The city was collapsing.
Skyscrapers that once scraped the heavens now leaned like broken ribs against a burning sky. Metal screamed as it tore apart, concrete shattered into clouds of ash, and the ground trembled under the weight of endless war.
Fires raged through the streets, painting everything in violent shades of orange and crimson.
And in the very center of the destruction stood K.
One of his robotic arms had been ripped clean off, torn wires sparking like dying stars. Both his legs were gone, leaving his metal torso half-buried in rubble and blood-stained steel. His chest plate was cracked, exposing glowing circuitry beneath, flickering weakly as if even light itself was struggling to survive inside him.
Around him stood innumerable robots—rows upon rows of them—silent, intact, merciless.
Their weapons glowed with restrained power, blades humming softly as if eager to taste their final kill. At K's feet lay a mountain of destroyed machines, their bodies mangled, crushed, and torn apart. Lifeless metal eyes stared blankly at nothing, evidence of how fiercely he had fought.
A glowing screen materialized in the air before him.
On it sat a man upon a throne-like crimson chair.
His white hair was tied neatly into a ponytail, sharp strands framing a face carved with arrogance and control. One of his eyes burned with an unnatural red glow, cold and calculating. The other remained human—too human—filled with disappointment and fury.
"You are my greatest invention, K," the man said, his voice calm but laced with venom.
"But it's a shame you got ahead of what I made you for."
The man leaned closer to the screen, his face filling K's vision.
"Only if you had stayed beneath my feet."
K let out a dry snort, his cracked lips twisting into a cold smirk despite the pain tearing through his systems.
"So this is it," K said quietly. "You're afraid of me."
A loud crack echoed through the ruins as the man slammed his hands onto the table, veins bulging in rage. He leaned forward, eyes blazing.
"Yes," he snapped. "I am afraid of you. And not just me—you've become a threat to other planets as well. The entire universe sees you as a mistake."
His lips curled into a cruel smile.
"If that's what you wanted to hear so desperately, then there you go. I've fulfilled your last wish."
He paused, then added flatly,
"Anyway, you won't remember it."
The screen shattered into particles of light and dissolved into the air.
The robots moved.
In perfect synchronization, they stepped forward, metal feet crushing debris beneath them. Across countless planets, thousands of screens broadcasted the moment live.
This was the end of Hero K.
He had served the world until his last breath.
He had protected those who cursed his existence. He had fought wars no human body could endure.
And now, he was going to die forgotten.
The robots struck in unison.
Multiple glowing blades tore through his body, slicing metal and flesh alike. Sparks erupted, blood splattered across the ruined ground, and his systems screamed as they shut down one by one.
K closed his eyes.
Accepting death.
Only if I had one more chance, he thought as darkness swallowed him.
Iwould take revenge—for every friend I lost. For what they made me. I would bring them all to their knees.
Light.
Blinding, overwhelming light.
K gasped and blinked rapidly, his vision flooded with white brilliance. He sat up abruptly, metal joints moving smoothly, flawlessly.
Around him, figures dressed in white coats hurried back and forth. Transparent holographic screens floated before their eyes, data streams reflecting off advanced glasses.
The air smelled sterile—cold, clean, controlled.
K was locked inside a glass chamber.
The same kind of chamber.
He looked down at himself. His robotic hands flexed, producing a familiar mechanical hum. His arms—whole. His legs—intact. His body—fully reconstructed.
He was alive.
As doctors noticed his movement, chaos erupted. Scientists rushed forward, voices overlapping, cameras flashing, data recording at alarming speed.
"K19999 has woken up," a woman announced sharply. "He's sitting upright, motor functions responding perfectly. Visual tracking is active—he's observing the surroundings."
She pressed a device closer to her mouth.
"It's 12.09.2997. After nineteen thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight failures… our experiment has finally succeeded."
Her name was Wanda.
K struggled to process the flood of information. His mind felt heavy, fragmented, yet one truth stood out clearly.
He had been reborn.
Was it a god who answered my prayer, he wondered,
or a devil?
Wanda stepped closer, pushing aside the crowd. Her black curly hair spilled over her white coat, and her dark skin glowed softly under the blue laboratory lights. She raised a hand and waved at him.
"Hello," she said calmly. "You are K19999. But you can call yourself K. I'm Wanda."
So… I really did come back.
Year 2997.
Humanity had discovered aliens and forged fragile alliances across the universe. But Earth had paid a terrible price.
The apocalypse came suddenly.
Zombies ravaged half the planet. Humans with uncontrollable superpowers tore cities apart. Civilization collapsed almost overnight.
Humans became rare—precious.
To survive, they built robots to replace themselves.
But zombies weren't the only threat.
Some planets viewed Earth as nothing more than a worm, attempting to wipe it out repeatedly. Others offered protection—but only in exchange for something valuable.
And humans had nothing left to offer except themselves.
Recognizing their weakness, humanity chose forced evolution.
Metal arms. Metal legs. Reinforced bodies.
Thus began Operation RED.
After 19,998 failures, K was created.
The perfect invention of Dr. Falken.
Outside the research facility, crowds of humans protested violently. They screamed, cursed, and called the operation inhuman. Their voices echoed against steel walls.
But armed soldiers drove them away mercilessly.
A massive gate opened.
Silk-coated vehicles rolled in.
An army officer rushed forward and opened a car door. A woman stepped out.
Her black hair clung neatly to her scalp. A white fur coat draped carelessly over her shoulders, trailing along the polished floor.
"Greetings, Ms. Will," the soldier said, bowing deeply.
She walked forward without acknowledging him, high heels clicking sharply against the shining surface.
"Lead the way."
Inside the lab, K sat within another glass chamber, restrained on a wooden chair.
Here we go again, he thought coldly.
There are things I hate more than my past—and this moment is one of them.
The moment I met that woman.
That snake.
Doctors watched him through countless screens, monitoring every twitch.
One female scientist hesitantly approached Wanda, holding up her tablet.
"Ma'am… this might sound strange, but I think K looks angry. His brows are slightly furrowed. His eyes are fixed—he's barely blinking."
Wanda glanced at the screen dismissively.
"He looks normal."
"But I swear, he looks as if he has emotions—"
"This is a critical situation," Wanda interrupted quietly. "We cannot afford mistakes. We need this deal. And you know exactly what kind of woman she is."
The scientist swallowed and nodded.
"Call Dr. Falken," Wanda ordered. "Tell him she's here."
Later, K was escorted by armed men toward a massive silk-metal door.
"We're in position," one guard spoke into his mic.
"Let him in."
The door hissed open.
Inside stood a larger glass chamber.
And inside it—monsters.
Mutated dogs.
Their bodies were grotesquely enlarged, muscles bulging unnaturally. Their teeth were massive, sharp enough to shred steel. Their eyes burned with feral hunger.
Zombie dogs.
Outside the chamber, Ms. Will watched intently. Beside her sat Dr. Falken, his brown eyes locked onto K, a pleased smile on his lips.
Wanda gripped the control device connected to the shock collars around the dogs' necks—the only thing keeping them from tearing K apart.
"Start it," Ms. Will commanded impatiently.
Wanda hesitated.
Then the locks turned green.
The dogs growled.
One lunged.
In a blur of motion, K caught it mid-air, his grip crushing its throat effortlessly. The next second, he snapped its neck. Blood poured over his metal fingers, splashing onto the glass floor.
He threw the corpse aside.
The remaining dogs attacked together.
K moved.
Lightning-fast.
The air cracked with the force of his speed.
One by one, the beasts fell—bones shattered, bodies slammed into the floor, whimpers filling the chamber.
Silence followed.
K stood drenched in blood.
Memories flooded back—of weakness, of failure, of being torn apart and rebuilt again and again.
This time, he wouldn't waste it.
This time, he would change everything.
Ms. Will rose slowly, eyes gleaming.
"That's good," she said. "I'm ready for the deal."
Dr. Falken stepped forward, knelt, and kissed the back of her hand.
"I would be honored to enter this partnership."
Inside the chamber, K smiled.
Everything starts from here.