Chapter 147: The Digital Sequoia and the Root of All Code
The journey to the Old Sector felt like driving through a broken dream. The familiar streets of the capital were now a patchwork of reality and simulation. On one side of the road, people were running in panic; on the other, cars were floating ten feet in the air because the "Gravity-Logic" of the area had been corrupted.
"Aki, keep your eyes on the sensor!" Von commanded, leaning out the window of the van as he watched a skyscraper flicker like a dying candle.
"I'm trying, Von! But the signal from the Old Sector is so strong it's melting my tablet!" Aki shouted back, his golden scars pulsing with a rhythmic light that matched the stuttering of the world around them. "The 'Seed' Zero gave us... it's not just broadcasting. It's consuming the local data."
As they turned the corner into the heart of the Old Sector, they all went silent. In the middle of the plaza where Zero's basement once stood, there was no longer a building. Instead, a massive, translucent tree made of glowing white and violet circuitry stretched hundreds of feet into the air. Its "leaves" were floating strings of binary code, and its roots were thick cables of light that burrowed deep into the city's concrete.
The Tree of Life 2.0
"It's beautiful," Rena whispered, her hand reaching out toward a stray pixel-leaf that drifted past the window. "It feels... like the forest back in the High-Server, but more alive. It's breathing, Von."
"It's not just breathing," Leo's voice crackled through the speakers, clearer now that they were close to the source. "It's a 'Reality-Anchor'. Zero's USB contained the original, uncorrupted source code of Version 1.0. The tree is rebuilding the world's physics from the ground up. But the Architects can't let it grow. If that tree matures, their 'Mirror-World' will be overwritten."
Suddenly, the ground shook. From the shadows of the surrounding buildings, figures began to emerge. They weren't low-level monsters this time. They were 'System-Erasers'—giant, multi-limbed constructs made of black obsidian and red laser-grids.
"They're targeting the roots!" Sai yelled, jumping out of the van and grabbing a heavy iron girder from a nearby construction site. "If they cut those cables of light, the tree dies, and we die with it!"
The Battle of the Root-Node
Von stepped out, his presence suddenly expanding. Even without his digital sword, the air around him began to warp. He looked at Aki. "Aki, the tree needs a 'User-Interface'. It was built from Zero's code, but it needs a living soul to direct its energy. You are the only one with the Admin-Key in your DNA. You have to climb the tree and merge with the Core."
"Climb that thing?" Aki looked up at the hundreds of feet of glowing branches. "I'm a thief, Von, not a lumberjack! And those things have lasers!"
"We'll buy you time!" Sai roared, charging at the first System-Eraser and swinging the iron girder like a legendary mace.
Rena stood by the roots, her hands glowing with a brilliant emerald light. "I'll reinforce the trunk! Go, Aki! Don't look down!"
Aki took a deep breath, his golden eyes reflecting the shimmering code of the tree. He ran toward the glowing trunk and leaped. The moment his skin touched the circuitry-bark, he felt a jolt of pure information. It didn't hurt; it felt like coming home. He began to climb, jumping from one branch of code to the next, his movements becoming a blur of speed and precision.
The Architect's Counter-Attack
High above, a familiar voice echoed through the sky, amplified by a thousand speakers. "You think a weed from an obsolete version can stop us?" It was Marcus, or what was left of him—a giant face formed by the clouds themselves. "We are the Cloud! We are the Network! We are everywhere!"
A beam of red light shot down from the sky, striking the top of the tree. The branches shivered, and Aki nearly lost his grip.
"Leo! I need a shield!" Aki screamed into his earpiece.
"I can't give you a shield, Aki! But I can give you 'Local-Permissions'! Reach into the branch on your left—it's a firewall sub-routine! Pull it out and wrap it around yourself!"
Aki did as he was told. He grabbed a glowing blue vine of code and pulled. It felt like pulling a heavy chain. As the vine came free, it coiled around him, forming a shimmering armor of pure data. The next red beam hit him but slid off, dissipating into the air.
"My turn," Aki grinned, now standing at the very top of the tree, inches away from the pulsing white Core. "Hey, Marcus! Hope you have a backup, because I'm about to format the sky!"