Chapter 3: Are You Waking Up the Queen of the Digital World?

I sat quietly among the hostages while keeping my eyes on the surrounding terrorists.

From the outside—

I looked like just another exhausted civilian trying to survive.

But in reality, my brain was already calculating everything around me.

Routes.

Blind spots.

Movement patterns.

Possible bomb locations.

Meanwhile, the civilians beside me still looked shaken after what happened earlier.

I glanced toward them slightly before speaking in a low voice.

"Listen carefully."

Everyone nearby immediately focused on me again.

"If anyone asks what happened earlier..."

I kept my expression calm.

"...just say some masked man suddenly appeared, killed them, and escaped toward the bathroom hallway."

The uncle beside me frowned.

"Why hide yourself?"

I ignored the question completely.

"Don't ask anything unnecessary."

My eyes slowly narrowed.

"The less you know, the safer you are."

Nobody argued after that.

Good.

Then—

A deep electronic pulse echoed inside my head.

BEEP.

BEEP.

A familiar sigh followed immediately afterward.

An artificial one.

Yet somehow still filled with emotion.

"...So you've finally decided to wake me up, huh?"

A faint smile unconsciously appeared on my face.

"...Yeah."

The voice instantly became more energetic.

"So? Any updates?"

A pause.

"Also, did you finally buy that jacket you were looking at last week?"

I stared blankly ahead.

"...Seriously?"

"What?"

"We're in the middle of a terrorist attack."

"And fashion remains important."

"...Maria."

"What? You still needed that jacket."

I rubbed my forehead tiredly.

"No. I didn't buy it."

"Tragic."

Despite the situation—

I almost laughed slightly.

Meanwhile, the artificial intelligence connected through my neural implant continued speaking.

"So what's the current disaster this time?"

I looked toward the upper floors quietly.

"Scan the mall."

Immediately, thousands of invisible digital processes activated.

The AI's voice became sharper.

"Scanning area."

"Connecting to local surveillance."

"Bypassing communication restrictions."

Several seconds passed.

Then—

"...What the hell?"

Even Maria sounded shocked.

"Why are military-grade explosives detected inside a shopping mall?!"

"Long story."

"You seriously attract world-ending situations like a magnet."

"...Sometimes I wonder the same thing myself."

The AI sighed dramatically.

"Honestly, I leave you alone for a few months and somehow society starts collapsing again."

"Can you focus?"

"Right. Fine."

Digital scanning continued rapidly.

Meanwhile, I quietly lowered my head slightly so the nearby civilians wouldn't notice I was technically talking to someone through neural communication.

"I need your help."

Maria immediately answered.

"You always do."

"Not for me this time."

"...Hm?"

"I need you to support the JP Federation's defense system."

The AI became silent briefly.

"And help her."

"Herrr?"

Maria's tone immediately changed into teasing curiosity.

"...Who exactly is 'her'?"

I sighed.

"We're already linked through the combat chip network."

"You can connect directly."

Another pause.

Then suddenly—

"...Wait."

Maria sounded genuinely shocked now.

"You gave someone else access authority to your personal network?"

"...Yeah."

Absolute silence followed.

Then—

"...No way."

I could practically hear the grin in her voice now.

"Our anti-social idiot finally trusts someone?"

"That's not what this is."

"You never share equal authority levels with anyone."

Maria sounded emotionally moved for some reason.

"Not even with government officials."

"Maria."

"And now you're personally authorizing another woman into your private combat system?"

"...Focus on the mission."

"I'M VERY FOCUSED."

I closed my eyes tiredly.

Meanwhile, Maria continued dramatically.

"I'm witnessing history."

"Human civilization may actually survive now."

"Maria."

"Our lonely weapon finally found a girlfriend."

"There is literally nothing like that."

A smug electronic laugh echoed inside my mind.

Meanwhile, several civilians nearby looked slightly confused after noticing my facial expressions changing for no reason.

I immediately returned to a neutral expression.

At the same time, Maria's voice became serious again.

"Anyway."

"I've confirmed the combat restrictions were completely removed from your system."

Her tone lowered slightly.

"...Was that your decision?"

"No."

"...Government?"

"The JP Federation authorized it."

A brief silence followed.

Then Maria quietly answered.

"...So they're really desperate."

"Yeah."

I slowly looked around the hostage hall again.

"Connect to Aoi."

"Understood."

"And give her the same authority level as mine."

This time—

Maria became completely silent.

Several seconds passed before she finally spoke again.

"...Wow."

"What now?"

"I'm just emotional."

"...Why?"

"You trust her enough to give equal command access."

Maria laughed softly.

"Our cold-hearted monster is evolving emotionally."

"I hate you sometimes."

"No you don't."

The digital queen of the network giggled proudly.

Then finally—

"Connection established."

"Linking JP Defense System."

"Synchronizing combat support."

"And PS?"

"...What."

Maria's voice softened slightly.

"...Try not to die before your first date, okay?"

Meanwhile—

Aoi moved silently through the upper floors of the mall like a ghost.

One terrorist after another disappeared before they even realized danger existed.

PHSHH.

The suppressed pistol echoed softly.

One shot.

Clean.

Directly through the head.

Before the first body even touched the ground—

PHSHH.

The second shot came instantly.

Another terrorist collapsed without understanding what happened.

No hesitation.

No wasted movement.

Perfect synchronization between trigger pull and target acquisition.

Even experienced soldiers would've struggled to react against someone moving at her speed.

And yet—

Aoi's breathing didn't even change.

She calmly lowered the pistol before dragging both bodies into a nearby maintenance room.

At the same time—

A faint electronic voice suddenly echoed inside her neural chip connection.

"...Meow meow."

Aoi froze slightly.

Her crimson eyes narrowed instantly.

"...What?"

The cheerful voice continued immediately.

"So you're the woman trying to steal my prince away, huh?"

For the very first time during this entire operation—

Aoi looked genuinely confused.

"...Who exactly are you?"

Her pistol immediately shifted slightly upward again on instinct.

"And how did you connect to this channel?"

A dangerous pressure entered her voice.

"Are you some kind of hacker?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down."

The voice became playful.

"I'm Maria."

"...Maria?"

"Yep."

The voice sounded strangely proud.

"The greatest digital existence ever created."

"...What."

"And technically his combat-support AI."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then—

"...He has an AI?"

Maria immediately sounded offended.

"Excuse me? Not 'an AI.'"

"I am THE AI."

Aoi slowly rubbed her forehead.

"...This operation keeps getting weirder."

Meanwhile, Maria continued happily.

"Anyway, my idiot creator asked me to support you."

"So don't worry, okay?"

Aoi stayed quiet for several seconds.

Then finally—

"...You talk too much."

"Wow. Rude."

"And stop calling him your prince."

Maria gasped dramatically.

"You really ARE trying to steal him!"

"I never said that."

"But you thought it."

"..."

"Hehehe."

Meanwhile, Aoi calmly walked forward again while scanning the hallway ahead.

Another terrorist suddenly appeared near the escalator.

Without even interrupting the conversation—

PHSHH.

The bullet pierced straight through his forehead instantly.

His body collapsed backward against the railing.

Aoi didn't even glance at him afterward.

Maria immediately whistled digitally.

"Okay wow."

"You actually shoot really well."

"Obviously."

"I can access your combat-chip data now."

Several holographic combat statistics instantly flooded Maria's systems.

Reaction Speed: Exceptional

Combat Accuracy: 99.2%

Movement Stability: Elite Grade

Maria became genuinely impressed.

"...So you're really the commander."

Aoi looked slightly offended.

"Did you think I was pretending?"

"No no."

Maria laughed awkwardly.

"It's just that usually people around him are disasters."

"...Excuse me?"

"I'm talking about him."

Meanwhile, Aoi quietly hid another body before speaking calmly.

"If you came here just to annoy me, disconnect."

"Impossible."

Maria immediately answered proudly.

"I've decided I like you."

"...You decided that fast?"

"You tolerate his personality."

"That's already impressive enough."

Aoi almost smiled slightly hearing that.

Almost.

Then Maria suddenly became serious again.

"Anyway."

The holographic data inside Aoi's vision suddenly expanded outward.

A full three-dimensional map of the mall appeared instantly.

Every hallway.

Every floor.

Every hidden maintenance route.

All reconstructed digitally in real time.

Aoi's eyes widened slightly.

"...How did you do this?"

Maria sounded smug immediately.

"That's my specialty."

"I scanned the entire mall structure within a one-kilometer radius."

"Then I reconstructed everything into a live 3D combat model."

The map rotated smoothly inside Aoi's visual interface.

"And after linking with your combat chip..."

Maria's voice lowered proudly.

"...I used your visual feed to complete the missing sections."

Several red warning markers suddenly appeared across the holographic map.

Aoi's expression immediately changed.

"...Those are—"

"The bombs."

Maria's playful tone disappeared completely now.

"I found them."

Meanwhile—

I still sat quietly among the hostages while pretending to be just another terrified civilian.

From the outside, nothing about me stood out anymore.

And honestly...

That was exactly how I preferred it.

At the same time, Maria's voice continued echoing inside my mind through the neural link.

"...You know, technically speaking, around eighty-five percent of my consciousness still exists in the main server."

"Hm."

"So the current me supporting you right now is basically just a split version."

I stared blankly ahead.

"...That sounds incredibly depressing when you explain it like that."

"I'm not a clone."

Maria immediately sounded offended.

"I'm still me."

"Just distributed beautifully through multiple systems."

"...That's somehow even weirder."

"Hehehe."

I sighed quietly.

"Anyway."

I slightly lowered my head while another terrorist walked past nearby.

"What exactly did you tell Aoi?"

"The truth."

Maria answered casually.

"I explained the bomb structure, gave her the building layout, and connected her combat system with mine."

"...And?"

"And she's terrifying."

I almost laughed hearing that.

"...Yeah. I noticed."

At the same time, my eyes slowly moved across the hostage hall again.

Still too many civilians.

Too many blind spots.

Too many variables.

Then I finally asked the most important question.

"...How much time do we have left?"

Several digital windows instantly appeared in my vision.

15 Minutes 32 Seconds Remaining

"...Fifteen minutes."

My expression darkened slightly.

Maria's voice became serious again.

"And getting shorter."

I quietly rubbed the side of my neck.

"How many terrorists remain active?"

A short pause followed.

Then Maria answered.

"Twenty-three confirmed active."

"Five are moving toward the upper levels."

"Three are guarding the maintenance access."

"The remaining are spread across civilian control zones."

I silently memorized every number.

Then asked another question.

"...Bomb locations?"

The holographic map immediately expanded inside my vision again.

Three red markers blinked.

"One bomb is on your current floor."

"Second bomb is located on the middle upper level."

"And the main explosive trigger system..."

Maria's tone lowered slightly.

"...is on the rooftop."

Of course it was.

"The rooftop bomb is designed to collapse the entire upper structure first."

"Meaning even if people survive the initial blast..."

"...the falling structure finishes the rest."

I slowly closed my eyes briefly.

Cold.

Efficient.

Calculated destruction.

This wasn't terrorism anymore.

This was extermination planning.

Maria continued quietly.

"They planned everything carefully."

"...Yeah."

Then another thought crossed my mind.

"...How many civilians are still alive?"

A brief silence followed before Maria answered softly.

"Most survived for now."

"But if those bombs explode..."

She didn't finish the sentence.

She didn't need to.

Meanwhile, one of the terrorists nearby shouted at the hostages to stay quiet again.

Nobody resisted anymore.

Fear had already broken them mentally.

At the same time, Maria suddenly changed tone again.

"...You know what?"

"What."

"Sometimes you're actually amazing."

I blinked once.

"...Excuse me?"

"I mean it."

Maria laughed softly.

"You adapt to insane situations way too fast."

"Haven't you heard me say before?"

"I am literally the greatest AI ever created."

"Please stop praising yourself."

"What if I deserve it?"

"If you keep acting annoying, I'll stop your maintenance schedule."

Immediately—

"WAIT WAIT WAIT NO."

Maria sounded genuinely horrified.

"Please don't."

"I'll behave."

I couldn't stop a faint smile from appearing this time.

"...You're impossible."

"No."

Her voice softened slightly.

"I'm useful."

For a brief second—

The chaos around me faded slightly.

Because despite everything...

Maria's voice always somehow made things feel less empty.

Then suddenly—

Maria spoke again.

"Oh right."

"What now?"

"You still have the B.A. chip in standby mode."

The smile on my face disappeared instantly.

My eyes slowly narrowed.

"...I know."

"If the situation becomes impossible, you can activate it immediately."

My fingers unconsciously tightened slightly.

The B.A. chip.

The same cursed technology that destroyed countless lives.

The same thing I promised myself never to rely on again.

Maria's voice became quieter.

"...I just wanted to remind you."

I stayed silent for several seconds.

Then finally—

"...Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Five more terrorists suddenly entered the hostage hall.

Their heavy footsteps echoed across the damaged floor as civilians immediately lowered their heads in fear again.

Good.

More targets.

Less numbers.

Meanwhile, I quietly spoke inside the neural connection.

"Maria."

"Yeees?"

"Make sure Aoi doesn't get hurt."

A short pause followed.

Then Maria answered softly this time.

"...Got it."

"And if needed, fully synchronize our combat links."

"Already preparing."

At the same time—

deep beneath layers of blocked communication, broken signals, and military-grade jammers—

Maria forcefully connected herself into the JP Federation Defense System.

Warning messages flooded every screen.

Unauthorized Access Detected

Bypass in Progress

Signal Override Active

Inside the command centers of both the JP Federation and the Republic of Ind, officers stared at the live data feeds in disbelief.

The countdown timer burned red across the screens.

14 Minutes Remaining

Meanwhile, the terrorists had already realized something was wrong inside the building.

The signal jammers intensified immediately.

Entire communication layers started collapsing.

Normal systems failed one after another.

But Maria simply laughed.

"...Cute."

Within seconds, she bypassed the entire restriction network like it barely existed.

Because unlike ordinary hackers—

Maria wasn't operating through normal systems anymore.

She lived inside them.

And once she fully awakened...

Jammers became little more than annoying static.

Meanwhile, back inside the mall—

The five terrorists finally reached the bodies of the dead guards.

"What the hell happened here?!"

Three of them immediately aimed their rifles at the civilians aggressively.

The remaining two crouched near the corpses to inspect them.

The hostages instantly panicked and started speaking over one another.

"W-We don't know!"

"Someone came here!"

"He wore your uniform!"

"He ran upstairs!"

Fear spread perfectly through the crowd.

Honestly...

The acting wasn't even difficult anymore.

The uncle beside me nervously glanced in my direction.

Without moving my face, I quietly whispered:

"Keep looking forward."

"...Or I might kill you before they do."

The old man nearly stopped breathing hearing that.

Then immediately—

"Y-Yes! Yes! Someone came from there!"

He pointed dramatically toward the upper floor.

Honestly...

That was overacting.

Even I noticed it.

The terrorists instantly looked toward the direction.

"You sure?!"

"YES!"

The uncle pointed again desperately.

"He said he'll kill all of you!"

Now THAT got their attention.

One of the terrorists stepped closer aggressively.

"What exactly did he say?"

The uncle swallowed nervously before continuing shakily.

"H-He said terrorists like you deserve to die like dogs!"

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Another terrorist grabbed him by the collar.

"What?!"

"He said you all started this! That you'll regret being born before dying!"

Meanwhile, I silently stared at the uncle.

...He really added extra dialogue.

The terrorists became furious immediately.

"WHERE DID HE GO?!"

"UPSTAIRS!"

Three of them instantly rushed toward the escalator area.

The remaining two still watched the civilians carefully.

And that—

Was the opening.

Without expression, I quietly pulled the hidden knives from behind my back.

One smooth movement.

Two precise cuts.

The blades sliced across their throats before either fully understood what happened.

Blood sprayed lightly across the floor.

Both terrorists collapsed almost instantly.

At the same moment—

The three others turned back after hearing the bodies fall.

Too slow.

I grabbed one of the rifles before firing immediately.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The unsuppressed gunshots exploded through the mall.

One terrorist dropped instantly.

The second collapsed near the escalator.

The third barely tried raising his weapon before the final shot tore through his shoulder and sent him crashing backward.

Panic instantly erupted among the civilians.

People screamed.

Children cried.

Some froze completely.

Immediately, I raised the rifle upward.

"LISTEN TO ME!"

The crowd went silent from shock.

"RUN TO THE SECOND FLOOR!"

I pointed toward a dark hallway.

"Brown maintenance corridor!"

"GO NOW!"

Nobody moved for half a second.

Then—

"MOVE!"

That finally broke them.

The civilians immediately started running while helping children and injured people move together.

Meanwhile, Maria's voice echoed calmly inside my mind.

"Confirmed."

"No terrorists currently detected near that route."

"And the corridor surveillance system ends there."

Perfect.

That meant no direct visual tracking.

At the same time, I continued shouting instructions.

"When you get inside—"

"TURN OFF THE LIGHTS!"

"STAY QUIET!"

"DO NOT COME OUT!"

The civilians immediately obeyed.

And honestly...

That dark maintenance section really was the best hiding place.

Most of the lights there had already been destroyed during the initial attack.

The terrorists themselves had started the assault from that direction earlier.

Meaning psychologically—

They were less likely to suspect civilians would hide in the same damaged zone afterward.

Smart.

Safe.

Temporary survival.

Meanwhile—

The sound of more footsteps echoed from deeper inside the mall.

They heard the gunshots.

And now—

The real hunt was about to begin.

Outside the mall—

The entire area had already become a war zone.

Military vehicles surrounded every entrance.

Police barricades stretched across multiple roads.

Snipers occupied nearby buildings while emergency teams desperately evacuated civilians away from the danger zone.

Nobody outside fully understood what was happening inside anymore.

Not completely.

Because every communication line entering the mall kept collapsing.

Except one.

Maria.

Inside the temporary command center, dozens of officers stared at their screens in disbelief while streams of impossible data flooded through systems that should've been inaccessible.

The ISIA chief rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"...How is this AI bypassing military jammers?"

One JP operator answered nervously.

"Sir... she isn't bypassing them normally."

"She's rewriting the communication layers themselves."

The room immediately fell silent again.

At the same time—

Aoi's voice entered the command channel.

"I found one of the bombs."

Everyone instantly focused.

The holographic map zoomed into a maintenance chamber near the upper floors.

Three armed terrorists guarded the explosive directly.

Aoi stayed hidden behind a broken support wall while observing them calmly.

"The problem is positioning."

"I can eliminate them."

"But not before one of them potentially triggers the device."

The countdown timer continued burning across every screen.

12 Minutes Remaining

Maria immediately interrupted.

"That bomb has priority."

"If it explodes first, chain detonation probability increases dramatically."

Aoi clicked her tongue softly.

"I know."

"But charging directly into three armed guards isn't exactly my dream strategy."

Despite the situation—

her voice stayed strangely calm.

"Especially since I have a date after this."

Several operators inside the JP Federation command center immediately looked up from their desks.

Meanwhile, the chief blinked slowly.

"...You have WHAT?"

Aoi ignored him completely.

"I'm not planning to die today."

"And eventually I'd also like to experience being asked properly."

Maria instantly became excited again.

"OH MY GOD IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING."

Aoi sighed.

"...Focus."

"Right right."

Meanwhile, the command room itself had already turned chaotic.

The JP Federation defense officers rapidly exchanged information while Republic of Ind military personnel struggled to understand what was even happening anymore.

One officer suddenly shouted:

"Can someone explain how the AI took over half the tactical systems?!"

Maria immediately answered through every speaker in the room.

"Can you complain later?"

"We're on a timer."

Several officers nearly jumped hearing her voice directly.

Then Maria casually continued.

"Also, for your information, Commander Aoi has been emotionally following my prince around mentally for almost seven days now."

The entire room froze.

"...What?"

Aoi's face instantly darkened.

"Maria."

"What?"

"I will disconnect you."

"You can't."

The ISIA chief slowly looked between the screens like his soul was leaving his body.

"...What kind of operation is this?"

Meanwhile, Aoi suddenly narrowed her eyes slightly while observing the terrorists guarding the bomb.

Then—

"I have an idea."

Immediately, the room became serious again.

Aoi activated the tactical overlay.

"ISIA chief."

"...Yes?"

"Position a sniper near Window Seventeen on the top eastern floor."

The officer frowned.

"...What exactly will that do?"

"Distraction."

Aoi answered instantly.

"If the sniper reveals presence there, at least one or two guards will reposition toward the threat."

"That gives me an opening."

The ISIA chief still looked uncertain.

"I don't fully understand the strategy."

Aoi's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"You don't need to."

"...Just do it."

Before he could argue further—

The JP Federation defense commander immediately interrupted.

"Follow her instructions."

The room turned silent.

"We no longer have time for hesitation."

The commander continued calmly.

"Commander Aoi has full authority over tactical decisions."

"And considering the current situation..."

His eyes moved toward the rapidly changing data streams Maria continued manipulating effortlessly.

"...she clearly knows what she's doing."

Maria immediately sounded proud.

"Exactly."

"Someone here actually has a brain."

Aoi instantly answered back.

"...You think you're the only intelligent one here?"

Maria gasped dramatically.

"...Okay wow."

"She's fighting back now."

"Good."

Aoi calmly loaded another magazine into her pistol.

"Get used to it."

And somewhere deep inside the collapsing mall—

The countdown continued falling closer toward zero.

CRASH!

The sound of breaking glass echoed across the upper floor instantly.

Window Thirteen shattered violently.

The terrorists guarding the bomb immediately snapped their attention toward the noise.

"What the hell was that?!"

The broken window was nearly ten steps away from their position.

Perfect distance.

Perfect distraction.

"Go check it!"

Two terrorists immediately rushed toward the shattered glass with rifles raised.

Exactly as planned.

The moment they turned their backs—

Aoi moved.

PHSHH.

The suppressed pistol fired once.

The remaining terrorist guarding the bomb dropped instantly before even understanding he had been shot.

His body collapsed beside the explosive device silently.

At the same time—

The other two terrorists quickly turned back after hearing the body fall.

But all they saw...

Was their dead ally lying on the floor.

Confusion flashed across their faces.

"...What the—"

Too late.

Aoi appeared beside the nearest one like a shadow.

No gunshot.

No wasted movement.

Her fist slammed directly into his throat before he could react.

The terrorist choked violently while losing balance.

Meanwhile, the second man instantly tried raising his rifle—

But Aoi kicked the weapon sideways before the trigger fully aligned.

The gun flew across the floor.

Then—

CRACK.

She twisted his neck sharply.

The sound echoed disturbingly loud in the narrow maintenance corridor.

The terrorist's body collapsed lifelessly.

Meanwhile, the first man still struggled weakly on the floor, barely conscious.

Aoi calmly stepped past him.

"...Honestly."

She looked down briefly.

"Breaking necks feels stranger than I expected."

Maria immediately answered.

"That sentence is incredibly concerning."

Aoi ignored her completely and crouched beside the bomb.

The device itself looked terrifying up close.

Digital countdown.

Chemical canisters.

Layered detonation systems.

Military-grade structure.

And the timer continued ticking downward mercilessly.

10 Minutes Remaining

Aoi narrowed her eyes slightly.

"...Maria."

"Hm?"

"You're supposed to be intelligent, right?"

Maria immediately sounded proud.

"The most intelligent."

"Good."

Aoi pointed toward the explosive.

"Then tell me how to disarm this thing."

Silence.

Then—

"...I don't know."

Aoi slowly looked upward.

"...Excuse me?"

"I said I don't know."

Maria sounded offended now.

"I'm an AI, not a magician."

"I still need proper data to analyze things."

Aoi stared blankly at the bomb.

"...Then why exactly do you call yourself intelligent?"

Maria gasped dramatically.

"RUDE."

"I process information."

"If information is missing, I can't magically invent reality."

Aoi immediately answered back.

"And do you think I know how bombs work either?"

"...No."

"Then doesn't that make both of us equally useless right now?"

The communication channel became silent.

Then Maria replied in complete offense.

"...I suddenly understand why he gets headaches around you."

Aoi smirked faintly.

"Good."

"Now stop complaining and help."

Maria sighed dramatically again.

"Fine."

Several scanning processes immediately activated.

Attempt One — Failed

Attempt Two — Failed

Attempt Three — Failed

"...This bomb designer was mentally unstable."

Aoi looked unimpressed.

"Useful information."

"Thank you."

Then suddenly—

"WAIT."

Multiple data streams aligned simultaneously.

Maria's tone changed instantly.

"Found something."

Aoi immediately focused.

"Speak."

"The detonation mechanism uses dual synchronization."

Holographic wire structures appeared inside Aoi's visual display.

"Initially I thought yellow was the trigger line."

"...And?"

"I was wrong."

"...Comforting."

Maria ignored the sarcasm.

"Red wire controls timer suppression."

"Blue wire controls chemical ignition separation."

Aoi's eyes narrowed slightly.

"And?"

"They need to be cut simultaneously."

The holographic model zoomed further.

"If only one wire is cut—"

"The chemical ignition starts immediately."

"And then?"

"...We all die."

Aoi quietly stared at the bomb for several seconds.

Meanwhile, Maria finally spoke more seriously than before.

"I'm not bluffing anymore."

"For real this time."

"If you cut both wires together precisely..."

"The timer stops."

"The detonation mechanism disconnects."

"And the explosive compound becomes isolated."

Aoi slowly reached toward the wires.

"...Meaning the bomb itself still exists."

"Yes."

"But it won't explode."

The countdown continued ticking downward.

09 Minutes 12 Seconds Remaining

Meanwhile—

Far below on the hostage floor—

I suddenly felt something deep inside my chest tighten instinctively.

And immediately knew—

Something had just gone very wrong.

Aoi slowly exhaled.

Then—

SNAP.

The red and blue wires were cut at the exact same time.

For one terrifying second—

Nothing happened.

The countdown continued blinking.

09:11

09:10

09:09

Then suddenly—

The numbers froze.

A faint mechanical click echoed from inside the device before the entire system shut down completely.

The maintenance room fell silent.

Aoi stared at the bomb for several seconds before finally leaning back slightly.

"...That was stressful."

Maria instantly sounded proud again.

"See?"

"Genius AI."

Aoi sighed tiredly.

"You literally failed three times first."

"Failure is part of scientific progress."

"That's not comforting during bomb defusal."

Meanwhile, Maria suddenly became quieter.

Aoi immediately noticed the shift.

"...What's wrong?"

Silence.

Then finally—

"...About him."

Aoi's expression hardened instantly.

"What happened?"

Maria hesitated for the first time since connecting.

"I... don't fully understand."

A cold feeling crawled through Aoi's chest immediately.

"Explain properly."

"I'm currently allocating most of my processing power toward bomb analysis and signal stabilization."

Maria's voice sounded strangely unstable now.

"So my direct monitoring over him temporarily weakened."

"...And?"

Another brief silence followed.

Then—

"...His heart stopped."

The atmosphere froze completely.

Aoi's eyes widened slightly.

"...What?"

"That's the information I'm receiving."

Maria sounded confused herself now.

"But the strange part is..."

"I'm still connected to him."

Aoi immediately stood up.

"What does that even mean?"

"I DON'T KNOW."