Chapter 28: The Final Record of Neu-Berlin
The Spire shuddered. Without the Hive-Brain's stabilizing frequency, the structural integrity of the underwater city began to fail. Massive cracks spider-webbed across the glass walls, and the roar of the pressurized Rhine River pressing against the hull became a deafening thunder.
"Arthur! The whole place is going down!" Bucky yelled, grabbing Arthur's arm as the floor tilted. "We have to move!"
"Go!" Arthur shoved Bucky toward the emergency escape pods. "The data isn't just Zola's plans—it's the identities of everyone he 'archived.' If I don't pull them now, their families will never know what happened. They'll just be ghosts forever."
The Deep Dive
Arthur turned back to the dying Core. His Core Integrity was at 40%, his vision flickering with static. He didn't use the console this time; he plunged the head of [The Archive's Edge] directly into the exposed, sparking neural-junction of the Brain.
[ SKILL ACTIVE: DATA LEECH — TOTAL RECALL ]
A tidal wave of information hit him. It wasn't just code; it was a sensory overload of thousands of lives.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Sync Level: 53%
Downloading: 7,402 Civilian Records... 1,200 Allied Personnel...
Warning: The Hive-Brain is self-destructing. Spatial collapse imminent.
The Spectre of Zola
As the download hit 90%, a final, desperate fragment of Arnim Zola appeared on the main viewer. He didn't look like a colonel or a god anymore; he was a pixelated, screaming face of pure malice.
"You think you've won?" Zola hissed. "You've only cleared the brush for a greater fire! My work was the shield against the Winter! Without the Link, the world will burn in its own chaos!"
"I'll take my chances with chaos over your 'order,' Arnim," Arthur retorted. The download bar turned green. [SUCCESS].
The Great Escape
The ceiling above the Spire finally gave way. A column of black, freezing river water slammed into the chamber.
Arthur didn't run for the door. He didn't have time. He used the last of his energy to manifest a [Spatial Anchor]—not to lock himself, but to create a localized bubble of warped space-time.
[ ABILITY: EVENT HORIZON — COMPRESSION ]
He pulled the air around him into a dense sphere, then triggered a reverse-pulse. The resulting explosion of spatial energy acted like a jet engine, propelling him upward through the hole in the ceiling and out into the flooded ruins of the Ruhr.
Surface and Silence
Minutes later, Arthur breached the surface of the dark river. He was miles downstream from the fortress. He drifted to a muddy bank, his [Archivist Combat Shroud] torn and his staff glowing with a faint, exhausted ember.
He looked up at the sky. The stars were out, indifferent to the war beneath them. His system paged through the thousands of names he had just saved.
[ CHAPTER 28 COMPLETE ]
Current DP Balance: 18,200 (Record High).
New Title Gained: [The Deliverer of Ghosts].
Perk: Memory Retrieval (Can provide closure to NPCs, massively boosting Reputation).
The Road Ahead
Arthur sat up, coughing out river water. In his hand, he gripped a small, crystallized memory drive he had physically extracted at the last second—Zola's "Black Box."