Chapter 140: Neon Shadows and the Gasoline Dream
The heavy carbon-fiber doors of the penthouse slid shut behind them as the group stepped out into the crisp night air of the rooftop. For the first time, they weren't looking at a pre-rendered sky. The city of 2025 stretched out before them like a sprawling circuit board of neon blues, oranges, and deep blacks.
"It's... it's beautiful," Rena whispered, her eyes reflecting the thousands of distant lights. "And it's so loud. I can hear the heartbeat of millions of people."
"That's not a heartbeat, Rena. That's traffic," Aki said, pointing toward the street forty floors below where streams of white and red lights flowed like liquid data. "And I want one. I want one of those shiny metal boxes that move without horses."
Von (Volt) looked back at the building they just escaped. "The Architects won't stay down for long. Marcus is just one man, but the corporation is a machine. We need to disappear into the noise of this city before they track our neural signatures."
The First Hack: The Silver Beast
They made it to the ground floor parking garage, a place filled with expensive electric vehicles. Aki walked up to a sleek, silver sports car that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie.
"Okay, Leo, talk to me," Aki muttered into his earpiece. "This thing doesn't have a keyhole. How do I make it growl?"
"It's a 'Tesla-X Gen 5', Aki," Leo's voice sounded stressed. "It's locked with a 256-bit biometric encryption. You'd need the owner's thumbprint to—"
"Biometrics are just code, right?" Aki interrupted, placing his hand on the car's glass window. He closed his eyes, his golden circuitry glowing faintly under his skin. He didn't look for a thumbprint; he looked for the 'Open' command.
System_Override: User_Auth = Bypass
Ignition: Status = ON
The car's gull-wing doors hissed open like a dragon spreading its wings. The interior lights glowed a soft blue, and the dashboard screen flickered to life.
"Get in!" Aki shouted, jumping into the driver's seat with a massive grin. "I don't know how to drive, but I'm pretty sure the code for 'Go Fast' is the same everywhere!"
A New Kind of Freedom
Sai squeezed his large frame into the back seat, looking nervous. "Aki, if you crash this 'Dragon', I'm going to throw you out of it while it's moving."
"Relax, Sai! I've navigated through glitched dungeons and falling servers. A paved road is nothing!" Aki grabbed the steering wheel, his mind merging with the car's computer.
As they sped out of the garage, Von looked at the digital map on the dashboard. "Leo, where are we going? We need a place where the Architects can't reach us."
"Head for the 'Old Sector'," Leo replied. "There's a dead zone where the smart-city grid is broken. It's the only place your signals will be lost in the background radiation of the old world. But stay off the main highways—the automated police drones are already looking for a stolen silver sports car."
Aki floored the accelerator. The electric motor let out a high-pitched whine, and the group was thrown back into their seats as the car surged forward at 120 mph.
"I love this world!" Aki laughed, his hair flying in the wind. "No levels! No limits! Just pure, unadulterated speed!