Chapter 2 – Part 1: Fractured Bonds
The remnants of the explosion had left a gaping void in the heart of the Scrap Abyss. Ash and scorched debris drifted through the air like mournful snow. Wei Lian lay at the edge of the crater, shielded by a rusted chassis half-buried in the ruins. His skin was bruised, and sparks of leftover Qi flickered across his body, fading like dying fireflies.
The SpiriPhone buzzed against his chest, still warm with residual energy. He groaned, sitting up slowly. The world tilted sideways for a moment before settling. Pain flared down his spine, but he welcomed it—it meant he was alive.
> [Status: Conscious. Vital functions within sustainable limits. Regeneration Mode: Standby. Qi Flow: Stable. Caution: External hostility detected within 200-meter radius.]
He squinted through the smoke. Shadows moved in the distance—four figures approaching, their outlines wavering with stealth arrays. The nearest one wore a uniform of the Qingyang Corporation, a military envoy sent to reclaim stolen tech—or eliminate witnesses.
"So, they tracked me this far," he muttered.
The SpiriPhone buzzed again.
> [SpiriCloud Cloak: Active. Suggestion: Conceal presence. Access nearby cloaking artifact?]
Wei Lian tapped the screen. The phone connected to the battered Thunder Storage Ring, revealing a new item—a torn fabric shimmering faintly.
> [Artifact Identified: Chameleon Veil (Grade 2 – Damaged). Effect: Temporary invisibility and scent masking. Duration: 67 seconds.]
Without hesitation, he activated it. A soft shimmer covered his body as his presence melted into the ruin around him. The soldiers passed by, scanning the area with mechanical hawks and Qi-sensors, unaware he was mere meters away.
His breathing slowed. His mind raced.
Qingyang Corporation. Why were they after him? It wasn't just the SpiriPhone. They must've detected the Soul Binding—or worse, the awakened circuits inside him.
Memories surged.
The lab. The betrayal. His master's final words: "Protect the blueprint. The world isn't ready yet."
He clutched the SpiriPhone tighter. This device wasn't just some mystic-tech toy. It was the bridge between ancient cultivation and the bleeding edge of technology. It ran on cloud-stored Qi algorithms, hosted soul-bound inventory management, and now—
—seemed to be evolving.
A new tab blinked open on the interface: [Social Cloud Link Beta – 1 Friend Available]
Wei Lian raised an eyebrow. "Friend?"
He tapped it. A holographic ripple spread across the interface, forming the face of a girl—serene eyes, crimson hair streaked with circuits.
> [Connection Requested: Lin Yue – Authorization Code Valid. Accept Link?]
His breath caught. Lin Yue. His childhood friend...and a ghost in the system.
He hadn't seen her in years. Last he'd heard, she'd been absorbed into the Spirit Research Division—rumors said her soul was fused into a Neural Cultivation Matrix. But here she was.
"Accept."
The screen shimmered, and Lin Yue's voice crackled through.
"Wei Lian. I thought... I thought they got you."
"Not yet," he said. "You're...alive?"
Her face darkened. "Not quite. My body's gone. They turned me into a Living Circuit—linked to every node across the Qingyang Network. But I found a fragment of myself they couldn't corrupt. I've been hiding in the Code Cloud."
His hands trembled.
She continued, "You bonded with the prototype. That means you can upgrade it from within. The SpiriPhone isn't just a tool—it's a living bridge between spirit and machine."
"And the corporations want it," he whispered.
"They fear it."
Wei Lian leaned back against the metal husk behind him. "How much time do we have?"
"Not long. They've deployed a Class-2 Seeker Drone. If it picks up your soul imprint again, there's no hiding."
He checked the SpiriPhone. The signal lock indicator blinked red.
"Suggestions?"
"Run. But not just anywhere. There's a hidden server-temple beneath Mt. Baiguang. It's where the blueprint was conceived. Only there can you evolve the SpiriPhone into a true Dao Device."
He inhaled deeply. "And you?"
Lin Yue smiled sadly. "If you reach there...maybe you can rebuild me too."
Silence lingered.
Then Wei Lian stood. The ruins no longer felt like a tomb. They were a crucible.
He opened the storage ring and pulled out a pulse-blade, its edge humming with dormant Qi. With the SpiriPhone mounted on his arm, circuits glowing faintly, he stepped toward the edge of the Abyss.
> [Mission Log: Activate SpiriCloud Evolution Protocol. Destination: Mt. Baiguang. Estimated Time: 72 hours. Threat Level: Extreme.]
He grinned.
"Then let's make every hour count."
Far above, in a glass tower flooded with blue light, a woman in black robes watched his progress through a thousand data streams.
"Found you," she whispered. "My little variable."
And she tapped the interface, launching a swarm of soul-hunters to intercept him.
The race had begun.