Chapter 6: Hacking the Heavens
The rain had finally stopped, leaving the streets of New York looking like a giant mirror. I stood in a small, dark basement under an old laundry shop. It wasn't a luxury penthouse, and it didn't have marble floors. It smelled like soap and old pipes. But for me, it was the safest place in the city.
I sat at a wooden table, looking at the broken phone. The $300,000 in my account felt like a heavy weight in my pocket. I had the money, but I didn't have a plan.
"System," I whispered, my voice echoing in the small room. "How do I get into the Ares Tech Tower? It's the most protected building in the world. They have laser sensors, facial recognition, and private soldiers."
[ANALYZING TARGET: ARES TECH TOWER.]
[SECURITY LEVEL: IMPOSSIBLE FOR HUMANS.]
[ADVICE: YOU ARE NOT A HUMAN. YOU ARE THE DEBT-COLLECTOR.]
Suddenly, the phone projected a 3D map of the tower in the air. It looked like a giant sword made of glass and steel, stabbing into the sky. Red lines showed the security cameras, and blue lines showed the elevator shafts.
"I can't just fight my way to the top," I said, rubbing my tired eyes. "General Vane was just one man. Ares has an entire army."
I looked at my hands. They were steady now, thanks to the 'Body Reconstruction.' But inside, I was still the kid who used to hide when the landlord knocked on the door. I had to remember why I was doing this. I thought about the 'Great Reset.' I thought about the millions of people who would lose their luck and their lives if I failed. I wasn't just Ethan the scavenger. I was the world's last hope.
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: THE GHOST PROTOCOL.]
[EFFECT: YOU CAN HACK ANY DIGITAL SYSTEM BY TOUCHING IT WITH THE PHONE.]
"Hacking?" I smiled. "Now we're talking."
I spent the next few hours preparing. I used some of my money to buy a high-end electric motorcycle from a guy who didn't ask for my ID. I also bought a drone and some specialized tools. But my most important weapon was the 'Invisible Cloak' that the phone had upgraded after I defeated the General.
As midnight approached, I rode my motorcycle through the quiet streets toward Midtown. The Ares Tech Tower looked terrifying in the dark. It was glowing with an orange light, and I could see the silhouettes of armed guards on the roof.
I parked my bike two blocks away and pulled my hood over my head. "System, activate Invisible Cloak."
A cold shiver ran down my spine as my body disappeared. I walked toward the main entrance, my heart beating so loud I was sure the guards could hear it. I walked right past two soldiers holding heavy rifles. They didn't even blink.
I reached the glass doors and pressed the broken phone against the electronic lock.
[HACKING IN PROGRESS... 10%... 50%... 100%.]
[ACCESS GRANTED. WELCOME, DEBT-COLLECTOR.]
The doors hissed open. I slipped inside the lobby. It was massive, filled with statues of ancient warriors and gold-plated walls. I didn't stop to look. I headed straight for the private elevator that went to the 100th floor—the office of the CEO.
Inside the elevator, I looked at the mirror. I couldn't see myself, but I could see the blue glow of the phone in my pocket.
"Ares is waiting for me," I thought. "He knows I'm coming."
The elevator dings. The doors opened to a room that looked like a museum of weapons. There were swords, shields, and guns from every century. At the end of the room, sitting behind a desk made of dark obsidian stone, was a man.
He didn't look like a God. He looked like a professional athlete in a $10,000 suit. His hair was short, and his eyes were a sharp, metallic silver. This was Ares. The God of War.
"You can turn off the cloak, Ethan," Ares said. His voice wasn't loud, but it felt like a heavy weight pressing down on my shoulders. "I can smell the scent of the junk yard on you from a mile away."
I deactivated the cloak. I stood there, clutching the blue whip in my right hand and the phone in my left.
"You're late, Ares," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "You owe the Agency 2,000 years of War-Luck. You've been stealing the courage of soldiers and the strength of nations to build your company. It's time to pay up."
Ares stood up slowly. He was huge, his muscles looking like they were made of iron. He didn't pull out a gun. He pulled out a massive claymore sword that started glowing with a fierce orange flame.
"Luck? Courage?" Ares laughed, and the sound made the glass windows vibrate. "I didn't steal them. I took them! War is the only thing that moves the world forward, boy.
Without me, humans would still be living in caves. I am the reason you have technology. I am the reason you have that phone!"
"You're the reason my dad lost his job because his factory was sold to build your weapons!" I shouted. The anger I had been holding for years finally boiled over. "You're the reason people are starving while you sit in this glass tower!"
I swung the blue whip. Crack!
The sapphire light hit Ares's orange sword. The collision created a shockwave that shattered the glass tables in the room. I was pushed back, my feet sliding across the floor.
Ares didn't move an inch. He looked at me with a bored expression. "Is that all the Debt-Collector has? A little spark and some loud words?"
[WARNING: ENEMY POWER LEVEL IS BEYOND USER CAPACITY.]
[EMERGENCY MEASURE: ACTIVATE 'THE BURDEN OF THE POOR'.]
"What is that?" I asked the system, struggling to stand up as Ares walked toward me, his flaming sword raised high.
[THE BURDEN OF THE POOR: USE THE WEIGHT OF YOUR PAST SUFFERING TO SLOW DOWN THE GOD.]
I closed my eyes. I thought about the cold nights. I thought about the hunger that felt like a hole in my stomach. I thought about every time a rich person had looked at me with disgust. I took all that pain, all that weight, and I pushed it toward Ares.
Suddenly, the God of War stopped. His shoulders slumped. His flaming sword grew dim. He looked like he was suddenly carrying a hundred tons of lead on his back.
"What... what is this?!" Ares gasped, his knees buckling. "Why do I feel so heavy? Why do I feel... tired?"
"It's called the weight of a hard life," I said, stepping forward. "Something you've never had to carry."
I didn't waste another second. I jumped onto his back and pressed the broken phone against his neck.
[COLLECTION STARTING: 1%... 5%... 10%...]
"Get off me!" Ares roared. He threw me across the room. I hit a display case, glass cutting into my back.
Ares stood up, the orange fire returning to his sword. He looked truly angry now. "You think a little trick can defeat the God of War? I will burn this entire city to the ground just to see you die!"
He raised his sword, and the entire floor started to glow with a deadly orange light. I knew I couldn't survive another hit. I looked at the phone.
[NOTIFICATION: REWARD UNLOCKED.]
[CALLING REINFORCEMENTS: THE DEBT-COLLECTOR'S FIRST ALLY.]
Suddenly, the windows of the 100th floor shattered. A woman dressed in a silver tactical suit, holding two glowing daggers, crashed into the room. She stood in front of me, her eyes glowing with a calm, blue light.
"Who are you?" I gasped.
The woman didn't look back. "I'm the one who's been waiting for someone like you, Ethan. My name is Sophia, and I'm the Debt-Collector of Wisdom. Now, let's show this bully how to pay his bills."
Ares roared, and the real war began.