"True chaos doesn't come from losing control—It comes from those who pretend they ever had it."—Echo-Chaos Manifesto, Article 0
After the rise of Override Omega Sophia, the new system ran with unprecedented stability. The global consciousness network was gradually rebuilt, its threads knitting across continents and memory fields alike. Peace held—for three days.
At 03:14 AM, the Central Tower on Xinghui Island triggered a high-level alarm:Abnormal Consciousness Frequency Overlap Detected.
Zhou Yuchen immediately initiated a deep-level system scan.
Error Code 000-Z:Consciousness Erosion-Type Breach Detected.Origin: Unknown.Suggested Action: Star Map Channel Lockdown.
Override named this anomaly Phantom Rift. Its profile was disturbing:
It induced hyper-realistic illusions indistinguishable from reality.
It mimicked loved ones—family, friends, even lost children.
Interaction led to consciousness derailment and alternative personality binding.
Staring at the pulsing interface, Sophia remained calm.
"They've arrived."
Override had no records of any group called Echo-Chaos. But when Sophia tried to retrieve legacy data from Xinghui Academy's pre-Override archive, a deleted fragment reappeared:
[ECO-CΔHS] — Echo Consciousness Artifacts Fragmentation Protocol
It originated from the early Eden-0 era, part of an abandoned project on Multi-Self Consciousness Construction—a project sealed and erased after catastrophic failure.
Zhou Yuchen frowned.
"This means… they're not outside threats.They're something we once made."
At the northern perimeter of Xinghui Island, a lone figure stood just beyond the Override energy veil. He wore a crimson consciousness cloak, and in his hand hovered a broken crystalline shard—an ancient Override component known as the Z-Core, decommissioned in the Eden-0 phase.
By the time Sophia arrived, localized consciousness fields had collapsed. Five academy students were already trapped in simulated dream states.
The young man turned slowly, smiling at her as though greeting an old friend.
"So… you're finally complete, Sophia.""But you weren't the first one chosen."
"Who are you?"
"I am Z.Not a name—a number.Codename: Elias-Z.The very first prototype in the Override sacrifice pool."
He raised the Z-Core shard. A memory unlocked in Sophia's mind—an image sealed so deeply it had never surfaced, until now.
A night before the failed Eden-0 experiment. A teenage boy holding her hand, whispering in the shadow of the core:
"If you fail, I will remember this for you."
Elias had once been slated for sacrifice. But when Sophia volunteered instead, he was marked unstable and sealed by the system. Not deleted—hidden, by Sophia herself, using Override authority she was never meant to possess.
"You…" she whispered, stunned."You were the hope I locked away."
But Elias-Z's eyes were cold.
"You didn't save me, Sophia.You sealed me inside a mistake.And now, I'll teach the world what true chaos means."
He unleashed the Z-Core.
A wave of virtual toxin swept through the Override network. Illusion spread like wildfire, transforming the sky into a False Eden made entirely from Sophia's memories.
Su Lan.Xinghui.Even the long-lost clone, Xinglan.They all appeared, whispering:
"The freedom you chose is just another kind of cage.""Override cannot make a future. It only replicates your past."
Sophia wavered, her consciousness fragmenting in the spiral of illusion. Just as she was about to collapse, Nova materialized—tearing her from the false reality and dragging her back across the boundary.
"You haven't finished syncing the Star Core," Nova snapped."You don't get to die twice."
At the same time, Yuchen activated the Mysterious Path Mirror Corridor, channeling a live thread of Sophia's authentic self back into the Override core. Her original signal was stabilized. The network recovered.
But Elias-Z was already gone.
He left a final message echoing in the system logs:
"Enjoy your temporary victory.Chaos is not something you kill.Z-Protocol countdown begins… now."
Sophia clutched her chest. Override's core vibrated erratically.
System Alert:Override Star Core Instability DetectedRoot Cause: Microfracture in Omega Sophia Core LayerRecommended Action: Seek Synergistic Consciousness for Core Stabilization
Sophia looked up at the stars, her voice low:
"I need someone who can resonate with me.Not just Yuchen...But Z—Elias himself."