114 THE NEW BASE
Damen's expression hardened instantly. "Intruders, where?"
Kail's fingers danced across the data pad. "Sector C—no, multiple entry points! Someone just bypassed the outer gate's biometric locks."
"That's impossible," Dorin muttered, "The new system just went online!"
"The intruders are in the main lobby—just sitting there," Kail said suddenly.
He flicked on the central monitor. The feed showed a woman dressed in earthen-colored garb, calm and composed, sitting beside a silver-haired boy.
"Damn it," Damen muttered. "Why are they here?"
"Who are they?" Zairgid asked.
Dorin's face drained of color. "No way… they're wanted fugitives from the Alliance of the Psyche."
Damen straightened. "You guys stay here. I'll meet them."
He walked alone toward the lobby, his footsteps echoing through the steel hall. The cameras followed him, while the others watching in tense silence.
When he arrived, the woman looked up with a faint smile. "Oh, nephew—you really bought this place. Congratulations."
"You wanted me to buy it, and I did," Damen said flatly. "Now tell me—what's your purpose here?"
"No purpose," Sienna replied lightly. "I just want you to succeed."
She tilted her head, her eyes glinting. "Do you need help? Any trouble with manpower, perhaps?"
"We'll manage," Damen said coldly.
Then the boy—Argent—spoke, his voice was quiet but sharp enough to cut glass, "I see you've changed the security system. Only one other person in this city can create this. Where is Ethan Lace? Bring him out. I want to meet him."
Damen's expression flickered. "How do you know about Ethan Lace?"
Argent didn't answer.
Sienna did. "Why, I'm the one who influences minds, and Argent here—he influences machines. They're quite alike, he and your friend Ethan."
Damen's thoughts raced. "There is another one like Quantum in town besides Kail? Damn it… how many of these geniuses are there? With Argent and Kail together, they'd be unstoppable," he thought.
"Ethan Lace isn't here," Damen said evenly. "He escaped from this facility some time ago. You should already know that."
Sienna chuckled softly. "You're a convincing liar, my nephew. But no matter, you'll need him if you want GenSyn to rise again."
She stood, smoothing her robe. "Goodbye, Damen. You've done well. Your mother would be proud."
She and Argent left without looking back while Damen watched on stunned and confused.
Moments later, the others entered the lobby.
"What the hell was that?" Zairgid demanded.
"I've reprogrammed the security," Kail said uneasily, "but I don't know if it's enough to stop them… next time."
"There's no defense against them," Damen interrupted. "She can control minds, and he can control machines like you. We stay clear of them. That's all we can do."
"Should we report this to the SIA?" Dorin asked.
"The SIA?" Damen gave a dry laugh. "Since Lander and you left, they've forgotten what real work means."
-----
In a month and a half, GenSyn Industry had risen from ruin to renewal.
The upper floors of the building buzzed again with life with the hum of machines, the scent of alchemical reagents, and the steady rhythm of production lines. Shipments of elixirs and medicine once more left the loading docks, their gleaming capsules stamped with the seal of GenSyn Industry.
Zolan Aukuoma's influence brought in dozens of experienced scientists, brave enough to work despite the Zetheris family's quiet threats. They could continue the company's research from where Kaiser Qiltera left off.
The basement where Kaiser Qiltera once bred human–alien hybrids had been transformed. The forbidden lab was now the group's hidden stronghold.
Kail, once a prisoner in these halls, now ruled over them.
Every circuit, door, and system in the building moved at his command. What had once been his cage was now his fortress.
Zairgid, meanwhile, was basking in newfound respect from his father. Though his nightlife habits hadn't changed, his days had—he now oversaw GenSyn's sales and was charged with maintaining relations with the city council.
Even his father's tone had softened when speaking to him.
And Dorin wasn't idle. She was the mechanic of the facility.
She even converted an entire sublevel into a combat simulator for Damen. Within those virtual chambers, Damen trained endlessly—testing his fusion skills, refining his strikes, and no longer needing the Heroes' Gym.
-----
Damen's stats hadn't grown much over the past month. He had toggled off his Empowerment, preferring to collect coins instead of meta growth.
Still, his Strength meta had finally reached the ceiling of Rank C—thanks to the elixir produced by GenSyn. But the current elixir technology could not support him beyond that.
But progress wasn't only measured in muscle. His DemCoin balance had climbed past half a million, the result of relentless soul mining.
Then, at last, the notification he'd been waiting for flashed on his screen.
"You have sufficient coins to upgrade your DemCoin mining software: Y/N"
He didn't hesitate. Y.
The interface rebooted. Lines of code flickered, windows reshaped—and suddenly there were four active screens. He could now mine four targets simultaneously, effectively doubling his income rate to almost one million DemCoins per month.
"Damn," he breathed, his eyes bright. "This is insane. I'll be swimming in coins in no time."
Then the next prompts appeared in sequence:
"Congratulations. Your favorite list has expanded to 60."
"Congratulations. Your mining range has improved."
"All expected…" Damen muttered, scrolling deeper. "But where's the new function? There's gotta be something hidden."
He combed through every submenu, every flickering data layer—but there was nothing. No new toggles. No interface shifts.
And no trace that his Genesis Core and Mind Core assimilation had changed anything.
He leaned back, frustrated. "Damn it. The Genesis and Mind Cores don't help me at all."
Suddenly, Kail's voice came over, "Big Brother, we're running low on alien meta-materials. We need to make a trip to the Space Rift to stock up."
Damen paused, a spark of anticipation lighting his eyes. "Finally… it's time to return to the Space Rift."
This trip would be solitary.
Kail stayed behind to protect the base; Zairgid was tied up with city business, and Dorin lacked the courage for such a hazardous venture.
That left only him.
As the transport shuttle cut through the busy roads, Damen's mind wandered back to the aur mine. Just a year ago, he had been toiling there, digging aur crystals that flowed from the Space Rift itself.
Now, he was part-owner of a conglomerate. The contrast made him smirk.
Since his trip wasn't organized by the city, the miners hadn't been ordered to leave their posts. He saw them returning from the shafts, sweat-streaked and weary, oblivious to the figure who now moved among them.
He stepped toward the elevator, scanning the familiar mine tunnels. Then a voice rang out from behind—sharp, mocking, and unmistakable.
"Damen… you bastard. Where have you been?"
The words made him freeze.
Though he was far stronger than he had ever been, there was a familiar chill in that haunting tone that no amount of power could erase.
He turned.
There, framed by the dim lights of the mine, stood Ralph Dark.
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