The Tier-5 Tracking Component, housed within the cybernetic eye of the Nexus Corp Cultivator, was the price of Kai's vengeance and the key to his next forging breakthrough. The man who had nearly shattered Kai's Dantian now served as his necessary stepping stone.
Anya's intelligence was flawless. The Cultivator—designated Operator Zero-Seven in Nexus Corp's logs—followed a rigid schedule. Every night, between 2:00 AM and 3:00 AM, he entered a discreet, Tier-3 private meditation chamber to initiate his daily Qi Replenishment Cycle.
The chamber was located in a forgotten commercial zone far from the Exchange, a low-slung building with reinforced concrete walls that were deceptively weak against a calculated assault.
Kai and Anya were positioned on the roof of a dilapidated tenement building across the street. The smoggy night was their only shield.
Anya, dressed in her dark combat suit, looked like a silhouette carved from obsidian. She held a high-powered, suppressed data-rifle—not a Qi weapon, but a technological tool designed to disrupt energy grids.
"He is Mid-Stage Foundation, Kai," Anya whispered through the comm-bead, her voice low and tense. "His defense is pure Qi. Your Veil Shield can confuse his sensors, but it won't stop a direct blast. We need a precision strike while his attention is internally focused."
"I have five minutes from the moment he enters the cycle," Kai confirmed, checking the activation status of his Veil Shield. The faint blue light pulsed, silent and steady. "My job is to secure the component; yours is the tactical distraction and escape route."
[TARGET: OPERATOR ZERO-SEVEN (MID-STAGE FOUNDATION)]
Weakness: Dependent on uninterrupted Qi Replenishment Cycle. External disruption will cause temporary Internal Qi Reversion (15-second stun).
The Ambush
At 2:05 AM, Operator Zero-Seven entered the meditation chamber. Kai watched through his enhanced vision as the man crossed the room, settling onto a specialized mat, his single cybernetic eye closing as he withdrew his consciousness into his Dantian. The Qi energy in the room immediately began to stabilize and deepen.
"Now, Anya," Kai signaled.
Anya raised her data-rifle. It wasn't a loud weapon, but the sudden, high-frequency energy pulse it emitted struck the ventilation shaft above the meditation chamber.
ZZZZTT!
The shaft, filled with ancient, un-insulated wiring, exploded in a shower of sparks. The electrical discharge, amplified by Anya's precise data-rifle, flowed directly into the chamber's internal power grid.
[DISTRACTION SUCCESSFUL. OPERATOR ZERO-SEVEN'S QI REPLENISHMENT CYCLE VIOLENTLY DISRUPTED.]
The Cultivator's body arched, a silent scream of agony contorting his face as the stable Qi he was cultivating suddenly reversed, slamming violently back into his own meridians.
[TARGET STATUS: INTERNAL QI REVERSION (STUNNED: 15 SECONDS).]
"Go!" Anya commanded.
Kai activated his [STELLAR LEAP]. Using the refined Qi of his new realm, he calculated the jump perfectly. Five E-PTs were automatically consumed (Anya had preemptively transferred 100 E-PTs to his account for emergency use).
Fzzzzzt.
He didn't move across the street; he appeared instantly inside the chamber, landing silently behind the stunned Cultivator. He had 13 seconds remaining.
Kai drew his only weapon—a simple, tempered steel combat knife, an upgrade he'd purchased using Anya's initial funding. He couldn't kill the man, but he could surgically retrieve the component.
He slammed the Veil Shield onto the Cultivator's neck, the subtle electromagnetic field momentarily overriding the neuro-link to the cybernetic eye.
[VEIL SHIELD (TIER 3) – TARGET NEURO-LINK DISRUPTION SUCCESSFUL.]
The cybernetic eye flickered violently, then went dark. Kai used his Foundation-enhanced strength and precision to cleanly slice the tiny bio-cord connecting the eye-patch component to the Cultivator's optic nerve. It was a precise, bloodless procedure.
[TIER-5 TRACKING COMPONENT ACQUIRED!]
[DATA SHARD EQUIVALENT ACQUIRED. HOST MAY NOW INITIATE FORGE.]
Eight seconds remaining.
Kai heard the groan of the Cultivator as he fought through the pain of the Qi Reversion. Zero-Seven was regaining consciousness.
Kai didn't hesitate. [STELLAR LEAP]!
Fzzzzzt.
He disappeared from the chamber, leaving the Foundation Mid-Stage Cultivator in agonizing pain, clutching the empty socket where his high-tech eye used to be.
Kai reappeared back on the tenement rooftop beside Anya, panting heavily. The whole operation had taken less than ten seconds of direct exposure.
Anya looked at the small, dark silver component Kai held—a perfect, high-tier piece of forbidden technology.
"A perfect retrieval," Anya murmured, a flicker of genuine excitement in her eyes. "Clean. Efficient. Nexus Corp will be in total panic over this lost Tier-5 data asset. Kai, you are incredible. Now, the Forge."
The Immediate Forge
There was no time to lose. The alarm klaxons were already starting to blare across the Mid-Sector. They had to complete the conversion instantly.
"We forge it now," Kai confirmed, holding the component and focusing his mind.
[FORGE ABILITY ACTIVATED – TIER-5 CONVERSION.]
[TARGET: QI EQUIPMENT BLUEPRINT – DEFENSIVE BINDING ARRAY.]
[COST: TIER-5 DATA SHARD EQUIVALENT (Tracking Component) + 50 E-PTs.]
Anya had supplied 100 E-PTs, ensuring he had the resources. Fifty E-PTs vanished from his account. The Tier-5 Tracking Component dissolved into a storm of pure, complex data streams that flowed into the Veil Shield on Kai's wrist.
The Forge was integrating the Cultivator's tracking technology, not to make a weapon, but to create a permanent, advanced defensive shield.
[CONVERSION COMPLETE. NEW ARTIFACT: THE VEIL SHIELD (TIER 5 - EPIC) ACQUIRED]
Effect 1 (Qi Amplification): Uses Foundation Qi to generate a permanent, low-frequency electromagnetic field, jamming Tier-4 and lower tracking systems (Stealth 90% effective).
Effect 2 (Data Shield): Provides a 75% defense buff against digital attacks and 50% defense buff against external Qi scans.
[REWARD: CORE SKILL UPGRADE]
[FORGE] Upgraded to Tier 2 – Host may now forge simple Cultivation Equipment and Pills using raw Essence.
[DATA] Stat Gained +10. Current DATA: 16.
"Done," Kai said, the energy surge leaving him slightly dizzy. He felt an intense connection to the Veil Shield—it was no longer just a piece of tech; it was a part of his Cultivation foundation.
"They're mobilizing," Anya warned, aiming her rifle at an approaching Nexus Corp drone. "We leave now. You have earned your reward, Kai."
The Shared Escape
Anya led him to the far edge of the roof, where a specialized tether line was anchored.
"We slide to the transport vehicle three blocks out. Move!"
They clipped onto the tether, and Kai followed Anya over the edge of the building. The proximity was intense, the scent of her combat suit and the raw energy of her focused mind filling his senses.
Mid-slide, the first Nexus Corp drone swooped overhead, its scanners aggressively pinging the area. Kai activated the new Veil Shield to its maximum capacity.
[VEIL SHIELD (TIER 5) – FULL POWER]
The drone's scanners immediately went haywire, detecting nothing but static. The drone veered away, confused.
"Incredible," Anya breathed, witnessing the instantaneous stealth capability. "That shield just scrambled their entire patrol grid. You are a genius, Kai."
When they reached the street, the transport—a nondescript delivery van—was waiting. They climbed inside.
Anya turned to Kai, her expression softening slightly in the dim light of the van's interior. She was still radiating the high intensity of combat, but there was a new, grudging admiration in her eyes.
"You're getting faster, Kai. And smarter. Nexus Corp just realized they have a ghost in their system, and I am the only one who knows the ghost's address."
[HAREM MEMBER #1 (ANYA) – TRUST LEVEL: 50%. ROMANCE POTENTIAL: 25%.]
"You risked your corporate safety for my progression, Anya," Kai countered, wiping the sweat from his brow. "That earns my trust. The next Forge activation requires a new Tier-5 artifact, but I can use my new Tier-2 Forge ability to start fabricating minor Essence Pills. That will increase your stamina and mental acuity for our next mission."
Kai pulled out a simple data slate and, using the new Tier-2 Forge, drafted a basic pill blueprint.
[FORGE (TIER 2) ACTIVATION]
[TARGET: LOW-GRADE ESSENCE STAMINA PILL]
[COST: 5 E-PTs + Minor Herb Sample (REQUIRED).]
"I need three low-grade herbs," Kai told her. "They must be real, not synthetic. They are commonly available at black-market apothecaries. Get them. I will forge the pills for you. The next move is yours."
Anya took the slate, her fingers brushing his. "Done. And Kai… you need to spend time with your family. This constant push for power will burn out your motivation. The System rewards your well-being, remember? You need to recharge your core motivation before the next fight."
Kai nodded, the exhaustion finally hitting him. He had faced a superior Cultivator, survived a Qi Blast, and secured a Tier-5 artifact, all for the sake of his children's future.
He was going home. He needed the gentle, chaotic stability of Apartment 7-D to solidify the massive power leap he had just achieved. The retribution was complete, and the next stage of his cultivation—the Cultivation Equipment Forge—was unlocked.