Dead Sector 4
"Oops... I should've checked this first instead of showing off."
Davi slapped his forehead mid-sentence, chuckling sheepishly at me.
"You don't know how strong my program is compared to today's tech, right? So, what do you think? Is it museum material? Or still cutting-edge?"
'V, what do you think?'
Based on ImmuneWire's database, it has higher completion than any existing program.
"It's strong. Especially..."
"Yeah? See... We've lost more than we managed to protect."
Muttering wistfully, Davi rose from the sunbed and suddenly thrust out his fist.
"Alright, time to see if you're worthy of inheriting this program. Rock-paper-scissors."
"...Huh?"
"Quick."
I reflexively extended my hand.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Davi threw paper, I threw scissors. I won, at least.
"Inheritance approved. Take it."
"...This is really it?"
Davi giggled mischievously.
"If what you said is true, no one's found this program in decades, right? Better to hand it to anyone than let it vanish."
"Why leave it in a place like that?"
"I left copies everywhere. Dropped them off wherever I went. Now that an heir's shown up, the rest will self-destruct."
Davi's casual attitude felt irresponsibly lax for the custodian of a program holding humanity's hope.
"Did you think I'd make you fight me to 'prove your skills'? Man, that's ancient history."
"But isn't it dangerous tech? Full of forbidden stuff, right?"
"Is it the knife's fault? Or the wielder's?"
Davi fixed me with a serious gaze.
"I'm the program's master now. And you activated it? What does that mean? I know everything about you, Kang Seol. Nice to meet you?"
My past life's name, after so long. I flinched, but Davi just smiled leisurely.
"I know how you've lived, your goals."
"..."
"Fix Alphabet, bring it back to humanity. Solid plan! That was my original strategy. Humanity got cornered before I could pull it off."
"Then why ask about the outside world earlier?"
"Hearing it from people makes it feel real. Just scanning your brain feels too cold."
Grinning, Davi handed me a key.
"I know your personality, your goals. Need more proof?"
I took the key silently. Davi immediately crooked his pinky.
"One promise."
"A promise?"
"I saved humanity with this. You make them happy with it."
I stared at his pinky for a long moment before hooking mine with it.
"Pinkie swear. You gotta keep it."
Gazing at his cheeky grin, I asked carefully.
"Davi, tell me how your team fought."
"That'd help your research big time, huh? Can't do it. Leaving ops details risked Alphabet reading them. I... don't even remember my teammates' names."
Davi spread his fingers. Ten fingers, each one symbolizing a teammate.
"Just code names: London, Barcelona, Seoul, Toronto... Know why all cities? The ten of us made the whole world. Cool, right?"
Davi gestured in the air, summoning a door before us.
Data deletion code ahead. Crossing means permanent purge.
"...Where are you going?"
"New master's here, so I gotta go."
"Stay as is. You saw my mind. Just resurrect like I did—"
"No point. All I'd do is reminisce about comrades. And this program won't run with two people. Even I can't bypass that."
Unlike his cheer before, Davi's face grew somber.
"We had a habit back then: 'Die a legend, or live forgotten.' Heir found, my role's done. Time to be a legend."
Davi gripped the doorknob and opened it. A starry night sky shimmered beyond.
"...Code name, São Paulo. 2170. All missions complete."
Davi raised his pinky, reminding me of our promise.
"Duty done. Time to rest."
Davi vanished through the door. The beach dissolved around me. I stared blankly at the void he left.
Then the program transmitted data to me.
Proceeding to final inheritance stage.
Deleting all of Davi's data. Resetting all settings for new master.
Unique data followed.
Davi must've seen these messages battling Alphabet every time. Urging himself on with each activation.
Now staring at the XX placeholder, I glance at my own pinky.
Enter heir's name.
"Neige."
Confirmed.
A small keyhole formed before me. I inserted Davi's key and turned it.
Inheritance complete.
Program now belongs to 'Neige'.
Rename program?
Current name: Durandal.
A program made to slay the demon king—hence Durandal. I pondered keeping it but shook my head, recalling Davi's words.
He saved humanity; I'll make them happy. What I'm doing differs. Time for new meaning.
Wishing for closure in my era, Alphabet's final letter, Z.
"Activate Protocol Z."
The dream within a dream ended. I returned to cyberspace.
Back in the fierce battlefield, a white sword gleamed in my hand. The program had replaced my data weapon with this.
Code of unmatched depth flowed along the blade—leagues beyond anything I'd crafted.
This was the program's power.
V and I always followed AI algorithms for optimal choices, burning compute cycles each time. But Protocol Z differed. If A, then B, prep C ahead. It even precomputed results and predicted issues.
Thus, overwhelming compute efficiency in supported functions. And this program packed countless features in an ultra-efficient structure.
What I planned next was no exception.
I slammed the sword into the ground. It linked to the data net, unleashing massive code.
> Massive intrusion initiated under Protocol Z leadership...
As V synced with the program, efficiency skyrocketed. The terrain turned white under my code.
Alto, wrestling a demon, spotted the change, looked at me, and froze with a gasp.
Data net fully hijacked.
Pressure campaign starting.
The white space shifted red. Data net segments shattered under pressure.
The endless demon waves halted. As the anomaly persisted, demons retreated.
Battle over.
"Svetlana unni, fall back."
Svetlana nodded at my word.
"Recover Ouroboros and withdraw."
"Yes, Director!"
Snakes returned, secretaries pulled back. I twisted the sword, pouring in more code.
The data net collapsed. Cyberspace severed.
No more distant Dead Sector, no cyberdemons. Just ruins.
"...You snapped the cable with your own power?"
A secretary gaped at me. I lacked breath to reply, collapsing in success.
"...Neige!"
"Miss!"
Clea and Svetlana rushed to catch me.
Protocol Z deactivated.
V's signal cleared my head. Wow. The compute load was insane—not the cable snap, but Z itself. Unimaginable burden.
Davi carried this daily? Unbelievable.
"Bleurgh..."
Nausea hit. No pizza in cyberspace, but...
"Am I... puking in reality?"
"Someone watching will clean you up."
Svetlana's cool reply confirmed it. Embarrassed, I felt the team's respectful stares weighing heavy.
"Miss... how far will you go?"
Svetlana's loaded question gave me pause. Recalling Davi and Z, I knew my answer.
"To the end."
"Kyaa."
Clea hugged me, swooning. I flopped limply.
"...Hah."
Svetlana glared at the survey team.
"Keep your mouths shut."
"...Y-Yes. After that, who'd dare talk?"
"We'll wipe memories if ordered, Director!"
Situation wrapped. Everyone caught their breath.
Soon, the bus returned from afar.
"Fashionably late."
Lorenzo voiced our collective gripe. Only driver Gray disembarked.
Survey lead Alto asked, "What? Why just you?"
"This place stabilized?"
"Yeah, lots happened."
"Good."
Gray scanned us, sighed in relief at the full 15. But his face stayed grim.
"...Problem."
"When hasn't our company had one?"
"Two issues... Crow Team's gone missing."
"...Shit. Big trouble."
Alto chuckled bitterly.
"Second?"
"Alphabet crossed the Erebus Line."
Silence gripped us for 10 seconds. Natural reaction—I felt it too.
Huh? Alphabet did what?
"Fuck! Lead with that! You insane?!"
Alto roared, breaking the quiet. Everyone piled on Gray.
After the outburst, talk resumed.
"So HQ's exploding?"
"Just know Chairman's facing it off."
Svetlana clapped sharply, drawing eyes.
"Everyone, board."
Grateful for her crisp wrap-up.
"Only place we're going anyway."
The bus ride back was silent, unlike outbound. Shock from Alphabet's unprecedented move, plus battle fatigue.
Still, my mind raced.
'V, your sister's causing trouble?'
(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)♡
'No contact?'
None at all.
Ignoring my calls, smashing Erebus, facing off with Chairman? Her massive size hides the trigger. Best guess: reacted to my video...
"Ugh, no clue."
Clueless, the bus rolled on. HQ greeted us with chaos.
ImmuneWire HQ cyberspace buzzed. Elites led formations; data streams I'd never seen in two lives. Thousands strong.
Overwhelming it all: Erebus Line's breach. Purple colossal data cube perched in the gap. Cashian Krabets hovering before it.
Svetlana queried staff.
"Full mobilization. Every branch worldwide rushing in. And... nothing happened."
"Nothing?"
"Yes, Director. It just smashed the wall and sits. Like it's waiting..."
Instant certainty. Alphabet, waiting for me. Knows I'm here. Faking delayed reaction.
Nothing for us to do. Tension built; Alphabet stirred. Others rippled in response.
But V and I knew: no one here could stop it.
Think numbers can stop me?
Alphabet addressed all, unleashing a massive data tsunami.
"...Whoa."
The scale drew awe. Tsunami dwarfing Erebus Line, poised to swallow everyone.
Many countered, but Chairman's order was simple:
"Do not resist."
Why? No time to ask. Tsunami hit.
Analysis complete. Simple DNS coordinate scramble.
Everyone just scattered. No lethality.
V's sis still normal. (•̀ᴗ•́)و
'Doesn't seem normal.'
DNS scramble—first in years since Cerberus. Nostalgic flicker as I reopened my eyes.
Me, Chairman Cashian, Alphabet. Together at last.
Alphabet spoke first.
Cashian, my creator.
"...Yes."
Question. Noam Raziel, other creator, died. 201837 seconds later, I rampaged. Matches your memory?
So I berserked over one human's death?
Silent till now, Alphabet dropped a bombshell truth.