said Tan Chih Lin.

“He’s adapting,” said Yim Bing.

“He’s playing,” I said.

Not madness.

Science.

3:48 a.m.

First site.

Warehouse.

Empty.

But not empty.

Trace.

Residue.

Presence.

“He was here.”

“Just left.”

4:12 a.m.

Second site.

Parking structure.

No one.

But surveillance—

rewritten.

Not erased.

Rewritten.

“He wants us to see.”

4:36 a.m.

Third site.

Old office block.

This time—

something remained.

A device.

Inactive.

A sample.

“A demonstration,” said Chang Hsin-Yan.

“For us.”

5:03 a.m.

We stopped.

Too many paths.

“He’s forcing a choice.”

“If you were him,” I said.

“Where would you be?”

Silence.

She closed her eyes.

Opened them.

“Not the farthest.”

“Not the obvious.”

“The most reasonable.”

She pointed.

We moved.

5:29 a.m.

Target.

Old building.

Dark.

Still.

But wrong.

I entered.

Step.

Step.

“You’re finally here.”

Song Ching.

Waiting.

“Game over,” I said.

“No.”

“Final round.”

Positions set.

“You killed four people.”

“No.”

“Data.”

Cold.

“What are people to you?”

“Variables.”

Silence.

“He’s not insane,” said Chang Hsin-Yan.

“He just removed humanity.”

Song Ching smiled.

“You’re close.”

Then—

he moved.

Device.

Activation.

“He still has a chain!” Tan Chih Lin shouted.

I closed distance.

He triggered—

Nothing.

“Cut!”

A flicker.

Enough.

Engage.

Close combat.

Fast.

Precise.

He was trained.

Three seconds.

Decision.

Impact.

He fell.

Blood spread.

Stillness.

Not yet dead.

“You think…”

He breathed.

“You’ve won?”

Silence.

“You’ve only seen…”

“The first layer.”

“What does that mean?”

His last words:

“KARAM…”

“is already here.”

Gone.

6:22 a.m.

SID Operations Room.

Song Ching—

dead.

But the threat—

expanded.

Data came in.

Multiple outer points.

Movement.

Approach.

“Main force,” said Yim Bing.

“They’re not testing.”

“They’re deploying.”

I looked at the screen.

“This isn’t cat and mouse anymore.”

Pause.

“The mouse—”

“is already inside.”

Silence.

The game—

was over.

The war—

had begun.