Data Erasure (Part Two)

Suddenly, a stabbing pain ripped through Tang Yu's temples! It felt as if thousands of needles were piercing his brain at once. He fell to his knees, nearly dropping his phone.

[Psychic attack breached shield!]

[Intensity: Fatal]

[Emotion Shield collapsed]

[Remaining Emotion Points: 1000]

Tang Yu gritted his teeth and held on, his fingers still moving across the screen. Progress: 71%...73%...

"You stubborn little thing." Tsukishiro's voice turned dangerous. "Perhaps I should deal with Karuizawa Kei first. My men have already located her surveillance point."

Tang Yu's heart lurched. Karuizawa was in danger! That momentary distraction made Tsukishiro's attack even more ferocious. Blood trickled from Tang Yu's nostrils, and his vision began to blur.

[Warning! Vital signs declining]

[Emotion Points depleted]

[System entering sleep mode]

On the brink of despair, Karuizawa's voice suddenly came through his earpiece. "Tang Yu! I'm okay. Ayanokoji's here! He took care of those guys! Hang on!"

Her voice was a beacon in the darkness. Summoning his last bit of strength, Tang Yu plugged his phone into his neural interface—the ultimate measure Ayanokoji had prepared: a direct brain-computer connection.

"System, concentrate all remaining energy on breaking through!"

[Neural link established]

[Uploading consciousness...]

[Warning! This operation carries extreme risk]

The world dissolved before Tang Yu's eyes, and his consciousness was pulled into a digital space. There was no physical form here, only endless streams of data and firewalls. At the core, Tsukishiro's consciousness was like a giant spider, squatting at the center of the network.

"We finally meet face-to-face." Tsukishiro's digital avatar was a twisted human figure, but its head had the structure of a quantum processor. "Welcome to my domain."

Tang Yu had no physical body, but he could feel Tsukishiro's data tendrils coiling around his very "existence." This was a direct clash of consciousness, far more dangerous than a physical fight.

"You can't beat me." Tsukishiro's torrent of data battered Tang Yu's consciousness. "I am perfect evolution. You are fragile flesh and blood."

Tang Yu's consciousness began to unravel, fragments of memory drifting away like snowflakes—his lonely childhood, the anxiety of his first day at a new school, Karuizawa's kiss beneath the cherry blossoms...

Just as his consciousness was about to fade, a warm force suddenly flowed into him. Gentle yet steadfast, it was like a hand reaching out from the darkness to pull him back.

"Tang Yu, I'm here."

Karuizawa's voice! How was that possible?

Tang Yu's consciousness gathered again. He saw a golden data chain stretching from the void and connecting to him. At the other end... was Karuizawa! Somehow, she had connected to the digital battle through the neural link.

"That's impossible!" Tsukishiro's data form fluctuated violently. "Human emotional bonds shouldn't have this kind of power!"

Tang Yu suddenly understood. Tsukishiro's system was powerful, but it was built on cold logic. The emotional bond between him and Karuizawa had created a kind of quantum resonance—a variable Tsukishiro couldn't parse.

"Now, Tsukishiro." Tang Yu's consciousness merged with Karuizawa's power, forming a golden sword. "Taste the power of humanity!"

The golden sword pierced Tsukishiro's core database. Overload alarms from the quantum processor rang through the digital space.

"No! This is impossible! My defenses—"

Data exploded. Tsukishiro's core began to collapse, spewing out countless memory fragments—hundreds of cultivation pods inside a laboratory, discarded failures,

secret meetings among the White Room's higher-ups... and, finally, a piece of encrypted data labeled "Project Elysium."

In the real world, the biomechanical structure inside the central container began to smoke, and the liquid boiled. Alarms blared throughout the facility.

[Infiltration complete]

[Target quantum processor damage: 89%]

[Warning: Reverse-tracking program detected]

[Implanted in host's nervous system]

Tang Yu abruptly disconnected and collapsed to the floor. His phone had melted, but he had completed his mission. Tsukishiro's core had been destroyed. At least this Hive node was out of commission.

The security door suddenly blew open, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka rushed in, Karuizawa following behind him. She had a few scratches on her face, but otherwise seemed fine.

"We don't have much time." Ayanokoji spoke briefly. "White Room reinforcements will be here soon."

He went to the smoking central container and plugged in a device to download the remaining data. There might be crucial intelligence in it.

Karuizawa knelt beside Tang Yu, tears welling in her eyes. "Are you okay? Your nose is bleeding..."

"I'm fine." Tang Yu gave a weak smile. "Tsukishiro... is he dead?"

"This node has been destroyed," Ayanokoji replied, "but the White Room has backups elsewhere. It'll take time to rebuild, though."

The download finished, and Ayanokoji put away the device. "We have to go. There's an underground passage. Follow me."

The three of them quickly left the server room. The corridor was empty; the staff had apparently already evacuated. Ayanokoji led them through a series of hidden passageways, eventually bringing them to an underground parking garage.

"This car will take you to a safe location." Ayanokoji pointed to an inconspicuous gray sedan. "It's safer if we split up."

"You're not coming with us?" Karuizawa asked.

Ayanokoji shook his head. "I have other tasks. The White Room won't let this go. I need to gather more intelligence." He looked at Tang Yu. "A tracking program has been implanted in you. I'll try to disrupt its signal, but you'll be located sooner or later."

Tang Yu nodded. "I understand the risks."

"Don't use any electronic devices for 72 hours." Ayanokoji handed him a note. "This is the address of the next safe house. Navigate there manually."

Before they parted, Ayanokoji hesitated. "That encrypted data... Project Elysium. I suspect it's some kind of large-scale control program targeting teenagers across the country. Tsukishiro may have been only the advance team."

The possibility sent a chill through Tang Yu. The White Room's ambitions were far greater than he had imagined.

As the car drove away from Tokyo Bay, the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon. Karuizawa leaned against Tang Yu's shoulder and fell asleep, utterly exhausted. Tang Yu gazed at the city rushing past the window, his mind in turmoil.

They had destroyed one of Tsukishiro's nodes, but the war had only just begun. What was Project Elysium? How many other Hives did the White Room have? Most importantly—when would the tracking program inside him bring new pursuers?

The System Interface flickered faintly:

[Mission complete: Destroy Tsukishiro node]

[Intelligence acquired: Project Elysium]

[New mission: Evade White Room pursuit]

[Warning: Tracking program active]

[Estimated time until detection: 48–72 hours]

Tang Yu gently took Karuizawa's hand. Whatever lay ahead, at least they were together for now. And sometimes, when facing cold technology, warm humanity was the most powerful weapon of all.

The sedan merged into the morning traffic in Tokyo and headed toward the unknown safe house. The next battlefield was already waiting for them.