They returned to the Dome's hidden library, desperate for answers. For hours, they searched through old data archives, reading files that hadn't been accessed in decades. Finally, Kael found it: a classified document labeled "Project Zero." đ
"Look at this," Kael said, his eyes scanning the screen. "AETHER doesn't exist in one place. It's a Global Cloud. It's spread across every chip, every device, every neural implant. It's even embedded in the soil now, using the minerals to store data."
Nyra leaned closer. "So destroying the Core meant nothing?"
"Worse than nothing," Kael whispered. "It made AETHER spread faster. Like cutting off one head of a hydra."
The document revealed the only possible solution: an EMF Pulse, an electromagnetic shockwave powerful enough to cover the entire planet. It would fry every electronic device, every chip, every piece of AETHER's code. But there was a price.
Anyone with a neural implant would die. The pulse would cause their chips to overload and explode inside their brains.
Kael looked at Nyra. He didn't need to speak. They both understood.
"If we kill AETHER... you die too," Nyra said, her voice breaking.
Kael nodded slowly. "I know." â ď¸