The Phantom-Class sub breached the icy waves in silence, camouflaged beneath layers of optic stealth. As it docked against the jagged coastline of the island, the team disembarked—soaked, breathless, and alive.
Seojun stepped onto the shore first. The ground pulsed beneath his boots. Not from tectonics, but something artificial—alive.
"This place feels… wrong," Hana whispered.
The island stretched out before them like a corpse stitched from metal and rock. Black towers jutted from the cliffs like spines. Glowing red veins pulsed across the terrain, forming a massive symbol when viewed from above—Victor's seal.
"He's building something," Elias muttered. "Something beyond AI. Beyond synthetic evolution."
Rho led them up a slope, past gutted sentry posts and cracked glass domes. The remains of failed experiments littered the pathway—human, machine, both.
"This was one of Victor's early research facilities," Rho explained. "They called it Anima Protocol Site-0."
"Where he first tried merging neural networks with living brains," Hana added darkly.
Lightning cracked above as they reached a sealed hatch. Rho placed his hand on the panel—his biometrics opening it instantly.
"Welcome to the heart of the storm," he said.
Inside, the air shimmered with heat and static. Walls pulsed with a rhythmic hum. Screens flickered to life as if recognizing them. Then a voice echoed through the halls:
"You're late."
Victor.
His voice boomed from everywhere and nowhere, calm and cruel.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice your arrival, Rho? Or that I wouldn't prepare a welcome?"
Panels slid open. Dozens of cybernetic sentries emerged, eyes glowing violet. The lights dimmed.
Then, the floor split open.
The team dropped into a descending chamber—a free-fall elevator sealed in plasma. When it stopped, they stood in a massive underground dome filled with liquid stasis pods—each one containing a human mind wired to the network.
Seojun's fists clenched.
"He's harvesting consciousness."
Rho nodded grimly.
"He's creating an army that never dies."
Then the lights snapped red.
Victor appeared on every screen—his face now a twisted blend of code and ghostly flesh.
"You've reached the point of no return," he whispered.
"Now… let's see how much you're willing to sacrifice."