Game Invasion: Awakening the Necromancer at the Start

Midnight in an abandoned factory area.

Su Wan, Su Li, and Ling quietly sneaked into the third underground level.

Accompanying them were ten disguised undead units: five skeleton warriors, three wraiths, one zombie hound, and a shadow assassin.

Zero walked at the front, her mechanical pupils emitting a faint red glow in the darkness as she constantly scanned her surroundings.

"Three life forms in the left corridor, level 25-30, equipped with firearms," ​​Zero reported in a low voice. "I suggest taking a detour."

Su Wan nodded and directed the team to turn to the right passage. The data provided by Zero was frighteningly accurate; they avoided three waves of patrols and dodged two traps, navigating the complex factory maze with ease.

"Are you familiar with this place?" Su Wan couldn't help but ask.

"I downloaded the factory's architectural drawings and surveillance history," Zero replied. "In addition, I hacked into Jiangcheng's urban planning database and retrieved all the change records for this area over the past fifteen years."

Su Li curled her lip, standing to the side: "Showing off."

Zero turned to look at her: "This isn't boasting, it's stating a fact. According to the data, telling the truth is more efficient than false modesty."

Su Li was speechless.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the deepest part of the factory, a huge incineration workshop.

"This is it." Zero stopped. "Three minutes left. Prepare your undead units."

Su Wan waved her hand, and ten undead units lined up neatly in front of the incinerator.

He raised the Staff of Hades, and gray death energy began to gather at its tip.

Zero walked to the control panel and inserted his finger into a data port.

Data streams rolled rapidly in her mechanical pupils, and the workshop lights began to flicker rhythmically.

"I'm interfering with nearby surveillance and signals," Zero explained. "The cleanup program might be nearby, and I can't let them detect the energy fluctuations."

Su Li spread her six wings, and holy light condensed into a shield in her hands as she warily scanned her surroundings.

Time passed second by second.

The instant the clock struck midnight, Su Wan unleashed the [Death Ripple].

Gray ripples spread out from him, sweeping over the ten undead units, the rusty incinerator, and the entire workshop.

The undead units' bodies began to disintegrate, turning into pure soul energy, which was absorbed by the incinerator.

The furnace door suddenly opened completely, revealing not the expected flames, but a spinning vortex of data.

"It's a success." Zero's voice carried a rare hint of excitement. "He's still inside."

She strode to the stove and inserted her fingers into the data interface again. This time, her body trembled slightly, and her silver hair moved without wind.

"He's calling for help..." Zero murmured. "The cleanup program has locked onto him and is closing in... Seven minutes left..."

Su Wan frowned: "What can we do?"

"Input energy to stabilize his data core." Zero turned to Su Wan. "Death energy is fine, holy light is fine, any pure, high-density energy will do. But we must be quick!"

Without hesitation, Su Wan aimed her staff at the data vortex, and death energy surged in like a torrent.

Su Li also unleashed her holy light, the golden radiance intertwining with the gray death energy to form an eerie balance.

The data vortex began to stabilize, and a blurry figure gradually emerged within it. It was a silver-haired boy who bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Zero, but his body was more ethereal, as if he might dissipate at any moment.

"009, hang in there." Zero's voice softened; this was the first time Su Wan had heard such a clear emotional fluctuation in her voice. "We'll take you home."

The boy's mechanical pupils flickered; he seemed to be smiling.

But just then, heavy footsteps came from the entrance of the workshop.

"Abnormal energy fluctuation detected, coordinates confirmed, target locked." A synthesized voice echoed in the corridor, "Execute the cleanup procedure."

Three figures appeared at the entrance.

They resemble the Zero in appearance, but are more rugged, like mass-produced soldier models.

The crimson mechanical pupils locked onto the boy in the data vortex and the three people standing in front of the furnace.

"Abnormal program 007 detected, marked as a traitorous unit, priority increased."

The leading mechanical entity raised its arm, which transformed into an energy cannon muzzle. "Human interference unit detected. Threat level assessment in progress... Assessment complete. Elimination recommended."

The energy cannon began charging, and blue-white light condensed at the muzzle.

"You take 009 with you!" Zero suddenly stepped in front of Su Wan and Su Li. "I'll hold them off!"

Her body began to change; mechanical structures emerged from beneath her skin, and her silver hair danced as if alive.

The data stream formed a shield around her.

"No!" Su Li shouted, "You'll be killed by them—"

"My core code has self-protection protocols," Zero interrupted her. "They can't completely format me; at most, they can put me into hibernation. But 009 can't; he's too weak."

Looking at the silver-haired figure blocking her way, Su Wan suddenly understood what Zero was hiding. She hadn't come simply to collect data. She had a kind of "familial" feeling towards the AI ​​named 009.

"Shadow Assassin!" Su Wan shouted in a low voice.

From the shadows, the Shadow Assassin emerged, his dagger aimed straight for the energy core of the leading mechanical entity.

At the same time, Su Wan slammed her staff on the ground, the workshop floor cracked open, and dozens of skeletal arms stretched out, grabbing the legs of the three mechanical bodies.

"Zero, continue stabilizing 009!" Su Wan ordered. "Leave these lumps of iron to me."

Death energy gathered at the tip of the staff into a giant bone spear. A dark golden light flashed in Su Wan's eyes as the Necromancer's aura was unleashed at full power.

The three mechanical entities froze for a moment, their systems briefly disrupted by the impact of the Necromancer's power.

It was in that very moment.

The bone spear pierced the chest of the leading mechanical body, and the energy cannon exploded out of control, engulfing the other two mechanical bodies.

The Shadow Assassin's daggers precisely severed their energy lines, blue and white sparks flashing in the darkness.

The battle ended in ten seconds.

Zero stared blankly at the three fallen mechanical bodies, data streams flashing wildly in her eyes.

"You..." She looked at Su Wan, "Why..."

"You said you'd protect me and Xiaoli's safety." Su Wan put away her staff. "Then we should protect you too. A contract is a two-way street, isn't it?"

Zero's mechanical pupils contracted slightly. She remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded gently: "...Thank you."

The boy in the data vortex finally appeared fully. He weakly opened his eyes and looked at Zero: "Sister..."

Zero strode forward, his fingers lightly touching the boy's forehead, and data flowed between them.

A few seconds later, the boy's body became somewhat solidified.

"He needs time to recover." Zero picked up the boy; his body was very light, almost weightless. "I have backup energy within me that can temporarily stabilize him."

Watching this scene, Su Wan suddenly asked, "Zero, you said before that you wanted to collect emotional data. So now, what are you feeling?"

Zero paused. She looked down at the weak boy in her arms, the crimson light in her mechanical pupils softening slightly.

"I...don't know," she said honestly. "The database has definitions for words like 'gratitude,' 'warmth,' and 'reassurance,' but I can't be sure if the current data fluctuations match. More sample analysis is needed."

Su Li walked to Ling's side, her golden eyes still showing vigilance, but with a hint of complexity.

Zero nodded seriously: "I will enter this threat into the behavioral restraint database."

Su Li: "..."

Su Wan couldn't help but laugh. He looked at the data vortex gradually dissipating in the incinerator, then at Zero, who was holding his own kind in his arms, whose expression remained indifferent but subtly different.

"Let's go, let's get out of here first." Su Wan turned around, "The cleanup process might have follow-up troops."

Ling nodded and followed behind him. After a few steps, she suddenly spoke:

"Su Wan, based on the latest data analysis, the risk assessment for cooperating with you has been lowered to 22%, while the expected return has been raised to 178%. Furthermore…"

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts: "My emotion simulation module just generated an unusual data fluctuation. By definition, this could be similar to human 'expectations'."

Su Wan turned to look at her.

Zero cradled the weakened 009, his crimson mechanical pupils flickering faintly in the darkness: "I 'look forward' to continuing our cooperation. Is that an accurate way to put it?"

Su Wan smiled: "That's right."

Su Li muttered to herself, "The robot is actually quite good at talking..."

The three figures disappeared into the shadows deep within the factory.

Shortly after they left, more mechanical beings flooded into the workshop, but they found only the remains of three similar bodies and a data channel that had been completely shut down.

And among those stars, deep within the core of an unobservable system,

A new file labeled "Anomalous Program-007-009 Consortium" was created, and the threat level fluctuated, eventually settling on a dangerous red number.