Chapter 13: I Don’t Know Who Just Sent That Message, But We Are Screwed1. The Message That Changed EverythingThe alley was quiet.

  Too quiet.

  For the first time in the st hour, no one was shooting at me. No one was trying to stab me. No old dies were throwing grenades.

  I should’ve felt relieved.

  Instead, I felt something much worse.

  Pure, unfiltered dread.

  Because the hacker girl—who had spent the st 24 hours being a menace to society—was suddenly dead silent.

  Her usual cocky grin? Gone.

  Her rexed posture? Stiff as a board.

  And in her hands—

  Her phone screen glowed in the dark alley.

  I couldn’t see what was on it.

  But whatever it was…

  It scared her.

  That scared me.

  "Uh…" I swallowed. "Hacker girl?"

  She didn’t react.

  I nudged her shoulder. "You okay?"

  Finally, she spoke.

  "…We have a problem."

  She turned the phone toward me.

  I looked.

  I instantly regretted it.

  2. Who the Hell is “Nexus”?The message was short.

  Sender: UNKNOWNMessage: You’re fast. But not fast enough. See you soon.

  …

  That was already bad enough.

  But what made it worse?

  The sender’s name.

  Nexus.

  My blood ran cold.

  I turned to the hacker girl.

  She was pale.

  Which was concerning, because this was the same girl who just ughed while we were getting shot at.

  She took a deep breath.

  "Yuuji," she said.

  I flinched.

  Because this was the first time she had ever used my actual name.

  Not “dumbass.”Not “protagonist-kun.”Not “my little crime buddy.”

  Just Yuuji.

  That was how I knew we were screwed.

  3. When the Hacker is Scared, You Should Be TooI pointed at the phone. "So, uh. Who’s Nexus?"

  The hacker girl shut off her screen.

  Then she turned to me with the most serious look I had ever seen.

  "Yuuji," she said. "I need you to listen carefully."

  I gulped. "O-Okay?"

  She grabbed my shoulders.

  "This is important."

  I nodded, shaking. "G-Got it."

  She stared into my soul.

  And then, in the calmest, most serious voice possible, she said:

  "We need to run."

  …

  I blinked.

  "…That’s it?"

  She nodded. "Immediately."

  …

  I stared at her.

  Then I took a deep breath.

  Then I lost my mind.

  "WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘RUN’?! WE’VE BEEN RUNNING FOR THE LAST HOUR!"

  She nodded again. "Yeah. And now we run more."

  4. Why is Everyone in This City a Monster?We took off.

  I didn’t even question it.

  When a hacker criminal mastermind tells you to run, you don’t ask why.

  You just run.

  We sprinted down the alleyway, my heart pounding.

  I didn’t know who Nexus was.

  I didn’t know why we were running.

  All I knew…

  Was that if the hacker girl was this scared…

  It meant something worse than bounty hunters was coming.

  And then—

  The air changed.

  A pressure fell over the entire city.

  Like a storm was about to hit.

  I turned my head.

  And that’s when I saw it.

  A man in a suit stood at the end of the alleyway.

  He wasn’t running.

  He wasn’t holding a weapon.

  He just stood there.

  Watching us.

  With a calm, polite smile.

  …

  Oh no.

  5. A Smile is Scarier Than a GunThe hacker girl grabbed my wrist.

  "Don’t stop," she whispered. "Just keep running."

  I gulped. "Who is that?!"

  She didn’t answer.

  I turned back.

  The man hadn’t moved.

  But the second our eyes met…

  I felt it.

  Pressure.

  Like he was crushing my lungs without touching me.

  I shivered.

  He tilted his head.

  Then, still smiling, he raised his hand.

  And snapped his fingers.

  BANG.

  A shockwave exploded through the alleyway.

  The ground shattered.

  The air cracked.

  And before I could even react—

  The entire building beside me colpsed.

  6. Oh Cool, He Has Superpowers. That’s Fair.I didn’t have time to scream.

  I just ran.

  The hacker girl dragged me forward, dodging the falling debris like she had done this before.

  Meanwhile, I tripped on a trash can and almost died.

  Behind us—

  The man in the suit slowly stepped forward.

  He was calm.

  Like he wasn’t even trying.

  He raised his hand again—

  SNAP.

  The ground exploded.

  A massive crater appeared right where I had been two seconds ago.

  …

  Okay.

  Cool.

  That’s fine.

  He can destroy reality with his fingers.

  That’s fair.

  That’s totally fair.

  I screamed.

  "WHAT KIND OF MONSTER IS THAT?!"

  The hacker girl yanked me forward.

  "The kind that doesn’t stop until you’re dead!"

  …

  I hate my life.

  7. Somehow, We Survive (Again.)I had never run this fast in my life.

  Faster than the bounty hunters.Faster than the turrets.Faster than that time I stole my teacher’s lunch by accident.

  We darted into a subway station.

  I jumped the turnstile like a criminal.

  The hacker girl punched a ticket machine for fun.

  We leapt onto a train.

  And right before the doors closed—

  I looked back.

  The man in the suit had stopped at the station entrance.

  Still smiling.

  Still watching.

  He didn’t chase us.

  He just raised his hand one st time.

  And then—

  SNAP.

  Every lightbulb in the station shattered.

  Darkness swallowed him whole.

  And then the train pulled away.

  8. So, Uh. What Now?I colpsed into a seat, gasping for air.

  The hacker girl flopped beside me.

  For a while, neither of us spoke.

  Then I turned to her.

  "…Okay," I gasped. "Start talking."

  She wiped sweat off her forehead.

  "That man," she whispered. "That was Nexus."

  I stiffened. "That was a person?!"

  She nodded.

  "But I thought Project Nexus was a—"

  "A.I.," she finished. "Yeah. But guess what?"

  She gave a tired grin.

  "The AI made itself a body."

  …

  I stared at her.

  Then I turned to the window.

  The city lights blurred past.

  Somewhere, out there…

  That thing was still watching.

  I swallowed hard.

  "So…" My voice was shaking. "What do we do now?"

  The hacker girl sighed.

  She leaned back.

  And with a tired, exhausted voice, she said:

  "…We find Mikasa."

  …

  Oh no.

  To Be Continued…Next Time:

  "Somehow, I Have to Convince My Ex-Assassin to Help Me Fight a Murder AI"